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Thoughts 8 years later on the SSC article on russian psychopharmacology?

slatestarcodex.com

The nootropics spaces online (notably /r/nootropics, among others) contain references to compounds like semax or noopept which seem to have unclear support from the literature, or in the case of semax have hundreds of studies from russian labs, and only a single one from a western lab (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00707).

After having little success with the headache meds my doctors have been prescribing me, I was thinking of trying some of these compounds. I was curious what your guys' thoughts are on these compounds. Is there a good reason they haven't been studied much in the west yet, or is it just inertia?

Open to any thoughts.

Thanks.

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Thanks for the surprisingly detailed writeup. I'll read quite a bit more before attempting DYI pharmacology.

Update: I serendipitely stumbled upon betahistidine and it seems like a no-brainer low hanging fruit from a quick glance, acting as an ear selective vasodilator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betahistine#:~:text=Primarily%2C%20it%20is%20a%20weak%20agonist%20on%20the%20H1%20receptors%20located%20on%20blood%20vessels%20in%20the%20inner%20ear.%20This%20gives%20rise%20to%20local%20vasodilation%20and%20increased%20permeability%2C%20which%20helps%20to%20reverse%20the%20underlying%20problem%20of%20endolymphatic%20hydrops.

edit doesn't seem very effective but good to have in a polyphamacotherapy

maybe synergetyc with pge2

All the drugs I mentioned above the "EDIT" have benign side effects, are non-dangerous, cheap and available OTC.

The only thing you need to check is the CYP interaction between inhibiting a CYP enzyme and a CYP substrate, especially for etifoxine.

You also need to be aware that benzos and GABA B tolerance and addictions are real, you need to dose responsibly and cycle, google about it.

rupharma is the best legit epharma online. For more choice although less reputable, there is indiamart.

btw Misoprostol is the most likely to help IMHO

also the Intratympanic Steroid Injection are extremely interesting, if they work for you, that would mean you could solve your tinnitus via an immunosuppressant/modulator, maybe thymosin alpha 1.

I would also try the atypical protectant and gaba potentiator emoxypine.