Category Archives: Nootropics

Polish author Stanislaw Lem is one of my favorite writers of science-fiction, philosophy and satire. The fact that he was also a trained physician, gave him that subtle edge over his contemporaries. In one of his books, "The Futurological Congress," the protagonist "Ijon Tichy," accidentally ingests an overdose of psychoactive drugs that were placed in the drinking water by the government to pacify rioters.

Tichy then goes through a spell of hallucinations and gets confused about whether or not, things happening around him were real. Eventually, he starts to believe that he had woken up in a world far in the future where everyone took drugs and reality was replaced by hallucinations. That future though, as it appears, is almost already here, with a few minor alterations to Lem's novel. The future world is set in the Silicon Valley and the drugs are called "nootropics." Unlike Lem's, they do not cause hallucinations, but induce alertness, apparently increase productivity and enhance brain power - so, some believe.

While the scientific community scorns the use (or abuse) of such substances, many productivity-obsessed and sleep-deprived engineers, developers and inventors of Silicon Valley consume them, in order to carve out another hour of work from the 24-hour day.

These drugs, sometimes conveniently labeled as supplements, belong to the "biohackers," subculture who would do anything or everything in pursuit of higher productivity. They experiment with prescription drugs and are even known to shock their brains with low voltage electricity. Why? Because the world they live in is fast-paced and requires constant alertness.

Success there cannot be achieved by just having a great idea, as all your contemporaries seem to have similar great ideas about the same time. So the focus is rather on "delivering that idea" as fast as possible, be it software, a business plan or business funding. This builds a lot of pressure on folks at Silicon Valley and like college students, they eventually come to believe that if they were able to stay awake, stay focused, they would pass another hurdle and eventually succeed.

So, what about caffeine, why is not it enough? In a way, caffeine is also a nootropics drug; however, it is not strong enough and as every coffee drinker would know, too much of it actually makes one jittery and takes away the focus. Enter: Nootropics designers. They make compounds in labs, heady cocktails of different kinds of herbs or Chinese medicine. Several nootropics companies have mushroomed to cash in on the new fad. They mix different substances into pills and sell to consumers. I looked into the products of one company, founded by a Stanford graduate, with obvious pill names like "Sprint" or "Rise," you can easily predict the probable consumers. Never tested in scientific labs, with questionable effects and unknown side-effects, these products are nevertheless not restricted in the marketplace. In addition to caffeine derivatives that will make the user sprint and rise (!), they also sell other products that contain "Omega-3," which is one of those substances that is "good for anything and everything." Interestingly, this company sells another pill called "Yawn," which exactly does what its name suggests, it makes you sleep. Since the "high alertness," induced by most nootropics will nearly destroy all human body regulators for sleeping and waking up, users will need other nootropics drugs to put them to back to bed.

None of these, however, is really new. Humans have been using naturally harvested or laboratory produced drugs for alertness for a long time. Both allied and axis armies are known for their abuse of substances like methamphetamine and morphine during World War II.

What is new though is nootropics drugs are re-branded in Silicon Valley to fit their terminology and culture and most of the users, who are white-collar workers, live in the California Bay Area. Since these products are sold as supplements, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not test or review them. The users share their stories and tips in online forums, and guess what: While short term successes are abounding, long-term success stories are, in fact, very rare. The story of nootropics shows humans will try just about everything to be different and in the context of Silicon Valley culture, the biohackers are just trying to "optimize" themselves.

Nevertheless, as one would have suspected, some of the early proponents of nootropics have already given up on them and changed their lifestyles. At least one of them, talking to a reporter, said that he is now back to eating normal meals, instead of "drinking or taking them." Good news.

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Silicon Valley's 'nootropic' smart drugs a big business - Daily Sabah

The nootropics list below is grouped into the various benefits that nootropics offer. Please note that this is a work in progress so expect the list to be updated periodically.

Most people are initially drawn to nootropics for their memory boosting effects. Nootropics have been studied extensively over the years with some of them demonstrating cognitive enhancing properties in cognitiviely impaired individuals and oftentimes in healthy adults as well. The nootropics in the racetam family are the most well-known for their memory enhancing effects but there are many others that are powerful as well.

Recommended Nootropics for Memory Enhancement:

Recommended Stacks:

Nootropics are great at increasing ones level of attention and focus. Generally, someone with a low attention span can be incredibly smart, however if their level of attention and focus is low, they will not be able to reach the max potential their cognition might allow. This is another problem I struggled with personally; I procrastinated greatly until I discovered nootropics. Then, with the help of a good nootropic stack, I suddenly was able to focus on the task at hand. Suddenly, my level of intelligence grew enormously because I was actually using my abilities. Instead of messing around with 10 lesser, unimportant or useless activities, I was able to focus on a handful at a time, one by one. Being able to focus is enormously important to being intelligent and using the most of your cognitive potential.

Recommended Nootropics for Attention and Focus:

Stack Recommendations:

Being in a poor mood or depressed state has an extremely negative effect on ones cognition. Simply put, just like anxiety or a lack of attention can cause someone to squander their minds potential, so can a lack of drive or motivation. Keeping a good mood is important, and often is not simply a matter of mindset or willpower. While someone with serious depression needs to turn to medical attention, if you have a lack of happy moods or somewhat slight depression, these nootropic supplements can greatly aid you. They have worked wonders in increasing my ability to have a positive outlook on life. Having a positive outlook will help give you the drive you need to dig into what needs to be, and use your brain to its max potential!

Recommended Nootropics for Mood and Depression:

Recommended Stacks:

Ah, longevity. These are nootropics that increase your general level of health and well-being. They promote maximum levels of efficiency in your body. These nootropics are even thought by some to extend ones lifespan and cognitive potential before a decline can set in. Enormously important, these nootropics should be in everyones stack. At the very minimum, multivitamins and fish oil should be included daily.

Recommended Nootropics for Longevity and Anti-Aging:

Anxiety can be an extremely disruptive part of ones cognition. Despite how intelligent an individual might be, anxiety can overcome and dumbfound ones level of thinking in the worst possible times. Intelligence is not limited to mere studying and learning in a private area by oneself. Instead, some of the most important knowledge must be gained by utilizing our most important learning tool and that is, our peers and people around us. Anxiety can dampen this by preventing us from utilizing such tools. As such, as I have anxiety, I usually recommend supplementing and offsetting this disadvantage with nootropic supplements. Below are some great examples and all work very well for anxiety with low side effects as well as general cognition increases.

Recommended Nootropics for Anxiety:

Stack Recommendation: I designed the Best Nootropic Stack around the above ideas of how to push myself to the limit of my cognition and enabled myself to be the most productive I could be academically, and business-wise. Indeed, this is one of my favorite stacks.

Sleep is another crucial part of enhancing your cognition to the max! In my opinion, this is the area where most people lack the most. Luckily, there are many nootropic supplements that are great to take at night to enhance your sleep and recovery as well as increase your cognition. Sleep is important because that is when most of your neurogenesis occurs, i.e., brain growth and recovery. Your connections are solidified and strengthen while your body repairs itself. Therefore, sleep is vital.

Recommended Nootropics forSleep, Recovery, and Dream Enhancement:

Recommended Stack:

Excerpt from:

The Big List of Nootropics | Braintropic

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USA and Worldwide:Absorb Health (Powder & Capsules) | Pure Nootropics (Powder & Capsules) | Nootropics Depot (Powder| Capsules)

European Union and United Kingdom: Intellimeds ( Powder|Capsules|10mg Tablets|20mg Tablets)

GVS-111, N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester, , (CAS Number) 157115-85-0, (PubChem) CID 180496, C17H22N2O4

Among the studies cited, the effective doses ranged from .01mg/kg to 10 mg/kg (in rats and mice); when subjected to allometric scaling, this range would be equivalent to .002mg/kg to 2.445 mg/kg in humans [7,10,13]. In a 70kg (154lbs) adult human, the dosing range would be 171mcg to 171mg.

Typically, the most cited dosing range (anecdotally) is 10-30mg, up to 3 times per day, usually dosed sublingually or orally.

Patented in 1995, Noopept is a Nootropic substance that is a dipeptide similar in effect to Piracetam [3]; it is often cited as being 1000 times more potent (by weight) than Piracetam. Noopept has high oral bioavailability, and appears to potentiate its own effects with chronic administration. Noopept has shown promise in treating many different aspects of cognitive decline that warrants more research, especially in human models.

Noopept has been noted to have four main mechanisms of action; the first noted mechanism of action is antioxidation: in vitro studies of Noopept have shown signs that it operates on an antioxidative mechanism of action which protects neurons from apoptosis [4]. The second noted mechanism of action of Noopept is inhibition of glutamate neurotoxicity [1]; glutamate neurotoxicity leads to quick cell death, and is linked to a variety of neurological disorders such as autism and Alzheimers disease. The third mechanism of action of Noopept is increased neuronal plasticity [7], which can lead to greater adaptability in learning and memory. The fourth mechanism of action that has been noted in Noopept is increases expression of phenylacetic acid, prolyglycine, and cyclo-prolyglycine in the brain [12], which are endogenous Nootropics.

What makes Noopept an intriguing nootropic is its myriad of positive effects, lack of noted negative side effects, and its effectiveness in both chronic and acute usage. In both in vivo and in vitro models, Noopept was shown to have positive effects on all stages of memory, from learning to recall, as well as anxiolytic effects [1]. An in vitro study showed Noopept to be neuroprotective against the use of H2O2 in neuronal degradation, in both healthy brains as well as those with Downs Syndrome in a dose-dependent manner [4]. In rat models of memory impairment, Noopept was shown to improve memory retention and retrieval, and improve learning which was shown through the use of passive avoidance response testing [6]. Rats with ischemic lesions were treated with Noopept for nine days and then tested with the passive avoidance test; those rats that had been treated performed significantly better than the control group; Noopept was also shown to be neuroprotective through antioxidation in the rats who received treatment for nine days [7]. Studies also showed that rats given a single oral administration of Noopept showed improved scores on the passive avoidance test [10]. Another study showed that rats who had gone through olfactory bulbectomies showed Alzheimers like symptoms, but after 21 days of dosing Noopept, spatial memory improved greatly which was evidenced through the use of the Morris Water Maze test [13].

Two other interesting benefits of Noopept were noted; one dealing with BDNF and NGF, and the other dealing with the immune system. One study showed rats treated with Noopept, both chronically and acutely, were found to have a higher expression of mRNA BDNF and NGF; even more interestingly, after 28 days of treatment no tolerance towards Noopept was detected and there was some evidence the effects of Noopept potentiate the longer it is administered [8]. Another study looked at the effect of Noopept on immune deficient mice; the researchers found Noopept to have immuno-corrective properties [5].

Among the studies cited, doses up to 10mg/kg in rats have shown no toxicity, which when subjected to allometric scaling yields a dose of 2.445mg/kg in humans (or 171 mg for a 70kg person); in fact, Noopept has been shown to be neuroprotective at said dosage [7,10,13].

Support SmarterNootropics by purchasing from this product from one of our recommended suppliers:

USA and Worldwide: Absorb Health (Powder & Capsules) | Pure Nootropics (Powder & Capsules) | Nootropics Depot (Powder| Capsules)

European Union and United Kingdom: Intellimeds ( Powder|Capsules|10mg Tablets|20mg Tablets)

Ostrovskaia RU, Gudasheva TA, Voronina TA, Seredenin SB. The original novel nootropic and neuroprotective agent noopept. Eksp Klin Farmakol. 2002 Sep-Oct;65(5):66-72. [1]

Neznamov GG, Teleshova ES. Comparative studies of Noopept and piracetam in the treatment of patients with mild cognitive disorders in organic brain diseases of vascular and traumatic origin. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology Volume 39, Issue 3 , pp 311-321. [2]

SEREDENIN SERGEI B, VORONINA TATIANA A, GUDASHEVA TATIANA A, OSTROVSKAYA RITA U,

ROZANTSEV GRIGORI G, SKOLDINOV ALEXANDER P, TROPHIMOV SERGEI S, HALIKAS JAMES A, GARIBOVA TAISIJA L. Biologically active n-acylprolydipeptides having antiamnestic, antihypoxic and anorexigenic effects. US5439930 (A) 1995-08-08. [3]

Alejandra P, Hoyo-Vadillo C, Gudasheva T, Serednin S, Ostrovskaya R, Busciglio J. GVS-111 prevents oxidative damage and apoptosis in normal and Downs Syndrome human cortical neurons. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, Vol 21 Issue 3 May 2003 Pages 117-124. [4]

Kovalenko, Shipaeva, Alekseeva, Pronin, Durnev, Gudasheva, Ostrovskaja, Seredenin. Immunopharmacological properties of noopept. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 144, Issue 1 , pp 49-52. [5]

G. A. Romanova, F. M. Shakova, T. A. Gudasheva, R. U. Ostrovskaya. Impairment of Learning and Memory after Photothrombosis of the Prefrontal Cortex in Rat Brain: Effects of Noopept. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 134, Issue 6 , pp 528-530. [6]

Ostrovskaya R, Romanova G, Barskov I, Shanina E, Gudasheva T, Victorov I, Voronina T, Seredenin S. Memory restoring and neuroprotective effects of the proline-containing dipeptide, GVS-111, in a photochemical stroke model. Behavioural Pharmacology: September 1999. [7]

R. U. Ostrovskaya, T. A. Gudasheva, A. P. Zaplina, Ju. V. Vahitova, M. H. Salimgareeva, R. S. Jamidanov, S. B. Seredenin. Noopept stimulates the expression of NGF and BDNF in rat hippocampus. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 146, Issue 3 , pp 334-337. [8]

S. S. Boiko, R. U. Ostrovskaya, V. P. Zherdev, S. A. Korotkov, T. A. Gudasheva, T. A. Voronina, S. B. Seredenin. Pharmacokinetics of new nootropic acylprolyldipeptide and its penetration across the blood-brain barrier after oral administration. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 129, Issue 4 , pp 359-361. [9]

R. U. Ostrovskaya, T. Kh. Mirsoev, G. A. Romanova, T. A. Gudasheva, E. V. Kravchenko, C. C. Trofimov, T. A. Voronina, S. B. Seredenin. Proline-Containing Dipeptide GVS-111 Retains Nootropic Activity after Oral Administration. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine Volume 132, Issue 4 , pp 959-962. [10]

Solntseva E, Bukanova J, Ostrovskaya R, Gudasheva T, Voronina T, Skrebitsky V. The effects of piracetam and its novel dipeptide analogue GVS-111 on neuronal voltage-gated calcium and potassium channels. General Pharmacology: The Vascular System, Volume 29 Issue 1, July 1997. [11]

T. A. Gudasheva, S. S. Boyko, R. U. Ostrovskaya, T. A. Voronina, V. K. Akparov, S. S. Trofimov, G. G. Rozantsev, A. P. Skoldinov, V. P. Zherdev, S. B. Seredenin. The major metabolite of dipeptide piracetam analogue GVS-111 in rat brain and its similarity to endogenous neuropeptide cyclol-prolylglycine. European Journal of Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics Volume 22, Issue 3 , pp 245-252. [12]

Ostrovskaya RU, Gruden MA, Bobkova NA, Sewell RD, Gudasheva TA, Samokhin AN, Seredinin SB, Noppe W, Sherstnev VV, Morozova-Roche LA. The nootropic and neuroprotective prolinecontaining dipeptide noopept restores spatial memory and increases immunoreactivity to amyloid in an Alzheimers disease model. J Psychopharmacol August 2007 vol. 21 no. 6 611-61

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Noopept | Smarter Nootropics

Nootropic is not a new thing in this world. This particular term has been around in the health industry since the early 1970s. If you split the word Nootropic into two parts. The first part of noos in Greek means mind. The second part of tropos in Greek means to turn towards. The whole word means Towards the Mind.

Nootropics have known as Smart Drugs to most people. But, you can refer these Smart Drugs as intelligence boosters or cognitive enhancers. These Nootropic supplements help you to improve your memory potential, concentration and cognitive function. Also, they can improve the long-term health of your brain.

What is Nootropics?

Usually, Nootropics is available on the online market in both pill and powder form. Some made with natural substances or man-made chemicals. Herbal or natural Nootropics are plant based. Or any kind of plant-derived compounds. They have shown to be able to help you to enhance your health and cognitive ability.

Some of the best Nootropics made from herbal on the market are Bacopa Monnieri, Huperzine A, Alpha GPC, Cats Claw, L-Theanine & L-Tyrosine. These Herbal Nootropics are as effective as the synthetic Nootropics if not better. Also, If you want to boost up your results, you can stack several of them together.

How do Nootropics work for you?

On todays market. The majority of Nootropics (eg. Glutamate. Dopamine. Acetylcholine and Serotonin) are affecting the neurotransmitters in your brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals. They act as the information messengers between nerve cells of your brain. These nerve cells called neurons. Neurotransmitters are the messengers. They relay signals to your brain. To tell your lungs to breathe or your heart to beat.

But, these messengers also play a crucial role in the cognitive function of your body. Nootropics alter the neurotransmitters to your advantage to improve how your brain functions. Some Nootropics on the market act as vasodilators. They work by boosting the flow of oxygen and blood to your brain. But, all have the same cognitive enhancing effect on your brain.

What are the benefits of Nootropic supplements?

Countless studies have proven Nootropics can provide enhanced effects on your cognitive function. This has led doctors using Nootropics for many years. They help patients to treat various conditions. Most conditions related to the brain, such as Alzheimers. ADHD and Huntingtons disease. When people realized what Nootropics can do. They will understand why Nootropics has used to treat these diseases.

But, for those people who are not suffering from the above conditions. They can still take this kind of drugs and gain benefits.

These benefits are mood enhancement. Reduced symptoms of stress and depression. Better coordination. Increased motivation and attention.

Also, they can increase memory and learning abilities.

As the chemistry of the brain for everyone is different. Different people will experience different on the effect of the same dosage. But, most important of all, people realized that Nootropic supplement does work for them. It is not some kind of pie in the sky idea. Nootropics can give you a great amount of health benefits.

Nootropic supplements are legal and safe

The side effects of Nootropic supplements are rare. They are not toxic. Despite they labeled as Smart Drugs. They are actually suitable for your daily consumption over a long period of time.

They are legal and safe for you to take as your health supplements. Nootropics have existed since the early 1970s. Many people discovered this Smart Drugs. They found the cognitive benefits are just irresistible for anyone not to notice.

To overcome issues of losing concentration. Bad mood and loss of memory, etc. You can take Nootropic supplement as your dietary supplement to help you. Whether you are someone who is having some kind of cognitive disorder. Young or old. Or just a healthy person. Nootropic supplements can offer cognitive benefits for any user. Regardless of what you are in this world.

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Nootropic Supplements [Smart Drugs] Simple Nootropics Guide

Here at Brain Center, we are dedicated to helping people find an effective brain boosting, cognitive enhancing supplement for the ultimate brain function optimization. Here we provide you with information about cognitive enhancers, brain boosting, the latest nootropics and stacking information, and key ingredients for the ultimate brain power. The purpose of our site is to educate people about the most effective and the many different brain boosting and cognitive enhancing options.

Naturally occurring nootropics arent just a popular substance for...

ADHD is classified as a learning disability or even ...

Getting the proper amount of rest will give you more energy and make you a more productive person. But what are some other ways to boost...

There are a number of online resources on which...

Most people would rather take a natural supplement...

All types of people want to try nootropics, and each person has a variety of reasons why they wish to do so. Some people want to get ahead in business, while others...

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Brain Center - Research News and brain Supplement Reviews

Noopept Powder is a popular nootropic compound with reported cognitive benefits. Noopept is similar to the racetam family of nootropics in mechanism and effect, but it doesnt have the same pyrrolidine structure and is considered to be much more potent--up to 1,000 times more according to some research.

Noopept Powder reportedly offers one of the most potent, effective, and fast-acting nootropics currently available. Noopept Powder is known to interact with glutamatergic system, modifying receptors to become more sensitive to glutamate, which plays a key role in cognitive processes such as memory formation and focus.

Because of its effect on the glutamatergic system, Noopept uses are focused on cognitive functioning and brain health. Noopept may have the following benefits:

In addition to these cognitive and psychological benefits, Noopept may also promote brain health by protecting neurons, improving communication between synapses, and even combating oxidative stress in the brain.

Product contains a jar of Noopept powderin 5g or 10g.

For information, seeExamine's articleon Noopept.

You may also be interested in Noopept Capsules or our Basic Nootropic Capsules Sample Pack.

Attention: All chemical compounds have risks. Please consult your physician, and understand the available research, before consumption. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It has not been approved, nor have these statements been evaluated, by the FDA.

Learn more by reading Noopept reviews below.

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NOOTROPICS

It's a competitive world and we need any edge we can get. One of the sharpest tools, if not the sharpest tool you can have to get ahead and reach many of your goals in life is a stronger brain. Without a prescription, Nootropics are filling the void for people looking to gain more focus, a stronger memory as well an overall good mood.

Nootropics are being called "smart drugs" due to their effects of increasing cognitive thinking, memory, as well as attention span. Nootropics are being associated with intelligence, mental energy, motivation and focus.

Nootropic basic translation is that of supplements made for neuro enhancement. All things considered nootropics are generally regarded as effective with little to zero side effects. Furthermore nootropics generally refer to cognitive boosting supplements with low toxicity that can be taken for long term. Inclusive of this understanding, nootropics are also non prescription.

Nootropics work by increasing brain function. They will not make you smarter or give you Einsteins IQ, but they can improve your fluid intelligence. Nootropics can increase your brains production of various neurotransmitters which in turn improve your focus and concentration. They also increase your memory, boost your mood and increase your attention span. They key with nootropics, is that they are designed for long term use, and they can alter your level of neurotransmitters permanently. This is HUGE long term benefit!

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Nootropics - Strong Supplement Shop

Nootropics sometimes calledsmart drugs are compounds that enhance brain function. Theyre becoming a popular way to give your mind an extra boost. According to one Telegraph report, up to 25% of students at leading UK universities have taken the prescription smart drug modafinil [1], and California tech startup employees are trying everything from Adderall to LSD to push their brains into a higher gear [2].

Ive been actively benefitting from nootropics since 1997, when I was struggling with cognitive performance and ordered almost $1000 worth of smart drugs from Europe (the only place where you could get them at the time). I remember opening the unmarked brown package and wondering whether the pharmaceuticals and natural substances would really enhance my brain.

They did, and Ive been a big fan of certain cognitive enhancers ever since.

Im wary of others, though. The trouble with using a blanket term like nootropics is that you lump all kinds of substances in together. Technically, you could argue that caffeine and cocaine are both nootropics, but theyre hardly equal. With so many ways to enhance your brain function, many of which have significant risks, its most valuable to look at nootropics on a case-by-case basis. Heres a list of 13 nootropics, along with my thoughts on each.

I started taking modafinil while getting my MBA at Wharton. I was also working at a start-up that later sold for $600 million in value, so you can imagine how busy I was. I wanted a way to keep my brain running.

When I first started taking modafinil, I felt more like myself than I had in years. I took it just about every day in varying doses for 8 years (with a physicians prescription). It gave me energy and changed my life. I would not be the biohacker I am today without modafinil.

When I worked on the Bulletproof Diet book, I wanted to verify that the effects I was getting from Bulletproof Coffee were not coming from modafinil, so I stopped using it and measured my cognitive performance while I was off of it. What I found was that on Bulletproof Coffee and the Bulletproof Diet, my mental performance was almost identical to my performance on modafinil. I still travel with modafinil, and Ill take it on occasion, but while living a Bulletproof lifestyle I rarely feel the need.

Theres a slight risk (about 5 in a million people) of having a life-threatening immune reaction to modafinil. Its the same reaction that happens with ibuprofen and other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), so if you know you dont react well to NSAIDs, talk to your doctor before taking modafinil.

One reason I like modafinil is that it enhances dopamine release, but it binds to your dopamine receptors differently than addictive substances like cocaine and amphetamines do, which may be part of the reason modafinil shares many of the benefits of other stimulants but doesnt cause addiction or withdrawal symptoms [3,4]. It does increase focus, problem-solving abilities, and wakefulness, but it is not in the same class of drugs as Adderall, and it is not a classical stimulant. Modafinil is off of patent, so you can get it generically, or order it from India. Its a prescription drug, so you need to talk to a physician.

You can also try armodafinil, which is a more purified form of modafinil with only biologically identical molecules in it. It has nearly identical and sometimes stronger effects. Its very expensive without insurance.

If you dont want to get a prescription, theresadrafinil, which your liver converts to modafinil in about 45-60 minutes. You can buy adrafinil without a prescription, and in my experience it feels very similar to modafinil, but I wouldnt recommend taking it regularly because it stresses your liver a lot.

Normally prescribed modafinil dose: 50-200 mg, taken in the morning (unless you want to be awake all night)

Normally prescribed arrmodafinil dose: 100-200 mg, taken in the morning

Adrafinil dose: 300 mg, taken in the morning

The racetam family contains dozens of related compounds, includinga few well-known nootropics. The best studied one is piracetam, but the most effective nootropics are aniracetam and phenylpiracetam, so youll read about those here.

There was an explosion of racetam research between 1968 and 1972, but many of the racetams are off patents, so pharmaceutical companies are studying racetam analogs that they can patent and sell. We still dont fully understand how racetams work, but theres plenty of anecdotal evidence that theyre excellent nootropics. The best studied racetam is piracetam, and its analogs work well too.

I like aniracetam more than piracetam because its the only member of the racetam that has a stress-lowering effect and also increase memory IO (getting memories in and out of your mind). I take aniracetam every day, as well as for public speaking. I find I speak more fluently (no ums or ahs) and I dont have to grasp for words. I find that phenylpiracetam improves my learning, memory, and energy, too.

I dont use piracetam or oxiracetam because theyre weaker forms of phenylpiracetam and aniracetam. I suggest you try racetams alone at first not in a pre-made stack because ones that work for other people may not work for you. For example, I feel nothing from noopept (a very strong derivative of piracetam), but I know plenty of people for whom it works very well.

Racetams are very bitter, so its best to get them in capsules. In some people they deplete acetylcholine [10], which can cause headaches. If that happens, try adding in Choline Force or a raw pastured egg yolk to give your body the materials to make more acetylcholine. You can also try lowering doses; too much can make you irritable.

These nootropics sound a little unusual, but Ive been on them every day since 1997 and theyre a core part of my nootropic stack. It irritates me that theyre in a regulatory gray zone.

One last thing: these phenylpiracetam, aniracetam, and noopept are all fat soluble, so take them with a meal or a fat source (like your morning Bulletproof Coffee) to increase their absorption.

Phenylpiracetam dose: 100 mg, 1-4 times daily

Aniracetam dose: 650 mg, 1-2 times daily

Noopept dose: 10 mg, 1-2 times daily

Nicotine can be a powerful nootropic if you take it carefully and sparingly. Heres a full guide to using nicotine as a nootropic, complete with pros and cons, risks, dose recommendations, and advice about what form of nicotine to use.

I do NOT recommend smoking cigarettes or using tobacco to get your nicotine. Im talking about very small doses that are far lower than youd get from smoking. Nicotine has a direct effect on your mitochondrial energy, and just about anything that increases mitochondrial function is going to make your brain work better.

Big Pharma has recommended amphetamine (Adderall) for ADHD sufferers for years now. Its also popular on college campuses around exam time. Too bad, because there are much better choices.

Amphetamine has substantial risks. In healthy adults, itimproves attention, focus, motivation to work, and short-term memory, all by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine release in your prefrontal cortex [11,12]. Amphetamine also decreases fatigue, but it makes you jittery and can increase anxiety.

What worries me about amphetamine is its addictive potential, and the fact that it can cause stress and anxiety. Research says its only slightly likely to cause addiction in people with ADHD [13], but we dont know much about its addictive potential in healthy adults. We all know the addictive potential of methamphetamine, and amphetamine is closely related enough to make me nervous about so many people giving it to their children. Amphetamines cause withdrawal symptoms, so the potential for addiction is there.

If you want a stimulant, drink coffee. If you want something stronger, try a racetam or talk to your doctor about modafinil. If you do decide to take Adderall, youll need a prescription but I really recommend avoiding it. There are many better options out there.

L-theanine is a major component of black and green tea. On its own, theanine promotes relaxation [14], alertness, and arousal [15].

Theanine also works synergistically with caffeine. Together, the two increase reaction time, memory, and mental endurance [16].

You can get your theanine from a capsule, or you can drink a cup or two of green tea. If you decide to do the green tea, look for tea thats grown in the shade, because shade-grown green tea typically has much higher levels of theanine.

L-theanine dose: 50-200 mg. You can take it with your morning coffee, or you can take it at night, like me.

Bacopa monnieri is a small water plant native to India. Bacopais an adaptogen it helps your body adapt to stress. It also improves memory in healthy adults [17] and enhances attention and mood in people over 65 [18]. Scientists still dont fully understand how Bacopa works, but they do know it takes time to work; study participants didnt feel its memory-enhancing effects until theyd been supplementing with it daily for 4 weeks, so if you try Bacopa, stick with it for a month before you give up on it.

Bacopa suppresses sperm production in male mice, so you may want to skip it if youre trying to conceive [19]. It didnt affect the mices testosterone or sex drive, though.

A lot of nootropic companies include Bacopa in their stacks, but they often dont use enough to give you real benefits. You want at least 750 mg daily. Take Bacopa with a fat source to increase its absorption.

Bacopa monnieri dose: At least 750 mg daily, taken with a source of fat

Yes, were talking 1960s, Jimi Hendrix, psychedelic LSD. Dr. Rick Doblin and I have discussed the use of psychedelic medicine on Bulletproof Radio before. Now, Silicon Valley tech employees are reporting benefits from using LSD as a nootropic, but it has a history of being misused by both governments and partiers. (In fact, Bulletproof Radio guest Jan Irwin has published lots of research showing that much of the psychedelic movement is at least partly the result of government initiatives.)

The key to using LSD as a nootropic, according to the Silicon Valley techies, is getting the right dose. They say that when they take microdoses about 1/10th of a recreational dose they experience increased positivity, creativity, focus, and empathy.

LSD as a nootropic may not be as crazy as it sounds. Its certainly a mind-expanding drug, and studies suggest that its less risky than its reputation suggests. Even at a full dose (again, 10 times a microdose), researchers ranked LSD the 4th least dangerous common recreational drug far below alcohol and nicotine [20] and historically not a single person has died from LSD overdose [21]. Its possible to react poorly to LSDs psychological effects, but microdoses are below the dose that usually causes hallucinations [22]. LSD does increase your suggestibility, so you should be extra aware of making big decisions if you are using it as a nootropic.

LSD dose: 10 micrograms, taken in the morning, every 3 days. (This is probably illegal where you live. Its experimental but shows great promise from anecdotal reports. I look forward to the day when its legal for researchers to actually determine how impactful this is. Until the government allows this kind of research in your country, the only option is to wait, or to be your own guinea pig. Be safe if you experiment with anything.)

Unfair Advantage supports your mitochondria, the power plants of your cells, with two different ingredients:

You have the highest density of mitochondria in your brains prefrontal cortex, which helps to explain why I feel Unfair Advantage in my head first. You have the second highest density in your heart, which is probably why I feel it in the center of my chest next. Mitochondrial energizers can have profound nootropic effects! At higher doses mitochondrial energizers also make for an excellent pre-workout supplements.

Unfair Advantage dose: 1-4 ampules, taken any time

Bulletproof Upgraded Aging Formula is another powerful nootropic. It contains oxaloacetate, a neuroprotective agent that can shield your brain from environmental toxins. Oxaloacetate also decreases brain inflammation [25].

Common environmental toxins pesticides, for example cause your brain to release glutamate (a neurotransmitter). Your brain needs glutamate to function, but when you create too much of it it becomes toxic and starts killing neurons. The oxaloacetate in Upgraded Aging protects rodents from glutamate-induced brain damage [26]. Oxaloacetate also promotes brain recovery after stress or trauma [27, 28].

Upgraded Aging is a great way to give your brain a little extra protection from stress and toxins. In animal studies, it also modifies the Krebs Cycle, shifting the ratio of NADH to NAD+, which makes mitochondrial energy production more efficient.

Upgraded Aging dose: 1 capsule, taken in the morning

Forskolin has been a part of Indian Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. In addition to being fun to say, forskolin increases cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), a molecule essential to learning and memory formation [29].

I have used forskolin for more than a decade.

Forskolin is especially effective if you combine it with artichoke extract. Artichoke extract inhibits PDE4, an enzyme that breaks down cAMP. PDE4 inhibitors make cAMP more available, and when you add in artichoke extracts cAMP-enhancing effects, you get a significant boost to learning, memory, and motivation.

Or you get a headache and an energy crash when you come down.

That may be because upping cAMP uses more dopamine than your brain usually would. It affects different people differently. You only know if you tryit.

Bulletproof carries CILTEP, the first commercial combination of artichoke extract and forskolin. CILTEP also uses up acetylcholine, so I recommend adding in Choline Force to keep your brain well stocked.

CILTEP dose: 1-3 capsules, taken in the morning on an empty stomach

When you first start taking nootropics, sometimes youll feel like nothing is happening. Thats what I experienced. Then, a week later, I quit taking them, and noticed their absence immediately. This is because when your brain works better, it feels so natural that its hard to notice unless you have a great degree of self-awareness. On the other hand, sometimes youll feel a great cognitive boost as soon as you take a pill. That can be a good thing or a bad thing. I find, for example, that modafinil makes you more of what you already are. That means if you are already kind of a dick and you take modafinil, you might act like a really big dick and regret it. It certainly happened to me! I like to think that Ive done enough hacking of my brain that Ive gotten over that programming and that when I use nootropics they help me help people.

You can also get profoundly depressed. One of the nootropics I did not write about here, Lucidril, has superb anti-aging and cognitive benefits for some people, but others get deeply sad after taking it. After three days on Lucidril I felt entirely hopeless about my life. Fortunately, Id done my research and I stopped taking it immediately.

There is inherent risk in experimenting with pharmaceuticals, or illegal drugs like LSD. The risk is greater than it is with most natural substances. You can have a psychotic experience if you take too much LSD; youre more likely to get a big headache if you take too much of a choline stimulating herbal substance.

It also pays to check the purity of your nootropics. Ive seen some companies promoting pre-made nootropic stacks that contain ingredients like blue agave (fructose!), food coloring even pieces of metal. Read your labels!

I have great hope that medicine will wake up to the amazing benefits of nootropics and begin to incorporate them into society. Many of them not only increase your quality of life, they make your brain more resilient to the environment around you. We could all use a little more that.

Before you try nootropics, I suggest you start with the basics: get rid of the things in your diet and life that reduce cognitive performance first. That is easiest. Then, add in energizers like Brain Octane and clean up your diet. Then, go for the herbals and the natural nootropics. Use the pharmaceuticals selectively only after youve figured out your basics.

The truth is that, almost 20 years ago when my brain was failing and I was fat and tired, I did not know to follow this advice. I bought $1000 worth of smart drugs from Europe, took them all at once out of desperation, and got enough cognitive function to save my career and tackle my metabolic problems. With the information we have now, you dont need to do that. Please learn from my mistakes!

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13 Nootropics to Unlock Your True Brain - blog.bulletproof.com

Nootropics (pronunciation: noh--TROP-iks)also called smart drugs or cognitive enhancersare drugs, supplements, or other substances that improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals.[1][2] The use of cognition-enhancing drugs by healthy individuals in the absence of a medical indication is one of the most debated topics among neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and physicians which spans a number of issues, including the ethics and fairness of their use, concerns over adverse effects, and the diversion of prescription drugs for nonmedical uses, among others.[1][3][4] Nonetheless, the international sales of cognition-enhancing supplements exceeded US$1 billion in 2015 and the global demand for these compounds is still growing rapidly.[5]

The word nootropic was coined in 1972 by a Romanian psychologist and chemist, Corneliu E. Giurgea,[6][7] from the Greek words nous, or "mind", and trepein meaning to bend or turn.[8]

There are only a few drugs that are known to improve some aspect of cognition. Many more are in different stages of development.[9] The most commonly used class of drug is stimulants, such as caffeine.[10]

These drugs are purportedly used primarily to treat cognitive or motor function difficulties attributable to disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and ADHD.[citation needed] Some researchers, however, report more widespread use despite concern for further research.[11] Nevertheless, intense marketing may not correlate with efficacy. While scientific studies support the beneficial effects of some compounds, manufacturer's marketing claims for dietary supplements are usually not formally tested and verified by independent entities.[12]

Among students, nootropics have been used to increase productivity, despite their long-term effects lacking conclusive research in healthy individuals.[9] The use of prescription stimulants is especially prevalent among students attending academically competitive colleges.[13] Surveys suggest that 0.74.5% of German students have used cognitive enhancers in their lifetime.[14][15][16] Stimulants such as dimethylamylamine and methylphenidate are used on college campuses and by younger groups.[9] Based upon studies of self-reported illicit stimulant use, 535% of college students use diverted ADHD stimulants, which are primarily used for performance enhancement rather than as recreational drugs.[17][18][19]

Several factors positively and negatively influence the use of drugs to increase cognitive performance. Among them are personal characteristics, drug characteristics, and characteristics of the social context.[14][15][20][21]

The main concern with pharmaceutical drugs is adverse effects, and these concerns apply to cognitive-enhancing drugs as well. Long-term safety data is typically unavailable for some types of nootropics[9] (e.g., many non-pharmaceutical cognitive enhancers, newly developed pharmaceuticals and pharmaceuticals with short-term therapeutic use). Racetamspiracetam and other compounds that are structurally related to piracetamhave few serious adverse effects and low toxicity, but there is little evidence that they enhance cognition in individuals without cognitive impairments.[22][23] While addiction to stimulants is sometimes identified as a cause for concern,[24] a very large body of research on the therapeutic use of the "more addictive" psychostimulants indicate that addiction is fairly rare in therapeutic doses.[25][26][27] On their safety profile, a systematic review from June 2015 asserted, "evidence indicates that at low, clinically relevant doses, psychostimulants are devoid of the behavioral and neurochemical actions that define this class of drugs and instead act largely as cognitive enhancers."[28]

In the United States dietary supplements may be marketed if the manufacturer can show that it can manufacture the supplement safely, that the supplement is indeed generally recognized as safe, and if the manufacturer does not make any claims about the supplement's use to treat or prevent any disease or condition; supplements that contain drugs or for which treatment or prevention claims are made are illegal under US law.[29]

In 2015, systematic medical reviews and meta-analyses of clinical research in humans established consensus that certain stimulants, only when used at low (therapeutic) concentrations, unambiguously enhance cognition in the general population;[28][30][31][32] in particular, the classes of stimulants that demonstrate cognition-enhancing effects in humans act as direct agonists or indirect agonists of dopamine receptor D1, adrenoceptor A2, or both receptors in the prefrontal cortex.[28][30][32][33] Relatively high doses of stimulants cause cognitive deficits.[32][33]

Racetams, such as piracetam, oxiracetam, and aniracetam, are structurally similar compounds, which are often marketed as cognitive enhancers and sold over-the-counter. Racetams are often referred to as nootropics, but this property of the drug class is not well established.[53] The racetams have poorly understood mechanisms of action; however, piracetam and aniracetam are known to act as positive allosteric modulators of AMPA receptors and appear to modulate cholinergic systems.[54]

According to the FDA, "Piracetam is not a vitamin, mineral, amino acid, herb or other botanical, or dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake. Further, piracetam is not a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of any such dietary ingredient. [...] Accordingly, these products are drugs, under section 201(g)(1)(C) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 321(g)(1)(C), because they are not foods and they are intended to affect the structure or any function of the body. Moreover, these products are new drugs as defined by section 201(p) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. 321(p), because they are not generally recognized as safe and effective for use under the conditions prescribed, recommended, or suggested in their labeling."[55]

The results of this meta-analysis cannot address the important issues of individual differences in stimulant effects or the role of motivational enhancement in helping perform academic or occupational tasks. However, they do confirm the reality of cognitive enhancing effects for normal healthy adults in general, while also indicating that these effects are modest in size.

The rest is here:

Nootropic - Wikipedia

Some redditors have resorted to testing natural and over-the-counter nootropics on themselves. They then report the evidence online. (For a helpful nootropics list, see their original thread, found here.) There are some holes in the scientific process of reddit-based experiments: no way to ensure regular doses, no control group, and observation bias.

However, there are also benefits to the information one can glean from the threads. For example, many redditors experiment to find the best nootropic stack. A stack involves taking at least two supplements to increase overall effectiveness.

A person may take Supplement A, which is said to work in the subcortical area of the brain, along with supplement B, which works in the hippocampus. They may also take Supplement C, which purportedly dilates blood vessels in the brain, allowing for better oxygenation and cell health. These three substances each work in different parts of the brain, thus affecting different types of cognitive function. This has one clear advantage over traditional lab testing, which tends to work with one supplement at a time.

Redditors are just the same as online forum contributors who talk about their experiences with prescribed medications. They will tell about their own experiences and make recommendations. Following those suggestions is entirely up to the reader. After all, it is their experience with the nootropics, not the laboratory tests, that are most important to them.

The main thread also encourages a healthy debate about the safety of self-experimentation. While some will readily link you to the best place to buy nootropics right away, others are far more cautious. Some redditors will provide some very helpful safety considerations, information on allergic reactions, and even sway you away from the shadier parts of the largely unregulated supplement industry.

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Nootropics Supplements and Stacks - Review Before You Buy!