hit counter

Mixing ZzzQuil and Alcohol: Effects & Dangers

ZzzQuil is an over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aid manufactured by Vicks (a subsidiary of Proctor & Gamble) that initially hit the market in 2012.  When administered on an “as-needed” basis, ZzzQuil is thought to alleviate occasional bouts of insomnia and other sleep disturbances with minimal risk of abuse, addiction, and/or dependence – as compared to pharmaceutical …

Read more

Gabapentin For Sleep & Insomnia: Does It Help?

Gabapentin, sold under the brand name “Neurontin,” is a drug that was first approved by the United States FDA in 1993 as an adjunct treatment for partial seizures in adults.  Thereafter, gabapentin’s indication as a treatment for partial seizures would be extended in 2000 to pediatrics, and subsequently, it would receive FDA approval for the …

Read more

Kratom Withdrawal Symptoms

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is an evergreen tree from the Rubiaceae (coffee) family that produces leaves containing numerous psychoactive compounds, most notably including indole alkaloids: 7-hydroxymitragynine, mitraphylline, and mitragynine.  When ingested by humans, the aforestated indole alkaloids significantly modulate CNS activity primarily via partial agonism of mu-opioid receptors (MORs).  In addition, evidence from pharmacodynamic investigations suggests …

Read more

Kratom Side Effects & Adverse Reactions (List)

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is an evergreen tree of the coffee (Rubiaceae) family native to countries such as: Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand.  It is best known for generating leaves that contain upwards of 40 distinct psychoactive compounds.  Pharmacological research indicates that the psychoactive constituents of kratom – most prominent being [indole alkaloids] …

Read more

Drinking Coffee & Weight Loss? What You Should Know

Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from the roasting of coffee beans, which technically, are seeds of berries produced by the Coffea plant.  Specifically, when Coffea plant berries ripen, they are picked, processed, dried, roasted, ground, brewed with boiling water, and served as the beverage we’ve come to know as coffee.  Although the Coffea plant …

Read more

Clonidine For Opiate Withdrawal Symptoms: Does It Help?

Clonidine is an antihypertensive drug originally synthesized in the early 1960s by chemists employed under the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim.  At the time, the chemists intended to develop a peripherally-active adrenergic nasal decongestant to be administered in the form of nose drops.  In the process, the chemists sought to modify amidines to fit the chemical …

Read more

Kratom For Opiate Withdrawal: A Popular “Natural” Intervention

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical evergreen tree from the coffee family (Rubiaceae) native to Indonesia, Papa New Guinea, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia.  The kratom tree produces leaves containing psychoactive compounds, and when ingested, these compounds are capable of eliciting opioidergic and/or stimulatory effects.  Although it is estimated that kratom leaves contain …

Read more