Caffeine substitutes or replacement
Currently looking for something to replace some of the caffeine i intake.
Currently looking at green tea. Cant find solid articles though. Any substitutes would be appreciated as im getting headaches if I dont have any and I only have 1 or 2 cups per day
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Ampakines are the sort of chemicals which are most often talked about on sites such as ours, they are Nootropics, also known as smart drugs and cognitive enhancers. Ampakines in particular, are some of the best known of the Nootropics, this group includes all Racetams, drugs like Piracetam and Aniracetam, which are perhaps the two most often talked about Nootropics.
Basically what all of these drugs are supposed to do is to help clear all of the cobwebs from your brain, give you a better ability to focus by fine tuning your mental capacities until they are quick as lightning. Their exact chemical action is also somewhat mysterious and they have various and multiple effects, some of which vary a little depending on which chemical you are talking about but in general, as per the moniker of "Cognitive Enhancer" they are really supposed to make your brain function better.
The effects of Racetams are many, but the effect that we are interested in for our purposes here is the fact that all of this mental revving not only increases function but pliability and speed, meaning that, in general, these drugs can act as wakefulness-promoting agents as well. Whilst this is not their primary effect it is something that they have also come to be associated with to a lesser extent.
Racetams are able to be purchased over the counter as well as on the internet with no prescription required. I think that they might be easier to get on a regular basis and they have the additional effect of overclocking your mental pathways in general while helping to keep you up and energized. Racetams are additionally known to be quite safe and info on Piracetam and Aniracetam should be fairly easy to find around biohack.me and the internet at large.
Both Modafinil and Piracetam (or Aniracetam) seem to best fit what you are looking for in a Caffeine replacement and have the least negative side effects and highest ease of access out of all other potential candidates. Do a little research on all of 'em and go for it!
If you do actually try to permanently replace daily Caffeine with a regimen of any of these substances please do report back on your results. I find stuff like this direly fascinating, hence, the novel^. lol. Sorry about that btw. : 3
tl;dr: Modafinil (or other drugs in that family) or Piracetam/Aniracetam are the most likely candidates to give you the effects you are looking for if you were to take them daily.
L-theanine is commonly taken with caffiene to negate some of the drawbacks, but i think this is limited to jitters and stuff like that, probs worth looking into. (L-theanine is taken from green tea, and so it's legal within the UK)
In the past, guarana worked well for me, though it's been ages. Lately, I found a couple teaspoons of kratom in some hot water with milk and sweetener have kept me awake and peppy on those days I don't get enough sleep, without crashing after. Though that's a whole other barrel of monkeys that you may or may not want to deal with.
I can't recommend U.K. sellers since I've only purchased in the US, but powdercity.com (and their sister site nootrostop.com) have always been good to me for racetams and other supplements.
The withdrawal headaches do go away after a couple/few days without any caffeine.
I bought a TDCS device (you can build your own cheaper) and it does seem to give me some of the effects that the caffeine did. I had stopped using the device for a couple weeks or more but just hooked it back up this morning and it still gives me the same effect. No shakes but more energy and better able to focus.
Might not work the same for everyone but, once you have the device, the only cost is a little bit of salt water and a 9 volt battery. That and the time to use it. I can usually feel the effects in just minutes but 15 minutes to half an hour is a normal "dose" with longer lasting effects.
I did try guarana many years ago. I think it was sold as a natural diet pill. They were huge pills and I think the active ingredient is still caffeine. They caused a lot of "shakes" but really increased energy and focus. Building up a tolerance was a problem if used regularly and the "crash" was pretty bad when I quit taking them.
The effect is hard to explain and probably different for everyone. I'm not fully convinced it isn't at least partially a placebo effect but it seems to work the same each time I try it.
The effects I get from placing the anode (positive electrode) above my left eye around the temple and the cathode (negative electrode) on my upper right arm are an increased ability to concentrate or focus on a task and an increase in both energy and mood.
It is not exactly like caffeine and I can't really tell how long it lasts. I started out using the device a couple times a day around a half hour each time. I cut back to once or twice every couple days and now only use it a couple times a week.
I'd guess the most noticeable effects fade in an hour or two but it doesn't feel like I NEED to use it every day anymore to keep from getting depressed or too lazy.
As far as physical feelings, there is normally a slight tingling or itchy feeling under the electrodes but not too bad using sponge electrodes dampened with a mixture of 1/4 tsp table salt and a 1/4 tsp baking soda per cup of water.
There is often a slight metallic taste as well as a flash of light when the device if first turned on or turned off. Sometimes there is a cooling feeling in my forehead originating from the anode.
I can usually feel the stimulating effects within minutes but continue using the device for at least 15 minutes.
I did try reversing the polarity of the electrodes one time and haven't wanted to repeat that experiment since. It felt more like a depressant (alcohol) effect and my ability to stay focused was bad enough to need to turn the tv off. I couldn't keep my mind from drifting long enough to understand what was happening on the television. I assume, whatever region of the brain I had been stimulating and encouraging to fire was now being turned off and possibly allowing other regions to take over.
Last thing I noticed was, if it doesn't seem to be working as good as it first did, try a fresh battery. I accidentally left the device turned on one time and, after I replaced the battery, the original effects returned.
I never got any headaches from using the device but others have reported actual burns to their skin so be careful if you try it. It shouldn't be painful at all. Maybe not what you would call a pleasant feeling (tiny pin pricks) but it shouldn't hurt. If it does, stop using it and figure out why. If the itchy feeling gets too bad, I will wiggle the electrode around or add a little more saline solution to the sponges and help spread the current over the whole surface of the electrode. As the electrodes dry out, they start to sting. They should be just shy of dripping wet.
I bought my TDCS off Ebay but you could build one much cheaper if you can solder and have a few cheap parts. The one I bought came with elastic strapping and electrodes but I ended up using cut pieces of sponge between the included electrodes and my skin because the ones included were more painful and I didn't want to risk burns. The sponges also work (with enough saline solution) through hair.
I had to repair the device I bought when I broke the wire and it only has 2 tiny surface mount parts controlling the current. It does have a battery case with a built in switch and a bag to put everything in so I don't regret buying it but I did get some parts to build my own and have tried the homemade version while temporarily built on a breadboard and it worked just as well and I plan to add more "bells and whistles" or at least an LED to indicate power on and a way to change the current instead of just a fixed 2mA setting.
Here's a link to my thread about this device.
http://forum.biohack.me/discussion/1673/tdcs-questions
There are pictures of the kit I bought and schematic diagrams of some circuits to build your own.
Looks to me like a very minimal parts list would be:
(1) LM334z current regulator
(1) 33 ohm resistor (for 2mA setting)
(1) 9 volt battery and a connector
(2) electrodes with wires
optional switch and indicator light