/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
Hello!
I have heard that bpc-157 can affect seratonin and also affect adhd medication negativly, even make you resistant.
Is this true?
Im newly diagnosed with ADHD, and new on concerta, but have some shoulder problems i would love to fix because I really enjoy working out. But i dont want to destroy my brain… already have problem with memory and focus
Any help, guide me where i can read more about this?
Thoughts?
Best regards
No I don't want to get high, I just want to be able to do my laundry.
Hey r/Nootropics,
I know we talk a lot about focus, memory, and motivation, but has anyone experienced a nootropic that actually made them funnier? Not just social confidence or talkativeness—but actual humor enhancement.
I'm not talking about general well-being or feeling happier. I mean: ✅ Quicker wit – You find yourself making sharper, funnier remarks. ✅ Better comedic timing – Your jokes land better, and you're more aware of social cues. ✅ Increased playfulness – You think of clever, unexpected things to say more often. ✅ Funnier storytelling – Your delivery, exaggeration, and pacing improve naturally.
If you've noticed any of these effects, what stack or supplement was responsible? Was it a one-time thing, or did it stick with you?
What I'm NOT Looking For:
❌ General mood boosts (e.g., "Phenibut made me chill and social!") ❌ Confidence alone (e.g., "Modafinil makes me talk more!") ❌ Stimulants that just make you hyperactive (e.g., "Adderall makes me say random stuff!")
I'm looking for real, humor-enhancing effects—the kind that actually changes the way you think and process jokes.
If you’ve ever taken something that made you feel like a comedy genius, please share your stack and how it worked! 🚀
Has anyone tried this supplier? I'm buying phenibut from them and was curious what kind of shipping times people had.
I'm looking for some good quality tribulus and l-citrulline. ConsumerLabs lists Healthy Origins L-Citrulline as certified in 2024 and still currently certified. Why wouldn't Healthy Origins display that on their label?
Similarly NSF lists Tribulus capsules by BulkSupplements.com as certified, but it also doesn't show this on the bottle.
Wouldn't displaying the certification on their label increase sales? Or am I missing something?
My memory has been significantly affected by stressful events over the past two years, and I’m looking for advice on how to improve it. Antidepressants have helped clear the brain fog, but my memory and concentration still have room for improvement.
Has anyone tried a combination of supplements that actually work?
Have been looking into memory improving nootropics. People swear by lion's mane, bacopa, choline based supplements, other BNDF boosting noots and even stims, really too many options to choose from.
What improved your memory the most? Can be working/short term/long term memory, just spill.
Something occurred to me while reading through some of these posts. My body has now rejected two potentially helpful nootropics, those being blue methylene and NAC. So, having done some troubleshooting (with very different subject matter) in the past, it lead me to wonder if firstly, there's anything of value to be derived. Secondly and most importantly, if it might point to any other supplements that might be more effective. I should add I'm probably much older than older than most people on here.
I'm sure it would take someone with substantial expertise to be able to speculate on what I'm asking, but any input would be appreciated.
My background: B.Sc. and M.Sc. in neurobiology, working on a PhD in computational psychiatry.
Some of the below is rather obvious and common sense, and some of it is extremely arcane neuropharmacology. I'll do my best to keep things straightforward and cite sources when available. I will start with the common sense measures, and then move on to the arcane pharmacology.
An overview:Â https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39174823/
Common sense measures
Here's part two. It will be about so-called nootropics. This part is controversial, experimental, risky, has less robust evidence, but is in some ways more exciting. I'll divide this into three sections: old drugs, OTC herbs / supplements, and novel drugs. Note: there are many different subdomains of cognition that are differentially affected by these drugs. For the sake of simplicity, I will not distinguish between them.
Older drugs
An important consideration is that many of these drugs were, more often than not, tested in patients rather than healthy participants. More research is needed to determine if these nootropics help people without cognitive impairment.
Natural / OTC nootropics
There is a huge market for these (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37603263/). Conflicts of interest are pervasive and underreported. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA, so they can often have less active ingredients than advertised. Many brands merely offer raw root powders, which are not nearly as effective as concentrated extracts. There is also a risk for contamination of herbal supplements with heavy metals and other toxins, so it is important to look up test results of specific products through Consumer Lab. A large proportion of studies on herbs for cognition have serious methodological flaws (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37592293/). Nonetheless, a few promising candidates stand out.
Novel drugs
Sourcing these substances is complicated. Make sure your source uses third-party testing. Good luck.
I take a generic version of Ritalin XR/LA in my country known as Addwize OD 18mg, OD referring to once daily
I have adhd and ocd, I'm a young guy, and fairly healthy. Why does it only last for 3.5-4 hours instead of 7-8?
I can feel the heavy crash after 3.5 hours making me hungry, irritable and a slight headache
Would adding piperine work? I was going to take Bacopa that also has piperine, so maybe taking it with ritalin might extend it's duration?
Edit: Manufacturer instructions:
""Initial peak is at 1 hour, then gradual increase over the next 5-9 hours. Decrease then begins gradually. Mean time to peak concentration is 6-10 hours""
Hi all,
I recently read that selegiline combined with PEA does create stimulant-like effects due to the MAO-B inhibition.
I currently take 2.5-5mg selegiline (sublingual) per day and would like to know if eating dark chocolate, which contains some amount of PEA, does trigger some stimulant effects? If yes, what is a safe amount of commercial dark chocolate combined with selegiline?
I hope someone of you is able to help me, thanks!
Ive been searching for some info on this. Ive read that L carnitine has no effect on estrogen but upregulates androgen receptors. However ive noticed people in various subs suggesting it does have an impact on e2 levels. Can anyone validate this claim or is it just bro science? Many thanks
I took a dose last Wednesday and have since been riddled with anxiety that won’t shift. Desperately trying to get it out of my system so I can function again.
I have started guanfacine 3 days ago, and it persistently lowers my bp and vasodilates to the point where all my blood pools at my feet, and i become fizzy and deaf for 30 seconds. Amphetamine fails to counteract this effect, likely due to strong inhibition of NE release from the guanfacines a2 adrenoceptor agonism. What supplements or druggable targets can alleviate guanfacines hypotensive effects without blocking its therapuetic effects? What are some general reccomendations for hypotensive symptoms?
I understand that some desensitization with consistent use will alleviate the symptoms, but I am not willing to wait, or quit the drug. there must be methods to significantly alleviate hypotensive symptoms.
Thank you.
I took a dose of B12 and later that day had an elevated mood, a boost in my step and such. I've been doing the same dose since then, but it's not as effective as that one day. It's not causing any negative effects though.
I use pure B12 powder.
Would another B vitamin help? Do you need to pair this with another for effectiveness?
in 2022 i started taking gaba supplements as lozenges, started with 120mg for a few months, and then switched to 500mg capsules for around 4 ish months and then i stopped taking it because i had symptoms like body tingling and dizziness and my period was getting messed up which i assumed could be because of it, i took a break until august 2023 i took the 120mg lozenges thinking they would again help with anxiety but to my surprise they made me so irritable and made my brain hella foggy, and i started having painful heavy periods as well as feeling lethargic and getting acne (which i never had before,i was 25) anyway i stopped taking it for good November 2023, the acne didn’t stop and i gained an insane amount of weight, I’m just wondering if it could be the reason? and is it possible to have such long term effects?
Is there a good online supplement store you buy from that's based in the EU?
I've been using nootropicsdepot living in the US, but I'm going to be moving to the EU pretty soon here and was hoping there was some equivalent online store in the EU. If not, where do you tend to get your supplements/nootropics?
This post may be ignorant or stupid. But I tried a ghost energy drink and i felt super tuned in and focused.
I did a google search to find out why ghost was so effective for me compared to other energy drinks and discovered nootropics.
Im curious if they are any healthier alternative as supplement products that you guys find similar to what ghost has? I just don’t want to reply on drinking an energy drink every day, so any alternatives would be great.
Thanks
I started 200mg of L-Theanine this morning with my coffee (half-decaf) and mag threonate. 200mg was the smallest dosage capsule I could find. I had jitters for about 3-4 hours after. Did I start too high?
Edit: CLEANED AND ACCESSED FOR DECAY AND INFLAMMATION BY A PROFESSIONAL.
My mind is racing a million miles a second about this topic so please excuse me if what you read is a little choppy hahah I know the title seems kind of out there, especially in a space where everyone’s talking about supplement but hear me out. There’s a lot more I want to say in regard to my theories on a cellular level to support this argument but just to keep it simple I’ll give the basics of my thoughts.
A little about me: I have ADHD and I’m on the autism spectrum, but I’ve never really felt like I struggle with it. I’ve always been able to “use it” to my advantage, The usual ADHD symptoms never really fit me like they did with my friends who have it.
Fast forward I finished medical school and I’m in my last few internships. I see patients of all ages, from kids to the elderly, and I always have access to their medical history. Over time, I started noticing a lot of my patients with neurological conditions—whether it’s kids on Ritalin for ADHD or older adults starting dementia treatment—almost always have bad oral health. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, like when you keep seeing the same number everywhere and your brain tricks you into thinking it means something. But the more I saw it, the more it stuck with me.
Just so happens I’m reviewing studying for a licensing exam and something eye opening my pathology professor said stands out again “95% of diseases and disorders are caused by some sort of inflammation.” It sounds overly simplistic, but it’s true. If you look at most diseases in medical textbooks, the hallmark signs of inflammation is almost always the common denominator (redness,swelling,pain, cell death). And here’s the thing, almost every oral disease (except for genetic/developmental ones) is, by definition, inflammation.
That’s when it really started clicking for me. This isn’t just a random pattern there’s a real biological basis for it. It even made me think about my younger cousin, who had terrible oral health since childhood has been/on multiple meds for neurological disorders. Meanwhile, I’ve always been obsessive about my oral hygiene brushing properly, salt water gargling, and immediately scheduling a dental cleaning if my floss smells bad for a few days in a row.
The more I looked into research on this, the more I found studies documenting the exact link I’ve been seeing firsthand. There’s actual published studies in the NIH Library of Medicine with data showing connections between oral health and cognitive function, and yet it doesn’t seem to get nearly as much attention as it should. I even brought it up to a family friend who recently retired as a doctor, and this shit has been blowing his mind the more he thinks about it.
So now I’m seriously wondering, has anyone else noticed this? There’s already research out there, and I’m seeing it firsthand with patients. Could poor oral hygiene be an overlooked factor in neurological conditions? I’d love to hear from anyone who’s looked into this or has their own experiences with it.
Edit: TLDR:
This is not about oral hygiene practices and habits. Poor oral health (tooth decay & gum disease) is linked to being a plausible cause of cognitive decline, neuroinflammation, and neurotransmitter imbalances. Inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α) and oxidative stress (MDA, 8-OHdG) are elevated in both gum disease and neurological disorders. Some of the same markers are found elevated in people with Autism/ADHD. Harmful oral bacteria (P. gingivalis, T. denticola, F. nucleatum) produce neurotoxins or suppress good bacteria, disrupting dopamine, serotonin, GABA, acetylcholine, and glutamate. Chronic inflammation, neurotoxicity, and microbiome imbalances may contribute to cognitive issues. Good oral hygiene could help protect brain health.
Studies:
Oral Health and Cognitive Function: 1. Oral Health and Cognitive Function in Older Adults https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30904915/ 2. Periodontal Health, Cognitive Decline, and Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis https://agsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jgs.17978 3. Tooth Loss and the Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia: A Meta-Analysis https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1103052/full
Oral Health and Depression: 4. Anxiety, Depression, and Oral Health: A Population-Based Study in Kerman, Iran https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6474177/ 5. Relationship Between Oral Health and Depression: Data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-024-03950-2 6. The Impact of Oral Health on Depression: A Systematic Review https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/scd.13079
I’ve taken Bromantane for a while now, like 3 years. A few days ago I got the craziest feeling I had ever felt from Bromantane while skiing. It was amazing and felt like I was in a euphoric dream. Time seemed to be slowed down but also moved like butter. Each hour was an extremely distinct memory in my head. It was like I was nostalgic for the current moment I was in and had some physical enhancement. I was having a blast skiing and being with my friends. I would honestly say the most comparable feeling would be a low dose of LSD. I haven’t gotten it since with Bromantane. Has anyone else gotten this from Bromantane and has it happened more than once?
Hi not sure if this is the right subreddit,
but I went through my adderall prescription a bit too fast. (next refill in a few days)
(not looking for judgement here - more so if there's any advice on these compounds)
I recently impulsed purchased: Fladrafinil, Fasoracetam, Cyclazodone, BPC-157 & Semex
I've had a lot of ADHD issues over the years - and i'm looking for ways to improve my cognition.
However after doing more research (as one should) now i'm very hesitant to try one of these.
I'm going to hold off on the BPC-157 and Semex for now (especially someone with Crohn's when i found this reddit post)
I want to start with Cyclazodone
Would anyone have any either:
Any help would be appreciated.
Other notes: I take a Vitamin B shot in the shoulder weekly, I do have very low Vit-D. I do wear a CPAP every night to sleep.
So as the post says I'm looking for a new Tia vendor but Google is being a bitch and not showing me much besides wiki articles on how it's bad any help would be appreciated and if this is not allowed apologies
I recently bought some of this off amazon. After looking I could only find 3 or 4 different brands that sold this specific supplement. One of which being "Bulksupplements.com" off of amazon. So I ended up ordering some of it from amazon but then after ordering I did some research on bulksupplements.com and came across a bunch of bad reviews on trustpilot and even here on reddit. People seem to say a lot of there stuff is not pure or just straight up bunk. I saw one post by misteryousodumb (the guy who owns nootropicsdepot.com) and he posted something awhile ago saying they tested some of their stuff and everything was either bunk, the wrong thing all together or cut and not pure at all.
Anyways I bought it from bulksupplements sense it was only $30 for 1.1 lbs of pure powder while the only other option I saw online was from some company called Allergy Research Group but they were selling much much less of it for $75 and then there was another selling it for $112 for again much much less product.
Has anyone got a legit source of L-Ornithine l-aspartate? Or does anyone know if this LOLA from bulksupplements is legit? I have a feeling what I bought as "LOLA" is just L-ornthine HCL as I have some normal l-ornithine HCL and it tastes exactly like the L-Ornithine l-aspartate I got from bulksupplements.com.
TL;DR: Is bulksupplements legit/pure? Where can I buy legit L-Ornithine l-aspartate?
Well, the title is exactly what it sounds like. I've been using phenibut as of yesterday to avoid gabapentin withdrawal. It's not the brightest plan, but it does work. Now here is what I'm curious about, what is the single best way to detox from phenibut? A benzo taper with baclofen? I have had quite a few detoxes in centers and rehabs, so I was curious what they would use if you went for phenibut. All this being said I'm completely aware how stupid it is to use a worse substance.
I just got a gymnema sylvestre tincture. Apparently it’s good for sugar addiction recovery? I heard it reduces cravings and inhibits the ability to taste sugar.
I have yet to use it and want to know what is the recommend usage it? In the morning? Before meals? How long before or after meals? How often a day? If I am using it for sugar addiction, how long do I have to be on it? I hear it takes 3-4 weeks to get sugar off your palate/daily cravings to naturally subside.
I am 29M, have normal blood work, so normal blood sugar & pressure, non-diabetic. Normal weight. I am just addicted to sugar. It’s a waste of money and I don’t want to become diabetic.
Thanks for advice.
Is this something you would take?
Proprietary Blend
700mg
*
Kigelia Africana Extract (fruit), Cacao Extract (fruit), Caffeine Anhydrous, Juniper Extract (berry), Bauhinia Purpurea Extract (leaf and pod), Bitter Orange Extract (fruit), Octopamine, Hawthorn Extract (fruit)
While there are many experimental neuroprotectant, the most potent one is surprisingly one of the most basic, the omega 3 acid DHA of which our diet are limited.
DHA in longitudinal studies shows a 50% reduction in the occurence of dementia. Which could be interpreted as rhoughly halving brain aging. People that are not responders are apo-e allele carrier which is the biggest driver of alzheimer and indeed the main mechanism behind the mutation is reduced ability for DHA to cross the blood brain barrier.
As such, one has to ask:
Another piece of evidence comes from modern precision medicine proteomics that shows that among the hundreds of defence proteins that are upregulated as a pathological response to alzheimer, the one the most significantly upregulated is a protein that plays a role in improving BBB import of DHA. Despite this homeostatic response, it appears such upregulation is ineffective because of the apo-e defect.
Hence while it is often underappreciated that DHA, as is, is the most potent longitudinal neuroprotectant, its actual potency, if we improved the pharmacokinetics could potentially transcend current DHA supplementation efficacy and be a medical breakthrough!
Because even if most people are deficient in the diet and that supplementation long term usually fix the level in erythrocytes, there is empirical evidence that apo-e carriers are functionally deficient of DHA selectivelly in the brain because of reduced BBB crossing/import.
Even in healthy humans, BBB import of DHA is very limited, and is crucially dependent on the form of DHA.
There are two main form of DHA sold, the base form and the re-triglyceridated (rTG) form. While rTG has 4 time better bioavailability at increasing levels in red blood cells (which might be beneficial for cardiovascular health) it is a fundamental misconception that this would be a reliable proxy for brain levels.
Indeed this has been specifically studied both in mouse (in vivo) and in BBB human cell cultures (ex-vivo/in vitro)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6885117/
They find that the triglyceride form does not increase DHA levels in the brain.
Unclear if they have tested the base form but they says it is not effective too (or weak).
On the contrary they make the major breakthrough discovery, that DHA conjugated to lysophosphatidylcholine very significantly increase brain levels.
they show that di-DHA phosphatidylcholine cross it too though less effectivelly than DHA-LPC.
As you probably know phosphatidylcholine is a popular neuroprotectant (for myelin and cholinergy) and is enriched in eggs, or in supplements such as CDP choline.
But here the lyso form is more effective which is usually not supplemented (although partially synthetized ? from the base form). I'm not sure but maybe lecithin contains the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lecithin lyso form? it should be easy to produce otherwise.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysophosphatidylcholine
LPC in principle does not sounds too desirable (as lpc increase phagocytosis of cells, and of myelin..) but such revolutionnary DHA incorporation might be well worth it. Otherwise as stated di-DHA non lyso is devoid of this issue.
> LPCs occur in many foods naturally. According to the third edition of Starch: Chemistry and Technology, lysophosphatidylcholine makes up about 70% of the lipids in oat starch (p.592).^([11])
Anyway I have an extremely basic question in chemistry, how do we make molecule conjugates?
I can get DHA and phosphatidylcholine separately, but how do I conjugate them?
For example if I eat them at the same time, will there be naturally spontanous conjugation? if so at which rate? How to catalyze it?
https://www.jlr.org/article/S0022-2275(20)34903-8/pdf
is there a difference between conjugation and esterification? anyway dha esterified in lysophosphatidylcholine works too but how to do such esterification?
https://patents.google.com/patent/EP2089400B1/en
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36364810/
note induction of MDR3 might be a strategy
> After oral administration, PC is more than 90%
absorbed by the intestinal mucosa via conversion to LPC
and reesterification (25, 26).
note that this study contradict the reseach though they still find that lpc is better incorporated to their conclusion is unclear, maybe it's just that base non supplemented levels show low lpc vs trigly?
I started red ginseng two days ago. First day was great. Huge increase in concentration and focus and I slept well. However the next day I woke up tired and super fatigued. It felt like a crash. I decided to power through and take ginseng again. It did not go away, I felt tired all day. That night I slept really well and today I woke up tired again. Not as bad as yesterday but still very tired. What’s going on? Will this go away?