● Hello dear Steemers, I’ve been trying a few Nootropics those last years to find out my ultimate stack, since everyone’s chemistry is different, and I thought that some people in this amazing new social platform would like my personal and subjective view of the ones I tried so far. I always make good amount of research before buying products/compounds.
Nootropics?
First of, what is a Nootropic? Nootropics, also referred inaccurately as smart drugs, are drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that improve one or more aspects of cognition, big word that refers to a capacity for information processing, applying knowledge, and changing preferences. Thus, these mental activities require a good use of memory, attention, executive functions, perception, language, psychomotor function, and probably mood and motivation. To be classified in this class, the compound must respect those criterias:
- They should enhance the resistance of learned behaviors/memories to conditions which tend to disrupt them (e.g. electroconvulsive shock, hypoxia).
- They should protect the brain against various physical or chemical injuries (e.g. barbiturates, scopolamine).
- They should increase the efficacy of the tonic cortical/subcortical control mechanisms.
- They should lack the usual pharmacology of other psychotropic drugs (e.g. sedation, motor stimulation) and possess very few side effects and extremely low toxicity.
Now let's get to it!
•Phenibut (500mg): [GABA Analogues]
I really liked it. It gave me a huge anxiolytic and calming effect. It took around 3 hours to work and it is very useful when it’s time to speak in front of people, since it relieves all stress and anxiety. Phenibut has very unique effects. If you compare it to Kratom, you’ll find that it almost has a “background effect”, while kratom is more noticeable (even though phenibut, imo, has a more powerful effect). Instead of feeling different, you just are different (but not in any extreme ways). There is a great overwhelming sense of well-being.
Positive: Relaxation without sedation.
Negative: Addictive, withdrawal syndrome.
•PRL-8-53 (8mg): [Benzoates]
By far the best Nootropics I have taken for short term memory. Combine with Coluracetam to avoid building tolerance is even more powerful. The best combo for stuying.
•Galantamine (7mg): [Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors]
This one I used it only before sleeping. It give some incredible vivid dreams. To maximize the effects, one should take it in the middle of the sleep cycle.
Positive: Promoting Vivid and Lucid dreams.
•Sulbutiamine (200mg): [Vitamin Deriatives]
At first, I was disappointed, but I continued to try it out every now and then and I can say that it works great. Nice boost of energy and motivation, kind of a possible substitute to Caffeine.
Positive: Focus, stimulation, high/relentless energy
Negative: Rebound depression fatigue with constant use, fast tolerance to the positive effects.
•Alpha GPC (600mg): [Choline Supplements]
My principal source of Choline. It really helps me to be clear headed and avoiding brain fog.
Positive: Counteracts Racetam headaches and brainfog. Boost HGH levels.
Negative: Excessive choline signaling can lead to headaches.
•Pramiracetam (250mg): [Racetams]
I liked it for the good memory enhancement but I felt like a zombie, no emotion, irritable, frustraded for nothing etc. On that I become an analytical Robot.
Positive: Memory, focus, verbal fluidity, stimulating goal-oriented behaviour.
Negative: Stomach pain.
•Ginkgo (30mg): [Herbs]
This one I tried it once, after a couple of researches I conclude that it wasn’t necessary with the Nootropics that I already had.
Positive: Enhances cerebral blood flow, vasodilator
Negative: Take long time to show effects.
•Lion’s Mane (3000mg): [Mushrooms]
This one too, I tried it once. Since its and BDNF and NGF and I was already on Noopept. It has great potential but cycles needed.
Positive: NGF promotion.
Negative: Expensive, can induce fatigue in some users.
•Aniracetam (1300mg): [Racetams]
I didn’t hate it, nor like it. I did feel a more relaxing mood. Would be good for anxiety. (Taken for a month)
Positive: Memory, focus, anti-anxiety, increased learning ability, improved cognitive processing, heightened reflexes and perception.
Negative: Can induce brainfog and headaches. Sleepiness, nausea.
•Coluracetam (3mg): [Racetams]
My favorite Racetam family! HD vision, mood, choline uptake, memory and an amazing anxiolytic effect. Note that I feel like I can read people more easily on that. (Subjective)
Positive: Improve memory, mood enhancer, slightly anxiolytic, improve color perception, and antidepressant effects.
Negative: Expensive
•Noopept (30mg): [Peptides]
I really like Noopept, even if I feel a bit robotic mood-like it’s worth the shot (Taken for 1 month on 1 month off)
Positive: Increase levels of BDNF and NGF. Prevents Beta Amyloid plaque aggregation, stimulate immune response.
Negative: Short term memory problems at the beginning with high doses.
•Fish Oil: [Fatty Acids]
General health and good to put in a stack. DHA/EPA
Positive: Promotes muscle growth, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory
•Super B12 Sublingual (1mg): [Vitamins]
Very effective taken in the morning, it gives a little smooth boost and restart the circadian cycle.
Positive: Short-term memory improvement.
Negative: Physical anxiety if saturated.
•L-theanine/Suntheanine/L-theanine Sublingual (100mg): [GABA Agonists]
The best Route of Administration for me was the sublingual solution. Simple way to relieves stress.
Positive: Anti-anxiety, increases dopamine, promotes relaxation.
Negative:
•Super Rhodiola Sublingual (20mg): [Plant Matter]
Very effective taken in the morning, it gives a little smooth natural energy boost.
Positive: Mental energy, mood, mental relaxation.
•Tianeptine Sodium (12.5mg): [Monoaminergics]
Very effective for lifting mood. Interesting compound for Depression, but need to be taken with precautions.
Positive: Anxiolytic, anti-depressant, increases BDNF
•Memantine (10mg): [NMDA Antagonists]
Improve memory (Proven in moderate-to-advanced Alzheimer's) Slows Amphetamine tolerance.
Negative: Temporary worsening short-term memory, reversible psychosis (with high doses)
•Kava Kava (300mg): [Plant Matter]
Subtile anxiolytic, almost non-existent.
Positive: Anxiolysis and hypnotic effects without loss of locomotive coordination.
Negative: Nausea
•Picamilion (300mg): [Vitamin Deriatives]
Same as Kava
Positive: Improves cerebral blood flow and relieves stress/anxiety, facilitates the transport of GABA through the BBB (Blood Brain Barrier).
•Sunifiram (10mg): [Ampakines]
Pretty good, but drop it for health concern. (Tumors related) Would stick to its better version Unifiram.
Positive: Memory, enhanced learning, improved decision making. A greater ability to convert short-term memory into long-term memory, improved motor skills via increased control over muscle contraction.
Negative: Activates Protein Kinase C alpha which is linked to malignant brain neoplasms.
•Magnesium L-Threonate (150mg): [Minerals]
Best form of magnesium. Pretty effective. I take it before bed. A bit expensive though, Glycinate form is close to its effective and is way cheaper.
Positive: Strong muscle relaxant, counteract jaw clenching.
•Quercetin (1,136-2,272mg): [Flavonoids]
High source of vitamin C, Antioxidant that reduces neurotoxicity.
•R-Alpha-Lipoic-Acid (300mg): [Antioxidants]
Powerful antioxidant.
Positive: Reduces oxidative damage, recycle vitamin C.
•5-HTP (300mg): [Serotonergics]
Helps restore serotonin levels.
•ALCAR (1000mg): [Cholinergics]
A great supplement that I often use. I feel more focus on it, it’s a great supplement. I noticed that when I use ALCAR, it increase in some way the BBB and makes the Nootropics works even better, but it’s just a subjective thought, I need to do more research on the mechanism.
Positive: Enhances alertness, and mental energy.
Negative: Large doses require supplementation with an antioxidant to counteract pro-oxidant effects. Some reports of depression and sleepiness.
•NALT (500mg): [Amino Acids]
Good to synergise a stack. Very good for young healthy people. There is scientific evidence for helping creativity.
Positive: Improves mental function, enhances mood.
•Spirulina (1-8g): [Algae]
High source of Vitamins.
•Echinacea Complex (400mg): [Herbs]
Good for immune support.
•Ashwagandha KSM-66 (250mg): [GABAergics]
My favorite natural Nootropic along with Bacopa. Powerful anxiolytic without impairing one's ability.
Positive: Muscles growth, sleep, confidence, alertness, stress reduction, increase in libido (men). Proven to be neuroprotective of dopaminergic neurons, following opioid withdrawal.
•PhenylPiracetam (100mg): [Racetams]
I love PhenylP. Nice energy boost and concentration. It keeps me focus without jittery.
Positive: Improves tolerance to cold weather, and increases productivity.
•PhenylPiracetam Hydrazide (100mg): [Racetams]
Tried once. Potentially better than the non-Hydrazide one.
•Epicor (500mg): [Yeast]
Very good for immune support, health support.
•Bacopa (Bacognize) (300mg): [Plant Leaves]
It was part of my night stack. After a complete cycle, I can’t really say that I had a huge cognitive increase, the effects were most likely very subtle. But the calmness that it gives me is very interesting. In the recent researches I made, I learned that I must take it during 3 months to feel the get the effects.
Positive: Long-term benefits to memory (increase noticed quicker when daily high doses), sleep/dream enhancer/anxiolytic.
Negative: Drowsiness, fatigue, can interact with thyroid hormones, interacts with enzymes involving metabolism of other drug.
•Modafinil (100mg): [Eugeroics]
Very effective. It isn’t technically a Nootropics, but the concentration and focus are very pronounce and I can easily sleep at night with it.
Positive: Large increase in focus, alertness, motivation, and agility.
Negative: Irritability, tunnel vision, panic, adverse skin reaction (rare), talking to yourself, circular thoughts, emotional dulling.
•IDRA-21 (7mg): [Ampakines]
I did 3 or 4 days consecutive on it and it stopped due to some negative manic side effects. Also I suspect that I am allergic to Ampakines due to the itchy feeling on it.
Positive: Efficacious in the reversal of Scopolamine and Alprazolam cognitive deficits.
Negative: Abuse may lead to excitotoxicity, and subsequent neuronal death. May induce damage following ischemia.
•N-Acetyl-Semax (2-3 sprays): [Peptides]
Very subtle. I am maybe a little more focus and alert, but it can easily be Placebo effect.
Positive: Increases BDNF and NGF
•N-Acetyl-Selank (2-3 sprays): [Peptides]
This one is very interesting, it is one of my favorite noots so far, and the anxiolytic effect pair well with the focus. I like it.
Positive: Increases BDNF, decreases anxiety, Reduces anhedonia.
•Pyritinol (600mg): [Vitamin Deriatives]
This is one of my favorite Nootropics too, mix with ECGC and ALCAR makes a very good stack!
Positive: Faster reaction time, studies suggest great hangover tool (higher doses)
Negative: Possible diarrhea.
•Green Tea (50% polyphenols, 35% catechins, approximately 20% of which is the important EGCG fraction) (500mg) [Antioxidants]
Good to synergise a stack or to pair with 5-htp.
•Tianeptine Sulfate (41.25mg): [Monoaminergics]
I prefer this salt form. It is, in overall, better than the sodium. No need to redoes 3 times a day with this one.
•Bromantane (70mg): [Stimulants]
Very interesting compound. This one has stimulant and anxiolytic properties. It synergizes itself!
I have a couple of other Nootropics that I want to try. Of course, I did not take all of them at the same time. To be able to find your perfect stack, you need to try them separately. Taking a lot of Nootropics in the same time can be dangerous.
If you have any questions, comments… insults go. I will try to answer to the best of my knowledge. I’m always open to constructive thoughts!
Have a nice day.
(☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞
I use a 100% natural stack called PowerFocus®.
It works better than any combination or other stack I have tried and there is no jitteriness. Its been really well reviewed on Amazon UK.
I've tried this and I agree it worked best for me !!
I tried power focus because my attention easily wonders but mostly I just get tired from working so much. The first time I took them I tried 2 at once and wow that had a big effect, my tiredness completely vanished and I was in the mood to get as much done as possible. It really worked. Now I'll only take one at a time because one is enough for me to shake tiredness and regain focus.
pretty good. if you're wondering about Modafinil's health or side effects this article does a good job of outlining that.
http://nootropic.press/oral-modafinil-side-effects-dosage-legality
I'm interested in the described "HD Vision" of Coluracetam. Is this something you experienced your self? How did your vision change?
Are you still testing, or have you found a good combo that you are sticking with for now, and what is it?
Selank is probably my favorite. As for the HD Vision, I read a paper last year about it, but fail to remember what is the mecanism of action. Noopept do that too as well as Fasoracetam.
Edit: Glutamate transmission was implicated in the color saturation!
Great writeup. I've always been skeptical of these nootropics since some people like to advertise them as miracle pills. Feels like scam to me, though after reading your post I may be tempted to try one of em. Which one would you recommend for enhancing general memory and any reputable website I could read on it fully before I take it?
Because of the lack of Human Trials, Nootropics should be taken with precautions. I wouldn't feel comfortable to suggest more novel compounds, that being said, Piracetam and Noopept are great for starter !
Thanks!
Can you put the good ones in a starter kit with directions and sell it to me?
Simply follow the right dosage. There is a lot of scam websites that are selling comound directly from the Chinese suppliers without doing proper purity testing. You need to find a company that do 3rd party testing to ensure the you are receiving what you order and without any impurities.
Great list @honore. Thank you for posting. I would encourage you to investigate CILTEP and add it to your list. I'm more a fan of the natural compounds for sure. The mechanism of action in CILTEP revolves around cAMP and AMPK which are great for focus. I think it depends on your objectives with each supplement.
Clitep has been debunked.
Really? It seems that Abelard Lindsay researched it well. Do you have research. I like Natural Stacks in general.
Hey, if you like natural stacks, the best one out there is PowerFocus®. Its all natural and very highly reviewed.
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