41 replies to this topic

[Pike]

Hey all. I'm Pike. I started this log over at BrainMeta, but seeing as that forum is dead, unenthusiastic, and not sexy-like, I decided I'm going to continue it over here, because this forum looks much more lively.

SO, without further ado, here is the log thus far from BrainMeta in a nicely packaged copypasta.
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Hello all! I'm Pike, a newly made nootropic-enthusiast. I stumbled on the world of nootropics when looking for natural treatments for my ADHD (to which I currently take Adderall) and have become enthralled. I've been looking and doing personal study into these "smart drugs" for about a couple months now, and was quite skeptical of all the results until I found all of the studies shown in the "Cognitive Research" section of this forum (after which, I was convinced). Since then, I have decided to begin a schedule of nootropics and, rather than just tell a kindly Soandso or make anecdotal posts, will be logging my first-hand experience into the benefits of them in this thread.

So, my background information (for those who may find it helpful, or whom are roughly the same as me):
Male; age 19; 5'11; 160 pounds, very fit physical condition (engage in roughly 2 hours of aerobic exercise daily); full-time student with prospective double-major in business administration and psychology.

Physical- & Cognitive-health related hobbies:
- I am a dancer and have been dancing for over 4 years now in the style of Popping, which I practice for 2 hours a day (preferably)
- I've recently started a practice in lucid-dreaming, though rather unskilled at it (I began it the same time I discovered nootropics)
- Was once an avid practitioner of NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP) and meditation; hoping to get back into it.

Goals for my nootropic use:
- Increased motivation (really need this)
- Expanded memory (short and long term)
- Expanded creativity
- Increased attention span
- Elevated mood
- Quicker thinking (response time? I suppose "wittiness" would be the word)
- Eventual elimination of amphetamine treatment (for ADHD)

Current supplements and drugs taken:
750mg DL-Phenylalanine
500mg L-Tyrosine
50mg Vitamin B6
250-1500mg Magnesium (depending on Adderall intake)
1000mg Fish Oil (w/300mg of EPA+DHA omega3)
60mg Zinc (occasionally before bed for ZMA combo)
ADDERALL – 25mg XR and 10mg IR

I have ordered the following for myself:
Piracetam – 700g bulk powder from BulkNutrition (the best deal I could find)
Centrophenoxine – 50g bulk powder from CognitiveNutrition
L-Huperzine A – 100mg x60caps from CognitiveNutrition.

To start my regimen, I will begin with an "attack dose" of Piracetam that will be double (100mg/kg) my regular dose (50mg/kg) for exactly 1 week, and complimenting it with a Choline source of Centrophenoxine at 200mg per 900mg of Piracetam (making 800mg a day, 1.6g on attack dose).

My nootropic schedule will be as such:
ATTACK DOSE:
Piracetam: 7.2g for 7 days straight (split among 4 administrations)
Centrophenoxine: 1.6 for 7 days (ditto)
>>Afterwards, my regimen shouldbe:
Piracetam: 3.6g daily split among 4 admins
Centrophenoxine: 800mg split 4x

I will be including a new nootropic into my schedule once every 2-3 weeks, in this order [order of introduction open to suggestion/change]:
Sulbutiamine – 400mg split 2x (bulk powder from Nutraplanet)
Idebenone – [RECCOMENDED DOSE?] (bulk powder from 1fast400)
Vinpocetine – 20mg split 4x (10mg Cognitive Nutrition capsules split in half) [any bulk vendors of this?]
Aniracetam – 750mg 1x
Pyritinol – [RECCOMENDED DOSE?] (bulk powder from CognitiveNutrition)

SCHEDULE NOTES
>>L-Huperzine A >> not sure if this should be part of a regular schedule, if so I'm including it as a "once-in-a-while" consumption.
>>I'm thoroughly interested in testing out the following: Prami- & Nefi- racetams, Galantamine, Vasopressin and Oxopocetine, but I either cannot find a vendor for such, or an affordable vendor. If anyone comes across one, please let me know.
>> If anyone knows whether any of these nootropics will interfere with my ADDERALL or ADDERALL XR, please let me know ASAP.


So theoretically, it should take me from about 3 to 5 months to have my full regimen down, however, if anyone has suggestions about order/administration/dosages/substitutes/spacing/whatever, PLEASE voice your opinion or drop some knowledge so I can adjust the schedule accordingly. Also, if there are any questions, feel free to ask.


To make my first log more interesting, I will be logging it in times of the day when the observation is worth noting.
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Day 1 - December 25th, 2008 (Christmas Day)

7:00am - I wake up, totaling last night's sleep at a little more than 2 hours. I am exhausted. I consider taking one of my Adderall XRs for the sheer sake of the wakefulness it would give me, however, I'm on a "medication holiday" of sorts at the moment, and don't wish to take them until Jan 12th (beginning of winter semester).

-I mix my first of 4 attack doses (1.8g pi + .4g cent) in a blender with 1 cup of milk, and am immediately convinced I will need to find a better flavor-masking agent than milk.

8:00am - I get out of the shower (still exhausted) and get dressed for breakfast with some extended family members. I don't notice any sort of physical change in my body yet; however, I notice I am experiencing a strange, peaceful kind of "mental clarity." I seem to be more observant, and notice things a little more quickly when observing/listening to something. However, these sensations could just be a placebo effect.

8:30am - At the moment, I am experiencing quite a sensational paradox. Physically, I am drained and don't have much energy to move around (no sleep and empty stomach), however, mentally, I seem to be quite sharp and "aware." I no longer doubt whether the mental clarity experienced beforehand was a placebo effect, as the same sensation has magnified quite a bit since previously recorded.

9:00am-2:00pm - I put my next dose in a miniature plastic bag and take it with me to my Aunt&Uncle's house, where I mix it (while nobody is watching) with a cup of Colombian-supremo at around 11:30ish. Note to self: coffee is a fantastic drink to mask the horrible taste of Centrophenoxine. During this time span, I seem to transform from an introverted kid (normally) into a social butterfly around my family. Witty remarks seem to roll off my tongue and I even manage to make my ex-marine-corps Uncle let out a few chuckles. We leave at roughly 2pm for home. The trend in magnifying mental clarity continues.

3:30pm – Magnification of mental clarity seems to have reached a plateau.

5:00pm - Third is taken with a cup of decaf-coffee. I plan to use coffee quite often for my mixtures from now on.

11:00pm – Last dose for today is taken mixed with some carrot juice. Mental clarity has managed to stay present throughout the day.

SUMMARY/CONCLUSIONS
- The Piracetam + Centrophenoxine stack seems to be quite effective, and I vividly experienced the boost in creativity through a sudden blessed fluidity of witty words.
- Centrophenoxine tastes terrible.
- Coffee makes for a fantastic flavor-mask
- Experiencing a pleasant mental clarity that I have not yet read of in any anecdotal reports
- The nootropics seem to have a slight ability to "pep" me up when tired.
- Unsure, but excited about the future benefits of these nootropics. That said, I will have to keep in mind this excitement, and make sure any future sensations are not simply an excitement induced placebo effect.
- This system of recording observations based on time seems rather fun, so I will continue posting like this for a while. But I don't imagine I will be making daily posts into this log.
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Day 2 - December 26th, 2008

Nothing new worth noting today; the same mental effects as yesterday were experienced. However, today I purchased some bulk Idebenone and some bulk Sulbutiamine from 1Fast400 and NutraPlanet, respectively. I thought I'd make mention of the purchase because BOTH are on sale right now, and NutraPlanet's sale of Sulbutiamine is on a clearance sale for something like $13, so I took the opportunity to nab it while it was still carried, and let you all know of it as well.

Edited by Pike, 03 January 2009 - 05:37 AM.

[Pike]

Day 3 - December 27th, 2008

I know I've made 3 posts in 3 days, and that wasn't quite intentional, however, I'd like to mention something interesting that occurred today:

I took my 4x daily attack doses today, as usual. I felt the same exact benefits as my day 1 results, however, today, I also took my perscribed adderall xr (25mg). Strangely, I did not feel the adderall working at all today. I don't quite understand the connection as to why, but I suspect it may have something to do with the Fish-oil supplements i took today, as they are commonly called fatty "acids," and i'm not sure whether or not these fatty acids may have neutralized my medication today (adderall, being a basic substance).

Otherwise, I have been unable to find a proper dosage for Idenobene and Pyritinol, and for that matter, a proper dosage for Centrophenoxine to go with my Piracetam. I'm only estimating the amount I'm taking is appropriate, however, I could really use the advice of some more experienced nootropic users.
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Today marks the 1 week point in which I will be administering the last of my "attack dose" at twice the normal dosage (7.2g a day Piracetam + 1.6g of Centrophenoxine), and I have decided to make an in-depth log for today as I did the first day of my Nootropic regimen. After today, I will be changing the dose to half of that: 3.6g of Piracetam + .8g of Centrophenoxine. With that said:


Day 7 – December 31, 2008 (yesterday: New Years Eve)

8:30am – I woke up today more exhausted than usual. However, I have been noticing that each day I have been waking up since I started my Nootropic regimen; I am typically very tired until I have gotten as much sleep as my body seems to naturally need. I drink a small glass of water, and return to sleep.

12:15pm – I wake up for the second time today, however, upon waking up this time, I seem to have an inexhaustible supply of energy. This trend in waking up with an increased amount of energy has been increasing ever since I have started my routine, however, I'm not exactly sure if this symptom can be directly attributed to my Nootropic intake. Since I have begun my Nootropic schedule, I have also completely halted my administration of my prescribed Adderall for my ADHD. I am unaware if the withdrawal for Adderall includes symptoms of exhaustion, but seeing as there have been days in which I don't take it, and don't find myself exhausted, I would like to imagine that this increased energy could be attributed to the Nootropics.

12:30pm – I drink the first dose of Piracetam + Centrophenoxine in a double dose (3.6g + .8g, respectively) blended with 1 cup of coffee and one large scoop of mocha-cappuccino powder (bought from Costco). I've found this to be, thus far, the best flavor masking agent available to me short of a very strong fruit juice.

2:47pm – Next dose of morning regimen is taken (1.8g Pi + .4g Cent). The aforementioned symptoms of an "inexhaustible" supply of energy have gone away; however, I do notice that it takes me drastically longer to become fatigued.

4:45pm – The Sulbutiamine which I ordered from NutraPlanet has arrived in the mail earlier than expected. How pleasant.

5:17pm – I take the last of today's regimen (1.8 Pi + .4 Cent), and due to curiosity overwhelming me, I add 400mg of Sulbutiamine to the drink as well. The powder alone tastes dreadful, but is rather unnoticeable in the drink. Lovely.

6:14pm – I notice the effects of the mini-stack instantly. The "inexhaustible energy" I once had earlier today is back in action, but much moreso in the vigor I experience sometimes when I take my prescribed Adderall. In addition to this, I definitely seem to be experiencing a slightly "elevated mood" that is a bit more cheery/witty than I usually do with the Piracetam + Centro combo. Undoubtedly, I can attribute these effects to the Sulbutiamine. Unfortunately, this one experience was from curiosity, but I can at least conclude that the effects of Sulbutamine will be noticed instantly. I find this quite comforting.

SUMMARY/NOTES/CONCLUSIONS – for first week of Nootropic regimen:
-Following today, I will be reducing my Piracetam and Centrophenoxine intake to half of that which I currently take (at 100mg/kg to 50mg/kg) which will make my regimen for the next week (until I introduce my next Nootropic):
Piracetam – 3.6g daily (split between 3 or 4 administrations)
Centrophenoxine – 800mg (ditto)
- A good knowledge of how to mask flavors helps wonders when working with bulk powders
- I believe that I will be able to definitely find a proper non-amphetamine treatment for my ADHD through nootropics, and to some extent, have already experienced the same benefits from the first week as I normally experience on my Adderall.
- It is a good idea to peruse the pages of the online Nootropic vendors when time allows; doing so gave me the opportunity to buy bulk Sulbutiamine for quite cheap.
- The effects of Sulbutamine are definitely noticeable from the first use.
- Based off of anecdotal reports, I am unsure about whether or not I want to begin Idebenone administration in front of Sulbutamine. However, based off of today's firsthand experience, I may stick to the planned schedule.
- I look forward to seeing the results of these nootropics once the winter intersession begins at my school.

Edited by Pike, 03 January 2009 - 05:40 AM.

[Pike]

Day 10 - January 03, 2009

I've reduced my intake of Piracetam to 1/2 of my attack dose, and am now noticing that the effects seem much more... prevalent than they were whilst on the attack mini-stack. Thus far, I've gone a week without taking my prescribed Adderall, and have found the benefits of Nootropics to be quite amazing. Perhaps with continued administration, I will see further benefits.

One question still remains: I've been using Centrophenoxine as a Choline source with a 1:4 ratio to piracetam. Does this seem like a good dosage? Veteran nootropic users, your help would be appreciated.

[Ben]

Day 10 - January 03, 2009

I've reduced my intake of Piracetam to 1/2 of my attack dose, and am now noticing that the effects seem much more... prevalent than they were whilst on the attack mini-stack. Thus far, I've gone a week without taking my prescribed Adderall, and have found the benefits of Nootropics to be quite amazing. Perhaps with continued administration, I will see further benefits.

One question still remains: I've been using Centrophenoxine as a Choline source with a 1:4 ratio to piracetam. Does this seem like a good dosage? Veteran nootropic users, your help would be appreciated.

It's always taken a while for me to notice anything when taking piracetam. Stick with it though, from experience the effects build up. I like your choline ratio, though I don't really think that choline is as important as people make it out to be. Just focuss on finding the right dosage of piracetam that suits you.

[graatch]

There's a trend of trying high-dose zinc but IIRC, 60mg daily of supplemental zinc is too high according to some in-vivo human research, as is 50mg ... some definite negative (a reversal of the effect at lower doses) effects on certain markers, I think involving immunity ... whereas 30mg was positive in numerous respects ... I mentioned to someone on another forum too, hopefully I'll dig up the paper in the next few days so I can link it.

Edited by graatch, 04 January 2009 - 01:20 PM.

[bgwithadd]

I second the zinc reduction.

More importantly, toss the phenylalanine. It's an excitotoxin and it will help in the short term but can cause serious effects in the long term. It's basically like taking aspartame as a supplement.

I think the normal idebenone dose is something like 25-50mg 3x a day.

[NDM]

More importantly, toss the phenylalanine. It's an excitotoxin and it will help in the short term but can cause serious effects in the long term. It's basically like taking aspartame as a supplement.

can you elaborate on the serious long-term effects of L-phenylalanine? Since it is a precursor of L-Tyrosine, do those effects apply to l-tyrosine as well?

It seems that quite a few nootropics are neurotoxic (e.g. pyroglutamic acid)...Basically getting mental stimulation may mean getting the brain system out of equilibrium (i.e. upwards from its genetic set point), and what we label neurotoxicity may be the set of attempts by the brain to get back to its atractor - the genetic set point. By this logic, to have a healthy brain might mean - contrary to popular wisdom - to avoid overstimulating it too much (i.e. more than its natural range).

Aren't most nootropics buying short-term mental performance at the expense of long-term negative effects?

[bgwithadd]

More importantly, toss the phenylalanine. It's an excitotoxin and it will help in the short term but can cause serious effects in the long term. It's basically like taking aspartame as a supplement.

can you elaborate on the serious long-term effects of L-phenylalanine? Since it is a precursor of L-Tyrosine, do those effects apply to l-tyrosine as well?

It seems that quite a few nootropics are neurotoxic (e.g. pyroglutamic acid)...Basically getting mental stimulation may mean getting the brain system out of equilibrium (i.e. upwards from its genetic set point), and what we label neurotoxicity may be the set of attempts by the brain to get back to its atractor - the genetic set point. By this logic, to have a healthy brain might mean - contrary to popular wisdom - to avoid overstimulating it too much (i.e. more than its natural range).

Aren't most nootropics buying short-term mental performance at the expense of long-term negative effects?

Phenylalanine is what aspartame breaks down into. It's normal to have in the body but it's usually blocked by the blood brain barrier, which is good because it kills neurons, but when you supplement it or drink lots of nutrasweet it will sweep right through and tear your brain apart. If you feel any mental effect from it, it's from your brain cells cooking off from too much excitement. Tyrosine is fine in sane doses, and so are most (all?) other amino acids. Phenylalanine is also lower down the chain on the way to dopamine and ne so it's really pointless to supplement with it as a precursor.

[rwac]

Phenylalanine is what aspartame breaks down into. It's normal to have in the body but it's usually blocked by the blood brain barrier, which is good because it kills neurons, but when you supplement it or drink lots of nutrasweet it will sweep right through and tear your brain apart. If you feel any mental effect from it, it's from your brain cells cooking off from too much excitement. Tyrosine is fine in sane doses, and so are most (all?) other amino acids. Phenylalanine is also lower down the chain on the way to dopamine and ne so it's really pointless to supplement with it as a precursor.

Some references to Phenylalanine toxicity would be great.

Thanks!

[bgwithadd]

just look on wikipedia or google if you don't believe me.

[rwac]

just look on wikipedia or google if you don't believe me.

I don't disbelieve you. There is a lot of stuff about aspartame(specifically phenylalanine) being exitotoxic.
Can you find actual research to back this up, though ?

[bgwithadd]

Actually, I'm sorry but reading back again I was incorrect. I got mixed up in my reading and it's really the aspartic acid that's the main problem. Phenylalanine should be harmless to (most) people, though some are unable to process it correctly.
I do think it's better to get a higher level precursor if that's why you are taking it, but it also has some other potential effects on people aside from creating neurotransmitters.

[suspire]

Out of curiosity, who is your Sulbutamine supplier?

I'd dropped all noots about 8 months ago, because of lack of results. However, I had a bottle of Sulbutamine sitting around from Relentless Improvement and after reading your log, I decided to give it a shot (the bottle doesn't expire until 2010). I started with 600 mg and then upped it to 1,000 mg today. No results. So I wonder if it is a supplier issue, or just simply that like all other noots, it has no (or at least no noticeable) effect on me.

[Ghostrider]

Out of curiosity, who is your Sulbutamine supplier?

I'd dropped all noots about 8 months ago, because of lack of results. However, I had a bottle of Sulbutamine sitting around from Relentless Improvement and after reading your log, I decided to give it a shot (the bottle doesn't expire until 2010). I started with 600 mg and then upped it to 1,000 mg today. No results. So I wonder if it is a supplier issue, or just simply that like all other noots, it has no (or at least no noticeable) effect on me.

Same here. I took Sulbutamine from Unique Nutrition and like all other nootropics I have tried, noticed nothing at all. Maybe I got something from ALA + ALCAR and I did notice something from phenylpiracetam, but useful nootropics are few and far between.

[rwac]

Out of curiosity, who is your Sulbutamine supplier?

I'd dropped all noots about 8 months ago, because of lack of results. However, I had a bottle of Sulbutamine sitting around from Relentless Improvement and after reading your log, I decided to give it a shot (the bottle doesn't expire until 2010). I started with 600 mg and then upped it to 1,000 mg today. No results. So I wonder if it is a supplier issue, or just simply that like all other noots, it has no (or at least no noticeable) effect on me.

Same here. I took Sulbutamine from Unique Nutrition and like all other nootropics I have tried, noticed nothing at all. Maybe I got something from ALA + ALCAR and I did notice something from phenylpiracetam, but useful nootropics are few and far between.

Guys, do you guys know if you have a B1 deficiency ?

Lufega had this theory that a Transketolse (i.e. B1) deficiency in the brain would cause sulbutiamine to not work.
He added some Fursultiamine to his regimen, and sure enough Sulbutiamine started working.

I just ordered some Fursultiamine, lets see how it works.

[dupez]

just add Super B Complex to the stack, thats what i did

[suspire]

Out of curiosity, who is your Sulbutamine supplier?

I'd dropped all noots about 8 months ago, because of lack of results. However, I had a bottle of Sulbutamine sitting around from Relentless Improvement and after reading your log, I decided to give it a shot (the bottle doesn't expire until 2010). I started with 600 mg and then upped it to 1,000 mg today. No results. So I wonder if it is a supplier issue, or just simply that like all other noots, it has no (or at least no noticeable) effect on me.

Same here. I took Sulbutamine from Unique Nutrition and like all other nootropics I have tried, noticed nothing at all. Maybe I got something from ALA + ALCAR and I did notice something from phenylpiracetam, but useful nootropics are few and far between.

Guys, do you guys know if you have a B1 deficiency ?

Lufega had this theory that a Transketolse (i.e. B1) deficiency in the brain would cause sulbutiamine to not work.
He added some Fursultiamine to his regimen, and sure enough Sulbutiamine started working.

I just ordered some Fursultiamine, lets see how it works.

Pretty sure I am covered here. I eat B1 rich foods daily, like kale and eggs, and take Ortho-Core, and often add a B-Complex. If I am still short on B1, I'd be damn surprised. But no go on sulbutamine.

[Pike]

Hey everyone, Pike here,

Just letting everyone know I'm still here, alive&well; just been super busy. I know I haven't updated this in a while, however, that doesn't mean I haven't been keeping my log. I have a few BIG and very important updates (all nice and sexy in a time-recorded order, again) that I will be posting as soon as I type them up... which will be after I come home from work today. Hopefully, some of the obvervations and practices I've made might even be of great benefit to you all!

It's 10am right now. I should be home from work around 6pm. Expect an omgwtfbbq giant update (which will include answering all questions addressed to me) around 7 or 8ish tonight!

Regards,
-Pike

P.S. As always, I genuinely appreciate the questions, feedback, and helpful suggestions for my log all of you guys have posted. I really do mean that. For a while, when this log was started on BrainMeta, I didn't think anybody cared about these kinds of things. <3 The folks at ImmInst.

[Pike]

Apparently, there is no "edit" button for my old posts. Just wanted to let everyone know that I won't be making my update tonight, though I promise the big one will come tomorow. A lot of helpful information I've discovered will be available to all!

In light of the delayed post, though, if anyone wants me to address any questions or has any suggestions whatsoever, please post! I'll answer everything about my experiences tomorow evening!

-Pike.

[goldenjoker]

Any news on the updated post?

[Imagination]

"250-1500mg Magnesium (depending on Adderall intake)"

Why does the magnesium depend on the adderall intake?

[Pike]

Sorry for the super delay everyone! I've started up my winter-school at college and it's been super hectic! Rest assured, the update shall come soon! (and I'll be answering all the questions posted, too)

[Force of Green]

I'm only a browser and I created this account because the statement of L-Phenylalanine being excitotoxic is the dumbest statement I have seen on any forum I've ever ran across on the internet. Aspartame breakdowns down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid (excitotoxic), and some methanol. L-Phenylalanine is one of the most important, vital amino acids. It is one of the essential amino acids. Even the DL-Phenylalanine is not in anyway toxic or 'excitotoxic'.

Edited by Force of Green, 16 January 2009 - 01:02 AM.

[bgwithadd]

I'm only a browser and I created this account because the statement of L-Phenylalanine being excitotoxic is the dumbest statement I have seen on any forum I've ever ran across on the internet. Aspartame breakdowns down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid (excitotoxic), and some methanol. L-Phenylalanine is one of the most important, vital amino acids. It is one of the essential amino acids. Even the DL-Phenylalanine is not in anyway toxic or 'excitotoxic'.

Everyone makes an embarassing mistake sometimes, but if you registered just to say that then you're the idiot. I've already retracted my statement, and it was just a case of mixing up and misreading a few different articles and also mixing up PEA with phenylalanine.

[Force of Green]

I'm only a browser and I created this account because the statement of L-Phenylalanine being excitotoxic is the dumbest statement I have seen on any forum I've ever ran across on the internet. Aspartame breakdowns down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid (excitotoxic), and some methanol. L-Phenylalanine is one of the most important, vital amino acids. It is one of the essential amino acids. Even the DL-Phenylalanine is not in anyway toxic or 'excitotoxic'.

Everyone makes an embarassing mistake sometimes, but if you registered just to say that then you're the idiot. I've already retracted my statement, and it was just a case of mixing up and misreading a few different articles and also mixing up PEA with phenylalanine.

My apologies for being a doushbag in my first post My bad. And yes, PEA is the devil!

[Pike]

Hey everyone! Just posting (and will edit this same post if the time limit doesn't go up) to let you guys know I'm writing my EPIC update for you all right now.

[Pike]

Hey everyone! Pike here! I'd like to apologize for not responsibly updating this for the past 13 days. However, I'd also like to thank everyone for their patience in waiting for my next log-update (of which, today's will be epic). Even though I haven't been posting, I have been keeping my log (in handwriting, at least) so these are the big updates I'd like everyone to know. Also, for those who lack patience, there is a summary/cliffs at the end of each update.

So, without further ado, here's the first couple of several days worth of logs (don't worry, the other one's to lead up today will be just in separate posts)!

Day 13, January 6^th, 2009

Not too much worth noting today, other than the Idebenone that I ordered from BulkNutrition finally arrived in the mail. I am a bit dissatisfied with how long this took to arrive. However, seeing as the Piracetam that I ordered from them seems to be effective, and that I ordered during the Christmas season, I will forgive them this infraction. Whatever, I'm just glad that the Nootropic I was really looking forward to trying has finally come in the mail. Tomorrow, I think I will make a "super-stack" to commemorate the introduction of my new noot, and will probably take a nice stack of everything that I have available.

In addition to all of this, I refilled my prescription for Adderall today, and it was changed to this:
20mg Adderall XR + 10mg Adderall IR + a fractional dose of Adderall IR in the mid-evening by breaking one of my 10mg IR tablets in either ½ (5mg) or ¼ (2.5mg). I look forward to this.

Oh, and before I go to bed tonight, I'd like to mention that the "therapeutic dose" for Idebenone seems to be 5mg/kg, making my intake 370mg for a therapeutic dose. But seeing as I'm perfectly healthy, and I'm combining this with a lot of synergistic noots, I'll just keep it at 300mg a day, maybe even 250 if I can measure that small of an amount out.

[/size]

Day 14, January 7^th, 2009

BIG day, folks. I have some important changes I want to announce about my regimen, and will be starting them today. Today marks my 2 week point into my cognitive enhancement journey and I will be celebrating today with a nice big synergy-stack of everything I have! Let it be known, however, that I've done this before, and am able to pick out which symptoms and sensations I am getting from each supplement.

6:00a.m. – I wake up nice and early today and take my morning dose of Adderall XR combined with a Fish Oil/Omega 3 capsule and one B-vitamin complex, then get hop into the shower.

7:00a.m. – The effects of my morning intake are in full effect, and I've completely showered; ready for my day. After dressing, I blend the following in a nice morning cocktail:
2700mg Piracetam
500mg Centrophenoxine
200mg Sulbutiamine
100mg Idebenone
340mg Magnesium Oxide
675mg DL-Phenlalanine
100mg Vitamin B-6
This should be interesting. I wonder how the introduction of Idebenone will affect me. As a side note, I'm glad to say that Idebenone tastes like nothing. Thank god. A bulk powdered noot with no horrid taste to accompany it.

8:38a.m. – Oh my. This is quite spectacular. The fluidity at which I think has dramatically increased. I can visibly see that my handwriting speed has doubled, and my reading speed is about tripled what it used to be. My mind seems to be thinking at a rate that is so amazingly fast that I find myself amused at the comprehension times I'm grasping information. To test all of this, I simply opened up the accounting textbook I had last semester and started delving into the chapters we didn't cover. I never had to read anything more than once. Amazing.

10:17a.m. - By now, the full effect of all the nootropics I've taken today seem to be decidedly in full swing. The mental clarity I get with Piracetam is about twice that which it usually is (which I will attribute to the effect of Idebenone), and my speed of thought is phenomenal, I'm in a great mood, and my physical energy is quite through-the-roof as is my stamina. I can decidedly say, at only 2 weeks into my project, that the effects of Nootropics in fully healthy humans at responsible doses will do exactly as they promise.

10:42a.m. – I have just realized that, though I have seen the majority of the purported effects for these Nootropics, I have yet to actually test the one I was looking forward to the most: the enhancement of creativity. Therefore, for the next 4 hours (which will also test the purported stamina-enhancing effects), I will put my creativity to the test and indulge in an extended practice of my dance (popping). After I am done, I will log the results.

Noon – I take a temporary break from practice in order to make another Noot smoothie. This one containing:
1800mg Piracetam
500mg Centrophenoxine
200mg Sulbutiamine
100mg Idebenone
675mg DL-Phenylalanine
340mg Magnesium Oxide
I use this smoothie to wash down another Fish Oil/Omega3 capsule. After this, I return to practice.

4:30p.m. – Holy… crap. I intended to push my body's limits and practice for 4 hours, expecting some difficulty. However, upon looking at the time which I began practice, it seems that I've inadvertently practiced for about 6 hours. Let it be known that this was easily… easily… one of the greatest sessions I'd ever had.

In terms of my PHYSICAL enhancements: I was creating my own moves almost ad-lib without ever having priorly executed them. I was NEVER out of energy. I had a frightful amount of stamina. The precision at which I moved was unparalleled, even when compared to some of my best moments (which says a lot after almost 5 years of dancing).

In terms of MENTAL enhancements of my practice: I think this is by far the most amusing, and amazing benefit I have seen yet. It would appear that with this stack, the level at which I enjoy my normal music is magnified. It's just that simple. Music sounds better. Not only do I enjoy my music more, I am able to divide rhythms in my head as I hear them, and I seem to be able to pick up on the slight subtleties of songs that I never really noticed before. This stack really is amazing. I can only wonder what awaits my full regimen.

One side effect I do notice however, is that, though my energy and stamina is quite amazing, when I stop dancing to catch my breath, I notice that I am breathing excessively hard; a little more than usual. I attribute this side effect to either one of two things:
1) The lasting effects of the Adderall still in my system, which, by the way, I should be taking my next 10mg now.
Or 2) I was breathing heavily simply due to the intense workout I was giving my body.
Whatever the cause may be, my breathing rate was a bit alarming. However, after I caught my breath, everything was fine. This leads me to believe it could be because of explanation #2, and I should probably just take it a little easier on my body until I can build my natural stamina up to par.

7:36p.m. – I have returned from the errands I had to run. Whilst outside, I ran across a vitamin shop and just felt some amusement as I thought to myself "There's no way in hell that this shop has anything as awesome as that which I am taking." So, of course, I walked in to confirm this. However, upon strolling the isles with a blissful little I-know-something-you-don't-know kind of smile, I run across a bottle of Vinpocetine. It's about $15 for 100 pills of 5mg each. A total rip, yes. So, knowing me, I bought it on the spot. I should work on impulsivity.

8:15p.m. – Out of intellectual curiosity, I have decided to break today's rule and include a dose of 15mg (3 caps) Vinpocetine in addition to all of the other noots in today's stack. My last noot-smoothie of the day consisted of:
900mg Piracetam
250mg Centrophenoxine
100mg Idebenone
340mg Magnesium Oxide
50mg Vitamin B-6
15mg Zing (I broke a tablet into 4ths after looking at the suggestions on the forum)
15mg Vinpocetine
675mg DL-Phenylalanine
Fish Oil/Omega 3 capsule
1 Multivitamin

10:30p.m. – All of the enhancements that I was getting beforehand seem to be improved even moreso. I don't have quite as much stamina as I did beforehand, but that was probably because I didn't feel like taking Sulbutiamine with the last of today's administrations. My logic in this is: that the Vinpocetine is probably increasing my cerebral blood flow, and thus, the bioavailable noots in my system are flowing through my brain at a more rapid rate. But, that is purely theoretical, and I am in no way a biologist/doctor. I think I'll stop logging for today.

SUMMARY/OBSERVATIONS/CONCLUSIONS – for second week of Nootropic regimen:
-My body seems to be very good at reacting to Nootropics, even from first administrations.
-With the aforementioned observation, I may consider introducing new nootropics without the 2 week prerequisite that I imposed on myself.
-I am absolutely positive that in order to fully enjoy the benefits of nootropics, an "attack dose" of MOST (excluding the ones in which a slight tolerance must be built up) is in order, so that way a person can experience the effects of each noot, but at a higher potency, as to make sure that the noot-in-question even affects them.
-To answer a question that was posed on the forums: I got my bottle of Sulbutiamine from NutraPlanet. I'm not sure as to whether or not they are a quality supplier, however, I will say that they seem awfully devoted to selling body-building related supplements, and I think that they might go out of their way to ensure this bulk product is of a proper quality. And remember (to that person who asked) the "therapeutic dose" for Sulbutiamine is 12.5mg per kg! So, if you're a heavy-set kinda person, 1000mg might just not be enough! I just keep my intake of it low, because I see benefit at low doses.
-Idebenone is a great nootropic that can be applied to many stacks. It's also great because it's TASTELESS. Thank god.
-1Fast400 majorly lagged my shipping, but I forgave them due to the order being placed during holiday season.
-The stack I have currently going is damned awesome.
-Out of breath after extreme body exertion. Perhaps a side effect, but most likely not.
-Vinpocetine: it works
[size=3]-I need to really work on determination/conviction/impulsivity. Any noot suggestions for that?

Holy crap, that took a long time to write. I'll write the other updates tonite/tomorow morning.

Edited by Pike, 16 January 2009 - 10:49 PM.

[rwac]

You should probably use a better form of magnesium.
Magnesium Oxide isn't very absorbable, you might get GI issues.

[bgwithadd]

It's true about magnesium. I use ionic magnesium, but I want to try magnesium taurate. They have it in bulk at vitaspace so when mine runs out that's what I'm going to give vitaspace a try.

Your vinpocetine price is pretty typical, actually. I haven't found any cheap source of it.

Idebenone you probably will see no obvious effect, but it presumably does its neuron growing magic over time.

[Pike]

It's true about magnesium. I use ionic magnesium, but I want to try magnesium taurate. They have it in bulk at vitaspace so when mine runs out that's what I'm going to give vitaspace a try.

Your vinpocetine price is pretty typical, actually. I haven't found any cheap source of it.

Idebenone you probably will see no obvious effect, but it presumably does its neuron growing magic over time.

http://www.cognitive...g-120-tabs.html That's the cheapest source I found. Compared to the bottle that I bought [$15 for 100 capsules @5mg ea], I would have gotten more than twice the quantity and twice the strength for a little more than half the price.

Also, my magnesium oxide was dirt cheap. It came in a 1 kilo jar. So, it may not be the most effective magnesium source, however, there's just so much of it =D.

As for the Idebenone, I definately can feel the mental clarity it brings me. But in the long run, I don't ever think I will be able to physically feel the increasing neurogenesis. Who knows, maybe it was just placebo effect due to excitement.