/r/Nootropics
Research and discussion on nootropics and cognitive enhancers.
Welcome to r/Nootropics, a reddit devoted to discussing nootropics and cognitive enhancers.
/r/Nootropics
US-based, to provide context.
Only occasionally traveling to Germany, not frequent enough to purchase in EU/Czech.
I was diagnosed with adult ADD back in 2022 and was prescribed methylphenidate which basically did nothing except giving me headaches in the evening.
Yohimbine has been in my mind lately. I know it causes anxiety n all in many people but I have also read the opposite effects from people here.
I was about to order some Yohimbe extract from bulksupplements as Yohimbine itself is banned here in Canada 🍁. I plan to combine it with Apigenin if it gives me anxiety or restlessness.
Looking forward to read your thoughts. Thanks.
I’ve been reading through some of the unfortunate stories from r/LionsManeRecovery
Simultaneously, some people here really benefit from Lion’s Mane? Why? How?
What could it possibly be about certain people that makes them react so badly to one substance but other people that makes them feel great?
Is there a way I can predict whether I might react badly to Lion’s Mane? What are common traits amongst poor responders?
Hi there,
I Just ordered Cordyceps from Nootropics Depot (10:1) capsules. But now I am curious if I need to take them for a few days to notice the full effects?
I'm looking for ways to help with my anhedonia but I dont want to do anything that would delay healing. Thanks!
As in. Are there any nootropics, supplements or research chemicals that have helped you cope with severe social anxiety, generalized anxiety, ADHD? Have any of you tested Phenibut, Aniracetam, Fasoracetam, Picamilon?
Is there any risk to taking these two together?
(To the tune of “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow)
[Verse 1] Her brain was fried, her thoughts were slow, She needed a way for her mind to glow, So she hit the store, the supplements aisle, She wanted sharpness and mental style. Then she found a gem, green and pure, A nootropic boost she could endure. She took a chance, popped a dose, And now her thoughts are oh-so-close.
[Pre-Chorus] At the Bacopa… Bacopa Cabana (Cabana!), The brainiest herb in the land-a (the land-a!), For focus, and learning, it’s simply outstanding, At the Bacopa… Bacopa Cabana… Your neurons won’t let you down!
[Chorus] Bacopa… smarter and clear, Bacopa… memory’s near, With cognition flowing, Bacopa is showing, The brain boost you hold so dear!
[Verse 2] Her mornings now, they’re sharp and keen, Her thoughts like lightning, her mind pristine. She aces tests, recalls with ease, No more forgetting where she left her keys. Bacopa’s power, it’s no cliché, It sparks the mind in a herbal way. Synapses fire, brain’s rewired, Her mental game? Now superspired.
[Pre-Chorus] At the Bacopa… Bacopa Cabana (Cabana!), The herb that boosts your brain planner (planner!), No jitters or crashes, it’s all neuro-flashes, At the Bacopa… Bacopa Cabana… Where focus is the crown!
[Chorus] Bacopa… sharper each day, Bacopa… clears the delay, With nootropic power, your brain will devour, Every task that comes your way!
[Bridge] So if you’re lost in a mental haze, Give Bacopa your unending praise. From Ayurvedic roots, it’s time-tested truth, For brain health, it’s the ace of spades!
[Final Chorus] Bacopa… clarity grows, Bacopa… the herb that knows, With your mind in motion, Bacopa’s the potion, For brilliance that always shows!
Outro Bacopa… Bacopa Cabana… Your neurons won’t let you down!
I have major anxiety and social anxiety, sometimes it really controls my life. I recently decided to try L-Theanine last week and I've had such a mixed experience.
First day, I took 250 mg + 25 mg mag in the morning with an Americano and I felt amazing: I was so productive, super calm and chill, happy, all the good stuff. I took it again the next day and same thing. Day 3 I started feeling a little "low", but wasn't sure if it was the supplement. The fourth day I felt like my brain was filled with bricks, I was forgetful, apathetic and just not feeling myself. I took a little break and tried again about 3 days later and lowered the dose to 125 mg instead thinking it would help. My reaction was the worst, I was driving while it kicked in and my brain legit felt like it was going to pop, like I had brain damage. It also triggered an ocular migraine, which thankfully didn't last very long but the effects of fogginess and zero brain activity lasted like 3 hours.
Is there a reason that things took such a turn? I was really hoping this was something that would work for me. I'd like to find a way to make this work for me/ go back to how it felt the first few days.
I think there are a few reasons why this drug never got fda approval for anxiety and/or panic disorders.
This drug has severe physical dependence. Now when I say dependency I do not mean addiction. Dependency and addiction are two different things. The drug has low risk for addiction, meaning there's a low chance of someone craving the drug and wanting to take more than what they're prescribed, But coming off of this medication even when used for less than a month is a nightmare.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8411313/
There's a Facebook group called Gabapentin & Lyrica Withdrawal Support with over 13000 members who are struggling with countless withdrawal symptoms. Some have said these drugs are worse than benzodiazepines.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1438525646474773
Coming from personal experience, I took this medication for not even a month and developed psychosis and drug induced parkinsons. 5 months off the medication I recovered from the physical side effects but I'm still recovering from the cognitive deficits caused by the drug.
This is due to the fact that it acts as a calcium channel blocker which reduces the release and activity of certain neurotransmitters in the brain including glutamate, serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, and many others.
Pregabalin:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18042886/#:\~:text=Abstract,my%20previous%20review%20in%202005.
Gabapentin:
https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-abstract/19/3/224/2749813?redirectedFrom=PDF
There's a study that shows that gabapentinoids can cause dementia in younger people.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10266423/
I just found out today that gabapentin is one of the most commonly prescribed medication for anxiety which means it's the most prescribed medication for off label uses.
https://www.definitivehc.com/resources/healthcare-insights/most-prescribed-anti-anxiety-drugs
Gabapentin was ranked as #10 most prescribed drug in 2022.
https://clincalc.com/DrugStats/Top300Drugs.aspx
If you have just started taking it for anxiety get off of it as soon as you can.
I don't know how Pfizer got away with this.
They had multiple lawsuits against them in the past due to making fraudulent scientific data and promoting off label uses like treating anxiety and certain drug withdrawals.
While they made billions they only had pay millions for the lawsuits they pleaded guilty to and there's no punishment or accountability for anyone involved.
A truly evil company.
EDIT: People keep commenting what I said above is inaccurate. If you are one of those people, please explain how this is inaccurate so I can be educated from those who are experts on the drugs.
I am considering using peptides and nootropics to assist in recovering from long term obsolete SSRI's. After years of use, they no longer work and thus, need to go.
I am most interested in Semax/Selank due to their neurotransmitter modulation benefits. I am wondering if anyone has experience with this, and what other peptides or nootropics you would recommend to accomplish the daunting journey ahead in removing Big Pharma from my life.
I’m withdrawing DHEA and taking 1200 milligrams of piracetam, and I’m gaining weight for no apparent reason, as my diet remains unchanged. Does piracetam, Nootropil, cause weight gain?
Idk if this is the right place to post but i ordered some kanna extract sunday night from lift mode and paid for priority shipping. Still haven’t received any confirmation email of purchase or any shipping info. Payment went through as shown on bank statement. Just wondering if this is a normal experience with them? I did send an email asking for some type of update but no response yet.
Ordered Phenibut, wanted to make sure it was tested and everything for safety.
Also, is it consistent quality, I’ve ordered before but want to make sure I don’t overdo it with my usually dose.
I’ve always heard of NSI-189/ALTO100 being used daily and having long term benefits, but I personally feel like the most benefit I got from it was the first week I took it. I’ve been taking it daily for maybe 3 weeks or so, and initially it was amazing. I could focus on reading, started way healthier habits, meditating more, etc. Now I feel like that effect has worn off and I also definitely have some paresthesia that I wasn’t initially aware of, as well as restlessness. I am going to take a few days off and go back to it at a lower dose, but I am wondering if other people have noticed better effects at the beginning? I am wondering if I should take it everyday, or just take it 3-5 days a week. Has anyone tried taking NSI-189 less often because of tolerance?
L-theanine and methylliberine have similar half-life thus it would make sense to use them together.
Did someone try and likes it? At what dose?
I am wondering if memantine or amantadine would be more effective for treating adhd/autism? I have been using memantine to treat adhd/depression for the past month or so and have had decent success for the most part. I recently saw some studies showing that amantadine was effective for adhd, autism, and depression, and was equally as effective as methylphenidate for adhd, but with less side effects. I was wondering in theory would amantadine or memantine be more effective in treating adhd/autism symptoms? The primary thing I want to treat is the inattentiveness/motivation symptoms. I would appreciate any response.
So lately I've done a little experiment and was suprised with results. Normally I drink Yerba Mate / Green / Black tea / Instant coffee or low quality brewed coffee.
But I decided to buy Starbucks dark roast 6 potency bag and to me it does not feel like coffee. More like amphetamine!
Insane mood lift (to the point of unhealty euphoria)
Decrease in anhedonia (world seem much more interesting)
There is no coffee crash for some reason (my mood is stable till I go to sleep)
BUT
After a week or two of daily drinking there is 100% tolerance to this effect and I start to get BACKWARDS, despite drinking coffee daily I experience MORE anhedonia and indifferent feeing than before I did my first cup.
What is wrong with this coffee? It may sound weird but starbucks coffee remind me a bit of Kanna euphoria. I tried many types of coffee in my life but never experienced something like this!!!!!
Can anyone chime in and share his experience also?
EDIT: I make my own coffee out of their blend which is from local grocery stroe
Taking supplements on empty stomach
Hi there,
I am taking some supplement on empty stomach due to better effects.
I am talking about L-tyrosine, it’s better to take on empty stomach.
But is it wise to take some food 30 minutes after taking the supplements on empty stomach?
Because this morning I recognized I got dizzy after taking it and didn’t eat for like 2 hours after.
I just ordered Bacopa Synapsa from ND and before that I have ordered from Pure Encapsulations. Any recommendations with regard to which one I should try first?
I need it for memory improvement - memorizing faster and also being able to store the information in the long term.
Thank you!
I started taking 2-3 grams of NAC everyday like 2 weeks ago, after few days I started being more hungry, I just can eat 2 times more easily. My appetite is crazy, I used to fast every week for 2 days now I just wanna eat everyday until my stomach is full. I was like damn I don't wanna feel that hungry so I decided to speed up my NAC package consumption, made research on it a little, upped dose to 10 grams a day with 10 grams of glycine (My weight is 240 lbs). for now I just wanna finish this 250g package, get all the benefits for my health that it gives, and don't get anymore for 4-6 months and then just use like 600mg if it will not bring me the side effect.
From benefits I def noticed better skin, it helps with my mental health wich is the main reason I started using it in dose of 3g at least, it's a dosage for OCD. My pelvis joint hurt less for sure to certain degree but still it depends on what I eat, and I sleep less
Anyone else who had these type of side effect or knows anything about the roots of it?
Trying to determine a good dosage for myself. Currently, I'm not set on a dose, but I've been taking around .35g twice daily. Using for fibromyalgia... as a supplement; I also take low dose naltrexone, and other less important things.
Ever since taking pandasupps pre workout I’ve gotten some crazy side effects nearly landing me in the hospital. What I believe it to be narrowed down to is Huperzine A as that’s the only ingredient in the list that I’ve never tried. Horrible diarrhea, impending doom feeling, tingling fingers, migraine, fluttering feeling in my torso followed by being lightheaded and almost passing out. I sincerely felt like I almost died the last time I took it. The only other time I’ve had that feeling in my life I was when I dropped to 80/50 bp from severe dehydration. Has anyone else had a similar reaction like this? Should I be contacting pandasupps directly about this?
Hello everyone, and thank you for reading!
I'm writing about side effects I've experienced with piracetam powder. When I take it orally (around 500mg to 1g) on an empty stomach, I end up with gastrointestinal issues (diarrhea and cramping) that last throughout the day. Has anyone else experienced discomfort with Piracetam powder and found a way to alleviate these GI issues?
I used to take piracetam in pill form, up to 1.5g at once, without any problems, but the powder form seems to affect me differently. I use a mg scale to measure my powder dosage accurately. Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated.
For reference, I also take other nootropics alongside piracetam (Alpha-GPC, Lion's Mane, Rhodiola Rosea, L-Tyrosine, Caffeine, Bacopa Monnieri). Not all at once, but just to be open about my stack. Through trial and error, I’m quite confident the side effects are specifically from the piracetam powder.
Thanks again for your help!
I want something for memory improvement and focus. Heard lions mane is good at it and take it for a few weeks.
Now I heard that cordycepts can do it better actually. So should I switch to cordycepts or take them together ?
Thanks
Whenever I take 10K IU, roughly once a week, my focus improves immensely for 4-5 hours afterwards. Why this happens I don't know
I did a bit of looking around and here's a few possible reasons
Testosterone increases dopamine levels, and vitamin D is one way to notably increase test levels. "Compared to baseline values, a significant increase in total testosterone levels (from 10.7 ± 3.9 nmol/l to 13.4 ± 4.7 nmol/l; p < 0.001), bioactive testosterone (from 5.21 ± 1.87 nmol/l to 6.25 ± 2.01 nmol/l; p = 0.001), and free testosterone levels (from 0.222 ± 0.080 nmol/l to 0.267 ± 0.087 nmol/l; p = 0.001) were observed in the vitamin D supplemented group. By contrast, there was no significant change in any testosterone measure in the placebo group. Our results suggest that vitamin D supplementation might increase testosterone levels." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21154195/
This comment mentions it being Nrf2-BDNF activator https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/13n19j7/vitamin_d_the_king_of_natural_nrf2bdnf_activators/
Here it says larger amounts of vitamin D increases tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the hypothalamus https://old.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/8f20t6/list_of_hebrs_and_supplements_that_stimulate/dy0hx5s/
Which of these 3 reasons do you think are most plausible?
Anyone know a reputable supplier that ships aniracetam to UK? Really struggling to find any.
I know this has been said many times on the sub before and obviously everyone is different, but this has really helped me focus so much, after really struggling with a lack of focus for very long. Doing 10min of very intense cardio (I do skipping rope), a cold shower/plunge then 250mg of L-theanine with a strong cup of coffee keeps me working and focused for hours on end!
Edit: Yes, I know that I have just rediscovered green tea lol, but as someone said this would be the equivalent of about 10 cups or so.