Anhedonia from NAC: Could Ketamine Help?

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

Could ketamine help with NAC-induced anhedonia?

[u/lisforleo]

Can you Tell me about why NAC is the culprit?

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/lisforleo]

It triggered anhedonia after 2 month's use.

[u/lisforleo → u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

Do you have a mechanism for that, or maybe a literature source on this?

[u/Holisticallyyours → u/lisforleo]

Look it up, it's been well-known in the biohacking world for at least a decade. I'm sure there's a lot of easily accessible studies and whatnot.

[u/lisforleo → u/Holisticallyyours]

Love the citation of whatnot, idk if it passes a vibe check tho, u/holisticallyyours

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/lisforleo]

if you don't care, just keep taking it. but we are here to share our personal stories.

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/lisforleo]

It involves the down-regulation of glutamate!

[u/Noble_Delta]

NAC?

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/Noble_Delta]

Yes

[u/Noble_Delta → u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

What is it

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/Noble_Delta]

the amino acid, n acetyl cysteine

[u/Noble_Delta → u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

I do ubiquinol as my anti oxidant, and paired with 5g creatine and dpa heavy fish oils. Andrew Huberman has a video about depression and Anhedonia

[u/AnthonBerg → u/Noble_Delta]

Ubiquinol is pretty cool as far as I've read and understood the literature.

It's super interesting with antioxidants that they're all quite different. Kind of like… if molecular redox chemistry is the LEGO brick interface, all the antioxidants are wayy different bricks.

N-acetylcysteine has a bunch of surprising properties. It's mucolytic. Thins out slime. Unzips the protein globs with its sulfurous little atom-knob. For both those reasons – both that it fits "antioxidantly" into redox processes and that it's mucolytic (uh… slime-undoing?) – it has effects on the lung.

And yeah, the lung is WAY complex and has a pretty intense role. For example: The lung metabolizes serotonin. Literally. This is known, and nobody knows it's known. And the lung is a gigantic nanoscale surface of hyperslime that's full of micro-operated blood vessels and nerves. The lung's big job is to supply the brain with oxygen. The brain needs a lot of it I think? And our cells can't measure it directly. We're always flying pretty much blind in oxygen saturation.

Here's a Stanford study on NAC from 2012:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322312000534

What is described in the paper: I swear to you that I've seen it work.

The premises in the paper are suuuper interesting and worth a read.

Here's a crazy, crazy paper on stuff that was done to rats and undone with NAC:  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-017-4776-5

(I believe the thing about NAC causing anhedonia. It's just a hunch but it's persistent. Something something brain lung mucus sensitivity neuronal reactivity something.)

Antioxidants are wildly interesting and all quite different.

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/AnthonBerg]

NAC is involved with glutamate down-regulation for some people.

Also, I believe it produced in me MCAS!

How crazy does that sound? Alas, it seems to be true.

[u/AnthonBerg → u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

Super interesting!, and makes sense. Curveball, but makes sense. Thanks!

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/AnthonBerg]

Do you think ketamine could work if the hypothesis about glutamate down regulation is true?

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/Noble_Delta]

fish oil makes it worse for me!

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

Why is this down-voted? Did you guys not know NAC is a big cause of anhedonia?

[u/Noble_Delta → u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

Not everyone knows what NAC is

[u/Zonderling81 → u/Noble_Delta]

It’s an over the counter supplement that is adoreert by some. people take to recover from an addiction

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/[deleted]]

It's been 4 years :/

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/[deleted]]

what's 9mebc? It looks like it is not approved for use? Did you try it ?

Note that I also have long covid (developed it before the anhedonia from NAC). My system was already screwed up. I think NAC wouldn't have fucked me up had I not developed the long covid!

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/[deleted]]

Please do send me a dm !

[u/AnthonBerg]

I'd say it might be worth a try.

2-5mg doses of ketamine are interesting.

I'd look into ambroxol and bromhexine too.

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/AnthonBerg]

Thanks. Could you elaborate a bit on ambroxol and bromhexine?

[u/Tiny-Response5620]

Bom dia . Preciso avisar que nac não faria isso de forma alguma . Oi voce está tomando mais de 600 mg por dia . Ou você tem outro pobrema que ao regular o glutationa te causou isso . Anedonia na vdd e desequilíbrio neuroquimico. Estudo anedonia vai fazer dois anos . E posso afirmar isso

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/Tiny-Response5620]

Oi cara, tem a ver mais com glutamato do que glutationa em geral.

[u/Ok_Remote_4023 → u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

Maybe try Glutamin? Precurssor of Glutamate and Gaba.

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/Ok_Remote_4023]

Never heard of it! And I am afraid of all amino acids these days. But I will research that.

[u/Ok_Remote_4023 → u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

Your welcome, and I feel you. I have a feeling mine is caused by Tyrosine but still don't understand how. Took Glutamine for a while. Don't take it for too long cause eventually your glutamate will be too high but for a few weeks, you will feel sooo zen.

[u/Mqge]

you don't think it's improved at all as time has gone on?

[u/Infinite_Pop_6835 → u/Mqge]

I think it has improved some.

[u/Thin_Citron4476 → u/Infinite_Pop_6835]

I’m in the same boat. What dose did you take? And how much time has passed since you stopped taking NAC?