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Nootropics & I (Progress Thread)

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awkwardgenius

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Came across this: Real NZT Pill | Limitless Nutrition | WebNutrients Real NZT-48

Reading through the site, they seem to do a custom formulation
all-in-one powder that uses a lot of what you guys have been talking about.

Wow...piggybacking off the name, "NZT" is both very smart, and very VERY misleading. I wouldn't trust these guys for a second. "Omniracetam" is not an actual chemical compound, and there's no telling what's actually in it (if you're lucky, it's just a blend of racetams).

Overpriced, overhyped, and saying shit like "Now you can be superhuman". Yeah, shady as hell.
 
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EastWind

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There's no shortcut in life. Want to improve, do the same thing over and over again, and for each iteration, figure out how to do it a bit better.
That's how you get better, smarter, more efficient.
Learn efficient time management skills, eat well, sleep well. Period. Don't poison your body with substances you don't understand the long time effect.
 

Twiki

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I get the philosophy behind advising more "natural" methods of improvement thru continuous effort and learning, but there's an error in assuming that using things like nootropics implies that a person is not eating well, sleeping well, or making use of time management skills.

Update: in the past couple weeks I've tripled my dosage of Piracetam to 4.8g twice per day and the difference is even more noticable, I suspect I may have taken too low a dosage by starting off at 1.6g x 2/day. Still keeping choline the same. There are some unexpected subjective benefits I've noticed:

a) it seems to mitigate the downsides of caffeine use, I get the focus with coffee but with the addition of Piracetam, coffee doesn't seem to cause an unnecessary amount of tension and jittery-ness as it sometimes would, and lack of coffee does not seem to cause headaches or "withdrawal" as much.

b) since taking Piracetam I've been much more consistently going to sleep at a "normal" time. Whereas before I would almost always stay up till 3AM or 4AM, I'm now going to sleep at midnight or so. Staying up late did not cause problems in my daily functioning, but it's strange because now I am suspecting that there was some underlying anxiety that was causing me to avoid going to sleep previously, which for some reason Piracetam seems to have alleviated.
 

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InLikeFlint

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Hey what's up guys!

It's been a while since I have responded to this thread...just wanted to let you know that I will be writing an 8+ page on Nootropics for my Psych class - obviously I won't be using my personal experience since no one knows I use them, but I will be doing some extensive research for the paper. The position I am taking is that Noots are positive and are worth using, I will be discussing general terms and usage, but also specific case studies and examples of the Noots and what they do.

If I find anything intriguing or shocking I will be sure to post it here, and if anyone is interested, you can contact me for a copy when I am finished.
 

JasonR

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Interesting stuff.

I noticed you didn't write anything about Modafinil or Adderall. Probably because you shouldn't be taking them at 16, but when someone says nootropic I think of Modafinil. I have a little bit of knowledge about Modafinil and Adderall, as does the Bulletproof Executive.

Also, you may want to look into Brain Wave hacking.
 
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InLikeFlint

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gw501516 is an exercise supplement that also gives you energy throughout the day

Just thought I would post this for anyone who reads through this thread. I would stay away from GW501516 altogether. If you google a Noot and the second result is a health warning, that should definitely raise red flags.

GW501516 - Serious Risks Associated With the Use of the Unauthorized Product - For the Public - Recalls & alerts - Healthy Canadians Website

Everyone be safe, don't try things you aren't comfortable with or that you haven't researched.
 

benhebert

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My biggest question is on Modafinil. It was the first Noot I read about, and to be completely honest it seems like the top notch Noot. I am especially interested because of the extended time on it that allows up to 40 hours of time awake without sleep, what I am currently taking doesn't currently keep me up so fatigue and sleepiness often take away from some good time at night I could use to do homework, read, do business, etc. How is it? Do you like it? Would you recommend it? Do you have a script or did you buy it off script?

I have been taking Modalert (generic) for the past two weeks. I don't think that everything is true about it, but it's still a very powerful tool. I've found it lasts for about 7 - 8 hours solid ability to focus with full clarity. I can still eat on it and get even better when I'm in social situations. I only take half a pill 100mg and have found that it's non-addictive and tolerance builds up pretty quickly.

Is it the end all be all? No, but worth checking out.
 

Mike Kavanagh

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Don't believe everything you read. For all we know they could of only tested a mouse with a short life span and gave it McDonald's for food.
To many variables to know the truth.

On top of all that they tested E & C isolate. Pure vitamin isotopes... Your body flushes excess vitamins after use. No harm done to you.
Nor has this study been tested on humans, because humans live to long for multiple tests. Nor do they want to be sued for killing someone.
 

InLikeFlint

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Hey what's up guys!

Been a while since I updated this thread - to be honest, since my last post I hadn't really used any Noots or Supplements. Partially, because I didn't want to rely on them for every aspect of my life, and also because I wanted to see how my brain would function after taking supplements that supposedly help create new pathways and heal/protect your brain.

Things were going really well over the summer, I was doing lots of work and reading, some ACT prep here and there, and some college research. But there was a 2 week period maybe 2 months in where I hit a brick wall. Perhaps it was because I had been stuck with the same routine for so long, perhaps I was just burnt out, but I lacked motivation for everything except working out.

I headed back to school for my senior year and things were looking great. My first quarter went extremely well and I managed to finish 11 college applications and supplements, while still maintaining my current work. [Insert snide remarks about college]. However, part way through my 2nd quarter I began to slow up a bit. Not nearly as bad as over the summer, but I lacked a lot of motivation. I accounted it to "senioritis" and did what I could to manage decent grades.

My exams are going on this week (have my last one tomorrow) and up until last Thursday I had done no studying. I knew it was too short of notice to get any of my old natural supplements shipped, but I could get my hands on some ADD meds pretty easily. So I gave it a try! I picked up: Ritalin - 30mg (x2), Vyvanse - 40mg (x1), Adderall XR - 30mg (x5). Today was my 7th straight day taking one of the above supplements and tomorrow will be my 8th and final for the foreseeable future.

Ritalin: Made to be more potent than Adderall, but for a shorter duration (4-5 hours on average). I took these usually at night around 8 or so to get a good solid 4-5 hours of studying in, while still being able to sleep. The focus was great with it. Time passed really quickly, and my mood was really relaxed while studying difficult subjects or solving tough problems. I didn't feel any weird euphoria or anything physical, and I only had a little social interaction throughout, but that seemed normal as well. I was, however, able to multitask with ease. I would answer a text, send an email, and change the music, and then immediately get back to my problem without being further distracted. I got everything done without having to give myself restrictions (Such as phone off, computer off, etc) except the activities overlapped and I negated any "in between" time.

Vyvanse: This was my personal favorite. The effects are said to last 14-16 hours and the strength is supposedly the equivalent of Adderall. I took this one early in the morning at my first alarm, fell back asleep for another 45 minutes, and then woke back up and the effects were beginning to appear. The night before I setup my desk with everything I would need to study, and a sticky note with a list of things to do. I pulled on a shirt and immediately got to work with no delay whatsoever. The effects lasted AT LEAST 12 hours for me if not more, and I felt like the effects were equal throughout the day. Physically my legs felt a little weird (Could be attributed to designated leg day with squats 2 days prior in the weight room, and dead lift the following day). Social interaction was a little odd - I grabbed lunch with friends after about 7 straight hours of studying and I was happy to see and be around them, and I would be listening and talking in conversation, but my gaze would catch on something for long periods of time. I also found difficulty keeping eye contact.

Adderall: Probably my least favorite of the three. Initially, I loved it, but as the days of taking it progressed I started to hate it. This could easily be due to only getting an average of 5 hours of sleep every night while taking them, studying for 12+ hours per day with chunks of up to 7 hours nonstop, or because I wasn't eating as much because of suppressed appetite. For focus, the Adderall was great, I would get stuff done by getting in the zone and not stopping until the task was done. However, socially it made me really moody. I would snap at my close friends, avoid eye contact and conversations, and just feel overwhelmed walking into a room of people. Physically it suppressed my appetite entirely and I had to force myself to eat (Which is one of the worst feelings ever, but I needed the food to continue). It also made me feel really spacey, and like my reactions were slowed. I just felt a little off - especially about 2-3 hours into the effects.

One odd thing that I experienced with all of these is very trippy, interactive dreams. I have had them in the past even when not taking supplements but I literally had one every night. The most memorable and the weirdest was when I thought a police officer opened the door to my dorm and told me we had a fire drill. Dressed only in boxers, I pulled on a pair of Timberlands and grabbed a blanket and walked from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor. I stood there for a good 5-10 minutes before realizing there was no fire alarm. Keep in mind, this wasn't me just dreaming the scenario...I actually full heartedly believed there was a fire drill. In these weird interactive dreams, weird things seem justified and logical, until a certain point when I realize that what I am doing is wrong and out of the ordinary and then I am groggy, but back to my senses. It's a cool experience to have maybe once or twice, but every night it becomes a hassle and really causes some mental instabilities, because my mind was essentially playing tricks on me.

Tomorrow will be my last day using these prescription ADD meds, and while it was great to try them and compare them to my previous stacks, I don't plan on using them unless I desperately need to. If, however, I go back to them, I will not take them on consecutive days, and will better plan my sleep and eating to overcome those difficulties. After this week of trying them, I don't think I could continue taking them even if I wanted to. The ups and downs I would have were ridiculous. After going back into the world of supplements I have decided to consider designing a new stack of natural Noots and sticking with that for daily life.

As always, if you have any further questions I would be happy to answer them!
 

Kak

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@InLikeFlint where was the best source for racetams? I kind of want to try aniracetam and one of the focus ones together. I would rather it be a pill than some powder crap.

And correct me if I'm wrong but I should take them with Choline to make it work?
 
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InLikeFlint

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@InLikeFlint where was the best source for racetams? I kind of want to try aniracetam and one of the focus ones together. I would rather it be a pill than some powder crap.

And correct me if I'm wrong but I should take them with Choline to make it work?

I used Smart Powders for a while and they always had high quality stuff..but something like Pure Nootropics or Cognitive Nutrition should be fine as well. Amazon used to sell the Racetams but not anymore, and certain health stores (GNC as an example) will periodically carry them.

Yes Choline is essential with all Racetams otherwise you will experience headaches.

Cheers!
Sam
 

Kak

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@InLikeFlint thanks!!!! Would you go with Aniracetam and Noopept at the same time? Would this give me a well balanced focus and memory?
 

splok

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I tried ciltep + phenylpiracitam last week. I've tried some of the other racetams before and never really noticed any results. This was HIGHLY noticeable. It felt more like an execution tool than something you'd use regularly though. You definitely have to make sure that the thing you're doing is the thing you need to be doing. I'm not sure if it would be the right thing for everyone, but I'm going to keep a stash around for when shit needs to get done.
 

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After doing some research, I don't know if I want to take something that could potentially have permanent negative effects.
 

InLikeFlint

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@InLikeFlint thanks!!!! Would you go with Aniracetam and Noopept at the same time? Would this give me a well balanced focus and memory?

It has potential to do what you are asking, but everyone reacts differently to Noots and it is all about finding what works for you. For instance, some of my buddies love Adderall, but it makes me cranky and fatigued so I stick with Vyvanse, which they don't like.


I tried ciltep + phenylpiracitam last week. I've tried some of the other racetams before and never really noticed any results. This was HIGHLY noticeable. It felt more like an execution tool than something you'd use regularly though. You definitely have to make sure that the thing you're doing is the thing you need to be doing. I'm not sure if it would be the right thing for everyone, but I'm going to keep a stash around for when shit needs to get done.

The key is knowing the difference between an everyday stack and a "get shit done" stack. If you choose incorrectly you will be tiring yourself out when it isn't necessary. In my opinion, you can put together a nice little health stack to help in the long term and stick to that everyday and then have a kick a$$ stack that hits hard to use a few times a month when you really need to knock out a bunch of work.


After doing some research, I don't know if I want to take something that could potentially have permanent negative effects.

Something that would have a potential negative effect (beyond obscure side effects that can't be readily predicted) would not fall under the category of a Nootropic. By definition a Noot helps improve brain function, heals damaged parts of the brain, and protects from further harm. Something that could potentially hurt your brain might still be a "brain drug" but it can't be considered Nootropic. Some people dabble in both and mix and match for a stack, while some stick solely to the natural stuff. Seems like you would fall under the latter category. I can personally account for the healing effects the drugs have had on my brain, memory, and overall personality. However, Noots aren't for everyone and make sure you do your due diligence before stepping into an area that makes you uncomfortable!

Cheers!
Sam
 
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