Spike is considered a nootropic. they claim that thiamine di(2-methylpropionate disulfide) is the main ingredient, but as i've read around. that little mumbojumbo doesn't exist. Instead people think that it's actually Sulbutiamine. I'd posted some junk on it before and courtesy of Flexus Lee is some information:
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Spike[1]: A Cursory Scientific Report
The sports supplement Spike claims to have as the active ingredient: thiamine di(2-methylpropionate) disulfide. This is not a valid substance name and so there is no scientific literature surrounding its use or even any link to anecdotal internet literature. The report in Testosterone website references a Neuroscience Letters paper, which I have electronic access to. This paper does not refer to "thiamine di(2-methylpropionate) disulfide" but to "sulbutiamine". There is ample literature available on this latter name and a superficial summary of what this compound is all about is presented.
Sulbutiamine has been used to treat asthenia[2], a condition of low energy and lethargy usually reported by convelescing patients. There is some evidence that it does work and numerous patents on the preparation of medicaments containing this material. It is not, as yet, regulated by the FDA.
Sulbutiamine is described as a centrally acting cholinergic agent[2]. The prototypical drug of this class is donepezil[3,4] which is used to relieve Parkinson's and Alzheimer symptoms. These drugs are considered acetylcholinesterase (ACE) inhibitors, i.e. they inhibit the destruction of acetylcholine (a stimulating neurotransmittor) in the brain. Increased concentrations of acetylcholine are believed to be responsible for greater alertness, memory and acuity.
Thus, sulbutiamine is a proven ACE inhibitor. ACE inhibitors result in greater brain acetylcholine concentrations which would heighten concentration, memory, alertness, etc. Incidentally, cocaine is a non-reversible binder of the same receptor of acetylcholine.
If the supplement Spike contains an effective dosage of sulbutiamine, then the reported effects are entirely plausible.
Generic name - Brand name
Donepezil - Aricept
Sulbutiamine - Arcalion
References:
[1]
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=548437
[2] Shah SN, J Assoc Physicians India. 2003 Sep;51:891-5, "Adjuvant role of vitamin B analogue (sulbutiamine) with anti-infective treatment in infection associated asthenia."
[4]
http://www.medicinenet.com/donepezil/article.htm
[3]
http://myphlip.pearsoncmg.com/altprod....kid=475
Searches conducted with Scifinder and PubMed.
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I would think the strength gains are because of the ACE inhibiting abilities with sulbutiamine, since ACh is a crucial basic for muscle contraction. Not to mention it's importance in memory and all that extra junk I had to learn in psychology
pzhang
