You might fry your brain, seriously. There isn't any single chemical compound that will really make you smart fast, regardless of how much you want NZT to be true. Modafinil seems like a great compound for keeping a steady focus long term as tolerance doesn't seem to be a great issue. We've tried one ampakine here "IDRA-21" and the results were underwhelming. Alpha-7-nicotine PAM's or agonists seem to be OK; but, seem to work best for paranoia and stuff like that. C16 seems to be an interesting compound and we're still waiting for the results from JPC if and when Googletarian decides to send it to him. There's also alpha-5-GABA inverse agonists which seem interesting; but, are likely to produce modest nootropic effects. I'm looking into H3 histamine inverse agonists for more wakeful approach to life. ISRIB is also interesting.
One thing that would really be something that could increase your capacities in terms of cognitive speed and raw "processing power" of your brain would be to squeeze more information that your brain could process in a given time interval. It has been shown that our perception of time changes during life threatening events. Exactly what mechanisms in the brain are responsible for slowing down the perception of time have yet to be elucidated.
I don't know where you get off saying one doesn't develop tolerance to modafinil because in my experience this isn't true. Mod becomes largely useless after a month even in doses as high as 400mg. The tolerance doesn't develop as quickly as with say amphetamines but it is still there. This is especially true of it's focus enhancing abilities. But I agree with you in that it is the closest thing to a wonder drug we have, there are very real working memory gains that one gets taking mod.
I think there ARE compounds out there that will make you really smart really fast, such as amphetamines or racetams, but none of them seem to sustain the effect. The key I think is to prevent these natural feedback mechanisms from kicking in so that desired results can work over time. The only compounds that come close to this are galantamine, noopept, and uridine so it's worth checking them out. Lion's mane and increased NGF is also very effective and seems to work long term. But I think the key will be to target multiple pathways simultaneously so that only stacking compounds in a clever manner will give the best results.
NZT is basically glamorized adderall and I don't think we'll ever reach that level of cognitive enhancement without altering DNA/RNA expression via genetic engineering mechanisms. Hollywood is good at filling your head with bullshit fantasies and Limitless is no exception.
Yes, my mistake. I'm sure tolerance develops with modafinil; but, as you said not as fast as amphetamine or other positively reenforcing agents. I'm not sure amphetamines will make you smart. They will more than likely make you think you are smart; as to whether this is really the case scientific studies have shown that there are no real cognitive gains from amphetamine; but, the perception of that.
Would you care to link me some of those studies?
The reason I'm curious is because in my personal experience, while anecdotal, I feel in the 4 years I've taken Adderall, I've become far more intelligent than I was when I had started.
Before I had started Adderall, I suffered from crippling depression, anxiety and ADHD. After 4 years of Adderall use, I feel like it put me in a perception where I had laser-like focus, I was completely rid of anxiety and as a result, my depression lifted. Over the 4 years of Adderall use, I've retained those effects. I no longer need Adderall to focus or alleviate anxiety, it's as if the effects have stayed with me.
On top of that, I've found that I can articulate abstract ideas with ease (I'm far more verbally articulate in general), something that was once incredibly difficult for me, I can dive deep into the details of virtually anything, while simultaneously keeping the big picture in mind and I discovered I have an IQ in the top 2%, something that I partially attribute to Adderall. While I would consider myself as having been a fairly intelligent person all my life, I can't recall being THAT intelligent. I also noticed drastic increases in my coordination and reflexes. I remember the first days I took it, when I had played Call of Duty, I would be somewhat below average, being new to the game at the time. 30 minutes after taking my dose, I would easily be number one in any game. It's as if I had suddenly been trained by the CIA for 20 years, within that 30 minutes. I had lightning like reflexes, laser focus and I actually would attempt to think how the other players would be thinking, which would allow me to form "traps" of a sort, to lure them where I wanted them and execute them immediately after. Before then, I had never tried to get into the heads of other players. That's what had originally appealed me to Adderall in the beginning.
Essentially, when I watched the movie "Limitless" several years later, I had wondered if the writer, wrote from experience with amphetamines, because I felt the experience drastically mimicked my own, of course to a much lesser extent. Including when I had upped the dose, noticed horrible side effects (insomnia, lack of appetite), cut the dose down and now I don't feel I really need it anymore. In fact when I take it, it does virtually nothing for me. Sometimes I get a jolt of energy, but it's unpredictable. Now I save it only for when I'm tackling projects for school or for activities where I'll need a lot of energy/endurance.
The only thing Adderall didn't do, is increase my motivation or alleviate my depression completely. After I discovered Hydergine, that's when I had fully recovered from depression.
But looking back in the last 4 years of Adderall use, it would be EXTREMELY difficult, to deny that Adderall didn't have any impact on my intelligence. Of course maturity must have played some role as well, but the effects I obtained immediately from Adderall are the exact same effects that have become a part of me now.
Perhaps I'm just an extremely rare case, as that's been my understanding when talking to the doctors who have prescribed it. Because, at least the way I understand it, virtually no one has such profound effects when taking it as I have. But I highly doubt I'm the only one.
I should also mention that friends have noticed these drastic changes in me as well and have acknowledged how intelligent I have become. In fact, many of them had the similar perception you had mentioned, where maybe I just "feel" more intelligent. After taking Adderall for a couple years (and especially showing them how skilled I become when playing video games after taking Adderall), they no longer deny that Adderall has such an impact in intelligence.
