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Not a Very Good Study Drug
Mucuna pruriens (extract)
Citation:   Lanson. "Not a Very Good Study Drug: An Experience with Mucuna pruriens (extract) (exp111863)". Erowid.org. May 7, 2018. erowid.org/exp/111863

 
DOSE:
T+ 0:00
  buccal Tobacco (daily)
  T+ 0:00 3 capsls oral Mucuna pruriens (extract)
  T+ 0:50 1 capsl oral Mucuna pruriens (extract)
  T+ 0:00   oral Coffee  
BODY WEIGHT: 130 lb
It’s nearing the end of the semester and I have an ungodly amount of homework to do, so I decided to try l-dopa in the form of mucuna pruriens to help me focus on writing my essays and speech. I ordered a bottle of organic mucuna pruriens extract and it just arrived in the mail a couple hours ago after I got home from school. I should note that I drank some coffee this morning and am still drinking the same cup of coffee. I also use a tobacco product called snus, and I have one in my lip pretty much constantly.

Past experience, I used to do a lot of “soft” drugs in high school like adderall, weed, shrooms, acid, tramadol, xanax, vicodin, etc., and also have been drinking alcohol excessively almost daily every summer for years. I haven’t really been doing drugs or drinking for the past 7 months or so but I still take small doses of mushrooms about once a week and take vitamins like l-tyrosine occasionally, along with the occasional kratom. Anyway...

5:00PM: ate 3 capsules, which is 1,500 mg of mucuna extract (about 10% l-dopa/capsule). The dose on the bottle is 1-2 capsules. Right afterwards I ate a snack of rice, broccoli, and a small amount of beef. I’ve heard that protein reduces the effects of l-dopa, but I was really hungry.

5:30: felt a little light-headed. Nothing positive or negative so far, although I feel a bit tired from school.

5:50: took a fourth capsule with more water and drank some more coffee.

6:05: I’m a little disappointed. Mucuna is reputed to “kick in” 15-30 minutes after ingesting, but I still feel normal and fatigued.

6:25: I’m pretty hungry at this point but I don’t want to eat any protein and ruin my chances of having motivation and energy. My writer’s block is not alleviated and my essay remains untouched, though I’ve been staring at the words blankly for a while. I think this l-dopa is making time pass slower.
I think this l-dopa is making time pass slower.


6:45: I ate some of a large meal of meat, vegetables, and rice. During the meal I started to get restless and a little anxious and a little light-headed. I have some head fog that makes it difficult to think. I have the strong urge to watch a movie to relax, but still no motivation or focus to do homework. I don’t know if it’s the dopamine or if it’s just hot, but I feel uncomfortably warm and the sunlight through the windows is too bright. Normally I would enjoy this type of weird experience, but combined with the stress of college and the temperature and brightness of the house, I just feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed with sensation.

7:08+: I ate some more meal and watched 20 minutes of a horror movie and feel pretty good now. It’s like the feeling of a mix between adderall and kratom, but without the focus or motivation. There isn’t any comedown, it just sort of wears off after a while. I’m surprised at how short the experience was, although it was probably due to eating so much protein.

Conclusion: I think next time I will combine a smaller dose of mucuna pruriens with l-tyrosine, SAMe, kratom, and green tea, and eat it with fruit or on an empty stomach. Also I will put on the air conditioner, shade the windows, and have lots of ice water ready. All in all, I am disappointed at how little focus and motivation mucuna gave me, although at least now I have something in my arsenal that will enhance other drugs and make me feel good.

Exp Year: 2018ExpID: 111863
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: 20
Published: May 7, 2018Views: 3,362
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Mucuna pruriens (376) : Performance Enhancement (50), First Times (2), Alone (16)

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Experience Reports are the writings and opinions of the authors who submit them. Some of the activities described are dangerous and/or illegal and none are recommended by Erowid Center.


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