Hack Your Head: Stimulants For The Uberhacker

     (Or... how to stay awake for days with legal and safe(r) chemicals)

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(Reprinted from 2600 The Hacker Quarterly volume 14, Number 4 Winter
1997-98) by Met-Enkeph

Hackers love caffeine. And Ephedrine. And anything legal or otherwise that
promises to keep you up, alert, and eleet. Ever wonder why your last Jolt
didn't wire you as much as your first? Ever try to solder and IC after a
couple of Mini-Thins? Well, read on. Remember, if you're sleeping, you're
not hacking. And if you're not hacking... what the hell are you doing?

Basic Biology

Most, if not all, stimulants work on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS).
This is your fight or flight system. Adrenaline (Epinephrine), Noradrenaline
(Norepinephrine), and Dopamine are the major neurotransmitters of the SNS. A
neurotransmitter is just a chemical that transmits a signal. Different
stimulants either mimic, block, or prolong the actions of these
neurotransmitters. Methlyxanthines (caffeine and theophylline in tea) cause
an increase in a chemical (cAMP) within cells that mediates the effects of
the SNS. Ephedrine mimics epinephrine as well as causing the body to release
its own epi. Cocaine blocks the destruction of Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and
serotonin (another neurotransmitter), allowing prolonged action of these
neurotransmitter. Got all that? Now on to the practical uses...

Caffeine: Breakfast of Champions

Just about everyone uses caffeine. Either from coffee (100mg/8oz.), tea
(80mg/8oz), soda (40-60mg/8oz or 100mg/8oz Jolt!), or those funky yellow
tablets (100-200mg). The effects are identical and dose dependent. Don't buy
into the idea that natural is better. Guarana, Goto Kola, Yerba Mate, and
Cola Nuts are all caffeine. Expensive caffeine. Effective dosages range from
100-300mg with the toxic dose (where the bad side effects predominate) at
about 600-1000mg. Tolerance develops quickly due to an increase in the level
of enzymes which destroy the caffeine and its mediator (cAMP). So how do we
avoid this? Take it less often. That sucks - anything else? Grapefruit
juice. The bitter bioflavonoid Naringin in the grapefruit juice inhibits the
enzyme that destroys caffeine but not theophylline. It also prolongs the
time that caffeine is active by 30 percent or so. As a side note, canned
grapefruit juice contains more Naringin. Mo bitter = mo better.

Ephedrine: Herbal X, Mini-Thins, and Primatine Tabs

Yes, all the above contain Ephedrine (the chemical) or Ephedra (the herb).
Ephedra contains 0.75 - 1.0 percent Ephedrine. With the effective dose of
Ephedrine being 25-50mg, the effective ephedra dose is 300-600mg. As with
most herbs, the absorption of ephedra is pretty crappy. Eating a high
protein meal with the herb will keep them in the stomach longer, allowing
for better absorption. You can also boil the herb in lemon juice; the
alkaloids (the good stuff) tend to heat stable and soluble in a weak acid.
Tolerance to Ephedrine can be temporarily avoided by the addition of
caffeine and/or aspirin. Aspirin inhibits prostaglandins which in turn
inhibit one of epinephrine's mediator chemicals (Adenyl Cyclase).

Other Assorted Goodies

Yohimbe: Yohimbe, the herbal form of Yohimbine, is also moderately
stimulatory. No, it doesn't increase testosterone or libido. It does block
the feedback loop that regulates epinephrine and Norepinephrine release.
Absorption of yohimbe is particularly crappy. Works really, really well with
Ephedrine. Also, if any of you Ephedrine popping males notice any difficulty
with... ah..., er... "wood," then Yohimbe may be for you. It reverses
Ephedrine nasty side effects "down there."

Phenpropanalomine: This active ingredient of Dexatrim is chemically related
to Norepinephrine. it primarily decreases appetite. Not a good choice, as
any caffeine taken with it causes massive increases in blood pressure. Comes
in 25mg tabs or 75mg time release tabs.

Ginseng: Crap. The panax species (all but the Russian variety) are
estrogenic. What the hell is that? It means that if you keep taking it, you
can develop breasts. Knockers. Yabbos. Also increases blood pressure.

Choline and DMAE: Supposedly increases ACh, a neurotransmitter involved in
muscle control. Haven't tried it and have heard mixed results.

Tyrosine: The precursor to epinephrine, norepi, and Dopamine. When I notice
that Ephedrine isn't working for me, I take 500-1000mg per day for a week or
so to rebuild the epi stores. Tends to be only mildly stimulatory on its
own.

Nicotine: No, I don't smoke. I have used the 3mg Nicoderm patch to good
effect. The 5mg tends to make me sick. Average cigarette contains 4-6mg
nicotine.

Valarian Root: An odd one. Contains methyl-Diazapam aka Valium. As in the
tranquilizer. So what the hell is it doing in an article about stimulants,
you ask? One nice side effect of a low dose (one capsule) is a huge
reduction in the jitters associated with caffeine and Ephedrine. A must for
delicate electronics.

Gingko Biloba: God, I love this stuff! Contains gingkosides that increase
the perfusion (amount of blood flow) of the brain. I've found it
particularly useful for "focusing attention" and as with Valarian, for
reducing caffeine jitters. Dosages of 120-160mg (three tabs). Can cause a
headache if you're prone to migraines.

Toxicity: How Not To Kill Yourself

Don't use any of these if you're on MAO inhibitors (a kind of
anti-depressant). These inhibit the enzyme that destroys the stimulatory
neurotransmitters. Also, don't OD on the mini-thins. Tissue saturation (the
dose where all tissues are getting the drug) occurs at around 35mg Ephedrine
and at around 300mg caffeine depending on your weight. Anything higher just
increases the side effects.

The Bottom Line

My stack for full bore Psyche without regard to hand-eye coordination:
Caffeine 200mg, Ephedrine 25mg, Aspirin 325mg, Yohimbe 2 tabs, all washed
down with 12oz grapefruit juice and a high protein meal. I like peanut
butter because of the extra fat. This will tend to hit in about 45 - 60
minutes.

If I'm soldering or need to decrease jitters: Ephedrine 25mg, Caffeine
200mg, Aspirin 325mg, Gingko Biloba 3 tabs, and Valarian Root 1 cap. Again,
I take it with a high protein meal.

When the Ephedrine stops working, I go with: Nicotine 3mg and Tyrosine
1000mg for about a week.

The effects of caffeine last about 2 - 4 hours, 3 - 5 hours with grapefruit
juice. Ephedrine effects last 6 - 8 hours. Re-dosing should be done every 3
- 4 hours with caffeine and every 6 or so hours with Ephedrine.

That's pretty much it for the legal stimulants. If there is interest, I can
go into meds and the like. Have fun, don't kill yourself, and stay eleet!

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The writer of this article is a chiropractic student with a background in
pharmacology.