132 replies to this topic

[yowza]

Depends what one considers a nootropic. I've tried pretty much everything out there, and the only thing which has provided something noticeably distinct from placebo is modafinil.

I've tried phenotropil (the stuff from Russia not the light stuff supplied thru 3rd parties). I'm surprised to say that this actually does have a strong effect. Try taking 2 pills and it's overstimulating. I couldn't believe it since I tried some other racetams (such as Pram.) and I didn't really notice anything. This actually has a pharmaceutical level effect I'm surprised to say.

[genro]

Hi everyone,

Having some difficulties in trying to get 100*100mg Modafinil (Modalert preferably) online (shipping overseas service). Got any help? I will very very much appreciate it!! Thanks in advace!

[f00bar]

Hi everyone,

Having some difficulties in trying to get 100*100mg Modafinil (Modalert preferably) online (shipping overseas service). Got any help? I will very very much appreciate it!! Thanks in advace!

Have you searched the vendor board yet?

[russianBEAR]

Depends what one considers a nootropic. I've tried pretty much everything out there, and the only thing which has provided something noticeably distinct from placebo is modafinil.

I've tried phenotropil (the stuff from Russia not the light stuff supplied thru 3rd parties). I'm surprised to say that this actually does have a strong effect. Try taking 2 pills and it's overstimulating. I couldn't believe it since I tried some other racetams (such as Pram.) and I didn't really notice anything. This actually has a pharmaceutical level effect I'm surprised to say.

Apparently it was made for Russian cosmonauts so it's definitely a pharm-level substance. But I really don't like it cause it's "overstimulating" and after swallowing even 1 pill, that horrendous taste lingers in my mouth and intestines for at least the entire day. Thinkin about it the next day produces a gag reflex  


Damn, I guess my country is number 1 for all these nootropics, I can buy pretty much everything you guys name over the counter and mostly very cheap

[ChristianS]

As a memory enhancening and cognitive enhancing effect I really cant tell? I must admit,
but regarding my mood, a brighter mind and calm feeling I got after start using Noots,
obviously there can be an possitive effect.
Less foggy mind = better thinking!

Difficult to answer!

I am still Noob in this field.. So Ill get back to this subject again at a later time.

[pinballwizard]

Its nice to see that this post has been of use to many people.

I hardly come on here anymore... maybe once a year.

I am probably going to get into a stack again... something simple.

5 grams of fish oil
multivitamin
piracetam
Acetyl-L-carnitine
Ginko
pyritinol
Maybe deprenyl 1mg every other day

I want to stick with a basic conservative stack

I am going to be talking to a prominent Neurologist (specialty is Alzheimers) at a world famous hospital tomorrow. (Top 5 in the USA, but I wont say which)

I will ask her what she thinks I should take. This place is surprisingly accomodating to new ideas unlike other doctors.

[russianBEAR]

Why take pyritinol and piracetam when the former is just a much more improved version of the latter ? 

They don't really synergise either

[Vultures]

Why take pyritinol and piracetam when the former is just a much more improved version of the latter ? 

They don't really synergise either

Where in putin's name did you take that?!
They are not, pyritinol is in fact two bridged B6 molecules.

And piracetam is a cyclic derivative of GABA.


Also, I believe pyritinol is older than piracetam, and thus can't be it's improved version.
And yes, nootropics (+workouts, +optimized diet, +some basic supplements, like Omege 3) worked for me.

Edited by Vultures, 19 August 2009 - 09:40 AM.

[Rain]

I've been subtly feeling the effects of piracetam over the last week, i am unsure if it's helping as the a couple of times in the lastweek when i had a couple of grams i became slightly overexcited and had poor concentration (normally my concentration is worse, but the piracetam makes me lose concentration due to excitement rather then my usual lack of concentration). is there anyway to overcome this or is that just the way i will always react on some days?

also, i realised that my piracetam tabs box says to take 3 tabs 3-4 times daily, thats of 800mg ones, doesn't that seem far too much for a normal person? if i was to follow this would my excitement be heightened?

[spider]

Nootropics are great, very effectice.

Be sure your basics are in order and it will take a few years to find out which nootropics and other brain substances are working for your personal biochem. And you will need to give them time to do their work.

[sugarstack]

Hi,

Piracetam and Aniracetam actually work for me. The effects are very subtle...
Tomorrow im gonna try Pramiracetam 400mg for the 1st time. Also i'll like to invites everybody to give me advices for my study stack that i am making. Thank you.

[nito]

Nothing i have tried so far has been super special where i have felt it definately works. I have noticed some changes in motivation from L tyrosine however. I just made a purchase of vinpocetine, lions mane and l theanine with relora from iherb to experiment with. I'll see how they'll go.

[Guacamolium]

Why take pyritinol and piracetam when the former is just a much more improved version of the latter ? 

They don't really synergise either

They do in me, and pyritinol came before piracetam, so how could PYR be the improved version of PIR - especially compounding the fact that they're in entirely different molecular classes?

[Guacamolium]

Why take pyritinol and piracetam when the former is just a much more improved version of the latter ? 

They don't really synergise either

Where in putin's name did you take that?!
They are not, pyritinol is in fact two bridged B6 molecules.

And piracetam is a cyclic derivative of GABA.


Also, I believe pyritinol is older than piracetam, and thus can't be it's improved version.
And yes, nootropics (+workouts, +optimized diet, +some basic supplements, like Omege 3) worked for me.

Should've kept reading. =/

[bobman]

I took nootropics regularly for 2 of the last 3 years, starting at 21. The last dose was more or less in July, although I dosed maybe 2 weeks of aniracetam for my spring semester exams. I've noticed long-standing effects, well after washout. I primarily took aniracetam, between 1.5 and 3g/day with plenty of choline via citrate, and I used hydergine for about 6 months during that time. Maybe it's because my brain is still developing that I noticed this "permanent" change. One of the largest differences from my pre-nootropic mind is a more acutely visual memory. Depending on how sharp I'm feeling, my memory approaches something you could call eidetic, although it is lacking in "volume". To me it is clear that this development happened unnaturally, because it isn't well integrated, and feels disorienting. It's a bit difficult to express. It's almost like what I heard regarding flashbacks from this former LSD user who spoke at my high school, although this effect is much more regular compared to what she described. It is as if my brain has wired more connections to the occipital lobe. The effect is occasionally almost hallucinatory, although it's never manifested in such a way that I'd ever confuse it with visual input. Occasionally when I have moments of intense focus, my connection to visual inputs can be nearly lost for a split second, as if my occipital lobe is load-balancing with brain-internal inputs. Again, it's hard to explain.

Here's an example of the effect: I was falling asleep during this round-table 3 hour poetry class (interestingly enough it's a class that Robert Lowell and Sylvia Plath took, in the very same room). This girl sitting 4 seats away was speaking, and as I began to relax, I could "see" her words with interesting emphases, with the link being to word size. There was no color. This was clearly related to an effect I had while taking aniracetam (particularly in doses ~2g), at the tail end of my 6 month hydergine (9mg) cycle, which was marked by these colored auras I would see around people, with the color being linked to their personality type. It wasn't just daydreaming; and the connection between personality and color was relatively regular. It wasn't particularly overt, but when I was relaxed and zoned out I could almost see it.

I've also had 2 really strong meditative experience, where while in an extremely relaxed state of mind, combined with a little bit of pot, with eyes closed I was able to visual the street outside with ridiculous clarity, completely photographic, with all the volume you could handle. I had been falling asleep, and the experience was so clear, and I was in control of the view, so I could apply filters to it (like blur), and I remember that I zoomed the lens in on this tree across the street and saw this really detailed bark grain. I couldn't keep that state for more than a few minutes; as soon as I started thinking about the experience, the visual dissipated. It's the same with my memory. As soon as I start thinking about it, the volume gets cut short, and clarity is lost. The 2nd experience also involved a low dose of thc, where I was watching "Howl's Moving Castle", the opening scene where the protagonist is in her aunt's hat store. My aunt was watching with me, and I was discussing something about the dialogue. My aunt asked me if I understood Japanese; I understand only maybe 50 words of the language. I looked at her and explained I was reading the subtitles. She asked me what I was talking about, and when I turned back, the "subtitles" were gone. However, when I turned the subtitles on and re-ran the scene, I realized I had read them word for word, clearly from memory.

Also, I occasionally notice that I have deeper insight, like I'll occasionally see that I wouldn't have necessarily have understood something so overtly. It's as if the signal/noise ratio is better, and so the longer association chains are easier to work with. Hope some of this makes sense.

Edited by bobmann, 04 June 2010 - 06:18 AM.

[kodida]

That is a very interesting experience, bobmann. I wonder, why did you stop taking nootropics? Because of the side effects you mentioned?

The second effect is - I believe, I don't know much about it - synesthesia. I hear that it often happens on LSD trips but, again, I don't have much knowledge of it.



As for the poll itself: I have just started my regimen recently, but I can quite easily notice some effects. I've been using most of these for a bit over a week. My stack is as follows:
Fish Oil - 2000 mg (though I've read more and more recently that there is no actual cognitive benefit, but it's still good for other things)
Green Tea extract - 600 mg
Rhodiola Rosea - 400 mg
Bacopa - 620 mg
Gotu Kola - 310 mg
Ashwagandha - 1070 mg
Lecithin - 1200 mg
Lion's Mane - 600 mg
These might seem low, but I'm starting with the recommended doses. I'm likely going to try increasing them slightly later.
I also tried Piracetam 3600 mg for about four to five weeks, but I've noticed very little improvement (even when supplemented with raw eggs) - I'm now awaiting CDP choline to try it again.
I weigh 187 pounds.

So far, I have not experienced any negative side effects, and plenty of positive ones.
To begin with, I have no more problems with motivation. I have started an exercise program (having absolutely never exercised before) and I find it very easy to continue it daily - I have tried to do so several times before without any supplements, but I never lasted as long as now (and I see no signs of stopping.) This was also the primary reason I started taking nootropics - to motivate myself.

This one's very subjective, but I'm pretty sure that my verbal memory and eloquence (in speech, not writing) have improved - I find it much easier to say just the things I want to say using the words I want to use.

A very big one is that I have no problems with cognition even without sleep, as I found out today. After staying up whole night I was as lucid and clear as ever. This is in contrast to a few weeks ago (before any nootropics), when I stayed up whole night studying for a test and could not think the least bit afterwards. I also need less sleep and no longer feel drowsy during the day (which was also a very annoying problem before.)

And another excellent one is that I appear to be learning skills quite a bit faster and better. I have not tested my memory, though.

I'm also thinking of trying out modafinil/adrafinil and lucidril, but right now I'm unsure if I want to spend that much money on a single, possibly ineffective, drug (that is, modafinil.)

All in all, my experience thus far has been extremely positive. One more thing I forgot to mention is that I am now constantly in a good mood even in the exact situations where before I would have been quite angry (though it might be worth noting that in the first day or two of taking these I had a little bit of a mood swing, going from happy and enthusiastic to sad and apathetic. That's past now, though.)

As one last thing, I'm now awaiting the delivery of choline, vinpocetine and sulbutiamine. After what I've read about vinpocetine on these forums I'm unlikely to even try it (perhaps just a single small dose to see if it works at all), but if anyone will be interested on the effects of the regimen I listed along with choline, piracetam and sulbutiamine, I'll be sure to document my experiences.

Edited by kodida, 05 June 2010 - 06:48 PM.

[gzz]

I tried to like nootropic chemicals, i experimented with quite a few that I thought should be improving my brain function, but ultimately I came to the conclusion that my brain works better on a very clean diet of raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, with nothing artificial added. I can't really say that I felt nothing at all, but I can't say the effects were truly positive in any way either.

I tend to assume that anything a person puts in their body has a direct consequence. Brain chemistry is a complex process, so I think its best not to inject chemicals into that system. Its great that we have the science to do such a thing, but as soon as you start formulating the best way to force man made chemicals into a nature made machine that is more complex than even the best scientists can truly comprehend, things are bound to not work exactly as planned.

If you don't mind being your own walking science experiment, go ahead and keep taking them, but please be careful with what you put into your body. Your entire being is a constantly changing biochemical process, and there's a fine line between greasing the gears, and throwing a wrench in them.

Edited by gzz, 06 June 2010 - 12:32 AM.

[bobman]

So far, I haven't come across a single substance on the market, natural or synthetic, the understanding of which has not been revised many times. Currently it is not known how a single fruit, vegetable, meat, never mind lab-created novelties affect the human body (in every situation it is likely to encounter throughout its lifespan). It's embarrassing how much credit the fields of medicine and integrative biology commands, commanding essentially no complete information. As my uncle declared during rosh hashanah this year, medicine is 80% art. He's been a practicing M.D for 30 years. Nootropics are not completely benign. Any substance that isn't from the earth isn't wholly accepted by your body, and integrates awkwardly with your physiology, and therefore carries with it many strange effects. I never felt quite like myself taking aniracetam; the dulled affect especially bothered me.

Edited by bobmann, 06 June 2010 - 07:20 AM.

[Solarclimax]

I tend to assume that anything a person puts in their body has a direct consequence. Brain chemistry is a complex process, so I think its best not to inject chemicals into that system. Its great that we have the science to do such a thing, but as soon as you start formulating the best way to force man made chemicals into a nature made machine that is more complex than even the best scientists can truly comprehend, things are bound to not work exactly as planned.

If you don't mind being your own walking science experiment, go ahead and keep taking them, but please be careful with what you put into your body. Your entire being is a constantly changing biochemical process, and there's a fine line between greasing the gears, and throwing a wrench in them.

You're not making much sense, complex is a matter of opinion. Why are things (whatever you mean by things) bound not to work ?

You're saying that if something is not produced by nature then it's bound not do us any good but may do harm ? the same can be said for nature, even nature produces new things all the time. Nature isn't perfect and some man made things can fix what nature cannot. Your speaking poetry without much sense.

[christianbber]

TBH, they invented the placebo effect in studies because of people like me.

My mind alone is crazy. Its hard to explain but I can imitate or feel whatever I want by thinking it. Its so bad that when I take a supplement, I can only tell if it works by thinking it is....

This doesn't happen to all supplements. Its not somethign crazy abnormal and I don't mean to sound exaggerated but in my experience. a lot of supplements only work for me because " I think" they work for me.

[SATANICAT]

I took nootropics regularly for 2 of the last 3 years, starting at 21. The last dose was more or less in July, although I dosed maybe 2 weeks of aniracetam for my spring semester exams. I've noticed long-standing effects, well after washout. I primarily took aniracetam, between 1.5 and 3g/day with plenty of choline via citrate, and I used hydergine for about 6 months during that time. Maybe it's because my brain is still developing that I noticed this "permanent" change. One of the largest differences from my pre-nootropic mind is a more acutely visual memory. Depending on how sharp I'm feeling, my memory approaches something you could call eidetic, although it is lacking in "volume". To me it is clear that this development happened unnaturally, because it isn't well integrated, and feels disorienting. It's a bit difficult to express. It's almost like what I heard regarding flashbacks from this former LSD user who spoke at my high school, although this effect is much more regular compared to what she described. It is as if my brain has wired more connections to the occipital lobe. The effect is occasionally almost hallucinatory, although it's never manifested in such a way that I'd ever confuse it with visual input. Occasionally when I have moments of intense focus, my connection to visual inputs can be nearly lost for a split second, as if my occipital lobe is load-balancing with brain-internal inputs. Again, it's hard to explain.

Here's an example of the effect: I was falling asleep during this round-table 3 hour poetry class (interestingly enough it's a class that Robert Lowell and Sylvia Plath took, in the very same room). This girl sitting 4 seats away was speaking, and as I began to relax, I could "see" her words with interesting emphases, with the link being to word size. There was no color. This was clearly related to an effect I had while taking aniracetam (particularly in doses ~2g), at the tail end of my 6 month hydergine (9mg) cycle, which was marked by these colored auras I would see around people, with the color being linked to their personality type. It wasn't just daydreaming; and the connection between personality and color was relatively regular. It wasn't particularly overt, but when I was relaxed and zoned out I could almost see it.

I've also had 2 really strong meditative experience, where while in an extremely relaxed state of mind, combined with a little bit of pot, with eyes closed I was able to visual the street outside with ridiculous clarity, completely photographic, with all the volume you could handle. I had been falling asleep, and the experience was so clear, and I was in control of the view, so I could apply filters to it (like blur), and I remember that I zoomed the lens in on this tree across the street and saw this really detailed bark grain. I couldn't keep that state for more than a few minutes; as soon as I started thinking about the experience, the visual dissipated. It's the same with my memory. As soon as I start thinking about it, the volume gets cut short, and clarity is lost. The 2nd experience also involved a low dose of thc, where I was watching "Howl's Moving Castle", the opening scene where the protagonist is in her aunt's hat store. My aunt was watching with me, and I was discussing something about the dialogue. My aunt asked me if I understood Japanese; I understand only maybe 50 words of the language. I looked at her and explained I was reading the subtitles. She asked me what I was talking about, and when I turned back, the "subtitles" were gone. However, when I turned the subtitles on and re-ran the scene, I realized I had read them word for word, clearly from memory.

Also, I occasionally notice that I have deeper insight, like I'll occasionally see that I wouldn't have necessarily have understood something so overtly. It's as if the signal/noise ratio is better, and so the longer association chains are easier to work with. Hope some of this makes sense.

Wow, that's one awesome story of neuroplasticity. Just out of curiousity, do you read text rather swiftly as a result of your synaesthetic memory/ability?

[longevitynow]

I voted, "Yes, and the results are more than subtle and positive."
For a one time use, Deprenyl sublingually 5-10 mg produces dramatic cognitive sharpening in a lot of people. With regular use, in my experience, I notice it a lot less but improves mood and motivation. Piracetam: I've had many great experiences with it, but usually you need to find what stack works well with you. Sometimes I don't notice it much
DMAE: useful, cheap.
Oxiracetam: Stronger immediate effect than piracetam, short-half life; brightens my vision.
Most everything else seems very subtle or unnoticeable, but many of them are useful and seem to contribute to a good stack.

[Daniel Hugo]

I voted no. I tried Oxiracetam, Aniracetam, and CDP Choline. I felt some improvements with Oxiracetam on the first day but didn't feel anything after that. So I deduce that I probably experienced a placebo effect. It seems to me that the current nootropics available either don't work or don't produce effects that are as strong as we want them to be.

[Logan]

SSRIs, when they have been good(specifically Zoloft) were the best nootropics I've ever taken. I'm back on zoloft and can read, retain, and focus better are much improved. My issues with cognition are related mostly to anxiety, so it makes sense that something like Zoloft would greatly improve cognitive function in several ways. I also believe fish oil and exercise made a substantial impact.

[Logan]

SSRIs, when they have been good(specifically Zoloft) were the best nootropics I've ever taken. I'm back on zoloft and can read, retain, and focus better are much improved. My issues with cognition are related mostly to anxiety, so it makes sense that something like Zoloft would greatly improve cognitive function in several ways. I also believe fish oil and exercise made a substantial impact. Piracetam kind jacks me up in a way, energizing me, but it doesn't really improve cognition.

[Thorsten3]

SSRIs, when they have been good(specifically Zoloft) were the best nootropics I've ever taken. I'm back on zoloft and can read, retain, and focus better are much improved. My issues with cognition are related mostly to anxiety, so it makes sense that something like Zoloft would greatly improve cognitive function in several ways. I also believe fish oil and exercise made a substantial impact. Piracetam kind jacks me up in a way, energizing me, but it doesn't really improve cognition.

How much fish oil do you take? I currently use 3g a day ... I'm pretty unsure though about how safe these PUFAs are. Maybe it's safer to stick with 1g a day for now....

[slammer]

Answering the question did Nootropics work for you, yes it did for about 4 days then nothing!

Backround info. 6'2'', 220 pounds. 60 years old. Non-Nootropics taken Klonopin .5mg day/night. Wellbutrin
150mg morning. Both Welbutrin and Klonopin are well tolerated. I have had MRI's and other tests that
have shown no neurological problems

I started out with 1.2g of ALPHA-GPC taken once in the morning. Within 30 minutes I felt I was in a better
mood and was more motivated. Both of these were subtle but definitely felt the effects. This was used for
3 days. Each day the effects were as described and lasted about 5 hours.

I then added 800mg piracetam once in the morning. I could not believe the increased cognitive ability, increased
information retention and recall, motivation. I also no longer had "brain block" where I am talking
to someone and no matter how hard I try I can't come up with the word I need for a sentence. I am a networking
design engineer so I am always studying specs or new technologies. The information just flowed into my
memory and was recalled with ease. I was motivated to study much longer.

The above great results lasted 3 days then crash. All the above improvements vanished. I became very lathergic, "brain block"
returned, no motivation. I tried my go to booster 5 HOUR ENERGY DRINK and I wanted to sleep! Normally
the drink would give me a large amount of energy, instead get me a pillow.

I have tried increasing the piracetam to 3.6g and change the ALPHA_GPC dosage. I also added fish oil as
high as 3g.

When I made a dosage change it was for a max of 3 days. Maybe I need to wait longer for results? I also did
not spread dosages though out the day ( i.e. every 5 hours). I have been trying to come up with a solution
for months now.

Sorry for the long post but after the fantastic results I had for the first few days it is like someone showing you
how you could be then snatching it away.

[kassem23]

Sorry for the long post but after the fantastic results I had for the first few days it is like someone showing you
how you could be then snatching it away.

I'm on day #12 now, and the effects didn't kick in before day #6, so I've had 6 most amazing days. If you want some advice, I'd suggest you stop taking Alpha-GPC, and take Piracetam alone in conjunction with high-dosage fish-oil. You shouldn't expect instant results, but give it like 7 days, and you'll be amazed. I didn't believe my eyes when it happened to me.

[slammer]

Thanks Kassem23.

I will have to be patient and wait longer to see if effects kick in. May I ask what is your
dosage of Piracetam and fish oil? After reading many posts it seemed a choline like ALPHA-GPC was required
when using Piracetam. Your thoughts?

[FDA Approved]

I just want to say, that before I had terrible results with Piracetam, Aniracetam and cdp-choline, but now that I am not smoking and living a slightly better life when I started taking Pira and cdp again the effects have been noticable. And I even stopped for a week to see if I get worse and I do. The weirdest thing is that this is doing wonders for my sleep regime and alertness throughout the day (which I never expected).