No, I've never seen it. Heard of the movie, but I've not actually seen it.
And I've had the weird sleeping and eating patterns since way before any opiates, ket, MXE or benzos coursed through my veins. Since I was born, I've had weird sleeping patterns and I naturally have a very low appetite, and generally funky metabolism. The myoclonic episodes I'm not sure why I have those. Could be one or other forms of myoclonic epilepsy, possibly.
Which is why I want to check for MERFF, although it is rare to start with, it can be definitively checked for by a specific staining protocol of a muscle biopsy and examination under a high powered microscope...which mine certainly is. And if its not enough, I have a potential project my old man actually suggested, building an electron microscope. Which would be generally neat as hell to have lying around anyway.
With MERFF, its a mitochondrial disorder, and it might explain a few things, such as poor memory, myoclonic episodes/myoclonic seizure type stuff too has happened from damaged mitochondria forming a ragged appearing clump of red fibrous deposit within muscle cells and other mitochondria, hence the abbreviation MERFF, standing for 'myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibers'
It would explain generally funky metabolism, mitochondrial disorders tend to do that, as well as poor memory, low tolerance for workloads/physical exertion (although I need to get in shape better, its tough when pain prevents me from being able to run, and take up jogging etc. though) along with what seems to be a decrease in my hearing. I seem to have to ask people what they said a lot more than I used to, although I could do with getting my auditory function tested formally. Along with low appetite, and odd reactions to quite a few meds (although thats not uncommon with spesh people to begin with, such as bad reactions to SSRIs in many, paradoxical effects from certain benzos, which I have, I know somebody who had their GI tract ruined by an SNRI, in her case venlafaxine left her with gluten intolerance, and GI pain, and I get paradoxical stimulation and twitching if I take oxazepam, and benzos that metabolise to oxazepam sometimes do it, although not predictably, and as for tramadol, the opioid/SNRI/serotonergic agent, I HATE it, and it makes me feel really damn uncomfortable) And I get what feels like excessive (nor)adrenaline release which causes akathisia, for which I take tizanidine, although I'd love to be on the longer acting relative, clonidine, which I used to be on, and which worked wonders. The adrenergic funny business makes me really uncomfortable, and makes me overload, but alpha2 adrenoreceptor agonists like tizanidine or clonidine pretty much stop me overloading at all, ever. I pretty much never get any overloading while I have the tizanidine script. Works absolute wonders.
Since I have the molecular biology skills to test for it, I may as well do so. There is little that can be done to treat it, if I did turn out to have it, although I could at least then start taking supplements to aid mitochondrial function, such as Co-Q10, as well as loading up on antioxidands like vitamin C, fish oil for the fatty acids, omega-3/omega-6, alpha-lipoic acid, resveratrol to potentiate sertuin gene activation, and the like. No cure for MERFF, but I could at least take steps to support mitochondrial health.
Memory wise, I've had good results with cholinesterase inhibitors (aka the pharmaceutical version of nerve agents
), especially with galantamine, which is also either an agonist or positive allosteric modulator of alpha7 type CNS nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, which confers additional nootropic properties), as well as 'racetams, particularly pramiracetam, although aniracetam worked well when combined with fish oil. Piracetam was OK, but not as good as either aniracetam or the creme de la creme of 'racetams, pramiracetam. I'd love to try phenylpiracetam, but its very hard to get hold of, and expensive to boot. Chances are I'd have to make it myself.
Working on an AMPAkine, DM-235 at the moment, otherwise known as sunifiram. This in addition to activating LTP in the hippocampus, should release BDNF, conferring mood lifting, antidepressant effects, and enhancing neuron differentiation and survival, supporting new synaptic connections in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus especially, which should improve both memory and executive function. I have the relevant acyl chlorides (propionyl chloride and benzoyl chloride, as well as piperazine phosphate, to serve as a starting point for piperazine mono-hydrochloride, the HCl salt on one amine acting as a protecting group and serving to avoid diacylation)
All I need are some more HCl...I burn through a lot of hydrochloric acid and have run out, and some TLC plates to follow the reaction..I need to PM a guy I talk to sometimes from a (bio)chemistry forum for home enthusiasts of chemistry and pharmacology/psychotropic biochemistry, production and use who has offered me some dirt cheap TLC plates.
Should be easy enough chemistry and a simple synthesis. I know a couple of people that have succesfully done a sunifiram synth. Its reportedly hard to crystallize, but vacuum distillation of the freebase, followed if needs be by using triphenylphosphine to help catalyse crystal formation should do the trick. Its a highly potent nootropic, active in the 0.001mg/kg dose range at least in rats by injection, or orally by some 0.1mg/kg. Making it around 1000x as potent as piracetam. And a much stronger AMPA modulator too, being specifically an AMPAkine, rather than piracetam which just has weak to moderate affinity at AMPA receptors, and seems generally to be an enhancer of neurotransmission through the corpus callosum, the nerve fiber bundle that connects the left and right brain hemispheres.
I can't wait to try it. And perhaps experiment with synthesis of other AMPAkines, such as the members of the CX series. And of course, there is also the fun to be had in doing the lab work. Autie is, as autie does, in this case
