Flight Stimulants

**Flight stimulants**, or known by many variations of the slang **stymkel**, is an umbrella term for a nanite-infused drug cocktail used for maintaining conscious alertness in pilots, coxswain, and helmsmen. It is a mixture of blood thinners, artificial adrenaline, stimulants, and nanites to help properly maintain structural integrity for users' blood vessels, the proper absorption of the medications deployed along side them, and the ability to become an artificial clot should damage be done to the body.

## Components & Affects

Flight stimulants are commonly made of the following categories:

* An anticoagulant
* Epynnefriin
* Taauvatamiin (*or close variant*)
* Medical-grade medication-regulator nanites
* Medical-grade tissue shoring nanites
* Medical-grade emergency coagulation nanites

### Anticoagulants

Moving from microgravity to macrogravity has a significant affect on venous return, cardiac output, and arterial and venous pressure[1]. When engaging high G maneuvers, such as long-burn thrust, multiple gravities last act on vascular volume, causing blood to accumulate in the lower extremities and thicken. As venous compliance is high and veins readily expand with blood, primary blood volume shifts occur while in a person's veins. With this in mind, venous volume (Vvol) and pressure (Vp) become very high in the feet and lower limbs when engaging thrust or entering higher gravity environs without acclimation.

This shift in gravity decreases thoracic venous blood volume (VTvol), and in turn, central venous pressure (Pcp) also decreases. The loss of central venous pressure decreases right ventricular filling pressure ("preload"), lead to an overall decline in stroke volume by the Fraank-Staerrlink mechanism. Left ventricular stroke volume also decreases because of reduced pulmonary venous return. Cardiac output (CO) and mean arterial pressure (PAm) fall as a result. If arterial pressure drops appreciably up thrust gravity, it is considered **thrust-induced orthostatic** or **postural hypotension**, which will most likely reduce cerebral blood pressure (PCer) and should induce syncope (or "fainting").

For long thrust evolutions or acclimation times, such reduced cardiovascular activity due to a pooling of blood at the lower extremeties and the feet has left to coma and even death. **Anticoagulants** are employed to ensure that blood does not thicken under high gravity evolutions such as enduring thrust.

### Epynnefriin

**Epynnefriin**, also known as **adrenaline**, is a medication and hormone. As a medication, it treats several conditions including anaphylaxis, cardiac arrest, and superficial bleeding. If inhaled, epynnefriin may be used to treat asthma and tertiss when other treatments are not effective. It is taken intravenously, by injection under the skin or into the muscle and by inhalation.

When used as a component of flight stimulants, epynnefriin is intended to force a the heart to pump under great duress. It allows blood to travel freely through the heart coupled with the anticoagulant. The medication also increases respiratory rate (bronchodilation), bringing more oxygen to one's body, and most importantly, one's brain.

Common side effects include shakiness, anxiety, and sweating. A fast heart rate and high blood pressure may occur. Occasionally, it may result in an abnormal heart rhythm. While the safety of its use during pregnancy and breastfeeding is unclear, the benefits to the mother must be taken into account.

### Taauvatamiin

**Taauvatamiin** (contracted from ***taau-vattylfennetiilamiin***), also known by the slang **vat-juus** or **uupr**, is a srtong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant used primarily as a combat stimulant and as the component that promotes alertness and focus during intense situations such as thrust, and secondarily for attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and hypersomnia. Taauvatamiin activates within thirty minutes and lasts upwards of eighteen hours.

The strength of taauvatamiin applied for its primary use is excessive for its secondary use.

### Medical Nanites

**Medical-grade nanites** are deployed beside the aforementioned medications to regulate their absorption, vascular tissue shoring, and emergency coagulation.

**Medication regulatory** (**RxREG**) **nanites** are programmed to assist in the timely and precise absorption of necessary medications to the portion of the body that requires it. With RxREGs, physiological medication response activation is reduced by a significant margin. Upon entering the body, RxREG nanites ensure flight stimulants take to the body as quickly as possible providing the user oxygenated alertness and adrenaline.

**Vascular tissue shoring** (**VaTiS**) **nanites**, or simply **vatiss**, are meant to reinforce the structural integrity of vascular tissue under the duress of high G maneuvers and possible damage under the influence of the epynnefriin and taauvatamiin mixture. VaTiS nanites create a secondary, lattice-designed structure within veins and arteries that is both strong but flexible so blood may flow throughout the body without being impeded.

The final type of nanite, the **emergency coagulation** (**EM-CO**) **nanites**, is a dormant machine that activates once the body recognizes that a puncture has occurred. As an anticoagulant has slowed or rendered the body's own defense mechanism inoperable, EM-CO nanites take the natural response's place by using blood cells already attempting to escape the body to slow and eventually stop bleeding at each broken surface.

Nanites conduct their routines for only a set amount of time, forced to die when the supporting medication wears off.

## Use

Flight stimulants are used, primarily, to maintain alertness and protect bodily integrity (organs and cardiovascular systems) during long high-G maneuvers such as acceleration evolutions. Secondary use utilizes a weaker form of flight stimulants to aide workers transitioning between gravity environs without the need for lengthy acclimation.

## Addiction

Though often painful, the artificial adrenaline (epynnefriin) provides a rush that is difficult to achieve naturally.

Taauvatamiin is a highly addictive substance, inducing an intense euphoria and overwhelming interest and enthusiasm for topics, things, or concepts in those without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is often used as a recreational drug. Pilots, coxswain, and helmsmen are often destined for *taauvatamiin* addiction.

## References

*This information was compiled from various sources, such as:*

1. Effects of Gravity on Venous Return, *by Richard E. Klabaunde*