10 replies to this topic

[Roaky]

Hello.

I was interested in Nootropics a few years ago, and though I still take a few I really fell out of the loop for a while since I've been focusing on general health and my career.

 

Anyways I'm back researching again, and after scouring these forums I have quite a few items on my order list to try out. I was hoping for some feedback on anything interesting that I may have missed, or if any of the items I have found have known bad interactions. Also any comments on the start-up doses especially for synergistic supplements would be greatly appreciated.

 

Background:

 

I’m in my late 20s, and in excellent health (just had a full set of blood tests and checkups). I'm a distance runner, bicyclist, and do light weightlifting though I'd like to do more.

 

Priority Order:

1. Mental acuity and well-being

2. Physical health and energy

3. Longevity and long-term mental health.

 

 

Stuff I am currently using:

 

Modafanil on occasion - (I am super sensitive to anything even mildly stimulant like, I take a quarter of a 200 mg tablet and I'm buzzing all day and wound up by night). I'm a writer and this stuff kicks me into overdrive when I can sit and just type away for a day.

 

Curcumin Bioperine compound - This is for anti-oxidant purposes, though I have noticed it clears up brain-fog well. Bad heart burn with this though (probably the bioperine)

 

Phosphotidal Serine - maybe twice to three times a week. This in another one I am to which I am super susceptible.

 

Lavender extract capsules - Lowers general anxiety throughout the day. It's real mild but rounds off the sharp edges of social interaction for me.

 

B-Complex with co-enzymes (methylated) 

 

Vitamin D3

 

Stuff I have used previously:

 

Rhodiola - Great stuff, but the stimulation is a little too extreme for my current lifestyle. I have a slow burn constant stress IT job, better to last through the day than to spike and burnout.

 

Selegeline - I picked this stuff up for longevity purposes a few years back, but even at small doses made my depression markedly worse. I am in a much better place now and am considering working this back in at some point if it is worth it.

 

New stuff I am considering:

 

Piracetam - I don't have a source on this yet, but it sounds amazing. 

 

Noopept 

 

ALCAR

 

Idebenone - I read this would be a good matchup with Alrcar and Selegeline

 

Trans Resveratrol - I've read so much about pros and cons with this one over the years. I do not know where the most recent research stands but I figure I'd give it a try.

 

Cordyceps

 

K2 MK7 – Sounds like it has a bunch of benefits

 

Lithium

Metformin – Seems like a lot of mixed research on this one, but “brain growth” as odd as the term is sounds pretty cool.

 

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks!

[GoingPrimal]

Welcome!

 

You've got a great list of sups already going, throw in some fish oils or omega 3s and thats a very solid foundation (of course on top of proper diet and rest).

 

As per your goals...

 

 

Priority Order:

1. Mental acuity and well-being

2. Physical health and energy

3. Longevity and long-term mental health.

 

Buy some piracetam and try it out, it's cheap and very safe. I don't want to influence your opinion of it either way so I won't comment, but it's the granddaddy of nootropics, so it may serve as a good "baseline" for further forays into 'racetams and noots. 

 

As for noopept, again, its quite cheap and many have used it. While I personally didn't get much out of it, others have, so I suggest saving it for a future purchase, after you've acquainted yourself with piracetam.

 

With resveratrol, remember that you're on the younger side, and while it still has benefits, you may not notice much. I'm a bit younger, in the mid 20s, and believe it gave me joint problems as others have pointed out. You may not experience any such things, but as active as you are, it's something to consider. I was using a 500 mg extract, which is pretty high, so if you're going to use it, I would suggest a lower dose, or even look into pterostilbene. Also, the Chinese herb He Shou Wu has many stilbene molecules in it and may be worth looking into.

 

I'm personally a huge fan of proper extracts of cordyceps, and proper extracts of adaptogenic herbs in general. I personally find great gains in endurance with cordyceps, while others on the forum don't, so keep in mind everyone is different. 

 

K2, in either form, should be a staple right along with vitamin D in my opinion. I use a Thorne Research D/K2 blend personally, but buy whichever brands you find to be quality.

 

ALCAR is a cool substance and another tried and true nootropic. Again, I wouldn't expect profound experiences but it has a lot of benefits. I have a big tub of it and take it often, not noticing much, but that's not the point.

 

 

Idebenone, lithium and metformin I don't have experience with and am not the most up to date on in terms of the research. Maybe other experienced users can comment here.

 

Keep us posted when you do experiment with more 

[Roaky]

Hey GoingPrimal,

Thanks for the response.

 

I've gotten in the ALCAR and Cordyceps so far, and have had great results with both. The ALCAR really has helped with the mental fatigue I normally feel by the time I get home from work. The Cordyceps has improved my general mood throughout the day and energy level, without any crash or major side effects that I can see except maybe decreased attention span. The only obvious drawback I've yet noticed is increased sweating, which I can live with.

 

I had some melatonin last night. Previously melatonin made me dream very vividly leading to restless sleep but I did not experience this issue now. Maybe it's the brand or something? This batch is sub-lingual. 

 

K2 I've noticed feeling a little sharper almost immediately, which I did not expect as I figured it would be a standard supplement. Maybe it's something I've been needing for a while. I recently broke my arm so maybe I've been deficient in vitamin K?

 

Since most of what I've read about Noopept has been mixed I decided to put that money towards another Racetam. I decided on Oxiracetam which I've read some neat reviews of attributing to it increased motivation and creativity.

I'm still waiting on this, Idebenone and the Pirecetam, but will post back after trying them out (separately to better observe their effects).

 

I'm skipping Resveratrol on your suggestion. It is one of the pricier supplements anyways.

 

I have some L-Theanine and subutiamine coming in as well.

 

It's probably not viable yet since I have not settled on a specific regime of supplements but if anyone has tips on supporting supplements I might be missing, such as neurotransmitter precursers or vitamins that are regularly depleted I would be interested in hearing back. The Melatonin, Idebenone, and ALCAR are meant to fill these roles, but this is an area that I am particularly lacking in knowledge at the moment so that may not be a good combo.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

[GoingPrimal]

Many people are deficient in Magnesium, and there are many discussions on the forum about magnesium and which types are best for what. I use mag citrate and epsom salt baths as they are generally pretty cheap sources. Just don't buy mag oxide.

 

Haven't mentioned fish oils or cod liver oil yet. They should be a staple in any regimen in my opinion. Cod liver oil has Vit A and D as well as Omega 3s, fish oils just Omega 3s. Vitamins D and K2 should be balanced with Vitamin A, so cod liver oil may be a good choice - I use either Carlson's or Nordic Naturals, but really just look for a good purified form with added antioxidants.

 

Could use L-Phenylaline or L-Tyrosine for dopamine precursors, 5-HTP for serotonin precursor, L-Theanine will help with GABA production. I have to admit I've never really been a fan of serotonergics but the same may not apply to you.

 

Of course proper diet and exercise is going to go much further than any supplements ever will. Throw in some meditation and consistently trying to push your boundaries and you won't even recognize yourself in a year - that's really where it's at 

[Roaky]

Bah, I keep forgetting to mention Omega Fatty Acids here since I've been supplementing them for years. I take Nordic Naturals Algea Omega Fatty Acids supplement. 

 

I should have mentioned it before, but to avoid controversy I seldom do online, but I am Vegan. Add to that that I follow a low sugar, vegetable-centric diet I am pretty confident in the nutrition side of my health.

 

I mentioned my new trial supplements to my doctor and surprisingly she's in support of it (although she had never heard of the racetams before). She suggested N-Acetyl l-Cysteine though as a neuroprotective.

 

I stay away from Serotonin monkeying myself as a short stint on Lexapro was a very rough experience.

 

The tips for Vitamin A, L-Phenylaline/ L-Tyrosine were just what I was looking for. I already have some L-Theanine coming in.

 

 

Thanks again for the help Primal. It seems like we have a lot of common ground as far as what we are looking for in these supplements, and our methodologies.

 

Regards.

[GoingPrimal]

No problem, keep posting and reporting on what's working for you and what isn't. 

 

As you're vegan, you may also want to look into creatine, tuarine, and CoQ-10, though you are using idebenone. Seen reports on here of vegans experiencing improved cognition with about 3 grams of creatine per day - its very well studied and very cheap, may want to check it out for your next supplement run.

[Galaxyshock]

I also recommend Cordyceps, I think you'll like it because it's more of an energizer than a stimulant. There's synergy with Cordyceps and Vitamin D3 in dopamine production I believe. No need for random pick-me-ups as long as you also have proper protein intake (l-tyrosine).

[Roaky]

I've been on Pirecetam for three days now. The effects are noticeable within 30 minutes of a dose, but subtle. I am working best so far at around 2g a dose. I tried 4g, as I read the post about the ideal dosage being 4.8g but this gave me a crash and awful diahrea (sorry for the details). I started L-Theanine that day too though so I will cut that out or switch it to nights for a bit and try raising the dosage of the Pirecetam later.

 

Two days ago I had a bad headache and energy crash when I took the NAS and Sulbuitamine. I am not sure which caused it but I'm cutting both for now and will try adding them back in later individually when my current supplements stabilize.

 

I am Very happy with the ALCAR and Cordyceps combo. It's a great boost for motivation, energy, and generally just puts a smile on my face (I think the ALCAR is keeping me from my normal post-work mental exaustion, and the Cordyceps is giving me the positive mood and motivation). I have high hopes for the Racetams but will need more time before I can really comment.

 

I am trying out Oxyracetam today, 800mg tabs with 15mg active Oxyracetam (I read a bunch of posts where people say their dosage is 800mg. I am assuming they are reading the wrong part of the label, unless I got some super weak version). I hope it synergizes well with the subtle effects of the Pirecetam. I also added 5mg of lithium today. I know a lot of stuff that might confuse the results, but if I have a bad reaction to the mix I'll just pull them both and try them one at a time.

 

I will look into l-tyrosine and creatine, thanks for the tips.

 

The only real question I have is about the effectiveness of ALCAR as the Acetylcholine booster. Is it really effective enough on its own, or should i have some other Acetylcholine precursors or supplements (I read that some do not synergize well with the ALCAR and cause headaches, and have not found a solid answer on a good combo in these forums yet). Should I be taking more than the labeled dosage? Right now I am taking 500mg twice a day, though I will start bumping it up to 3 times a day for now. I have high hopes for the memory enhancing effects of various of these new supplements. My regular life memory is as bad as a goldfish, though I can recall fifty different admin credentials for servers i've accessed of the last five years and remember the location of every screw when re-assembling a laptop.

Edited by Roaky, 31 January 2015 - 09:32 PM.

[Roaky]

Things got crazy at work for the last few weeks. I have been covering for a coworker who has been out for quite a while, and on top of handling the two jobs there has been a lot of pressure from project deadlines and resultant political conflicts. Anyways I cut way back on all of this stuff. I've been essentially just taking the ALCAR, and the Cordyceps. I even stopped the cordyceps for a few days after having a what seemed an unusual number of negative confrontations. I was worried that the supplement was making me abnormally aggressive. After cutting it out I have determined that the stuff was just giving me enough energy to stand my ground on stupid fights that I would otherwise have just been too tired and too busy to deal with.

 

Also I had dosed the Piracetam and Oxiracetam for three days and felt awful the whole time. I was grappling with an intense and deep lethargy that made it next to impossible just to get up and do anything. I suspect the culprit might have been the Lithium that I tried at the same time, so I am testing out Oxiracetam by itself today to see if I have any further issues. 

 

I'm still confused about the labeling of the dosage of oxiracetam in this bottle. The company looks legit (smart drugs for thought) and the order came with a third party document claiming 99% purity (though a photocopied document wouldn't be hard to forge or just repurpose). It's dosage info says "Serving size 1 capsule (800mg), but right below that it says Ingredients: Oxiracetam 15mg. Dosages on these forums seem to be mostly in 800mg increments so I am assuming there is some confusion either in this products labeling or in other people's interpretation of their supplements.

 

I'll post more after a few days of Oxiracetam to see if it has had any impact.

[Cptlouie79]

I Had an experience with cordyceps senisis. Great results. I recently started taking ALCAR and experienced very noticable mental benefits. I've actually had the bottle of ALCAR for over a year. The fist time I took it last year I didn't notice the effect. I plan on stacking the ALCAR and a cordyceps. How has this stack held up for you?

[Jason Long]

Maybe you shoudl reduce a bit and stack with the essential ones. Noopept or racetam, quality choline sources (alpha-GPC or citicoline), acetycholinesterase inhibitors (Huperzia serrata), some mild stimulants combined with green-tea and adaptogenic trio rhodiola-cordyceps-ginseng in high ammounts.