Experiences - First Time Memantine (Namenda)

[arman]

SWIM found some info about a drug called Memantine, a few days ago. Checking his country's official drugs list, to his surprise he found it there (along with another interesting related drug called Amantadine). So SWIM collected this info on Memantine:

Memantine is a low-affinity voltage-dependent uncompetitive antagonist at glutamatergic NMDA receptors. In some texts Memanine defined as an antagonist with moderate affinity for NMDA receptors. The receptor which is usually antagonised by dissociatives. Memantine is also an antagonist at the 5HT3 receptor. Almost all other 5-HT3 antagonist drugs are antiemetics, used in the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting, especially drug-induced nausea. Memantine also has anticholinergic (specifically antinicotinic) action. It also works as an agonist at Dopamine receptor D-2, causing some stimulating effects. Best described as wake-promoting effects. Memantine has a very long half-life, around 60-100 hours.

Experience:
SWIM got the Memantine and Amantadine from a local pharmacy, he decided to take it at night and smoke some Hash with 2 of his friends, in his home. Planned to take Memantine mostly to enhance the Hash experience, rather than just experiencing its effects. Cause he just wanted to do a moderate dose of Memantine. Here it is. (The format of report is: "Clock (relative time) - Event Description")

05:00 PM (-04:00) - SWIM started by taking a test dose at 5 PM, to be sure he doesn't have any kind of sensitivity/allergic-reaction to Memantine. In test dose he took 10mg orally.

05:30 PM (-03:30) - SWIM wanted to get some sleep, feeling a little tired (done some strength training in morning) but was unable to sleep. Which could be unrelated to Memantine.

09:00 PM (00:00) - SWIM felt almost no effect from the test dose, there might be some difference in his head, but it might be placebo effect. He decided to take 50mg Memantine (5x10mg pills), on an almost empty stomach.

09:30 PM (00:30) - Left home to pick-up his friends.

10:45 PM (+01:45) - SWIM came back with his friends, as soon as entering home he could feel it starting to come up almost suddenly. But still it was very mild, and can't be felt from time to time. The effects can be described as a change in preception.

11:15 PM (+02:15) - By this time effects are more noticable, but still mild. can be easily ignored. Some unique feeling of Ketamine can be felt sometimes. A unique smell. A unique feeling of body sense, not to the point of numbing, or anything close, but yet very Ketamine-like feeling.

11:45 PM (+02:45) - Still coming-up. Effects became more noticable. Feeling more strange about the world. Seems like his memory is unusually sharp and intact.

12:00 AM (+03:00) - Seems like he has almost reached the plateau. Effects is very recongnizable. Feeling like he came from another planet, everything is strange. Good feeling. Feeling like the very first moment of starting to take-off for K-hole after a Ketamine IM injection (SWIM done dozens of K-Hole). There was also some CEVs, but SWIM could see them by closing his eyes and thinking about something, or listening to music. Actually he felt absolutely no nausea, no bad feeling. And absolutely no dizziness, no confusion. SWIM was feeling his memory is very sharp, brain seems to work with no problem. The feelings were actually there, but still can be ignore cuz they didn't impair any function in brain.

12:30 AM (+03:30) - SWIM and his friends started smoking a cigarrete filled with tobacco mixed with Hash. They were sharing the cigarette. After inhaling 2-3 times, It does hit SWIM with great force, and he a really clean and good high. Started dancing with music. Still feeling very sharp in brain, and the dissocation feeling became less pronounced.

12:40 AM (+03:40) - Started smoking second hash cigarette with his friends. After finishing the second cigarette, he was really high. More that what he normally get, with this amount of Hash. Feeling great. And still no memory loss, neither short nor long term memory loss. SWIM must note that, he always forget most of his high on Hash, and also on K. But he had a super sharp brain this time. Closed eye visuals became really great. They were not only very sharp and detailed but they had colors. SWIM never had any CEVs like this time, Ketamine visuals were mostly black and white, and even if there is a color it can't be seen like real colors. SWIM never had any CEV on Hash. Music felt good, but no more good than Hash itself.

01:00 AM (+04:00) - SWIM started going through his memories from his childhood, they didn't came, like it happens in NDEs or anything like that. SWIM willingly searches through his memory for his childhood, cuz he was feeling like he can remember a lot of things forgotten from his childhood. And upon remembering them, he could see them with his eyes closed. Some of them were more sharp some less. He actually feeling that it Memantine is helping to keep the memory working, and Hash is making it possible for me to know how would he feel if he was for example 4 years old, then somehow searching through the brain using that feeling, he finds lost memories that can't be accessed otherwise. Pretty surprised and happy to see those old memories, not only remembered and visualize but that he can feel like he is 4 years old. Pretty cool feeling and also really strange. When describing one the memories SWIM says: "I was 2 or 3 years old, it was an afternoon, I came to a room, my brother and sister were there, everything peaceful, they were sitting there watching TV". He could feel this strange feeling of a child, and could remember that he felt it some time in his life. Sometimes he decides to just listen to music and see whatever visual comes. This way they were a lot more colorful and real, some of them were colorful shapes spining around, and some were faces, places, strange paintings. Very Very vivid pictures. This countinued for almost 3 hours.

04:00 AM (+07:00) - SWIM almost came done from hash completely, but didn't feel tired. But no sleepiness as usually follows hash high. He felt very alert. Started a conversation with his friend, and could easily follow it and speak completely normally. CEVs still there and dissociated feeling still strong. decided to sleep. And to SWIM's surprise he fell asleep very quickly.

09:00 AM (+12:00) - SWIM woke-up suddenly, feeling very alert and with a lot of energy. SWIM usually feel very tired day after hash. Still feeling dissociated. It was not very noticable, but surely was there. Eat breakfast, functioned normally. There was actually a good mood lift. Feeling up, clear, and yet disconnected. He felt like coming from another planet, everything felt different, but not in a confusing way. Still feeling sharp memory.

11:00 AM (+14:00) - He started playing chess with his friend and although he was unable to win the game (as he usually win), but he felt absolutely no problem thinking. Actually he felt the problem was that he doesn't have enough motivation, feeling already great, losing the game could make him any sad.

02:00 PM (+16:00) - He can still see the visuals if he tries to. Still feeling a good mood-lift, although it is less noticable than morning. SWIM decides to take one 100mg pill of Amantadine, on an almost empty stomach.

02:30 PM (+16:30) - SWIM tried to sleep, but was unable to. Seems like Memantine keep one awake better during the day, but not the night which SWIM used to sleep.

03:45 PM (+17:45) - Unable to feel Amantadine effects, he 2 additional Amantadine pills (2x100mg).

05:00 PM (+19:00) - Amantadine can't be felt. But SWIM can feel a little bit more speedy, and maybe a little bit more dissociated than morning. Visuals could flow more easily. Still feeling sharp memory.

07:00 PM (+21:00) - SWIM lost the mood lift almost completely. Amantadine seems to change his feeling for the worst. Didn't feel clean like when on Memantine alone.

12:00 PM (+26:00) - Still feeling dissociated and strange. SWIM easily fell asleep.

07:30 AM (+33:30) - Upon waking up, SWIM felt like he came back from this trip to earth. No dissocation and strange feeling.

06:00 PM (+44:00) - SWIM lying down listening to my friend's piano, could still visualize my thoughts much easier than normal. But feeling completely normal otherwise.

Conclusion:
SWIM thinks Memantine surely deserves further exploration. SWIM may try a higher dose next time, maybe around 100mg. But considering its very long half life, one should have at least 2 free days. And the down-side is if one has a bad trip she will have it for 2 days. Although the Memantine doesn't get metabolize by liver, and most of it exerts unchanged in urine. One can multiply its rate of exertion, but lowering PH (acidifying) of urine. Actually SWIM took 3 Vitamin C effervescent tablets, in +5, +6 and +7 hours, which might had an effect.

Hope this report can be helpful for someone

Reputation Comments on this post:

A very comprehensive report on two NMDA receptor antagonists with virtually no prior information available on their recr...

[shanesmith7]

what does swiy mean by voltage dependent?

[arman]

Originally Posted by shanesmith7

what does swiy mean by voltage dependent?

AFAIK, It means when enough (larger than necessary) glutamate is released from presynaptic neuron, Memantine will rapidly unblock the blocked NMDA receptors, so the postsynaptic neuron can get activated. Thus never completely turning a Glutamatergic neuron off.

[taher12112]

wow. what a great detailed report. A question, why did swim take Amantadine in the 2nd day ?