12 replies to this topic

[pushpull]

first days of aniracetam was ok then I slowly got brain fog. I took 500mg-2g aniracetam / 500mg-1.5g cholin. After getting brain fog I stopped cholin and slowly started reducing to aniracetam micro-doses. Today I took around 100mg (!) twice, no cholin. I'm still getting foggy and tired. Anything I can try? Microdosing and no Cholin still gives fog. I got a lot of Aniracetam laying around. Can too little aniracetam also cause fog? Megadose aniracetam with no cholin, or microdose aniracetam with cholin megadose, must be the only things I haven't tried

[jonnyD]

I would suggest to drink much more (gets Ani to work for me, e.g. 1l of green tea). Try high doses of Ani (800mg-1200mg) without any choline. Take only a little choline if you get headaches.

Do not be worried too much if you get tired. This seems to be normal for a lot of people at the beginning (1-2 weeks).

[pushpull]

damn hard to find a good dose :( after 100mg aniracetam with 4 hours in between & no choline my micro-dosing didn't help the brain fog. Does this mean choline is not causing my brain fog or could i just be needing the perfect amount choline for me?

So I decided to go much higher again later: 800mg aniracetam around 5+ hours ago. Felt good when it kicked in, felt like brain fog cleared up and I was able to focus for a couple of hours. 30 min after taking the aniracetam I got bad headache, so tried 500mg Choline. Seemed like headache got a bit better but not perfect. So I took 1200mg lecithine, no difference on headache. Around 2 1/2 hour after taking my 800mg aniracetam I started feeling really tired and brain fog returned. What should I do? I want to experiment more but dont know what combination to try. I want to get aniracetam working cause its what works best for anxiety. Maybe try 0.5-1g 2-3 times tomorrow, try to ignore the headache, and then see if I get brain fog/tired without choline source? I guess I need choline, since I got headache today. But I got foggy without choline, even on 100mg Aniracetam, so im struggeling finding out what works here.

Edited by pushpull, 09 November 2012 - 08:52 PM.

[pushpull]

guys could really use suggestions. Aniracetam kills my anxiety like nothing else so I'm not ready to give it up yet.

1:1 ratio Aniracetam/Choline (500mg Choline/500mg Aniracetam 3 times per day) gave me severe brain fog. Couldn't remember stuff, very tired etc. Micro-dosing 50mg Aniracetam and no Choline is too little to kill anxiety.

Today I did 50mg Aniracetam in the morning, then 4 hours later 500mg Aniracetam/100mg Choline. Feeling very tired, out of focus & foggy, no headache. Less foggy on memory than the 1:1 ratio I did above but still too tired and fatigue to function properly.

Should I try 100mg Aniracetam in the morning + afternoon and try to work my way up? Should I stop using until brain fog is totally cleared before working my way up? Should I try different Choline source? Don't know what to make of this since both high Choline intake and no Choline still makes me feel foggy. Been 1 week since I started Aniracetam.

Edited by pushpull, 10 November 2012 - 02:31 PM.

[SuperjackDid_]

Try before sleep ,really helpful for me.

[pushpull]

@Nootropix: At what amount do you take it before sleep ? I tried 1x500mg Aniracetam right before going to bed, after my Melatonin had made me sleepy enough. I thought maybe I wouldn't be able to sleep but slept well with nice dreams. While waking up I'm not very anxious but still kinda foggy. Will play around with testing at bedtime a bit.

For now I am starting 100mg Aniracetam 3 times per day, and I will slowly increase Aniracetam while making a log of my results. It seems very difficult to reach my goal (killing anxiety and be semi-alert) without too much side effects. Looks like I need 500mg or more to completely kill my anxiety. On these dosages I feel rather clear 1-2 hours after taking then I start to get foggy. Late afternoon/in the evening, after 1-2g throughout the day, I am very foggy. In the evening while being foggy I tried taking 500mg Choline alone. Idea: If too much Choline was causing the brain fog I would get worse. If lack of Choline was causing the brain fog I would clear up. Result: Felt no different either way :S

I see people talking about "finding their sweet spot", and I'm still confused: Will the brain fog only occur on too much Aniracetam for the individual, or can it be caused by too low dosage as well (hence not finding my sweet spot) ? I seem to get brain fog on high Aniracetam/Choline dosage (ratio 1:1 - really bad brain fog, worst I've had), high Aniracetam/medium Choline (ratio 2:1 - first I feel focused for 1-2 hours then severe brain fog), Low Aniracetam/No choline (less severe brain fog, more tired and heavy eyes). So unless there is a "sweet spot" to be found in there somewhere I might as well drop Aniracetam, at least until I can try stacking it with Piracetam or Oxiracetam.

I have also ordered Alpha GPC (to see if I notice a difference on brain fog/being tired vs ordinary Choline) + Oxiracetam & Piracetam

Edited by pushpull, 11 November 2012 - 12:51 PM.

[machete234]

For me it was a matter of the dosage: 200mg would make me tired and 600mg was a little too much which means I get a little too much of a stimulant feeling for my taste.
So right now im between 400 and 500mg a dose and that is ok.

Will the brain fog only occur on too much Aniracetam for the individual, or can it be caused by too low dosage as well (hence not finding my sweet spot) ?

Yes ~200 for me has no benefits and makes me more tired, too much might give you other issues again.

Btw Im taking it for a little more than a month

There is always an anxiolysis especially when coming down which can lead to lethargy or not getting things done, is that the brainfog that you are talking about?

What kind of choline is your choline?

I read somewhere that you should space the intake of the choline source and the aniracetam by hours.
Do you do that or do take them together?

I also wouldnt overdo it with dosing:
No 1,5g doses of aniracetam, or choline not matter what others do.
I suspect somewhere between 200 and 800 is the ideal dose of aniracetam.

Edited by machete234, 13 November 2012 - 10:31 AM.

[pushpull]

hey machete234, thanks a lot for you reply. Much appreciated, still struggling to find my dose/sweet spot, still haven't given up it's there somewhere.

Regarding choline I actually thought CDP-choline & choline bitartrate were the same until a few days ago. I only have choline bitartrate, which I understand is the least good choline, but I'm waiting for orders on CDP-choline, Alpha GPC & ALCAR, and maybe combinding aniracetam with one of them will work better (see further down). I started taking choline bitartrate at the same time as aniracetam, but the last 2 days I've tried taking it 20 minutes before. I'm usually taking 1500-2000mg Omega3 and a bit of nuts 15 min before aniracetam as fat source. In the morning I do 1xB50 B-vitamins (contains 50mg choline bitartrate), Zinc & Magnesium.

This is my log so far:
Day1: 500mg aniracetam/500mg choline bitartrate/1200mg lecithin (testing first day)
Felt GREAT. Killed anxiety completely, great mood, felt very alert & focused

Day2: 500mg aniracetam/500mg choline bitartrate/1200mg lecithin x 3 (4 hours interval)
Felt almost as good as the day before. Slightly spaced out, blurred vision, headache & a bit fatigue

Day3: 500mg aniracetam/500mg choline bitartrate/1200mg lecithin x 3 (4 hours interval)
Still good anxiety relief but feeling more spaced out, more blurred vision, headache, fatigue & demotivated. In the evening I realized I was having a bad brain fog, couldn't remember why I was going out, how to spell words etc. Disregarding anxiety relief it was the complete opposite of what racetams are suppose to do

Day4: 250mg aniracetam/no choline (8am), pause, 100mg aniracetam/no choline (4pm)
Been reading about people reporting choline causing brain fog and that some people need microdosing. Woke up feeling very foggy, not worse or better after taking 250mg aniracetam. Feeling demotivated & spacey all day. Less anxiety relief in the afternoon, no particular difference after 100mg at 4pm. Headache all day.

Day5: 100 mg aniracetam x 3 (4 hours interval), 250mg choline bitartrate in the morning only
Still blurred vision, demotivated & a bit spacey

Day6: 100 mg aniracetam/no choline (8am), 100 mg aniracetam/no choline (12am), 800mg aniracetam/500mg choline bitartrate (4pm)
Still feel demotivated, memory is worse than before I started aniracetam. Slight anxiety relief but 100mg is obviously too little on anxiety. I'm even more confused since the theory that choline is causing me feeling off seems wrong. So I try a rather high dose aniracetam again: Great for 1+ hour when it kicks it, felt like I woke up a bit and was a bit more alert for a little while. Then my eyes go sore, I feel tired, got bad headache. 6pm: Tried taking 1200mg lecithine, still trying to pinpoint if lack of- or too much choline is causing issues. 9pm: Severe brain fog, blurry vision, bad headache- 10pm: Tried taking only 500mg choline bitartrate hoping I would get more brain fog (pinpoint too much choline is giving me issues) or clear up (poinpoint too little choline is giving me issues): No difference either way

Day7: 50mg aniracetam/no choline (8am), 500mg aniracetam (12am)/100mg choline bitartrate (1pm), 500mg aniracetam (12pm)
Trying real micro-dosing. More anxiety on only 50mg ani, lack of energy/fatigue. 1pm: Got more brain fog and blurred vision after my 12am 500mg ani, tried 100mg choline bitartrate (no difference on brain fog). 3pm: Bad headache, took 1200mg lecithin with no difference. Tried aniracetam around bedtime for the first time

Day8: 100mg aniracetam/no choline (8am), 100mg aniracetam/no choline (12am), 200mg aniracetam/50mg choline (4pm)
11am: More tired than when I woke up, sore eyes. Blurry vision but memory seems ok. Slight headache. 1pm: Even more tired, a bit more foggy than earlier, very little energy. Took 100mg Phosphatidylserine for my anxiety & 50mg Choline bitartrate to see if I wake up a bit, still felt tired afterwards.5pm: Slightly more awake, seems like 200mg aniracetam did me more good than 100mg.

Day9: 250mg aniracetam/250mg choline bitartrate (8am), 250mg aniracetam/no choline (12am), 250mg aniracetam/no choline (4pm)
11am: More foggy than when I woke up, less concentration. 1pm: Feeling more concentration than earlier, not as tired as earlier. still store eyes, slightly blurred vision. 5pm: Not perfect, but seems better. I will try to work my way up.

Day10 (today): 400mg Aniracetam/250mg choline bitartrate (8am), 400mg aniracetam/no choline (12am), 400mg aniracetam/no choline (4pm)
10am: Extremely tired, really really sore eyes and blurred vision. No motivation. Rest of the day: Feeling off, sore eyes, blurred vision, lack of energy. The hour after taking 400mg in certain ways I am more concentrated. Had a phone call at work where I spoke very fluently, but at the same time it feels like I slept 2 hours last night and my eyes feel sore & heavy while watching the monitor.


It probably seems weird to many of you I haven't quit aniracetam yet. I haven't because I've had anxiety the last 13 years, pretty severe the last 5. Having tried a bunch of different SSRI nothing has worked this good. I.e. I hate being on a crowded bus, makes me panic in a way I can't calm myself rationally. On aniracetam I still notice I dislike it but I'm not having massive adrenaline rushes or physical symptoms like mild shaking due to the adrenaline. So I'd rather go through a few more days being tired/foggy/having no energy in case I actually do find a working dosage for me. I've seen certain moment of great appreciation, like the first day.. music sounded so good. I tried playing a computergame that requires concentration and speed, and I was 100 times better than I normally am. So it's there somewhere.. but so far it has mostly been side effects. I've really been struggling in day-to-day situations the last years, and it's causing me problems both socially and at work. It must be more than 5 years since I felt as good as I did the first evening on Aniracetam... So any suggestions on how I might get rid of my side effects and truly enjoy living again, like I did that first day on aniracetam, is more than welcome.

What I talk about brain fog to me that involves combination of bad memory & blurry vision. Like if I smoked a huge joint 2 hours earlier and I'm stuck in the coming-down mode. When I talk about sore eyes it's like I'm sensitive to light, my eyelids are slightly bigger (making me look tired as well), and sitting an entire day in the office in front of a screen is no good. When I talk about fatigue/lack of energy its feels like one of those days you've had 2 hours sleep the night before and you guys feel like laying down on the couch. When I talk about blurry eyes its like my vision is slightly blurry, and that I am focusing less on what's in front my kind. Kind-of like the "depersonalization" aspect of anxiety, or a bit of tunnel view.

So I kinda feel like I'm out of options, unless other choline sources (Alpha gpc, alcar or CDP) pulls me out of this daze most combinations I've tried so far gives me. Cause I have tried micro-dose > high on ani, with/without choline bitartrate,

Edited by pushpull, 13 November 2012 - 05:30 PM.

[pattypops]

So how did it all go down? Did you get it right, did the other choline supps help? It's been over 6 months since you wrote. Are you still on any regime? Let us know. I have ani on the way and would like to know how to jump hurdles if need be. Hope all is well, mate.
Pat

[pushpull]

Hi, it's been quite a while and I have more or less given up racetams. I concluded everything thinking that aniracetam (or racetams in general) is obviously having a positive impact on certain people, based on a number of positive reviews. While others like myself are not responding all that well. I also had a couple of days, i.e. the first time I tried aniracetam, where everything felt a lot more vivid - but 99 % of the time I was just struggling trying to find the "perfect dosage" or perfect combination of aniraceram and some choline source. All in all it was a d**n hassle with no major win. The only thing I did figure out is that I seemed to be able to battle the drowsiness with Alpha GPC. But then there was a thin red line where too much Alpha GPC could cause me to feel depressed out of the blue.

My personal opinion today is that no one should pay too much attention to the reviews (including mine) on various boards. I badly wanted to experience the wonders others described, so I thought I could reach my goal by describing in details my reactions to various dosages, and then I would get the input I needed from people. Truth is no one has the correct answer for you, cause the experience people have on racetams and how they respond seems to be extremely individual. Some people need a high dosage, some people don't. Some people respond, others don't. Some people find a certain choline source beneficial, others don't need a choline supplement. At best these reviews should be used as a baseline when starting out to figure out a common dosage. Besides that all you can do is to try it out and see how it works for you.

Hence anxiety, which I see I mentioned a lot earlier: Although not everyone have a problem with anxiety, anxiety has a role in everyone's life. It serves a function going way back before our society became so complex. My opinion today is that the key is to accept it's role and stop identifying with your thoughts. Mindfulness is a good way of doing this. I don't believe racetams serves much of a purpose to fix an anxiety problem.

I wish you all good luck.

Edited by pushpull, 01 March 2014 - 02:06 PM.