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I've spent a lot of time investigating nootropics over a couple of years, and I really don't think Modafinil does much. It is great for feeling a little more a

by replete 11y ago

I've spent a lot of time investigating nootropics over a couple of years, and I really don't think Modafinil does much. It is great for feeling a little more awake when you're really sleep-deprived, but the tunnel-vision effect on high doses isn't always useful. Exercise , healthy eating, and mindfulness will yield more benefits than any smart drug.

crusso 11y ago
Same here. I tried armodafinil in addition. Although I was wide awake all day, those drugs didn't address the deeper brain-foggy feeling that I was having. They just masked a little sleepiness. After taking them for a few days, I looked back and the preceding days were all in a haze. When it was painfully obvious that Modafinil was negatively impacting my memory, I stopped taking it. I've also dabbled in a bunch of the *phetamine ADHD drugs. They were more effective, but the effects taper off after a couple of months as your brain adjusts to work around the imbalance that the drugs create. They also had nasty side effects like raising my blood pressure and making my heart feel like it was racing when I was sitting in a chair doing nothing. My experience with oxiracetam was just money down the drain. No effect I could notice whatsoever except maybe a little more sleepiness, which was definitely not the effect I was looking for. I've been much more satisfied with my approach the last couple of years which is as you say: Exercise - cardio on an exercise bike every day, strength training 4 or 5 days a week, yoga a couple of times a week. Healthy Eating - low carb works for me. Carbs are my worst enemy in terms of staying clear-headed. Most of my meals are Keto Chow shakes supplemented with salads, fresh vegetables, and lean meats. Mindfulness - I try to meditate every day, typically while I'm on my exercise bike or whenever I find quiet moments shortly after waking up or before going to sleep at night. These three things have proven to be much cheaper than the drugs and way more effective. The downside is that they aren't as easy as popping pills.
neverminder 11y ago
I have spent a lot of time researching nootropics too. Modafinil provides alertness/wakefulness and that is already a lot to some people. You can then add a racetam, anxiolytic or whatever else is needed. Even l-theanine is known to smooth out some negative effects of modafinil. You can use all the cognitive enhancers under the sun, but they're not gonna do squat if you're yawning your head off. And just for the record - I work out every day, take cold showers, medidate, my diet is impeccable (macro nutrient balanced) and all that combined still doesn't give me the same level as nootropics do.
- Artistry121 11y ago
  Could you point me to a good resource on nootropics?
  - forloop 11y ago
    1. LongeCity: http://www.longecity.org/forum/forum/169-brain-health/ http://www.longecity.org/forum/forum/169-brain-health/ 2. /r/nootropics From there you should be able to find other resources; but they're the best.
nly 11y ago
Agreed. Unless I was sleep deprived, all Modafinil really did for me was increase my appetite (for food) and make my pee smell funny. Under sleep deprivation it's pretty good though.
- neverminder 11y ago
  Increased the appetite? One of the most reported side effects is exactly the opposite - suppression of the appetite (http://nootriment.com/modafinil-effects/ http://nootriment.com/modafinil-effects/) which I can personally confirm.
  - nly 11y ago
    It could simply be because i tended to be up longer on moda and therefore ate more meals. Reports vary. A friend of mine took some (of mine) and claimed to experience extreme jitters and paranoia, whereas I can only describe moda as giving me an extremely mild calming effect. Calm and hungry. It took me a week of taking it before I could say definitively whether it was having an effect at all, so I eventually decided the drug as a recreational experiment wasn't worth the money.
cloverich 11y ago
Devils Advocate: What about Exercise, healthy eating, mindfulness, and a smart drug?

by replete 11y ago

crusso 11y ago

Same here. I tried armodafinil in addition. Although I was wide awake all day, those drugs didn't address the deeper brain-foggy feeling that I was having. They just masked a little sleepiness. After taking them for a few days, I looked back and the preceding days were all in a haze. When it was painfully obvious that Modafinil was negatively impacting my memory, I stopped taking it. I've also dabbled in a bunch of the *phetamine ADHD drugs. They were more effective, but the effects taper off after a couple of months as your brain adjusts to work around the imbalance that the drugs create. They also had nasty side effects like raising my blood pressure and making my heart feel like it was racing when I was sitting in a chair doing nothing. My experience with oxiracetam was just money down the drain. No effect I could notice whatsoever except maybe a little more sleepiness, which was definitely not the effect I was looking for. I've been much more satisfied with my approach the last couple of years which is as you say: Exercise - cardio on an exercise bike every day, strength training 4 or 5 days a week, yoga a couple of times a week. Healthy Eating - low carb works for me. Carbs are my worst enemy in terms of staying clear-headed. Most of my meals are Keto Chow shakes supplemented with salads, fresh vegetables, and lean meats. Mindfulness - I try to meditate every day, typically while I'm on my exercise bike or whenever I find quiet moments shortly after waking up or before going to sleep at night. These three things have proven to be much cheaper than the drugs and way more effective. The downside is that they aren't as easy as popping pills.

neverminder 11y ago

I have spent a lot of time researching nootropics too. Modafinil provides alertness/wakefulness and that is already a lot to some people. You can then add a racetam, anxiolytic or whatever else is needed. Even l-theanine is known to smooth out some negative effects of modafinil. You can use all the cognitive enhancers under the sun, but they're not gonna do squat if you're yawning your head off. And just for the record - I work out every day, take cold showers, medidate, my diet is impeccable (macro nutrient balanced) and all that combined still doesn't give me the same level as nootropics do.

Artistry121 11y ago
Could you point me to a good resource on nootropics?
- forloop 11y ago
  1. LongeCity: http://www.longecity.org/forum/forum/169-brain-health/ http://www.longecity.org/forum/forum/169-brain-health/ 2. /r/nootropics From there you should be able to find other resources; but they're the best.

nly 11y ago

Agreed. Unless I was sleep deprived, all Modafinil really did for me was increase my appetite (for food) and make my pee smell funny. Under sleep deprivation it's pretty good though.

neverminder 11y ago
Increased the appetite? One of the most reported side effects is exactly the opposite - suppression of the appetite (http://nootriment.com/modafinil-effects/ http://nootriment.com/modafinil-effects/) which I can personally confirm.
- nly 11y ago
  It could simply be because i tended to be up longer on moda and therefore ate more meals. Reports vary. A friend of mine took some (of mine) and claimed to experience extreme jitters and paranoia, whereas I can only describe moda as giving me an extremely mild calming effect. Calm and hungry. It took me a week of taking it before I could say definitively whether it was having an effect at all, so I eventually decided the drug as a recreational experiment wasn't worth the money.

cloverich 11y ago

Devils Advocate: What about Exercise, healthy eating, mindfulness, and a smart drug?