Thread: Supplements affecting in the long term?

Okay so I have been against using supplements to get vivid dreams since forever, but have any of you that have used supplements remembered more dreams after that as if the supplements have a permanent effect? Not like having vivid every night and remembering tons more dreams, but did the experience of having very vivid dreams help you develop better awareness in the long term?

Basically, do supplements affect you in the long term at all in terms of LDing?

And yes this was probably my worst post ever in terms of making sense ever

I'm currently testing out supplements for making dreams more vivid, remembering longer dreams, and getting my mind awake, using WBTB.

Fish Oil = Mind awake, body asleep along with remembering more of the dreams. The brand used *greatly* effects how well these keep your mind awake. For example, the Costco Kirkland brand, with 10 before bed and 10 more six hours later, my eyes want to fall asleep, while with Nature's Bounty, five of them before bed and also six hours later, my mind is then awake and stays awake for two to three hours, even after I dream and then wake up. Mind is still awake, then by three hours later, my mind then is back to normal, aka wants to sleep.

With one Vitamin C at WBTB with Fish Oil = Mind is still awake three hours later, and dreams are a little more vivid.
Vitamin B6 = Possible Sleep paralysis. I've woken up just once to SP, and it was when I had had Vitamin B6 at WBTB with other supplements.
L-Carnitine = Before bed. Dreams a little more vivid.

5 HTP and Melatonin don't seam to help with dream vividness.

Galantamine and Choline so far haven't been much help. Had just one lucid dream with them and 5 HTP.

I'm also testing out B-Maxi, B 100 Complex, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Kava Kava, St. John's Wort, Magnesium/Zinc/Calcium, L-Carnitine, Turmeric, Vitamin D, and Niacin. Once I'm done, I'll then do more tests with the supplements that do have results with dream vividness, remembering more dreams, and longer dreams.

Basically, your question is what I'm trying to find out with my supplement tests!

Interesting, strago pretty much everything you mentioned there i have bar a couple of items, ive only just begun to experiment. Any success you have with any of these i would love to know and your method/timing, please keep us informed? Would be much appreciated.

Some more results.

Garlic = Longer dreams. (Before Bed)
Magnesium/Zinc/Calcium = Longer dreams. (WBTB)
B 100 Complex = Dreams are longer. (WBTB)
Vitamins B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12 = Dreams are longer. (WBTB)
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) = Longer dreams, and a nice flush. (Chew it up, and take on empty stomach if you want a bigger flush.) (Before Bed, had trouble going back to sleep when taking it at WBTB.)
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) = Dreams are a little longer. (WBTB)
Vitamin B7 (Biotin) = Longer dreams. (WBTB)
Vitamin B6 = Might help generate Sleep paralysis. (I've woken up to this ONCE and I had taken Fish Oil, five tablets at both BB and WBTB, and Vitamin B6, and Vitamin C, Galantamine, and Choline!)


Next I'll test out Galantamine, Choline, Dream Leaf and Lucid Dream supplements, and then test out DHEA, DMAE, Valerian Root, GABA, and ZMA.

The main thing I'm looking for now is an increase in vividness, since I've already found more than enough supplements that make me remember more of the dream, and Fish Oil does an excellent job at making my mind awake during WBTB.

Some more results.

DMAE = Dreams are more vivid. (WBTB)
Galantamine, Choline, and Vitamin B5 combined at WBTB. = Not 100% sure on these. When it's the weekend, it's hit or miss on having lucid dreams, some times I have them and some times I don't even have more vivid dreams. I've also had lucid dreams when I took no supplements but just used the fact that my dreams were more vivid on the weekend when I got more sleep.
Huperzine A = Dreams a little more vivid (WBTB)
DHEA = Longer dreams. (WBTB)
Valerian Root = Longer dreams. (WBTB)

ZMA, I didn't get more vivid dreams even though a LOT of people do according to the Amazon reviews.

Some more results. With these I took them until they started generating results, or up to two weeks. These are supplements that I originally didn't get results from just a few days of testing.

5-HTP update (Before bed) = It took almost two weeks to get results, and *then* dreams start getting a little more vivid.
L-Tryptophan (Before bed) = Longer dreams. Quickly got results.
DHEA (Before bed or at WBTB) = Longer dreams...and um...way more day erections!! Quickly got results. Was hoping for more vivid dreams here.
Co Q-10, Folic Acid, and Alpha-Lipoic Acid (Tried both BB and WBTB.) No results at all. These effect memory, but they did nothing to help me remember more dreams or have more vivid dreams.

Left to test...
GABA
DMAE (I did just a few days test. I'll do a long term two week test to see if it gets even more vivid. It can take a week or two to kick in.)
ZMA
Mugwart
L-theanine

(Right now I'm just hunting for more supplements that give you vivid dreams.)

In response to the OP's question, I am guessing you mean long-term negative side-effects. From the oneirogens I have tried, I've never had an issue. With Galantamine, sometimes there is a slight hangover feeling in the morning, but it's temporary and if you take enough choline with the Galantamine (around 200 mgs or so of choline) the headache is more or less negated.

I don't know what kind of permanent side-effects one might have from trying an oneirogen once, but I suspect there aren't any. I think you'll be fine with Dreamleaf, mugwort, Galantamine, or whatever else you try. Just research what you are taking and be see what other people are saying about it.

Strago, you might want to start your own thread to continue sharing the information, so as not to derail the original post.

It sounds to me like you're describing something along the lines of: taking some set of supplements helps you greatly when achieving lucidity, gives you higher awareness, or much more vivid dreams, and as a result you get some lucid dreams under your belt. During the process, your experience actually accumulates in such a way that your brain is more in tune with what you have to unconsciously do to get lucid, remember your dreams, exert certain levels of control, etc. Essentially, the experiences you are afforded as a result of your heightened awareness or even by the fact that you had a lucid dream at all wind up helping you build skill that may not easily be recognized as a legitimate skill, even though it is (at least to some degree). Therefore, it appears as though the supplements you are taking are having permanent effects, but they are actually just camouflaged as effects of the drugs/supplements when they are in fact learned, and often unconscious, skills that you have unwittingly honed.

Does this sound plausible, or like it answers your question? Or even gets close to the spirit of what you're asking? If you are referring to negative side-effects, like ThreeCat guessed, then I'm way off for sure.