Thoughts On Nootropics?

magCarlsen

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Now obviously this is a broad topic, so, what I'm thinking is that people should post their thoughts on specific substances, the "nootropics community" as a whole and what nootropics are particularly good, harmful and interesting.

The most common "nootropics", I've highlighted the most popular of all

Armodoafinil
modafinil
caffeine
coluracetam
adrafinil
phenylpiractam
theanine
noopept
oxiracetam
pramiracetam
aniracetam
rhodiola
creatine
ciltep
piracetem
ashwagandha
sulbutiamine
bacopa
alcar
mct oil
huperzine
choline
vinpocetine
lions mane
dmae
ginseng
gingko biloba

Now onto my personal opinions on the substances, I think some are good and safe (l-theanine, caffeine, creatine), while many others need way more research (like Sunifiram, no human studies, at all, but people still take and recommend, what the ****?) before they should even be considered and it's amazing how many people are taking these substances willy-nilly like it's 100% safe. Many are also contaminated with heavy metals, bacopa in particular.

It seems to me that 99% of nootropics are placebo or have very little effect (not worth cost), while potent nootropics have harmful side-effects and require ridiculously meticulous dosing+cycling. :lol:

It's also important to note that pretty much all studies with nootropics are done on unhealthy people, IE, people most likely eating a high-PUFA + other toxins diet. People already eating a good diet + exercise, I believe, would probably get way less of an effect most substances.

It seems to me that all the weak/inconclusive nootropics are a waste of time and money, the Peaty "nootropics" are good and safe (aspirin, bag breathing, vitamins+minerals, l-theanine, caffeine, gelatin, creatine, salt, urea, baking soda, etc) and that if you REALLY want to get ***t done you might as well cut the crap and go all the way, I'm talking low-dose modafinil, shrooms, lsd, nicotine, etc. Of course, these have their side-effects as well but considering how well-studied they are, it's definitely more comfortable than taking possibly-contaminated unknown barely-researched chemicals made in China sold by a sketchy online company and probably-estrogenic herb extracts.

Peat's opinions on a few i could find

Centrophenoxine, Piracetam & DMAE
[What is your opinion on Centrophenoxine/Meclofenoxate, piracetam or DMAE, for lipofuscin removal? The former particularly seems to have interesting effects on neurotransmitters in the brain.] I don't think there's nearly enough knowledge about its interactions with diet, stress, and hormones.
Cetirizine

Many health food stores are now selling melatonin, to induce sleep and “prevent cancer.” They have taken some information out of context, and don’t realize how dangerous melatonin is. It makes the brain sluggish, causes the sex organs to shrink, and damages immunity by shrinking the thymus gland. It is the hormone of darkness and winter, and is produced in the pineal gland by any stress which increases adrenalin. Adequate sun light suppresses the formation of melatonin.

So post your thoughts, I can't wait to hear what you guys think on the topic.
It's a very big topic so feel free to take your time, express your controversial opinions and post walls of text. :)

Some informative links

http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/02/16/no ... -analysis/

http://www.longecity.org/forum/stacks/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/wiki/beginners

https://www.reddit.com/r/nootropics

https://www.reddit.com/r/stackadvice
 

Attakai

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I good diet is better than any nootropic I've tried. But I did try a good amount of nootropics before I became health conscious. I was looking for that magic pill to make everything feel better and help me work better. Needless to say i didn't find anything that even came close to meeting my expectations.
Here's what I tried:
caffeine - There's a reason why everyone drinks coffee, caffeine does what it claims.
coluracetam - Didn't notice a thing,
adrafinil - Gave some focus, but it's bad for your liver. Also I do remember I felt more anxiety while using it. Not worth it.
theanine - Relaxed me a little, not much otherwise noticed.
noopept - Made me feel somewhat disconnected from reality. Didn't notice any improvements mentally,
oxiracetam - Tastes like crap and that's about it.
pramiracetam - Somewhat focusing but emotionally numbed me.
aniracetam - Nothing
rhodiola - Slight energy boost.
ciltep - Did not notice anything.
piracetem - Probably the only one I would be willing to try again. Seemed to make my vision a bit more clearer and brighter, didn't exactly motivate me, but made me feel like I was 'supposed' to be doing something greater. On the negative side it made me pretty moody, which is out of the norm for me.
sulbutiamine - Nothing
bacopa - Nothing
alcar - Energy boost but felt tired shortly after
mct oil - Diarrhea, lost a lot of weight too.
choline - Lethargic
ginseng - Slight energy boost.
gingko biloba - Nothing.
 

Parsifal

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That's interesting, I would like to know what Peat thinks about adaptogens like Astragalus, Ginseng, Ashwagandha, Rodhiola, Bacopa, Ginkgo, etc...

Such_Saturation we need your advices regarding other nootropics as it seems you are experienced with their use :).

Here is a more complete list: http://www.powdercity.com/collections/cognitive
 

michael94

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Oct 11, 2015
Messages
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The biggest concern I would have is dependency though that may not be an issue with all of them. I know the racetams have some reports of feeling really crappy after discontinuing. I do love my aspirin and caffeine however which has minimal side effects for all the benefits. Beyond that your body likes to do work when it's well nourished and hormones are optimized.
 

Peata

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Messages
3,402
In the past, B1 (thiamine) seemed like it helped me focus enough to work on projects to completion. That was back when I drank a lot of alcohol though, and now that I don't, thiamine does not seem to have effect on me anymore. So maybe back then it was filling in a B1 deficiency and/or clearing ammonia, estrogen, raising metabolism some, and all the other stuff it is good for as talked about by Haidut. And now I am healthier and not in need of thiamine like before, hence no noticeable effects.

I tried tianeptine very briefly and did not notice anything positive, so I didn't stick with it.

Ginkgo biloba, I took years ago while on SSRI to reverse the sexual side effects, which it did. It also seemed to give me a better memory which was helpful on my job. But I wasn't sure if it raised my blood pressure dangerously while on it, or whether it was the paxil that did that, but since that time I have not taken ginkgo again just to be safe.

Adding: Nicotine. Tried nicotine gum for 4 -5 days but saw no boost in anything, if anything would feel mildly uncomfortable for a short time.

I currently use caffeine and theanine, together and separately for various reasons such as liver health, mood, and so on. I feel more energy, positivity. I have the effects of caffeine without any jitters thanks to food, adapting, and the theanine. Theanine has done other good things for me similar to cyproheptadine. Since my metabolism seems improved, these are almost the only two supplements I feel drawn to continue with, (though I still take some of my others such as vit. E from time to time).

Now, if anyone has advice for me: I would like a little boost to memory, focus on projects, and a tad bit more clarity.
 
J

jb116

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Peata said:
post 107766 In the past, B1 (thiamine) seemed like it helped me focus enough to work on projects to completion. That was back when I drank a lot of alcohol though, and now that I don't, thiamine does not seem to have effect on me anymore. So maybe back then it was filling in a B1 deficiency and/or clearing ammonia, estrogen, raising metabolism some, and all the other stuff it is good for as talked about by Haidut. And now I am healthier and not in need of thiamine like before, hence no noticeable effects.

I tried tianeptine very briefly and did not notice anything positive, so I didn't stick with it.

Ginkgo biloba, I took years ago while on SSRI to reverse the sexual side effects, which it did. It also seemed to give me a better memory which was helpful on my job. But I wasn't sure if it raised my blood pressure dangerously while on it, or whether it was the paxil that did that, but since that time I have not taken ginkgo again just to be safe.

I currently use caffeine and theanine, together and separately for various reasons such as liver health, mood, and so on. I feel more energy, positivity. I have the effects of caffeine without any jitters thanks to food, adapting, and the theanine. Theanine has done other good things for me similar to cyproheptadine. Since my metabolism seems improved, these are almost the only two supplements I feel drawn to continue with, (though I still take some of my others such as vit. E from time to time).

Now, if anyone has advice for me: I would like a little boost to memory, focus on projects, and a tad bit more clarity.

There was a story Ray told about a young man who was a writer I believe and drank excessively. He exhibited physical signs of drinking, such as the red potato nose
and also mental, like slurred speech and a lost for words. Thiamine essentially cleared him up in no time ray stated. So its interesting you mentioned the drinking.
 
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Peata

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jb116 said:
post 107770
Peata said:
post 107766 In the past, B1 (thiamine) seemed like it helped me focus enough to work on projects to completion. That was back when I drank a lot of alcohol though, and now that I don't, thiamine does not seem to have effect on me anymore. So maybe back then it was filling in a B1 deficiency and/or clearing ammonia, estrogen, raising metabolism some, and all the other stuff it is good for as talked about by Haidut. And now I am healthier and not in need of thiamine like before, hence no noticeable effects.

I tried tianeptine very briefly and did not notice anything positive, so I didn't stick with it.

Ginkgo biloba, I took years ago while on SSRI to reverse the sexual side effects, which it did. It also seemed to give me a better memory which was helpful on my job. But I wasn't sure if it raised my blood pressure dangerously while on it, or whether it was the paxil that did that, but since that time I have not taken ginkgo again just to be safe.

I currently use caffeine and theanine, together and separately for various reasons such as liver health, mood, and so on. I feel more energy, positivity. I have the effects of caffeine without any jitters thanks to food, adapting, and the theanine. Theanine has done other good things for me similar to cyproheptadine. Since my metabolism seems improved, these are almost the only two supplements I feel drawn to continue with, (though I still take some of my others such as vit. E from time to time).

Now, if anyone has advice for me: I would like a little boost to memory, focus on projects, and a tad bit more clarity.

There was a story Ray told about a young man who was a writer I believe and drank excessively. He exhibited physical signs of drinking, such as the red potato nose
and also mental, like slurred speech and a lost for words. Thiamine essentially cleared him up in no time ray stated. So its interesting you mentioned the drinking.

Yes, it was a noticeable boost in mental clarity and drive. I could see something through to completion once I got myself started on it.
 
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High_Prob

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That's interesting, I would like to know what Peat thinks about adaptogens like Astragalus, Ginseng, Ashwagandha, Rodhiola, Bacopa, Ginkgo, etc...

Such_Saturation we need your advices regarding other nootropics as it seems you are experienced with their use :).

Here is a more complete list: Nootropics | Powder City

Such_Saturation: In line with Parsifal's post, I would also like to know which Nootropics you have found most effective. I am thinking about trying Aniracetam and/or Noopept...
 
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Hello, In my case I tried a few of the racetams and noopept. Of course I'm not counting stuff like Biloba... only the glamorous stuffs. I don't use them anymore (they stop working anyway) apart from noopept for exams and stuff (let's say it doesn't happen very often). I tend to see parts of stuff like aspartic acid in these molecules, noopept for example, and the stimulation really always has a baseline of excitation (incorrect stimulation) which doesn't feel healthy. In fact it's telling that the single most powerful effect was with pramiracetam, which can increase NOS.

Systemic administration of pramiracetam increases nitric oxide synthase activity in the cerebral cortex of the rat. - PubMed - NCBI

But people at longecity keep finding new stuff, so it's still fun to catch up on the latest ones (usually New Star Nootropics carries them).
 

Stryker

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ladasten and noopept worked the best for me except i like ladasten bettter , noopept gave me work/vision related issues

phenylpiracetam felt like amphetamine except with no emotions ... robot speed
 
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CoolTweetPete

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Pointless

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I like piracetam. I can really perceive music more clearly while on it. I haven't used it in years and don't see a need to.

Racetams deplete acetylcholine, which may be a good thing. Just speculating.
 

High_Prob

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DELETED POST AND CREATED A NEW THREAD: 'NOOPEPT (GLYCINE AND PROLINE)'
 
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That's interesting, I would like to know what Peat thinks about adaptogens like Astragalus, Ginseng, Ashwagandha, Rodhiola, Bacopa, Ginkgo, etc...

Such_Saturation we need your advices regarding other nootropics as it seems you are experienced with their use :).

Here is a more complete list: Nootropics | Powder City
You forgot to add Ginger! How easily you can acquire an adaptation can make a big difference.
I can personally vouch from experience that Ginger is an excellent Nootropic & medicine; It is:
  • Anti-inflammatory - It clears up my brain fog, stomach & body pain
  • Blood Thinner - Increases oxygenation of blood & therefore brain
 
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ladasten and noopept worked the best for me except i like ladasten bettter , noopept gave me work/vision related issues

phenylpiracetam felt like amphetamine except with no emotions ... robot speed
What exactly did you feel while taking Noopept?
 

Parsifal

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You forgot to add Ginger! How easily you can acquire an adaptation can make a big difference.
I can personally vouch from experience that Ginger is an excellent Nootropic & medicine; It is:
  • Anti-inflammatory - It clears up my brain fog, stomach & body pain
  • Blood Thinner - Increases oxygenation of blood & therefore brain
Doesn't it raise NO like black pepper?
 

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