5 replies to this topic

[i09]

I recently posted problems I've been having lately with piracetam. While I feel it worked great for the first several months, lately I feel it has no effects other than headaches.

I'm looking to replace piracetam with something else. When I had ADD testing done, my memory was average but my processing speed was very slow. Again piracetam helped a lot at first, but now I'm back to where I used to be. Slow processing is negatively effecting almost every aspect of my life from understanding concepts discussed in class lectures to keeping up with conversations with friends to simple things like processing (not remembering) directions to get someplace. There are dozens of nootropics discussed here that have been said to help with memory, but I haven't found any that claim faster thinking or processing. Here is what I've found while looking at this site:

Pramiracetam sounded the most impressive for memory when reading this person's experience.
Oxiracetam sounds just like Piracetam, just in smaller doses according to this recent discussion.
Aniracetam sounded like it had potential according to golden1's post here.

I have read many other links that I didn't post here, but the racetams above are the only ones I've researched. Are there any other ones that exist that could help with focusing or mental processing? (no amphetamine's please.)

[Dorho]

Are you taking choline along with the piracetam? I've read that piracetam causes headaches if one does not take enough choline to compensate for the acetylcholine depletion. Piracetam should speed up recall speed and enhance creativity but I guess the response to it depends a lot on one's individual brain chemistry.

When it comes to information processing speed enhancement, Modafinil is probably one of the best, if not the best drug out there, both in terms of efficacy and safety. It's somewhat similar to amphetamines but doesn't cause you to crash. Acquiring it through a legal route (prescription) might be hard, but then again, when has that ever stopped a motivated searcher. It is sold at least in QHI under the brand name Alertec. Pretty expensive stuff.

[protoject]

Are you taking choline along with the piracetam? I've read that piracetam causes headaches if one does not take enough choline to compensate for the acetylcholine depletion. Piracetam should speed up recall speed and enhance creativity but I guess the response to it depends a lot on one's individual brain chemistry.

When it comes to information processing speed enhancement, Modafinil is probably one of the best, if not the best drug out there, both in terms of efficacy and safety. It's somewhat similar to amphetamines but doesn't cause you to crash. Acquiring it through a legal route (prescription) might be hard, but then again, when has that ever stopped a motivated searcher. It is sold at least in QHI under the brand name Alertec. Pretty expensive stuff.

I notice no benefit whatsoever from Modafinil. Though I've never tried it long term to see if there'd be a cumulative effect. though I doubt there would be. For me anyway. Sigh.

[Zoroaster]

If you want faster thinking/processing, then I have your answer. Pyritinol. http://content.karge....1159/000119478. It has a drastic effect on processing speed for me. Such that I read texts and finish exams in about 2/3rds normal time with it vs without it. I may be an outlier though. The other great one for processing speed is simple caffeine. You can't use it every day or you'll lose the effects (obviously). But I use pretty solid amounts of caffeine on days when I really need to get things done and it works wonders.

[acantelopepope]

If you want faster thinking/processing, then I have your answer. Pyritinol. http://content.karge....1159/000119478. It has a drastic effect on processing speed for me. Such that I read texts and finish exams in about 2/3rds normal time with it vs without it. I may be an outlier though. The other great one for processing speed is simple caffeine. You can't use it every day or you'll lose the effects (obviously). But I use pretty solid amounts of caffeine on days when I really need to get things done and it works wonders.

Pyritinol does nothing for me.

[Zoroaster]

Pyritinol does nothing for me.

That's certainly possible. But do note that in the study I linked there was no significant difference between the pyritinol group and placebo in terms of subjective drug effects. Meaning that pyritinol is unusual in that it does not feel like anything. It doesn't make you feel speedy or stimulated in the slightest. So you would likely feel very normal, even if it was working.

This squares with my experience as well. The only evidence I had of its effects was when I finished an exam or lab and found myself done 30 minutes before anybody else. This is representative of its effects on choice reaction time as mentioned in the study. I also took online reaction time tests before and after supplementing with pyritinol on several occasions and found a significant difference. Without those scenarios in which to test it, I never would have known I was taking anything.

Once again, I could be an outlier in the significance of my effect, and you could be an outlier in your utter lack of effect. But pyritinol is one of the few substances we discuss on these boards that has well-controlled, statistically significant studies on its side. So I think its worth a shot.