5 replies to this topic

[Zalman]

Himalaya Herbal - Ashwagandha, 60 capsules
Himalaya Brahmi Bacopa monnieri Thyme-Leaved Gratiola 60 Caps of 250mg each
Adapt 232 capsules

I ordered these online. Im 21 years old (from Sweden) and im going to try out some different "herbal" "nootropics". I do have a bit of anxiety but i handle it well by taking walks and working out. I hope that i will get better memory and more structured thoughts for my studies. Since a while I've been taking:

creatine 4-8g/daily
3-4 cups of green tea/daily
4 grams of omega 3/daily
1-2 "prilla" Swedish snus daily witch have helped me greatly with my "ADD" and brain fog witch is now gone (i only buy maximum 1 case/month since im worried about addiction) . I know snus is bad but it helps me relax when studying/taking tests, and i have at least 1 week off every month. I'm not interested in patches or e-ciggs.

Hopefully the above will have the similar affect as snus on my anxiety/bad winter mood so i can stop with tobacco

Could i take all of the above together, should i cycle them and try them all individually first, if so, for how long? And witch should i try individually first? I'm a bit worried about http://www.shi.se/ad...232_tablets.htm since they dont show how much of the ingredients its contains.

Other than this i eat health, exercise and am generally happy. I hope that this stack can increase my libido since i feel it has been low but this could be a symptom of being completely celibate (for a while). This is the first time im trying nootropics and part of why im doing it is simple curiosity. Im thinking of also buying taurine to take sporadicly after what I've heard here, its also rather cheap. Dont i take enough already tho?

[Duchykins]

Unless you are depressed, you shouldn't take anything that enhances serotonin -- if your goal is to increase libido. Things that slightly boost dopamine could help there.

Things like taurine and creatine have greatest effect on people who are vegetarian or only eat meats sporadically, making them very low in taurine and creatine. I'm speaking of nootropic enhancing effects, they won't be as dramatic in others. I also think you should lower your daily creatine dose to 2-3g, that may help reduce anxiety a bit. Probably cycle it too.

Taurine can take the edge off things, that's for sure.

[Zalman]

Could it be dangerous to take anything that enhances serotonin? I though these things also helped concentration/cognition/as a general mood lifter?

I'll probably lower my dose of creatine. I think it is more likely i have low dopamine than serotonine but im not a doctor so i cant self diagnose.

[jadamgo]

Mood lifting and emotional stability, yes serotonin boosters usually help these. But cognition and libido, not so much -- unless the main issue causing cognitive or sexual problems is emotional in nature.

Tyrosine, maca, tongkat ali, yohimbine, and (only for occasional use) mucuna pruriens can all improve libido. In fact, these can be used to cancel out the sexual suppression from a serotonin boost if needed.

[Duchykins]

Could it be dangerous to take anything that enhances serotonin? I though these things also helped concentration/cognition/as a general mood lifter?

I'll probably lower my dose of creatine. I think it is more likely i have low dopamine than serotonine but im not a doctor so i cant self diagnose.

It's not dangerous to supplement something that boosts serotonin UNLESS you are taking more than one thing that boosts serotonin and/OR taking too much of the one thing. Then you run the risk for serotonin syndrome, which is dangerous. But sticking with recommended dosages should give you no problems.

A lot of people say take 5g creatine daily, but that's not really necessary after you've been on it a few weeks. You can go as low as 1g, that is still more than the average daily intake of frequent meat eaters. I believe it may be beneficial for some or most to cycle a bit, but that may be dose dependent, do a quick google when you have time.

Serotonin and dopamine have different jobs, so people low in either serotonin or dopamine or both will typically exhibit a pattern of symptoms indicative of what they are low in. You can google up those too and it may help you decide which supplement you want to try first. Always remember to be cautious with these kinds of drugs.

If you want to play it safer, just get some protein powder, whey or pea or hemp. It will have modest levels of all kinds of amino acids, including several that affect serotonin/dopamine/GABA. You're not likely to make things worse with that, and maybe even fix some hidden amino deficiency that could also be affecting you. Try some virgin coconut oil too, just a tablesoon a day, get those MCTs. I'm surprised how often coconut oil is overlooked by noot users. (Edit: keyword here being 'virgin'- extra virgin better, otherwise forget it because of all the cholesterol)

Good luck buddy

Edited by Duchykins, 15 February 2014 - 12:26 AM.

[mrd1]

creatine 4-8g/daily
3-4 cups of green tea/daily
4 grams of omega 3/daily
1-2 "prilla" Swedish snus daily witch have helped me greatly with my "ADD" and brain fog witch is now gone (i only buy maximum 1 case/month since im worried about addiction) . I know snus is bad but it helps me relax when studying/taking tests, and i have at least 1 week off every month. I'm not interested in patches or e-ciggs.

Claim #
1. Assuming your not a an elite athlete, 2g of creatine monophosphate/day should be able to retain most of the creatine increase over baseline (Predicted 12.9 vs 30% in loading phase.) [Effects of creatine loading and prolonged creatine supplementation on body composition, fuel selection, sprint and endurance performance in humans]

2. In my opinion, I do not see sufficient evidence on creatine ability to enhance cognition. So, perhaps some studies supporting it would strengthen its worth in your stack.

3. If you have ADHD, perhaps a fda approved ADHD treatment might better address the problem over the snuss. Even 4-5 into daily adderall use I still feel its improvements in my adhd. Although, it isn't euphoric any more which is normal.

Edited by mrd1, 19 February 2014 - 08:17 AM.