43 replies to this topic

[Busyboy]

Hey everyone. I'm new here, but I've been using this website for information on nootropics and various other topics for a little over a year. There were some pretty helpful posts, but none that helps my specific goals. So, on to a little about me. I'm in second year University studying Finance, and I've been struggling. Mainly because I'm too lazy to do the assigned work, and on some assignments that aren't worth much I don't do at all. I'm usually a good student, getting low A's, but now my average is a C. I've tried various natural nootropics, but nothing life changing. Now I don't expect them to be like the Limitless pill, but I was hoping for extra focus, which it only delivered minor results.
To sum it up, I'm a student who's grades are dropping because I'm lazy, have no motivation, and have no focus or concentration to work on tasks. Maybe I have ADD, but everyone has that technically. Asking here wondering what are the best nootropics to increase motivation, help with focus and concentration, and have little to no side effects. I've read good things about racetams, specifically the strongest version (forgot its name). Which nootropics do you think is the best for my situation? Thanks a lot for taking the time to read and comment!

[Heisenburger]

One hundred milligrams of Tianeptine sodium will give you a couple of hours of exquiste, clear-headed hyperdrive. I’ll take it at work sometimes when I’m faced with a formidable task and an unfathomably ridiculous deadline. But bear in mind that this isn’t due to some sort of nootropic or therapeutic effect. You’re just getting high. I’ve never experienced the ‘crash’ or ‘let-down’ that other users have reported, so I figure no harm, no foul. If 40 cents worth of the stuff will get me where I want go, then I have no personal qualms about using it to this end.

 

As far as the racetams are concerned, (and I’ve tried all of them), the ones that ‘really work’ are piracetam, fasoracetam, and coluracetam. The rest of them might as well be baby powder as far as I’m concerned; they have no noticeable effect in me. For sustained focus, faso is the ticket. For under-the-gun multitasking without doing the deer-in-the-headlights number, coluracetam works bloody wonders. I actually credit coluracetam for the small raise I recently got. The big boss just happened to be watching while I was juggling a bazillion tasks all at once without even breaking a sweat, and told my boss to give me a raise. Twenty-five milligrams is a reasonable dose.

[Busyboy]

Thanks for the great information. Does coluracetam build tolerance like piracetam , and is it the same price? And does coluracetam help with focus too? Most importantly, does it have a reputable history like piracetam or is it a relatively new noot? Thanks again

[Heisenburger]

In my experience there’s no tolerance effect to coluracetam, but human biochemical individuality is always the name of the game when discussing pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, so YMMV. Piracetam is the cheapest racetam, and the other two are the most expensive. Of course, it has to be the expensive stuff that works the best. But I don’t sweat the prices. My entire daily stack costs less than a large Starbuck’s crapafrappachinnio, and since I lead a pretty austere existence it’s not a big deal.

[Aurel]

Reveal your stack!

[Heisenburger]

Mine or his?

[Aurel]

Yours Heisi

[Busyboy]

I've read good things about pramiracetam being almost as good as Adderal. Did anyone ever try pramiracetam before? Would like experiences of some users, as I know ^ had no effect. And yes, please do reveal your stack.

BTW, I purchased Brain Health formula pills from GNC which consists of natural noots like Rhodilia Rosea, Huperzine A (only 33mcg) bacopa and a host of other brain supporting vitamins and minerals. Seems like it makes me "smarter", I noticed when I talk I used bigger words than I typically would use. Liking it so far, but want an extra push with real noots. Thanks

[Heisenburger]

Yours Heisi

 

 

My current daily stack consists of the following:

 

4800 mgs. piracetam

One drop 1% methylene blue solution

25 mgs. coluracetam

25 mgs. fasoracetam

5 mgs. PRL-8-53

5 mgs. memantine

4 mgs. C60 (one teaspoon 0.08% homemade solution)

2 caps LEF Mix

325 mgs. aspirin

75 mgs. aminoguanidine

20 mgs. PQQ

40 mgs. NSI-189

40 mgs. tianeptine sulfate

 

I take it all in one shot right after breakfast. I have spent 30 years and thousands of dollars refining it, and at this time I consider this to be the definitive base stack that I will take for the rest of my life. I don’t plan to add anything in the immediate future unless there is substantial progress made in AGE-breaking compounds. I’ve discontinued Alagebrium because I can’t find a reliable source anywhere, but eventually I’ll contact HHD and see if they can make me some. The memantine is the most recent addition. I’m still in the investigating-it stage, but I’m almost certain that it will become a permanent addition. In terms of future additions, right now I am most intently focused on investigating compounds which break glucosepane bonds. Tianeptine sodium and etizolam are also compounds that I regularly use, but they are not included in that list because I use them intermittently and on an as-needed basis. The current cost of this stack (not including shipping charges) is $4.04/day. I’m also not counting the cost of the olive oil used to dissolve the C60, the cost of the PG that I use to dissolve the coluracetam/fasoracetam/PRL-8-53 and dilute the memantine in, or the cost of running the magnetic stirrer.

Edited by Heisenburger, 16 June 2015 - 12:26 AM.

[Busyboy]

Yours Heisi

My current daily stack consists of the following:

4800 mgs. piracetam
One drop 1% methylene blue solution
25 mgs. coluracetam
25 mgs. fasoracetam
5 mgs. PRL-8-53
5 mgs. memantine
4 mgs. C60 (one teaspoon 0.08% homemade solution)
2 caps LEF Mix
325 mgs. aspirin
75 mgs. aminoguanidine
20 mgs. PQQ
40 mgs. NSI-189
40 mgs. tianeptine sulfate

I take it all in one shot right after breakfast. I have spent 30 years and thousands of dollars refining it, and at this time I consider this to be the definitive base stack that I will take for the rest of my life. I don’t plan to add anything in the immediate future unless there is substantial progress made in AGE-breaking compounds. I’ve discontinued Alagebrium because I can’t a reliable source anywhere, but eventually I’ll contact HHD and see if they can make me some. The memantine is the most recent addition. I’m still in the investigating-it stage, but I’m almost certain that it will become a permanent addition. In terms of future additions, right now I am most intently focused on investigating compounds which break glucosepane bonds. Tianeptine sodium and etizolam are also compounds that I regularly use, but they are not included in that list because I use them intermittently and on an as-needed basis. The current cost of this stack (not including shipping charges) is $4.04/day. I’m also not counting the cost of the olive oil used to dissolve the C60, the cost of the PG that I use to dissolve the coluracetam/fasoracetam/PRL-8-53 and dilute the memantine in, or the cost of running the magnetic stirrer.

Thanks for revealing Heis! Which, in your opinion is the most helpful, or gives you the greatest effect? Also, why aren't you supplementing with Choline? Typically people do with racetams. Just curious. Thanks

[Aurel]

thank you. I will research some of these items. Can you remember the time before that stack (probably not.. 30 years, oh my)? I wonder how much it improved your life? Could you make a guess?

[Heisenburger]

thank you. I will research some of these items. Can you remember the time before that stack (probably not.. 30 years, oh my)? I wonder how much it improved your life? Could you make a guess?

 

 

Somebody recently asked me a very similar question in a PM he sent me, so I’ll just cut & paste my response to him. I think it sums it up nicely (I edited out some of the non-salient parts; we were actually talking about Dihexa):

 

At 53, there is no question that I am way, way sharper than I have ever been in my life. Learning mathematics has become virtuously effortless for me. My wife recently needed help with her statistics project. I took the course about ten years ago, but had forgotten a lot of it. I sat down with the textbook, read all three of the pertinent chapters in about two hours, closed the book, and said to myself “got it.” But I didn’t know Minitab. So I downloaded a bootleg copy, hopped on Google, and had the basics down about two hours after that. The next day I sat down and knocked out the whole project in about four hours. She turned it in and got 100% on it. This is not something I could have done when I was in my twenties. Recently, I was walking to work and was amusing myself by solving math problems in my head. I asked myself “if a car accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in ten seconds, how many feet has it traveled at the end of the tenth elapsed second?” I was able to solve for the correct solution (440 feet) in less than a minute in my head. And this was in a sleep-deprived state.

 

I have a LOT of energy for a guy my age. My memory sometimes surprises people who are in their twenties. I’m not aging fast—most people who don’t know me think I am in my late thirties. My psychological health is the best it’s ever been. I am very content with myself (most of the time, anyway). My rhetorical skills are the best they’ve ever been. I am constantly getting complimented on my writing and public speaking abilities. Women young enough to be my daughter are still attracted to me. A lot of women are openly jealous of my wife. I am completely confident that all of this is attributable to a rigorous vegetarian diet, regular exercise, and my stack. The only things that I have lost with age (besides my hair) are a considerable amount of my upper-body strength and some of my sex drive.

 

 

[Heisenburger]

Thanks for revealing Heis! Which, in your opinion is the most helpful, or gives you the greatest effect? Also, why aren't you supplementing with Choline? Typically people do with racetams. Just curious. Thanks

 

That’s a toughie. I would be very, very hard-pressed to discard any of the items on that list. All of those things are tried-and-true. For everything on that list, there are five other things that I have tried and dismissed as ineffective or even detrimental. Maybe the PQQ I could toss. Never the NSI-189. That stuff is a real game changer, as a lot of people around here will attest. The LEF Mix is of course also essential. You could almost consider it the backbone of the entire stack. If I had to pick one of the racetams over the other, I would probably keep the coluracetam. Its effects were immediate and pronounced from the very first time I took it. That incident I described at work happened less than a week after I started using it. Definitely a noticeable anxiolytic. It’s really hard to say which component has had the most effect. I think they support each other and synergize to some extent. I would sooner give up my favorite foods than give up my stack.

 

I haven’t taken choline since the eighties. Seems kind of old school now. But you’re right; a lot of people who use noots seem to view it as indispensable.

 

[Busyboy]

Thanks for revealing Heis! Which, in your opinion is the most helpful, or gives you the greatest effect? Also, why aren't you supplementing with Choline? Typically people do with racetams. Just curious. Thanks

That’s a toughie. I would be very, very hard-pressed to discard any of the items on that list. All of those things are tried-and-true. For everything on that list, there are five other things that I have tried and dismissed as ineffective or even detrimental. Maybe the PQQ I could toss. Never the NSI-189. That stuff is a real game changer, as a lot of people around here will attest. The LEF Mix is of course also essential. You could almost consider it the backbone of the entire stack. If I had to pick one of the racetams over the other, I would probably keep the coluracetam. Its effects were immediate and pronounced from the very first time I took it. That incident I described at work happened less than a week after I started using it. Definitely a noticeable anxiolytic. It’s really hard to say which component has had the most effect. I think they support each other and synergize to some extent. I would sooner give up my favorite foods than give up my stack.

I haven’t taken choline since the eighties. Seems kind of old school now. But you’re right; a lot of people who use noots seem to view it as indispensable.

What effect does NSI have? And would you recommend I take both NSI and Coluracetam together in the morning for my issues? Thanks

Edited by Busyboy, 16 June 2015 - 05:04 PM.

[Heisenburger]

What effect does NSI have? And would you recommend I take both NSI and Coluracetam together in the morning for my issues? Thanks

 

 

I’m not really the person to ask, because procrastination is my last remaining psychological issue. I have trouble lighting the fire under my ass sometimes too. I was going to spend my day off yesterday studying for vSphere certification. Never happened. Did some laundry, shaved my head, and ate ice cream instead. I was sort of going to ask you the same question. I was wondering if you had looked into the neurobiological basis of motivation and could offer any insights as to how I might tweak my stack. The weird thing is that once I start doing a task, I can’t stop. I’ll put off cleaning up the yard until the weeds are growing through the windows, but once I get out there and start hacking, I won’t stop until the Sun goes down, and sometimes not even then. If I had cracked the books yesterday, I would have chewed through six chapters and absorbed all of it without batting an eyelash.

 

As for specific compounds, that’s hard to say. As I told one of my co-workers the other day, “this is uncharted territory.”  “If you want to experiment with this stuff, you just have to grow a pair because there are no clear guidelines.” What NSI-189 does for me is completely abolish all of my sense of self-doubt, which has been an issue for me ever since I was in grade school. Making an educated guess, motivation is probably strongly tied to expectation of reward, and is most likely involves dopaminergic pathways. Other than that, I gots nuthin’.

[Aurel]

Whats with the CILTEP and Happy Stack? Both of them helped people with motivation -> depending on the individual, so testing would be necessary.

[Busyboy]

What effect does NSI have? And would you recommend I take both NSI and Coluracetam together in the morning for my issues? Thanks

I’m not really the person to ask, because procrastination is my last remaining psychological issue. I have trouble lighting the fire under my ass sometimes too. I was going to spend my day off yesterday studying for vSphere certification. Never happened. Did some laundry, shaved my head, and ate ice cream instead. I was sort of going to ask you the same question. I was wondering if you had looked into the neurobiological basis of motivation and could offer any insights as to how I might tweak my stack. The weird thing is that once I start doing a task, I can’t stop. I’ll put off cleaning up the yard until the weeds are growing through the windows, but once I get out there and start hacking, I won’t stop until the Sun goes down, and sometimes not even then. If I had cracked the books yesterday, I would have chewed through six chapters and absorbed all of it without batting an eyelash.

As for specific compounds, that’s hard to say. As I told one of my co-workers the other day, “this is uncharted territory.” “If you want to experiment with this stuff, you just have to grow a pair because there are no clear guidelines.” What NSI-189 does for me is completely abolish all of my sense of self-doubt, which has been an issue for me ever since I was in grade school. Making an educated guess, motivation is probably strongly tied to expectation of reward, and is most likely involves dopaminergic pathways. Other than that, I gots nuthin’.

Oh haha. I know motivation is directly correlated to dopamine, but I read that meth, or other dopamine-increasing drugs can have some permanent effects on the brain. Like if you use it too often for too long, your brain won't synthesize as much anymore. Which is why I don't want a noot that toys with dopamine. I've tried L-Tyrosine which supposedly increases dopamine, maybe it helped a bit? Nothing major thought.

Did you try oxiracetam before? I've read great things from it. Also, I read up on coluracetam and it looks promising, however from user experiences it seems it doesn't help much on focus. Interested in Pramiracetam and Oxiracetam ATM. Thanks

[Aurel]

 

Yours Heisi

 

 

My current daily stack consists of the following:

 

4800 mgs. piracetam

One drop 1% methylene blue solution

25 mgs. coluracetam

25 mgs. fasoracetam

5 mgs. PRL-8-53

5 mgs. memantine

4 mgs. C60 (one teaspoon 0.08% homemade solution)

2 caps LEF Mix

325 mgs. aspirin

75 mgs. aminoguanidine

20 mgs. PQQ

40 mgs. NSI-189

40 mgs. tianeptine sulfate

 

 

 

OK - now I have read around a bit and found that I have stumbled upon some of the mentioned supplements in the past. And now to read this got me really interested. Especially in Coluracetam, PRL, Memantine and NSI. Looking for sellers at the moment.

 

This is a lot to ask, but could you - Burger - write a sentence to all of the stuff about why you personally take it? I now have a general idea, but some of the effects differ from person to person. I always enjoy reading reviews.

 

[Fenix_]

Personally, I have found antidepressant action basically equals motivation, which enables me to focus on whatever task needs doing. Tianeptine works wonders, and I am looking forward to receiving some memantine in a few days, which I hope will potentiate it.

[Busyboy]

Personally, I have found antidepressant action basically equals motivation, which enables me to focus on whatever task needs doing. Tianeptine works wonders, and I am looking forward to receiving some memantine in a few days, which I hope will potentiate it.

Not very interested in anti depressants because I'm not sure its good for you in the long run. That's why I'm interested in Oxiracetam. Its actually beneficial to your brain because it passes the BBB and it being a strong antioxidant, it removes toxins from the brain. Plus its a great nootropic for factors you stated. But obviously on a smaller scale. Thanks for the suggestion though

[Heisenburger]

Personally, I have found antidepressant action basically equals motivation, which enables me to focus on whatever task needs doing. Tianeptine works wonders, and I am looking forward to receiving some memantine in a few days, which I hope will potentiate it.

 

 

Yes, there’s a definite connection. The most prevalent theory at this time as to why people on SSRIs are sometimes prone to suicide is that the drug restores your motivation before it alleviates the depression. In other words, the suicidal ideation was always there, and the SSRI gave them the motivation to carry it out.

[Heisenburger]

 

This is a lot to ask, but could you - Burger - write a sentence to all of the stuff about why you personally take it? I now have a general idea, but some of the effects differ from person to person. I always enjoy reading reviews.

 

 

Sure, I’ll bite:

 

Piracetam—the Granddaddy of all the noots. I’ve been taking it every day for over 20 years. Makes me feel more clearheaded.

 

Methylene blue—stumbled across it on the Internet about two years ago and decided to try it because it’s literally less than a penny a day and it’s fun turning the water blue.

 

Coluracetam—slight but clearly noticeable anxiolytic effect and unquestionably increases ability to multitask.

 

Fasoracetam—sustains focus. I can study about three times as long on it before I get antsy have to get up and stretch my legs.

 

PRL-8-53—seems to vastly increase recall for words and numbers. Last year I was taking a course in TCP/IP that was the course from Hell. The textbook was so badly written that it read like an 800-page white paper or Wiki page. IPv6 was giving me night terrors—I couldn’t fathom it at all. I was convinced I was going to fail the course and have to take it again. But when I took PRL-8-53, I could remember entire sentences in the textbook word-for-word. And the questions on the test would trigger those memories. So even though I didn’t really understand the material that well, I was able to pass the class because of this ability to remember entire sentences.

 

Memantine—just started playing with this one. I think it’s a keeper. Makes me a little spacey, though (like looking for something and realizing that you’re holding it in your hand).

 

C60—read about it here. Does wonders for skin, and doubles the lifespan of mice.

 

LEF Mix—none of this would be worth anything without a solid basic nutritional supplement, and LEF Mix is the best one there is, bar none. No other broad-spectrum supplement can even hold a candle to it, and the company that manufactures and distributes it is an NPO. I’ve been a member of the LEF off and on for almost 30 years.

 

Aspirin—family history of MI and CVA.

 

Aminoguanidine—glycation may be the single biggest factor in the aging process.

 

PQQ—read about it on the Internet and decided to give it a try. Not sure if it really does anything. If I were forced to pick one thing to toss, this would probably be it.

 

NSI-189—read about it here. Astonishing stuff.  Essentially wiped all of my psychological issues right off the map.

 

Tianeptine—seems to potentiate the NSI-189, and I like the buzz.

[Busyboy]

This is a lot to ask, but could you - Burger - write a sentence to all of the stuff about why you personally take it? I now have a general idea, but some of the effects differ from person to person. I always enjoy reading reviews.

Sure, I’ll bite:

Piracetam—the Granddaddy of all the noots. I’ve been taking it every day for over 20 years. Makes me feel more clearheaded.

Methylene blue—stumbled across it on the Internet about two years ago and decided to try it because it’s literally less than a penny a day and it’s fun turning the water blue.

Coluracetam—slight but clearly noticeable anxiolytic effect and unquestionably increases ability to multitask.

Fasoracetam—sustains focus. I can study about three times as long on it before I get antsy have to get up and stretch my legs.

PRL-8-53—seems to vastly increase recall for words and numbers. Last year I was taking a course in TCP/IP that was the course from Hell. The textbook was so badly written that it read like an 800-page white paper or Wiki page. IPv6 was giving me night terrors—I couldn’t fathom it at all. I was convinced I was going to fail the course and have to take it again. But when I took PRL-8-53, I could remember entire sentences in the textbook word-for-word. And the questions on the test would trigger those memories. So even though I didn’t really understand the material that well, I was able to pass the class because of this ability to remember entire sentences.

Memantine—just started playing with this one. I think it’s a keeper. Makes me a little spacey, though (like looking for something and realizing that you’re holding it in your hand).

C60—read about it here. Does wonders for skin, and doubles the lifespan of mice.

LEF Mix—none of this would be worth anything without a solid basic nutritional supplement, and LEF Mix is the best one there is, bar none. No other broad-spectrum supplement can even hold a candle to it, and the company that manufactures and distributes it is an NPO. I’ve been a member of the LEF off and on for almost 30 years.

Aspirin—family history of MI and CVA.

Aminoguanidine—glycation may be the single biggest factor in the aging process.

PQQ—read about it on the Internet and decided to give it a try. Not sure if it really does anything. If I were forced to pick one thing to toss, this would probably be it.

NSI-189—read about it here. Astonishing stuff. Essentially wiped all of my psychological issues right off the map.

Tianeptine—seems to potentiate the NSI-189, and I like the buzz.

Where do you order your noots?

[Heisenburger]

Where do you order your noots?

 

 

New Star, Ceretropic, and Powder City—exclusively. The LEF Mix I get directly from the Foundation, and the NSI-189 I get any way I can. New Star and PC have free shipping; hopefully Ceretropic will pick up the ball some day and go that route too. If you order from New Star, don’t forget to use the ‘REDDIT’ coupon. I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out if TLR is a legitimate outfit or just a couple of Chinese whackadoodles, so for now I’m not ordering from them anymore. PC ships everything in baggies, but if you have spare empty tubs and a label maker handy, they can save you a lot of money. They ship a little slower than NS and Ceretropic though.

 

[Aurel]

Thank you. Is there a reason why you don't take any of the standards, like Curcumin for example?

[Heisenburger]

I eat turmeric every day. With black pepper.

[jroseland]

Piracetam 

[Busyboy]

Perfect. Looks like I'll be ordering Oxiracetam from Powder City to try out. If that doesn't work I'll test Pramiracetam and/or Fasoracetam. Thanks Heis!

[Aurel]

There is a product on PC which is called something like Racetam Starter Pack. It has both Oxi and Prami in it when I remember correctly. Together with some other tammies

[Busyboy]

There is a product on PC which is called something like Racetam Starter Pack. It has both Oxi and Prami in it when I remember correctly. Together with some other tammies

Just looked it up, its called the Nootropic Sampler. Has a little of everything to see what will work for you. Thanks for the heads up! I will probably order that, since its much more convenient than ordering different noots to see which works. Too bad it doesn't come in capsule form though.