Here I am going to talk about some of the very very important and overlooked aspects of various Nootropics, addressing many of the potential causes of people being 'non responders' or getting 'random headaches.
I come to you with a heavy background of 10+ years of self-research neuroscience and even more years of Meditation and other spiritual practices focused on paying keen attention to the mind and body and exactly how what you put in it effects it, along with practicing the development of mental control.
Now, this is going to be so simple, that many of you are going to laugh.
SIMPLE BREAKDOWN - These are explained in depth below.
WATER: If you take nootropics without increasing your water intake, chemical reactions caused by Nootropics will cause the H2O stores in your body to deplete at a MUCH faster rate than normal as a result of the increased chemical reactions(that require water) caused by the Nootropics.
PROTEIN: Without protein, your brain cannot expand, it cannot build! For instance, Nootropics cannot catalyze chemical reactions if a bulk part of the chemical reaction is not present(protein). If you do not increase your protein intake(with say 1-3 protein shakes aday) on Nootropics, your Nootropic effect will stop working as the protein stores in your brain are used up at a heightened rate due to the Nootropic.
CARBOHYDRATES: If you take Nootropics and do not increase your carbohydrate intake you are asking for trouble. The nootropics are causing much more chemical reactions in your mind to take place therefor using up ATP(aka biological energy, which comes from carbohydrates) at a massively faster rate. Expect to eat 4-6 average sized meals a day.
First neglected aspect of taking Nootropics by many people:
WATER/HYDRATION.
Nootropics work by amping up brain metabolism in a semi-natural manner. For instance Pramiracetam is known for drastically boosting acetylcholine production.
When neurological metabolism is amped up like this, so are the chemical reactions. Chemical reactions in the brain USE water. If you are not adequately hydrated and drinking water throughout the day(don't drink too much), then you WILL suffer headaches, fatigue, and related symptoms. The body is using MUCH more water when it is amped up, so it only makes sense that your water intake should also increase to compensate for the rapidly unsual chemical reactions. Many people don't make the connection, but if you go an entire day without drinking water(only drinking sodas) you will find it very easy to get tired, headaches, lack of focus, etc.
How I discovered this extreme importance of water in brain functioning via personal experience:
Back in highschool I experimented with L-Theanine pills to boost my focus to give me somewhat of an upper edge. The brand I took allowed me to focus to such a degree(off one pill) that whatever I wasn't focusing on, didn't exist to me.
I remember on some days when my body finally began to digest the pill... I would get super lethargic. Wanting to sleep, nearly feeling depressed, bad headaches, and very very 'off', so to speak. I had no idea what was causing this. But I noticed when I drank a good portion of water, these symptoms went away within 5 minutes. I began to make the connection, and based on what I was learning in my AP biology class about cell metabolism, I connected the dots that, if my brain is trying to convert all this L-Theanine to GABA, without an adequate supply of water, it would use up any water in my system, and be like a complex machine trying to operate without lube. It just wouldn't be possible.
All of the rapid conversion of such a Large amount of L-Theanine to GABA, used up my bodies water supply at a rather extreme rate..... and this is without anything to boost the conversion process(such as a nootropic). As long as I kept a waterbottle near me at all times, and stayed hydrated when I felt I needed, by paying attention to my bodies feelings, I never had any headaches and the L-Theanine functioned perfectly without giving me headaches.
THE SAME PRINCIPLE APPLIES TO NOOTROPICS. YOU MUST DRINK WATER. Your brain is working overtime and rapidly expanding and building on itself. The brain is made up of a MAJORITY of water. THINK ABOUT IT.
Just like when you take Ecstasy, Acid, or any other psychdelic that amps up your mind, when your mind is reved up like that, you NEED water. Even if you don't get headaches from the dehydration, without an adequate supply of water the chemical reactions are not functioning at full potential.
SECOND PRINCIPLE
PROTEIN
In all my time and research online trying to better myself and make my brain have the optimal edge over all my peers, I discovered something very supprising. There are practically no advocates for using protein as boosting brain.
Think about it, the brain RELIES and OPERATES on amino acids. And proteins are made of..... THATS RIGHT, AMINO ACIDS.
While your brain has a large backup store of amino acids in the synapse, it does not have an unlimited amount. Your brain stores just enough to maintain the stores with your average diet, AND assuming it will operate at it's normal pace (nootropics throw this balance off). I couldn't find anything online about studies relating to Whey Protein-Brain Connection, so I did some experimenting. Everything online seemed to be focused on the idea that Whey Protein powder was only for people building muscle...
So I went out and bought some protein powder, and being complementing every meal with a 20-25g protein shake. After about a week Allo and behold, I noticed an EXTREME difference in my brain functioning. My Pramiracetam effects actually INCREASED to a whole new level since I added extra protein to my meal. My brain just seemed to function so much better.
I've also noticed that when I trip Acid, or Ecstasy, both which DRAIN your brain, and will leave you with that drained feeling for days...... whenever I drank extra amounts of protein powder in shakes, I would notice that I would recover at a remarkably fast rate.
I weight probably 140lbs, and I intake about 80g of protein aday from protein shakes alone... that isn't even counting the meals. Each meal of mine has it's own 15-20g.... so do the math... I get a lot of protein, and ever since I have consciously increased my protein intake this way, my brain has functioned at much higher levels and I am never depressed.
WARNING: DO NOT REPLACE MEALS WITH PROTEIN SHAKES. IT IS NOT HEALTHY.
The whey protein I get is from Walmart. For $14 I get about 30 servings, each one being a scoop with 26g. A word of advice. When buying protein powder, look for some kind of mention of BCAA(Branched Chain Amino Acids) on it.
EXAMPLE:
Pramiracetam boosts acetylcholine production. This right here means that chemical reactions are going to be happening that require water, and at a very fast rate. To add on top of that, the brain is essentially building itself when on Nootropics. THE BRAIN CANNOT BUILD ITSELF WITHOUT PROTEIN. Sure it will do some building for some time... but if you don't replenish the Amino Acids that it has used to expand your brain, then your progress will stop and your effects will diminish sooner than they have to.
TL;DR - To make a long story short....:
To maximize effects and minimize negative side effects of Nootropics, be sure to get a lot of protein during the day and stay hydrated! I personally drink about 8oz of water every 2 hours. Sometimes less if I happen to feel thirsty.
With any kind of brain hormone or amino acid you buy from anywhere, if you take it and your body tries to convert it with adequate water, you are going to be in some pain! Most people don't take the water as a considering factor is because natural food sources with this stuff in it usually is not completely dry.
If you are going to add ANYTHING to the brain that isn't in a food source then you NEED to be sure your body has enough water to process it or it'll be like grinding metal gears together without lube. Like sticking a dick in a dry vagina - good luck.
One hell of a first post eh? I hope I have helped many people out with their problems.
WATER
PROTEIN
Please forgive any mispellings, I have not proof read this. If something needs clarification, please ask.
I will be happy to answer any questions regarding this matter. I have paid close attention to my body and experimented a lot with what I put it in coupled with years of research on the matter.
Edit:
What I do is mix my Pramiracetam and other supplements into my protein shake. This allows me to get everything when I need it, and I don't need to worry about excessively nasty taste.
ALSO I FORGOT TO MENTION, THERE IS A THIRD ESSENTIAL:
CARBOHYDRATES.
As said before, when on nootropics or additional amounts of amino acids/protein(this includes protein shakes), you must complement the increase in fuel with extra carbohydrates.
If you just jump on Nootropics, or just start taking a lot more protein, without also increasing your carbohydrate intake, you're asking for trouble! Well not really trouble, but you will get extremely hungry nearly every hour!
Your brain is one of the biggest consumers of ATP, which is made from hydrates.
To put it simply
WATER: If you take nootropics without increasing your water intake, chemical reactions caused by Nootropics will cause the H2O stores in your body to deplete at a MUCH faster rate than normal as a result of the increased chemical reactions(that require water) caused by the Nootropics.
PROTEIN: Without protein, your brain cannot expand, it cannot build! For instance, Nootropics cannot catalyze chemical reactions if a bulk part of the chemical reaction is not present(protein). If you do not increase your protein intake(with say 1-3 protein shakes aday) on Nootropics, your Nootropic effect will stop working as the protein stores in your brain are used up at a heightened rate due to the Nootropic.
CARBOHYDRATES: If you take Nootropics and do not increase your carbohydrate intake you are asking for trouble. The nootropics are causing much more chemical reactions in your mind to take place therefor using up ATP(aka biological energy, which comes from carbohydrates) at a massively faster rate. Expect to eat 4-6 average sized meals a day.
It's like in the movie Limitless.... he had to eat more food than the average person to keep up his effects because his brain was using so much more juice. When I got on Pramiracetam, for me to maintain it's optimal effects throughout the day, I had increase my Carbohyrdrate and Protein intake by almost 3x than what I was used to. I had to increase my water intake by 2x.... but most people don't drink enough water anyways so this may be more for you.
Pasta and Whey Protein Powder are very affordable ways to increase your intake of Carbs of Proteins. A box of Pasta can be $1 and last 9-10 carb servings.
Edited by OpenStrife, 18 June 2012 - 09:37 PM.
