DOSE: T+ 0:00	200 ug	oral	Huperzine
T+ 6:00	2000 ug	oral	Huperzine

BODY WEIGHT:

175 lb

I had taken 200 mcg (one pill) of Huperzine A this morning while studying, and noticed a mild positive effect on memory and mental clarity. So, this afternoon, I took 2,000 mcg (ten pills).

T+0:00: I take 2,000 mcg of Huperzine A in pill form (10 pills).

T+0:45: I normally have a lot of trouble concentrating when I write, but my words are flowing nicely, and I’m not distracted at all. I rip off a long, technical e-mail to my boss that I'd been putting off for a long time. This is exactly the mental state I want to be in. It’s certainly not any kind of fun drug — I would never take it (or any other acetylcholinesterase inhibitor or other cholinergic drug) when partying or hanging out with friends.

I wouldn't take it before a date; I'd seem clinically ruthless and intense as I sit and analyze everything my date says. But it certainly makes me focused on work, and able to express my thoughts clearly and efficiently in writing, without worrying too much about wording things perfectly, about punctuation, etc. I just write.

T+1:15: I start to notice the effects of too much acetylcholine: I start feeling a little nauseous, and I'm sweating more than usual. Huperzine A is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor; that's why it helps with memory, and is indicated for Alzheimer's. (I'm using it as a study/focus drug; I don’t have Alzheimer’s, though I do have memory problems.) But acetylcholine also stimulates the autonomic nervous system. I have to go to the bathroom. I then take 1,000 mg of GABA (two 500-mg pills) to try and counteract the racing acetylcholine.

T+2:00: Full-blown effects of too much acetylcholine. I puke. (There go the two GABA pills I just took, together with dinner.) Having once overdosed on pilocarpine, which is a muscarinic (acetylcholine) receptor agonist, I’m familiar with the symptoms: excess salivation, piloerection (i.e. hair standing on end, especially body hair; goosebumps), sweating, feeling overheated yet clammy, digestive discomfort, and especially a weird and uncomfortably wired-and-uneasy-and-unpleasantly nauseous feeling. I check the serum half-life of Huperzine A online. Someone claims it’s 4.8 hours. Shit — that means I have about three hours until I start feeling better.

T+2:45: I puke again. A lot. More than I can ever remember puking, certainly while sober.

T+3:00: Well, I think I’ve stabilized; I’m not getting worse, and I’ll ride this one out. Still feel nauseous, and if I had anything left to puke, I would. Salivating unusually much. I can write well, but I feel awful, and in no condition to do work.

Bottom line: Huperzine A seems like it can be a great study/work/memory aid, but I would STICK TO NO MORE THAN A LOW DOSE (maybe 400-600 mcg max at one time). I took 2,000 mcg and was throwing up for five hours and regretting it.

Exp Year: 2011	ExpID: 93206
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 33
Published: Apr 13, 2018	Views: 4,929
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Huperzine  (474) : Retrospective / Summary (11), Performance Enhancement (50), Overdose (29), Therapeutic Intent or Outcome (49), Health Problems (27), Alone (16)