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Began with Alpha Brain

alphabrain beginner

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#1 SansCrainte

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Posted 06 May 2013 - 02:42 PM


Sorry guys if this is a repeat question but I've spent sometime reading through the forum... You guys have put out so much information that it has made me even more unsure of my next step ha.

I started my dabble into the world of Nootropics with Onnit's Alpha Brain. I liked the result. I have noticed a little more clarity when taking it. More focus was achieved on the golf course and when studying.

Currently I take:

Morning:
Alpha Brain
half pill multivitamin

Lunch:
1500mg - Acai

Dinner/Evening:
647mg - EPA
253mg - DHA
120mg - Ginko Biloba
half pill multivitamin

I'm looking into doing my own stack but like I said I'm unsure. I'd like to replace the Alpha Brain. Looking focus, clarity and memory.

Sorry the inquiry is so vague.

#2 JohnnyP

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Posted 06 May 2013 - 10:23 PM

You could pretty much get all the ingredients with the exception of AC-11 in bulk and read up on various dosages to see what others have had success with. It would be more wallet friendly if nothing else.

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#3 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 07 May 2013 - 04:50 AM

Alpha Brain is truly a product that I have respect for simply for the fact that it has garnered a lot of attention in respects to nootropics. Replacing Alpha Brain in your stack wouldn't necessarily be a good/bad idea, to me it has always seemed to be a proprietary blend primarily focused on Alpha-GPC.

For a good beginner stack I would recommend supplementing a racetam, considering what you are aiming for I would say Pramiracetam might be a good choice but since it would likely be the first racetam you're trying it may make you feel somewhat drowsy or sluggish. Piracetam is a great starter nootropic and once it begins showing its effects it would certainly fit the criteria that you are aiming for. You may need to take some form of choline if you go this route considering most of the racetams will stimulate ACh receptors and uptake, however if you kept the Alpha Brain in your stack you likely wouldn't need to worry about this at all considering it has Alpha GPC in it which is a choline source.

There's plenty of great nootropics out there, and I'm sure there's several on this board like me who don't mind rattling on about them and trying to help you sort out a stack.

#4 SansCrainte

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Posted 08 May 2013 - 05:39 PM

I think I'm going to try replacing Alpha brain with Alpha-GPC, Huperzine A, and L-theanine... Also going to monitor my caffeine intake to work at dosing my caffeine with the L-theanine. Would Piracetam be good with this combo?

#5 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 09 May 2013 - 01:14 AM

Piracetam would be great in that combo you have going there. The Caffeine and L-Theanine will work with it beautifully, especially since caffeine increases Piracetam's overall effectiveness as well as L-Theanine stimulating the GABA receptors alongside Piracetam.

#6 formergenius

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Posted 09 May 2013 - 03:02 AM

I tried AlphaBrain as well. Damn that was one cool bottle! I didn't notice anything different though, but my condition is rare and should be accounted for, so I don't blame them. Besides, Joe's podcasts are pretty entertaining at times.

#7 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 09 May 2013 - 11:03 PM

Yea gotta admit the first thing about AlphaBrain was the bottle and capsules that caught my eye. Goes to show that the studies concerning marketing that visual elements exponential increase a potential buyers interest.

SDFT did kind of the the same with their Neuro Pept (Noopept) capsules, the blue and white are definitely eye catching and in my opinion are great colours to use concerning noopept.

#8 formergenius

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Posted 09 May 2013 - 11:17 PM

Yep, dull white powders look so unconvincing to be honest. On that note: never leave unlabelled white powders lying around.. Next thing you know your friend might be snorting Noopept.

#9 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 09 May 2013 - 11:22 PM

HAHAH! I actually saw a thread on here a while back about someone snorting Aniracetam I believe, and I was pretty blown away by that. I could understand Piracetam since it is water soluble and would actually have the possibility of inducing some effects but......considering how gosh awful racetams taste I'd never consider going that route.

Honestly I think it'd be cool if SDFT went ahead and put all their capsules in colourful caps matching their bottles, think it'd help make them stick out a little more, but I'm guessing they use standard vcaps to help keep the price down on their products.

#10 JohnnyP

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Posted 09 May 2013 - 11:33 PM

Yep, dull white powders look so unconvincing to be honest. On that note: never leave unlabelled white powders lying around.. Next thing you know your friend might be snorting Noopept.


I guess I am the only one who lets their guests sweeten their coffee with oxi.

#11 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 09 May 2013 - 11:50 PM

bahaha, I wouldn't mind using some CDP in water to make a sort of citrusy flavoured drink haha.

#12 formergenius

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Posted 10 May 2013 - 01:12 AM

I once made a nootropic maté tea: poored some tea, let it cool down a bit, broke open a bunch of noots and stirred em in... was pretty interesting, but I forgot what was in it at the time. Sometimes I just add 3 theanine capsules to whatever the hell im drinking. That reminds me, people are making Phenibut juice somewhere.

Perhaps next decade we'll have the Nootropics Cookbook?

#13 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 10 May 2013 - 01:25 AM

I used to mix in Piracetam and a small amount of CDP into my cafe su da (vietnamese iced milk coffee) before work. Super pump right there, the caffeine in those is ridiculous not to mention having the piracetam and cdp to back it up.

#14 SansCrainte

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Posted 10 May 2013 - 12:35 PM

The last couple post on mixing with drinks has made me to start considering powder. I was just thinking the ease of pill form was going to be the way to go but may try the powder route.

#15 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 11 May 2013 - 05:21 PM

Just a reminder mate, I used to use powdered nootropics. The taste is horrible which is why I switched to capsules, not to mention the ability to take capsules while at work with out looking slightly crazed. Never tried to actually get my second dose in when I had the powder forms because I wasn't sure how I could get by with supplementing at work without looking like I was doing something illegal.

#16 SansCrainte

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Posted 13 May 2013 - 08:40 PM

So I probably shouldn't keep it in my desk next to a spoon and lighter?

... Serious now... Do you ever cycle off everything for a week or two? and do you cycle the Piracetam?

#17 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 13 May 2013 - 10:54 PM

Noopept, and Phenylpiracetam are the only parts of my stack that I am going to cycle. Everything else, which has been my stack for about a year now, I take continuously without cycling. Sulbutiamine I cycle off of on the weekends, but otherwise I take my stack pretty much everyday.

#18 SansCrainte

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Posted 14 May 2013 - 07:58 PM

Thanks... I'm on the last bottle of Alpha Brain. I'm going to start ordering soon.

#19 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 15 May 2013 - 12:31 AM

Looking forward to hearing about what you decided to stack and how it works out for you mate.

#20 blueinfinity

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Posted 28 May 2013 - 10:20 PM

do you have a recommended source, or is there a thread with recommended sources of racetams?

#21 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 29 May 2013 - 01:11 AM

I personally order through Smart Drugs for Thought for my nootropics. They ship pretty much the day after your order goes through.

#22 SansCrainte

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Posted 29 May 2013 - 12:53 PM

I just found their website the other day, glad to hear some validation.

#23 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 29 May 2013 - 11:08 PM

No problem, yea I heard about them on Reddit chat, and their reviews on eBay and Amazon are all good.

No problem, yea I heard about them on Reddit chat, and their reviews on eBay and Amazon are all good.

#24 helluva nootro

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Posted 30 May 2013 - 02:49 PM

Id opt for giving Piracetam a trial go like other said bud. I have been taking nootropics for quite a while on and off and have tested quite a few stacks. I bought a few of the alpha brain products myself, New mood, shroom tech and the Alpha brain lot. I tested the alpha brain on its own alongside my usual diet to try and give it a fair test. I felt a little more focused possibly but nothing amazing. Still enjoy the Podcasts though. I find taking Piracetam or noopept in even very small dosages has a much stronger effect than alpha brain just be careful not to OD. What would be your monthly budget ? we could probably suggest a good starter stack. ...... as sanguine said using powders can get a bit tedious and some taste vile but you have to make sure your taking nootropics with good oral bioavailability if your opting for pill form. Just pissing your money away else.

#25 blueinfinity

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Posted 31 May 2013 - 05:12 AM

Id opt for giving Piracetam a trial go like other said bud. I have been taking nootropics for quite a while on and off and have tested quite a few stacks. I bought a few of the alpha brain products myself, New mood, shroom tech and the Alpha brain lot. I tested the alpha brain on its own alongside my usual diet to try and give it a fair test. I felt a little more focused possibly but nothing amazing. Still enjoy the Podcasts though. I find taking Piracetam or noopept in even very small dosages has a much stronger effect than alpha brain just be careful not to OD. What would be your monthly budget ? we could probably suggest a good starter stack. ...... as sanguine said using powders can get a bit tedious and some taste vile but you have to make sure your taking nootropics with good oral bioavailability if your opting for pill form. Just pissing your money away else.


Ive got about $100 set aside for now, I dont even know what a good range or amount Should be, certainly I can increase my budget if there is good reason to do so. I guess some guidance from the more experienced would be great.

#26 SansCrainte

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Posted 31 May 2013 - 12:16 PM

I'm with blueinfinity... I'd like to stay inside $100. I could probably give up some hobbies and increase the budget but then I'd need to add something for depression and stress to the stack ha

#27 helluva nootro

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Posted 31 May 2013 - 02:53 PM

Ha true, ok well if your just looking to get started your budget should be plenty, I find too many people trying to dive in head first with the best stack first time around which seems a waste as starting off with just one or two nootropics and gradually changing and expanding can allow you to find what suit you best and tailor the dose to suit you. In general, if your just starting out with a $100 budget I would say.........1) Get a good quality multivitamin, You get what you pay for sometimes, go for a well reviewed brand, especially one with a high B-complex if possible...........2) Get some fish oils, Good brand well reviewed again, particularly omega 3, Just seems to help everything sync and is such a low cost addition to a brain enhancement regime...........3) Get some Piracetam, you could start with other racetams but piracetam is a good start point as Sanguine mentioned. Upside its cheap and can be very effective. Downside it has to be taken sublingually ideally and doesn't taste the best, Easily take-able though. .......... 4) Get some choline, maybe choline bitartate, Low cost again and good starter nootropics, you could look at Alpha GPC which is one of the main ingredients in your alpha brain if your budget can stretch to it. I would start with Bitartate though as it makes the others a nice upgrade then when you got the swing of things. 5) Possibly some caffeine or bacopa, I would recommend caffeine as it helps to spur things on, is low cost and you can add it to drinks as such to avoid wasting your money at starbucks or redbull

Initial outlay is the biggest thing but if you start with those basics you should be able to easily attain that on $100 a month, I would recommend dosing with the piracetam on its own first for a week or so before adding choline, just my views
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#28 blueinfinity

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Posted 01 June 2013 - 02:21 AM

Ha true, ok well if your just looking to get started your budget should be plenty, I find too many people trying to dive in head first with the best stack first time around which seems a waste as starting off with just one or two nootropics and gradually changing and expanding can allow you to find what suit you best and tailor the dose to suit you. In general, if your just starting out with a $100 budget I would say.........1) Get a good quality multivitamin, You get what you pay for sometimes, go for a well reviewed brand, especially one with a high B-complex if possible...........2) Get some fish oils, Good brand well reviewed again, particularly omega 3, Just seems to help everything sync and is such a low cost addition to a brain enhancement regime...........3) Get some Piracetam, you could start with other racetams but piracetam is a good start point as Sanguine mentioned. Upside its cheap and can be very effective. Downside it has to be taken sublingually ideally and doesn't taste the best, Easily take-able though. .......... 4) Get some choline, maybe choline bitartate, Low cost again and good starter nootropics, you could look at Alpha GPC which is one of the main ingredients in your alpha brain if your budget can stretch to it. I would start with Bitartate though as it makes the others a nice upgrade then when you got the swing of things. 5) Possibly some caffeine or bacopa, I would recommend caffeine as it helps to spur things on, is low cost and you can add it to drinks as such to avoid wasting your money at starbucks or redbull

Initial outlay is the biggest thing but if you start with those basics you should be able to easily attain that on $100 a month, I would recommend dosing with the piracetam on its own first for a week or so before adding choline, just my views


Thank you for this,

absolutely, I meant an additional $100, I by no means have the best "base" stack, but i do have a raw, food-based multivitamin, krill oil (in place of fish oil), l-arginine (in vary amounts), vit C, vit D, red ginsend, and not daily but consistently supplement maca, lecithin and eat usually 2 eggs in the morning.

So I will definitely start off with Piracetam, and I've heard different experiences regarding choline sources, some say choline bitartate is "good enough" while others say its not clean and not good, some praise alpha GPC, others say it gives them headaches or the spins.

Caffeine i get moderately through out the day with my 2-5 cups of green tea/some other tea. but I have a bottle of bacopa from earlier this year just sitting in my drawer as Ive heard its not for males, studies showing shrinking testicles and ive heard other bad things about it.

#29 helluva nootro

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Posted 01 June 2013 - 11:42 AM

Ah I see, no problem mate, well If you have tried alpha gpc already in alpha brain and you had a nice effect of it, you could go for that instead of choline as I think your budget will allow it, to be honest though if your serious about dabbling in nootropics you will probably end up trying them all one at a time. I know what your saying about the bacopa, I have heard similar things myself and am looking into it for more answers, i hardly take it at the moment so no big deal....... Sounds like you have quite a good base, perhaps start with the piracetam and choline bitartate then look at getting some Noopept and alpha gpc. I have taken noopept in small doses to mega doses of around 300mg, you will hear some saying bad things about noopept also such as it reduces your libido but from my point of view that's bull, i also red a study somewhere recently which dismissed this, it seems one person states it and others then imagine it too...... your diet doesn't sound too bad, hoping your get some good effects bro
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#30 Sanguine_Rogue

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Posted 04 June 2013 - 01:39 AM

Staying within a 100$ USD for a months supply of nootropics wouldn't be too difficult. A bottle of piracetam is about $18, Aniracetam is like $22, CDP choline around $24 and then if you add other nootropics you still have about 20$ left which is enough for some L-Theanine or some fish oil.
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