Anyone a fan of nootropics? ( brain supplements! )

Hello! Question for you fellow members, have any of you studied or tried out nootropics?

I've considered some different herbs, supplements and such that have been proven, or have good evidence for them. Specifically, has anyone tried any of these? I would like to try a couple, or mix a few of them if they have synergistic effects

Vinpocetine
Huperizine
Phosphatidylserine
Alpha-GPC
Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Lions Mane
Bacopa
Ginkgo
Centrophenoxine
High-dose fish oil (EPA)
Caffeine/L-Theanine combination

And do any of you have good experiences with adaptogens? I haven't found any that even make a subtle difference yet, I've tried ginsengs ( multiple ) Rhodiola rosea, Ashwagandha.

Thoughts, anyone?

a reply to: deadlyhope

I just eat a huge range of organically grown veg, thats how we got this far!

Save your money, just eat tons of good clean veg!

a reply to: VoidHawk

I mean this works for overall health - And there's many things you can do for brain and body boosting effects.

Exercise increases BDNF ( Brain-Derived-Neutrophic-Factor) for instance.
Good health and sleep let the brain and body operate un-hindered.

I am looking for add-ons to these, nothing too expensive. 30 bucks a month on highly-supported supplements doesn't seem like overkill to me.

But thanks for the suggestion

a reply to: deadlyhope

Are you doing some sort of fitness program? Because some of those supplements aren't necessary unless you're burning through them during high intensity training, and attempting to achieve a particular level of fitness or 'look'.

I would say, ask your doctor if you can go for a physical, get a blood test, do a VO2 max test, see what all your levels are and test to see if you're in need to increase or degrees the consumption of specific foods that may contain specific vitamins and minerals.

If you don't need anything, then don't bother taking supplements, you'll only urinate most of them out anyway (unless you're constantly doing high intensity training).

Like VoidHawk said, just eat healthy, eat natural, eat without preservatives, and you don't need supplements.

Yes i used nootrpics to help me to study for all of my Microsoft and Comp Tia exams some of which i passed with a score of 100%. This was after not working in a technical field for many years. But i used only 1 item on that list.

I used :
Piracetam.
Oxiracetam.
Aniracetam.
Pramiracetam.
Choline bitartrate.
Alpha-GPC.
Modifinil.

I do not advise anyone to take these without doing some serious research first. I must have spent 4-5 months reading up on how they work before very cautiously starting to use them. I found that Aniracetam & Pramiracetam where much to strong.

a reply to: deadlyhope

i do the one on the bottom line, works miracles.. Caffeine/L-theanine

originally posted by: Ghost147
a reply to: deadlyhope


If you don't need anything, then don't bother taking supplements, you'll only urinate most of them out anyway

Exactly!
Always makes me laugh when I see the milk pushers on the tv saying "Drink milk for healthy bones". The truth is we urinate out excess calcium because we get so much of it, its in much of our diet already. If we didn't urinate it out we'd die of calcified organs.
Our stomach is not a passive sieve, it regulates how much we can absorb of most things we eat, and it can even create things that we are short on.

a reply to: deadlyhope

Always contact a medical doctor before any use of any substance that affects your body..

originally posted by: PhoenixOD


I do not advise anyone to take these without doing some serious research first. I must have spent 4-5 months reading up on how they work before very cautiously starting to use them.

I have to wonder how well you might have scored on your exams had you spent those "4-5 months" swatting for your exams?

originally posted by: VoidHawk

originally posted by: PhoenixOD


I do not advise anyone to take these without doing some serious research first. I must have spent 4-5 months reading up on how they work before very cautiously starting to use them.

I have to wonder how well you might have scored on your exams had you spent those "4-5 months" swatting for your exams?

Belive me i spent a good 8-10 hrs a day studying, doing practical labs and doing practice exams every day for 9 months before starting to take the exams. I also went to Microsoft acedemy for 4 months before that. It took me a year and a half to complete them all.

Chemicals cant just make you pass in a field like this, you have to fully understand what you are doing. One of my problems while ive always been very good at maths i am slightly dyslexic so found studying very hard.

a reply to: PhoenixOD

I know quite a lot about the deeper side of nootropics - Well, I've read quite a lot, rather.

Modafinil can have some major side effects.
Pram, some minor.

The others seem to be more subtle and less dangerous - Actually, they are neuro-protective if I remember correctly.

I've tried Aniracetam for a couple weeks, no effects. Maybe not long enough, maybe not the right dosage as they are rather weird dosages sometimes ( sometimes less does nothing at all, sometimes more does nothing at all , or less- Only the right dose, sometimes.)

Noopept, too. Nothing there - Didn't dare go too high dosage on this.

L-Theanine, some, slightly relaxing.

What were your ani/pram dosages?

a reply to: Kantjil

Caffeine is the most widely "used" nootropic on the market.

It's far more dangerous and can have worse effects, including tolerance and withdrawal effects, than what I'm talking about.

a reply to: Ghost147

Well, this is more to do with mental fitness - If I want to study without fatiguing, if I want to concentrate better, take things in better. There's no miracle supplements, but definitely some things that help - Caffeine mixed with the right proteins helps a lot with focus, for instance.

a reply to: deadlyhope

I cant remember the exact dosages of ani/pram that i took. But they were way less that the piracetam and oxiracetam. I only took them for a few weeks as i found they made me to spaced out and made it hard to concentrate. I also couldnt stand the taste of them compaired to piracetam and oxiracetam. You do have to take ani/pram with some sort of fat for them to be absorbed correctly and of course back it up with choline.

As for Modifinil i think its one of the best things ive ever taken. I still use them every now and then when needed. Ive also given them to a few friends who had to take exams for work and everyone came back with top end scores. It really is a miracle chemical as far as im concerned.

a reply to: deadlyhope

I mix so that i have balanced output, but yes caffein is bad..

a reply to: PhoenixOD

Oh I've definitely heard it can have great effects, just heard it can have pretty bad ones if not used carefully, as well.

I wouldn't take ani/pram together - Ani helps a lot of people with anxiety, and gives a calming effect while pram gives a boosting effect, I didn't think they were synergistic but I could be wrong.

originally posted by: deadlyhope
a reply to: Ghost147

Well, this is more to do with mental fitness - If I want to study without fatiguing, if I want to concentrate better, take things in better. There's no miracle supplements, but definitely some things that help - Caffeine mixed with the right proteins helps a lot with focus, for instance.

Indeed, but you can still achieve a more wakeful state by simply eating healthily and being physically active. In fact, if you're not doing so already, the benefits from those two factors alone could intentionally be far greater than not doing them and taking the supplements instead.

If you are physically active and eat well, only then should you even consider the supplements.

And again, consult a doctor before hand, You may already have an excessive amount of a particular mineral/vitamin through your diet, and overloading on it could produce more problems than simply an inability to focus.

a reply to: Ghost147

Most doctors would have no idea what I'm talking about, really.

Ask an MD about Centrophenoxine and he'll probably raise his eyebrows.

Now I could ask a doctor about my choline and glutamate levels, I suppose... these aren't really waters doctors tread in, though.

No worries, though. I won't just dive into anything major without some type of counsel , first.

a reply to: deadlyhope

Yes i had read the same about those two but i didnt find they worked like that for me at all. I never took Ani/pram together though. I started with piracetam and worked my way up the list over several months. Finally i just ended up taking Piracetam backed up by choline, mainly because it was so cheap. Oxiracetam was really excellent as well.

But i took Modifinil every day thoughout. Never more than 1 1/2 a day as they will keep you awake for days if you are not careful. Well at least while i was studying anyway lol.

Other than the 4 months i spent at Microsoft Acedemy i was completly self taught

a reply to: PhoenixOD

I've heard oxi has a more noticeable effect than piracetam, though hardly anything is very consistent in the world of nootropics. I've also heard high dose piracetam have been studied in labs to be the most effective - 9.6 grams a day, split between two doses.

I've never gotten into the racetams, as they are a bit more risky than the things I do want to check out.

Do you have an experience with anything more moderate, like Alpha GPC, ALCAR?

Or any experience with long term effects like Lions mane, Bacopa, Artichoke, Forksolin?