Nootropics Mega-Thread

[Identity]

 

The maker of the video shares his allergic reaction to modafinil, as well as recommending other (natural) nootropics.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Identity

[Charlotte]

3 years ago I used 5-htp (after coming off anti depressants) to give me the 'stepping stone' I needed to get me back and into a daily routine. They worked like an absolute treat. I was on them for around 5/6 months. My intention was to come off them when I felt back to 'normal' and I did, with zero side effects and zero dependency. 

This is my experience with them. Yours may differ. 

[alankrillin]

I like this blog post seems sincere with the auther putting pictures of himself up unlike the forum and reddit anecdotals the ones claiming the biggest miracles are usually the ones who are trying to bring attention to the supplement because usually they selling it or affiliated, it's just how internet marketing works.

https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/qvvg8q/i-tested-the-internets-five-favourite-nootropics

Notice how he keeps saying things like how "he feels sharper, smarter. etc etc." but theres actually no traction, the wheels are spinning on mud, hence why he gave everything a low rating.

Theres a big difference between thinking something is working and actuality.

I would advise everyone to test it out for themselves if they want. Try modafinil for example or all the nootropics and see how much you get done within a 1 year.

If you notice not much has changed in the year whilst on them, not much got done. Then you really need to ask why you're spending so much money putting synthesized substances into your body, giving all this "competitive edge".

Also take into consideration how the year might have been without them, is it all that different, is it all thanks to supplements?

But hey if it does change anyone's life, more power to you! that would be fantastic, but really we need to be deadly sincere with "thinking" vs "actual".

Modafinil did do something to me in terms of buzz feeling, high blood pressure, slight changes in preception, but no way it was near anything special or life changing, at least for me. Double shot caffiene at best maybe without the jittery but more dry mouth and thrist for water.

Edited October 22, 2018 by alankrillin

[fluidmonolith]

I have been using Cycloastragenol. It is not a nootropic, but it does have nootropic effects, atleast in my experience.

 

Leo mentions a slowing, or “brain fog” that is likely age related. I take an anti-aging supplement called Cycloastragenol. A bit of science background…Telomeres are strands at the ends of our chromosomes that shorten with each cell division. The telomeres don’t code for anything and are solely protective of useful DNA. Once the telomeres get too short, the cells will (hopefully) stop dividing – if it does not, it can start losing useful DNA with each division, which can cause mutations (e.g. cancer). If the cell does stop dividing as it should, this is called senescence. A senescent cell has limited capacity to repair tissue since it can't divide and make more cells, so as more and more of our cells become senescent, general functionality declines. According to the telomere theory of aging, shortening telomeres are responsibility for much or all of the aging process in humans, and re-lengthening short telomeres would, in theory, slow or even reverse aging. Note, it is not proven that telomere shortening is the primary cause of aging in humans – currently it is only one among several theories. Cycloastragenol is a naturally-occurring molecule found in the Chinese plant, Astragalus. It has been shown to stimulate telomerase activity in humans (and mice), which is the enzyme that lengthens telomeres.

 

Now that the background is out of the way, how do you take cycloastragenol, and what does it do for you?

I have been taking 10mg cycloastragenol capsules daily for 2 years, and I have experienced nootropic effects that increase mental alertness and capacity for complex thought – this has been useful for me since my work can be cognitively demanding. These effects are probably more of a return to optimal mental function rather than hyper-functionality that Leo describes for some of the supplements in his video. The effects are significant, but too mild to be compared to any stimulant or psychedelic in any way. Cycloastragenol is intended as an anti-aging drug, not specifically a nootropic. I have experienced other effects as well, including decreased tiredness during the day and higher metabolism. Other users report better quality of sleep, faster growth of hair and fingernails, and quicker recovery from physical exertion and illness. I have not experienced any side effects. These pills are not addictive, and I am not aware of any tolerance that the body will build up over time. The effects have been persistent (e.g. there’s no peak and decline after you take it), which is to be expected of a treatment that repairs the body – the effects last beyond the half-life of the drug in the bloodstream. However, the onset was slow. I took this drug for about two weeks before noticing any effects, and I can stop taking it for around 1-2 weeks before I will notice its absence. I do not take any other supplements.

 

Cycloastragenol is available in a form called TA-65 from TA Sciences. These are 8mg cycloastragenol capsules and are fairly expensive, around $6-$7 per pill. There are also generic brands that are more affordable. I take a generic version, which is around $1-$2 per pill for 10mg pills. You can also purchase 5mg and 25mg pills, but I have not tried any dose other than 10mg/day, so I can’t predict how these would work for you. These cheaper pills are from likely Chinese companies, but many manufacture the product in the U.S. Such products include Nature’s Bliss Cycloastragenol, Counter Aging Wise, and Crackaging Cycloastragenol, and all of these can be purchased through Amazon.

 

 

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional nor am I involved in or make money from the sale of any of the products I discussed here.

[Sahil Pandit]

This channel has some pretty dang good tips and scientific research about Nootropics!

[Butters]

Does anyone remember the one Leo said helps against the flu? 

[krazzer]

On 21-10-2018 at 9:24 PM, alankrillin said:

Do not bother with nootropics if you're not doing these things already:

•     Healthy Diet
•     Drinking plenty of water
•     Exercise.
•     Good sleeping.
•     Meditation.

I would say, if you are doing things, don't bother with nootropics. Because when done right, you'll be in that state anyway.

I was shocked when Leo described the effects of Modafinil, because he described a state I'm always trying to be in. It's like my second life purpose to find out what gets me in that state. The 5 point @alankrillin mentioned are most important I believe.

I have been in this state many times, one time it even lasted 6 weeks. It makes me feel very happy all the time, still mind, hyper focused, extremely productive, super creative, I make way less errors, and unlike some reports with Modafinil, I'm super social as well and I'm not bothered by any interruption. 

I might try it out some time to see if it's really the same state as I'm describing. Luckily I live in the Netherlands and one google search got me on a shop where I can order them for €2,00 a pill ?

Edited October 23, 2018 by krazzer

[WhatIsThis]

On 10/21/2018 at 11:08 PM, MsNobody said:

@Leo Gura would you have any brand recommendation with all of them togehter? or at least 4 or 5?

https://neurohacker.com/qualia-mind?rfsn=1468379.782fb&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=1468379.782fb 

I found this one, almost complete but there is caffeine in it  

I was just listening to a podcast wiht Paul Stamets and he recommended Lion's maine, this episode came in perfect time, thank you very much!! 

On 10/21/2018 at 11:08 PM, MsNobody said:

@Leo Gura would you have any brand recommendation with all of them togehter? or at least 4 or 5?

https://neurohacker.com/qualia-mind?rfsn=1468379.782fb&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=1468379.782fb 

I found this one, almost complete but there is caffeine in it  

I was just listening to a podcast wiht Paul Stamets and he recommended Lion's maine, this episode came in perfect time, thank you very much!! 

I've heard great things about Qualia myself, but haven't tried it. Curious is anyone has tried it and can share thoughts?

 

PS @MsNobody they have a Caffeine Free version now on their website ?

[MsNobody]

@WhatIsThis Yeah I saw it! I bought it, let's see how it goes, I also bought the ones ones which are not contained in Qualia Mind separately 

[Butters]

Ordered a small bottle of L-Theanine and popped my first pill this morning. The label says to take 2 pills per day on an empty stomach so I did just that. It's made me very productive, surprisingly productive. My usual self would have gone home at 4.30PM but I stayed late and was very happy with the work I got done. 

It also made me introspective in ways I wish I had 4 years ago. Had some great realizations about how I process information, very useful. 

Also got my Armodafinil in the mail today! Will be using that tomorrow! So excited. I won't be combining it with the L-Theanine so I can feel its effect properly. I also won't take the Armodafinil daily but every 2 or 3 days so I can really feel the difference. Will start with half a pill. 

[Nahm]

 

13 hours ago, Butters said:

Does anyone remember the one Leo said helps against the flu? 

NAC.  https://www.selfhacked.com/blog/nac-top-25-science-based-health-benefits-n-acetyl-cysteine-nac/

[BestSelf]

Can anyone that regularly experiences anxiety and used Modafinil share their experience? I have heard that it can actually INCREASE anxiety and thats the last thing I need....

[Elisabeth]

@Leo Gura I just watched the video. Do you have recommendations on how to use nootropics to get off of caffeine? I'm addicted to a point when I have withdrawal symptoms anytime I don't get my two coffees a day, yet I haven't been willing to get off of it (well, I tried once and then restarted), because 1) I'm not sure how to deal with the period of withdrawal fatigue, and 2) I'd miss the effect of increasing concentration at the time of the day when I need to concentrate (which is at work). So I drink coffee to get myself work when I need to work, although I know it taxes on my energy later in the day. I think that habit is pretty unhealthy so (especially considering the milk and sugar I add), but just quitting doesn't sound like something I'm able to to now, so the very least I can do is switching drugs.

I thought of trying modafinil to get me over the first week or two of withdrawal, then quitting that too and experimenting with those milder supplements, but maybe that's a stupid plan. Doing a quick google search it seems L-tyrosin is recommended. 

[outlandish]

On 10/21/2018 at 2:57 PM, Socrates said:

I tend to microdose LSD around 1/8 to 1/4 of a 100mcg tab twice a week max.

Microdosing definitely works differently from the full trip but unfortunately, it doesn't give me consistent effects (one day hyped, outgoing and motivated & the other day introspective, low and introverted)

Is it safe to try nootropics the same week ill be microdosing?

@Socrates I wonder if you're dosing too high? That sounds way too high to me personally. I've found my sweet spot for microdosing at around 3-6ug.

25ug is no microdose, for most people anyways, more like a mini-dose - really useful in it's own right, but I can see how that would give you inconsistent results, cause you're trippin mang

edit: oh yeah, should be safe to combo microdosing with nootropics. Might not synergize well, but shouldn't be unsafe.

Edited October 25, 2018 by outlandish

[Socrates]

@outlandish You can totally be right. I haven't tried anything less than a 1/8 or 12.5 ug. I also don't have much experience with microdosing.

Cutting the blotters is a hustle on its own. Next time I'll give it a shot with 1/16, I am curious to see how it will go.

Btw talking about nootropics, I went around my neighborhood's pharmacies and asked for some and the pharmacist told me and I quote:

"what do you want those, we give them to old ladies for their brain, these are not for you"

that's how you lose a client folks, don't talk about stuff you don't know. Why did i expect an old lady to know about nootropics?

[Emiliano]

Is there a way to have more certainty on what supplement can work best for you? I have tried fish oil and sulbutiamine and the effect was not perceptible. I dont wanna be wasting money ?

[outlandish]

@Socrates the trick is to use volumetric dosing, it's too hard to cut tabs accurately that small. That could also partially explain the inconsistency you've been experiencing.

It's way easier than it sounds. You just drop the tab in a volume of vodka (or whatever spirit, or distilled water), let it sit (for a long time, like minimum hour) so all the acid all dissolves out. Then you can measure off a fraction of the liquid and you have a very accurate microdose. I use tiny 1mL syringes to get extremely accurate measurements. 

So for example, I dissolve 100ug of LSD into 10mL of liquid. Now, using my very accurate syringe, I can measure off 0.5mL of the liquid to dose 5ug of LSD.

[Leo Gura]

Modafinil is def more powerful than coffee and I never get any withdrawal symptoms from it. It's very easy to stop for me.

[Joseph Maynor]

On 10/21/2018 at 0:12 PM, Sahil Pandit said:

@Joseph Maynor What would you advise a beginner in Nootropics to try out? 

I can't really recommend because I don't want someone suing me saying I encouraged them to take something that maybe harmed them.  You don't know what people's medical histories are like.  All I'm posting is what I'm taking and I assume each person is doing their own research into these substances before taking any of them, just as I did before I started taking them.  Not trying to be a dick here, I just can't go to the point of recommending anything to people.  I can just post what I take.  The problem with listing supplements is people just take your word on it and don't do their own research.  So, what I want to say here is this is what I take.  If you take any of these, you do it at your own risk.  Just because it passed my research meter doesn't mean it passes yours.  And maybe my research meter is wrong too, you can't assume I'm right.  

Edited October 26, 2018 by Joseph Maynor

[Lynnel]

@Leo Gura

What do you think about Tim Ferris opinion that there is no free biological meal ? That you're burning some ressources faster and the short term benefits do not outweight the long term costs ?