2 replies to this topic

[dalinwkent6]

Hello everyone, i would like to start by saying i am a college student studying to be a computer scientist who recently got out of the military (finished my contract) and i am doing fine in school (A's and some B's) but i have to work extra hard to get them. I have a hard time paying attention in class no matter how hard i try. I always sit in front of the class with a pre-class motivation routine to pay attention and understand the material at hand. But within 10 minutes or so of the lecture, my mind wanders throughout the universe with thoughts of the future and theories of random things. Then i catch myself and punish myself mentally to get back on the lecture, but before i know it, i missed crucial points of the lecture. For the rest of the class, i feel completely discouraged and anxious to go home and research the material on my own via youtube and the internet. I also have a hard time having long converstaions with people. I am not sure whether because they are boring but within 5-10 words or so, i hear them, but i am not sure what they are talking about because i am either thinking about what to say next or im thinking about other things such as why they looked at my nose ( do i have a booger). This could be insecurites, mixed in with ptsd or something however, ive always had issues with attention even when i was little. I always told my self i had ADD, but i also thought that was a myth. Anyway, back on topic. I went on a reading spree a couple days ago about adderall because it seems that people are having awesome results from it from learning material within a short amount of time. I would love that since i am learning computer programming at the moment. I also read the negative effects it can have like meth induced psychosis, which you dont even have to know the details of to know its really bad. Then i came across nootropics which seems to have similar effects and is much safer. So there, my mind was set and started reading some more and now i am super anxious to try some basic stacks.

I have amazon on a another tab ready to checkout with the following stack
Lions mane capsules
Alpha GPC
L-Theanin
Phenylpiracetam
i also have been taking orange triad fish oils and vitamins in the last 3 years
and nascent iodine

So basically trying to have better logic skills for math and computer programming but most importantly, the ability to pay attention and focus. Do i need something like focus XT?

I am sure i can find all the information i am asking here on the net somewhere, but the stacks i read about often contain broken links to the supplements or out of date. I just wanted to get an updated version advice. And i always just feel like i am out-dated with everything that is happening now like nootropics and nascent iodine and a bunch of stuff i read (reading spree) on the internet where i am just like " oh what, i missed that too" and makes me wonder what else i've been missing since ive been pretty much deployed in the last 5 years. I was in the Submarine Force for 5 years, so yeah no internet, no email, no cable,.....no sunlight.

TLTR;
Im another noob that knows nothing
I am looking for a stack that helps with my attention issues
what am i missing from my list? Is it sufficient for a noob?
Im a submarine warfare vet, i know nothing about the world.

Thank you for reading and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[nupi]

Sounds like ADD to me. I'd go see a specialist, there are other meds out there that are less extreme than Adderal (think Ritalin etc).

[GoingPrimal]

Hey man, congrats on making it back into the real world from the submarine world! And props for going back to school.

You seem like you have a good work ethic that can sometimes be compromised because of your attention span. I do highly recommend meditation or some mindfulness-based training. It's the perfect medicine for what you're describing. Lets say the object of your meditation is the sensation of the breath at the tip of the nose - you set an intention for your mind to only pay attention to that sensation and to let all other thoughts go for the duration of the 10 or 20 (or more) minutes you'll be meditating, and then try to keep your attention there. It will wander, again, and again, and again. And you non-judgementally, without frustration, bring your attention back to the breath. What you'll essentially be doing is building your "attention muscle" (not an actual muscle, lets be clear), and over time sitting in a class and paying attention the entire time will be a piece of cake. This is actually what you're already doing while you sit in class, trying to bring your attention back to the instructor.

Trust me, setting up a daily meditation practice will do wonders. Don't be sucked into just-pop-a-pill, quick fixes - noots can certainly help, but there is no magic pill.

That said, the l-theanine should help calm you down a bit to focus. Just curious, how much caffeine are you currently taking before class, if any? I always wake up with some tea or maybe some coffee and get to work on whatever my various projects are, but I find that if I have too much caffeine my mind starts to wander as well. Maybe you're ingesting too much caffeine and getting the same result? Then again, the l-theanine will help with this.


I haven't tried phenylpiracetam yet, and it sounds amazing. It does sound pretty stimulating though - this might work in combo with the theanine, might not. You could look into aniracetam, which has a more calming, anxiety-reducing effect, without being the least bit sedating. It needs to be dosed every few hours because of it's short half life though.

Lion's mane is awesome, good choice. Alpha-GPC, which I haven't used, should be solid as well.

Personally I'd shy away from ADHD meds, for two good reasons, specifically Adderall. One, they feel too good. Probably one of my favorite substances to (ab)use, but I had to stop because I took too much for a while. Makes work breeze by, makes me sociable, but just not sustainable. Also increased the likelihood of my daydreaming. Second, they're pretty hard on the body.

My recommendation is to pick up the stack you currently have, substitute aniracetam for the phenyl if you so choose, add a quality cod liver oil, vitamin d/k2, and magnesium supplement (not mag oxide), and see how that works. And seriously try some meditation or mindfulness based techniques. Best of luck and keep us posted.