Biology/medical stuff

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Mon May 30, 2011 3:41 am

Okay, if the incredible agony in my stomach this morning was anything to go by, I might finally have an ulcer to die from. But it also might just be acid reflux that's really intense but not very high.* So at any rate, I need to stop drinking Coke, which is like 230% acid.

Problem. I need sugar. In huge amounts. I have no self-control, and my best theory on this seems to be "my brain's withered, deprived reward-centre is going to latch onto anything it can get, and won't take no for an answer." Given my brain meds seem to be losing effectiveness, I suppose it makes sense that being miserable all the time leads to the brain trying to grab any high it can find.**

So... what options are left? I'm going on a limb here and assuming all soft drinks are acidic, never mind that I'm on the overweight side (while still being more than 20kg short of being obese), so maybe I should cut down on soft drink. I dunno. For instance, if I bought a huge tub of that fake sugar for people who are dieting, coated my cereal with it, melted it into a toffee-like glaze to cover vegetables with and ate that, would it taste just as good as the real stuff, trigger the reward centre just as well and yet be healthier?

Failing that, are there any safe/low-risk (preferably legal but whatever) drugs that activate the reward centre so easily, that I could just take a dose every time I get cravings rather than having constant sugar? The only drugs I know of that actually activates that part of the brain are opiates, and if there are better choices, I'd like to know.

*I'll see a doctor tomorrow, though amateur opinions are always welcome
**Medical opinions on this theory are always welcome***
***Especially if they agree with me

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Mon May 30, 2011 3:53 am

I've cut out soda and sugary stuff lately.

It's a bitch to do. It really is. Even now I find myself reaching for a candy bar before I think about it.

I'm not much of one for self-control, though this past year, I've gotten better.

There's something you need to know about cutting way back on the caffeine:

The withdrawal headaches, SUCK. You may want to keep some tea around to drink half a cup or so, to knock back the headaches.

For the sugar, I'd suggest hard candy. Or gum. Gum is good. Low-calorie, low-sugar, and considering how long it lasts, much better value for the money.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Mon May 30, 2011 4:00 am

I'm not too worried about the caffeine, just the acid and, I suppose, the sugar. I still have 1-2 pots of tea per day, and have no intention of cutting it out.

Yeah, last time I tried going cold turkey off caffeine (energy drinks), the shits and headaches were so bad I needed to use codeine. So I went from one drug to another.

Ultimately if there's no easy way, then there's no way, in this case.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Mon May 30, 2011 4:05 am

All I can suggest is whittling yourself down. Switch from Coke and tea to tea and water.

Milk is supposed to help with stomach pains, I understand. Something about thickening the lining of the stomach.

Blasted · Post by **Blasted** » Mon May 30, 2011 4:53 am

I've noticed many doctors getting proton pump inhibitors to hand out for free. edit - such as Nexium
You can get a week's worth in a sample pack. Even though they're on the PBS, it never hurts to ask.
I've recently cut coffee and sugar* and it's been not much fun. My placebos have been tea and carrots. I'm thinking of swapping to another vegetable, lest I turn orange and die from vitamin A poisoning.

* Refined only, fruit is still on my to-eat list.

Another edit - Given that both codeine (and other opiates) and withdrawal from caffeine cause constipation, I imagine you may have been better off with another medication

Josh_Kablack · Post by **Josh_Kablack** » Mon May 30, 2011 4:54 am

I need to stop drinking Coke, which is like 230% acid.

Well then, maybe this thread title will be an alternative.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Mon May 30, 2011 6:12 am

Citric Acid based sodas are a lot less caustic than phosphoric acid based sodas, as a rule. Things which are vaguely citrus flavored are generally easier on the stomach than things that are vaguely cola-ish.

Caffeine withdrawal can be pretty painful. I would personally try swapping out sugar or caffeine one at a time and then doing the other rather than trying both at once.

-Username17

Fuchs · Post by **Fuchs** » Mon May 30, 2011 6:39 am

I used to drink a few cups of tea during the week - free tea at work - but I got headaches each sunday, since I didn't drink tea or coke over the weekends. The headaches disappeared once I went cold turkey.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Mon May 30, 2011 8:12 am

I'm already on Nexium, for the record. For the longest time it seemed to make my stomach just like anyone else's (or "like it was before"), but the acid in my diet seems to be high enough that although I still need to take Nexium, I seriously need to cut down on acid intake.

Or develop some kind of organ that lets me spit the acid out onto people. That would be cool. But it's a bit too late to evolve, given this isn't Pokemon and it's not an individual but the species that evolves.

And I haven't suffered from constipation when I went off caffeine last time. Quite the opposite, in fact, hence codeine being an excellent choice.

Maybe I'll just get the Coke out of the diet, TRY SOME FETUS COLA, and probably keep my sugar levels high through regular sugar consumption, and later on look at cutting it down.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Mon May 30, 2011 9:48 am

Koumei wrote:I'm already on Nexium, for the record. For the longest time it seemed to make my stomach just like anyone else's (or "like it was before"), but the acid in my diet seems to be high enough that although I still need to take Nexium, I seriously need to cut down on acid intake.

Or develop some kind of organ that lets me spit the acid out onto people. That would be cool. But it's a bit too late to evolve, given this isn't Pokemon and it's not an individual but the species that evolves.

You and me fucking both, as I take two ranitidine, twice daily and still have to pop tums like fucking candy. How do you feel about splitting off to create our own species of acid spewing nerds?

Vnonymous · Post by **Vnonymous** » Mon May 30, 2011 4:25 pm

Cut all soft drinks from your diet. If it is a liquid and has sugar in it, do not drink it. Period. Nothing wrong(well, your mileage may vary) with diet coke or calorie-less drinks.

Then follow this guide http://www.liamrosen.com/fitness.html, or Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle(You can buy it, or you can check /rs/). If you stick to a fitness program for more than a few weeks, it will become incredibly easy to avoid shitty, sugary foods. One tip from BFFM that works well is to, before you have anything sugary, ask yourself if that sugar and taste is worth being overweight, in pain, more likely to die 20 years earlier, more lethargic, more likely to need dental work, less attractive and less physically capable.

If you control what food comes into your house and that you have access to immediately, you have a huge advantage in that you can simply not buy shitty food when you do your shopping.

And finally, we do have an organ that lets you spit acid at people already! Most people do it every now and again, and it is called vomiting. All you need to do is find a target.

Count Arioch the 28th · Mon May 30, 2011 4:46 pm

Prak_Anima wrote:
Koumei wrote:I'm already on Nexium, for the record. For the longest time it seemed to make my stomach just like anyone else's (or "like it was before"), but the acid in my diet seems to be high enough that although I still need to take Nexium, I seriously need to cut down on acid intake.

Or develop some kind of organ that lets me spit the acid out onto people. That would be cool. But it's a bit too late to evolve, given this isn't Pokemon and it's not an individual but the species that evolves.
You and me fucking both, as I take two ranitidine, twice daily and still have to pop tums like fucking candy. How do you feel about splitting off to create our own species of acid spewing nerds?

It took me about three seconds to see the issues with that

Nebuchadnezzar · Post by **Nebuchadnezzar** » Mon May 30, 2011 6:29 pm

I have had great success with carbonating my own water to wean myself off of sugary sodas. Insofar as diet pop is an abomination I find steeping my own soda water with some citrus, melon, or herbs satisfies my craving with only a few calories. Cucumber, Lemongrass, and Thai Basil is my current favorite, and Lime, Ginger, and a wee pinch of Cayenne is the second.

You can cook well enough with stevia, sucralose, or saccharine. Aspartame breaks down relatively quickly under heat, but could be added at the end of preparation. None of those caramelize (nor, I'm pretty sure, have Maillard reactions) though, so pure non-sugar glazes are out.

Many find a strange aftertaste with these sweeteners, which is lessened via admixture. I can't speak as to percentages, since that's well into organoleptic subjectivity. Go swipe some packets and cut different types together. Pretend it's cocaine, so as to trick your brain into a high via the trappings of substance abuse.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Mon May 30, 2011 7:56 pm

Count Arioch the 28th wrote:
Prak_Anima wrote:
Koumei wrote:I'm already on Nexium, for the record. For the longest time it seemed to make my stomach just like anyone else's (or "like it was before"), but the acid in my diet seems to be high enough that although I still need to take Nexium, I seriously need to cut down on acid intake.

Or develop some kind of organ that lets me spit the acid out onto people. That would be cool. But it's a bit too late to evolve, given this isn't Pokemon and it's not an individual but the species that evolves.
You and me fucking both, as I take two ranitidine, twice daily and still have to pop tums like fucking candy. How do you feel about splitting off to create our own species of acid spewing nerds?
It took me about three seconds to see the issues with that

Which part? It shouldn't even take that long to find problems with the second part for anyone who knows Koumei and I even on a cursory level...

ubernoob · Post by **ubernoob** » Mon May 30, 2011 9:32 pm

Count Arioch the 28th · Mon May 30, 2011 11:07 pm

Prak_Anima wrote:
Count Arioch the 28th wrote:
Prak_Anima wrote: You and me fucking both, as I take two ranitidine, twice daily and still have to pop tums like fucking candy. How do you feel about splitting off to create our own species of acid spewing nerds?
It took me about three seconds to see the issues with that
Which part? It shouldn't even take that long to find problems with the second part for anyone who knows Koumei and I even on a cursory level...

See, I don't know either of you guys on that level. I know you as "That guy who used to kind of piss me off for reasons I don't remember anymore but he's cool now so I don't hold it against him" and Koumei as "the shy but brilliant lady game designer who I somewhat like but is probably unwilling to catch any of the cool spiders where she lives and mail them to me".

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Mon May 30, 2011 11:15 pm

Koumei's a lesbian.

That might be what Prak was referring to.

DSMatticus · Post by **DSMatticus** » Mon May 30, 2011 11:21 pm

Arioch wrote:catch any of the cool spiders where she lives and mail them to me

Isn't she an aussie? Those abominations are the stuff of nightmares. (The spiders, not the aussies.)

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Tue May 31, 2011 1:58 am

It's possible that mailing spiders to people is a criminal offence.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Tue May 31, 2011 2:08 am

Koumei wrote:It's possible that mailing spiders to people is a criminal offence.

The U.S. classifies the mailing of Australian Spiders as terrorism, punishable by the Marines showing up to scream at everyone to lay down their weapons and then shooting them anyway.

Blasted · Post by **Blasted** » Tue May 31, 2011 3:06 am

Koumei wrote:It's possible that mailing spiders to people is a criminal offence.

From an Oz POV, I don't know of any spiders on the CITES list, so it's just a case of getting a "health check" from a vet. GL with that.

Getting the appropriate import permission from the US may be an issue, though. As would be getting a courier, difficult, but not illegal.

Psychic Robot · Post by **Psychic Robot** » Tue May 31, 2011 4:08 am

ubernoob wrote:For my sweets fix, I gravitate to fruits and veggies (seriously). Strawberries, blueberries, bell peppers, etc. Fresh fruits and veggies can make fucking awesome desert.

okay well that's not particularly helpful to those of us who aren't lying to ourselves

Koumei wrote:It's possible that mailing spiders to people is a criminal offence.

free market will fix it

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Tue May 31, 2011 4:17 am

After observation of Psychic Robot and Plebian, I've concluded people who are trolling tend to write in all-lowercase while they're trolling.

Count Arioch the 28th · Tue May 31, 2011 4:38 am

In PR's defense, I have found that using fruit to curb cravings doesn't cut it. If I'm craving "something sweet", then a handful of grapes is as good as anything. If I'm craving some chocolate, there is no amount of grapes that will make me stop wanting chocolate.

Psychic Robot · Post by **Psychic Robot** » Tue May 31, 2011 4:42 am

actually I write in all lowercase when I don't give a fuck. when I care about what I've written, I write normally. fact is that trying to curb sweets with fruit or vegetables is profoundly retarded and while it might work for uber, it's completely useless advice for normal people.