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Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

155 points by rayalez 12y ago

What do you think about them? Which ones do you take?

jacques_chester 12y ago
I take Ritalin, prescribed for ADHD-I. It's made a positive impact on my life. From time to time I am able to actually get stuff done. I also trialled dexedrine (which made me behave like a ... not nice person) and strattera (which did nothing for me).
- Igglyboo 12y ago
  You should try vyvanse, I used to take Ritalin and then my doctor trailed me on vyvanse and it lasts the entire day with far less negative side affects than Ritalin. I immediately fell in love, it's still patented though so it isn't cheap without insurance.
  - falcolas 12y ago
    There is also Concerta - which is basically a mechanical pump contained in a pill that delivers Ritalin spread over 8 hours. They aren't under patent, but the extra mechanics built into the pill still drive a generic 30 day prescription into the $200 range (pre-insurance).
    - maxerickson 12y ago
      It isn't mechanical. It's osmotic. This blog has a nice illustration of it: https://drgrcevich.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/why-your-kids-concerta-hasnt-been-working-lately/ https://drgrcevich.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/why-your-kids-co... More here (pdf): https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/JPPS/article/viewFile/8282/7448 https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/JPPS/article... (osmosis is the movement of water across a semi permeable membrane, roughly speaking, the pill is arranged so that water is drawn into it, creating pressure that pushes the drug out of a small hole.) The particular mechanism used in Concerta does appear to be under patent.
      - falcolas 12y ago
        Mechanical delivery means does not exclude using osmosis to provide the pressure. Since the drug itself doesn't travel across an osmotic barrier, calling the delivery mechanism osmotic doesn't explain the mechanism very well. That said, I didn't know that the generic versions used a completely different delivery mechanism; thanks for the links!
        maxerickson 12y ago
        I didn't mean to argue about the words. I read "mechanical pump" and simply didn't believe it, and went and tracked down the above. So for my ears, "mechanical pump" wasn't the right description. I assumed that others might have a similar experience and so I posted what I had found.
  - jacques_chester 12y ago
    I could only trial the drugs that are approved in Australia, because that's where I lived when I was diagnosed. My plan is to talk to a psychiatrist about trialling some of the other drugs approved in the USA; we'll see how it goes.
hellodevnull 12y ago
Modafinil. Works great (14 hours of focus and productivity). At $5 a pop it's not something I can afford daily. If something cheaper becomes available I'd use it.
- dEnigma 12y ago
  That doesn't seem that expensive, I know some people spend this much for a single cup of coffee.
  - noir_lord 12y ago
    It's all relative. For a chunk of humanity $5 is their entire discretionary daily spend (and for some it is their entire daily spend).
- PaulHoule 12y ago
  see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrafinil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrafinil
- MarcusVorenus 12y ago
  You shouldn't take modafinil daily though as you can develop a tolerance. You should take it 3 consecutive days and then rest the other 4 days of the week. Also extreme focus kills creativity so the rest days allow for a productivity/creativity cycle.
  - vldx 12y ago
    Can you elaborate on this? What are the specific positives of cycling Modiafinil, instead irregular single use?
- kudu 12y ago
  ModafinilCat is well regarded and stocks the gold-standard Modalert for $2 a pill.
- f0nd004u 12y ago
  meth?
koalala 12y ago
Dexamphetamine. 1*5mg = 3 hours of uninterrupted coding, with maybe 1 minute total spent looking away from the screen to rest my eyes.
- DougWebb 12y ago
  If no one walks up to me or calls to interrupt me, my everyday routine is that level of focus. No drugs beyond a couple of morning coffee cups needed. One of my coworkers is normal, not like me. When he works in the office there's a lot more socializing, which is great, but it always makes me feel terribly non-productive.
  - AaronFriel 12y ago
    Uninterrupted activity: the best nootropic.
afswashere 12y ago
I use Modafinil (Modalert) once a week. It allows me to work with 100% focus and productivity for 24 hours... so my week is like this: Mon. to Wed. = meetings readings, learning and planning... then I take a pill and execute hard.
- bshimmin 12y ago
  Let me get this right. You pop this pill and then work for 24 hours straight? How do you feel the following day?
  - alaskamiller 12y ago
    It's like caffeine without side effects. Front end of the 24 hours you can be productive with detailed tasks but towards the latter part you're best with menial tasks, like cleaning.
    - sasas 12y ago
      no headaches?
- JohnBooty 12y ago
  How do you obtain it? (I understand you might not be able to be specific) I've heard of it being prescribed off-label for people with ADHD diagnoses.
auganov 12y ago
I take Piracetam, I'm not sure if it works, I'd say no so far (half a year). I'm very interested in nootropics that would work long term (whole life, all the time). Unfortunately most that have a profound effect seem to level-off etc (say Adderall). So I don't think I'll ever try that kind.
mariuolo 12y ago
I've taken Aniracetam for a while. It didn't make me as nervous as Piracetam. Went on and off and noticed some memory improvement.
maaaats 12y ago
I've never heard of this before. To save you some time: > Nootropics, also referred to as smart drugs, memory enhancers, neuro enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers, are drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that improve one or more aspects of mental function, such as working memory, motivation, and attention. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic
sasas 12y ago
Not a nootropic as such, but fuelling my brain on ketones rather the glucose has made an incredible difference in concentration and cognitive ability. (Ketogenic = High fat, carb restricted diet)
- josephagoss 12y ago
  How large a difference? I'm willing to try anything that gives me the focus of Modafinil without actually taking drugs.
  - swombat 12y ago
    Good sleep and exercise will do that for you (speaking from experience).
  - sasas 12y ago
    For me personally - a significant difference. My productivity has increased due to rarely incurring cognitive fatigue due to fluctuating energy levels (i.e that afternoon slump after lunch goes away, skipping a meal has little or no consequence). I can code for 8 straight hours without having to eat where before if I skipped a meal I'd start getting hazy. Additional benefits include weight loss while eating as much as you want, never getting hungry, being able to do a 10km run on an empty stomach and still be full of energy ..
  - BSousa 12y ago
    Depends. I find myself more alert for some stints of time while in a ketogenic state, but on the other hand, have difficulty falling asleep (as in, normal day I'm drop dead asleep at 11-12pm, while in keto, I'm sleepy (very sleepy, groggy) but it is common for me to be awake at 2-3am. Wake up times is the same. Not sure what is best to be honest since lack of sleep brings a lot of problems by itself.
- tmikaeld 12y ago
  Having been burning Ketones more than Carbs for more than 2 years now, i can absolutely attest to that. Previously i had to use Caffeine and occasionally Ephedra to stay properly focused on programming tasks. But the people around me often thought i was angry and annoyed easily, that is completely the opposite now that i'm "on" Ketones.
LeonRobrotsky 12y ago
M-F I take one 200mg tablet of caffeine in the morning. I also quit getting blackout drunk 4-5 nights a week.
- pliftkl 12y ago
  While I wasn't getting blackout drunk repeatedly, I definitely had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and removing alcohol had enormous positive effects on my cognitive abilities. I also do a heavy dose of caffeine in the morning.
- mbrownnyc 12y ago
  Funny, but yes... even if I drink more than say... two glasses of wine, I am noticeably less alert, drowsy, and impaired the next day. So, not even "blackout drunk..." Better off waiting for the weekends for any alcohol.
- TheLarch 12y ago
  My coordination improved when I quit drinking. I was a fairly heavy drinker, but not nearly to that extent. It used to be that when I dropped something, I would seldom catch it on the way down. Now I often or usually do. I didn't notice a commensurate improvement in code output or quality though, but it could have happened without me noticing.
jheriko 12y ago
Be careful. A lot of the drugs with strong effects necessarily have long term consequences from repeated use owing to their mechanisms of action. You risk making yourself 'dumber' over time with prolonged use. Especially, with the amphetamine based crap that US doctors seem okay to use for medical purposes despite most of the developed world not doing so, and using safer alternatives.
- josephagoss 12y ago
  Out of curiosity, have you heard of any negative long term side effects from Modafinil and it's derivatives? (I don't think they are based on 'amphetamine')
  - sasas 12y ago
    I have a friend who has taken it every day for the last 2 years. No negative side effects except when he doesn't take it, he feels like he is not performing at his best. The major concern with Modafinil is that we just don't know what the long term side effects are. That's the risk you take.
    - TheLarch 12y ago
      That is exactly why I've never tried it. I'm afraid it will work, and then I'll want or need to use it all the time. Then who knows what will happen years from when I begin.
  - quicksparkle 12y ago
    Correct, Modafinil is not an amphetamine. It is distinct from other psychoactive substances, and we don't fully understand its mechanisms of action, how it affects the brain, or why it works. It's normally classed a 'eurogic' or 'wakefulness-promoting agent', and it (+derivatives) is the only drug of that class. Long term effects are tolerance, and.. not much else. It has to be cycled regularly. If you abuse it or fail to socialize/have fun enough it'll end up making you feel like a zombie. It's been in regular use for a decade and a half, I haven't heard of any serious issues. The main risks are the first time you take it. If you're allergic you can have some very serious reactions. In addition, if you're in a high-risk group (low immune system, etc.), you want to avoid the slight risk of SJS/TEN is can cause. SJS/TEN is probably the most terrifying risk, although it's extremely rare, and hundreds of other drugs can cause it too. Each of these substances are amazing, but not without some danger.
AnkhMorporkian 12y ago
I've been tinkering with nootropics for several years. I've found over that time some things that work for me, and many things that don't. While not all of the following are strictly speaking nootropics, they all contribute to my overall mental state: - Aniracetam. Helps a lot with my concentration and working my way through problems logically. - Caffeine/L-theanine. Caffeine is a no-brainer, but l-theanine is amazing in that at a 2:1 ration of l-theanine to caffeine it removes essentially all the jumpiness of the caffeine. - Tianeptine. This is an anti-depressant that also helps a bit with my anxiety. - Noopept. This one helps with my concentration quite a bit, and also makes my vision more vibrant. The vision thing doesn't matter so much, but it's pretty neat. - Rhodiola. This helps tremendously with my anxiety and stops me from ruminating. - Taurine. Another one that helps me with my anxiety, and has the added benefit of helping with blood pressure. Though I've had my blood pressure under control for years, it's never bad to have a helping hand.
snarfy 12y ago
I've had interesting and unexpected results taking Lecithin supplements. There is a stimulating effect similar to caffeine or a B12 shot, and there is also a focusing effect where I could not stop fixating. I can have a tendency to day dream but not on Lecithin. It makes your train of thought very hard to derail. I still take it sometimes but not regularly. It hurts my stomach and can be a bit too much sometimes. As far as I understand, lecithin breaks down/converts to choline an inositol, and it's these which are causing the mental effect. Since it's a food, the effects aren't as immediate. You'll notice it more on day two.
- BSousa 12y ago
  Only references to Lecithin as a supplement I found were Soy Lecithin, is this it?
  - snarfy 12y ago
    Yep, that's it.
bcg1 12y ago
Every day I take a significant dose of one of the ones that you've heard of, for "ADD". I started doing so because of non-coding reasons but reading the Wikipedia article it is listed on that page. I'm concerned about the long term effects of taking a psychoactive substance every day. However the one that I take has been used for a while so the long term effects are probably more well known that some of the new ones like Modafinil. I would be extremely careful and think twice about going down this road unless you absolutely need to. I have a lot of experience fiddling with my body chemistry and usually I decide to stop after a while. IIRC Sigmund Freud had a similar experience, where he injected himself with cocaine 3 times a day for ten years and wrote about it... then after he stopped came to the conclusion that the cocaine was distorting his perception and that he was actually full of shit. Cocaine is not too different from many of these substances. Enjoy and be safe! EDIT: bonus reading for the weekend: http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/weaknesses.html http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/weaknesses.html
madamepsychosis 12y ago
L-theanine has been a miracle drug for me. Took away a lot of my depression/energy issues.
PlzSnow 12y ago
NO! I investigated nootropics extensively. If you want to know the fruits of my research: * anything that "works" has a very pronounced psychoactive effect on the brain. Which is scary in the long-term. * by far the biggest cognitive boost you can get is SLEEPING WELL! Do this FIRST! It's easy to fix and gives a huge boost in output. * caffeine works as well as many nootropics, with little to no side-effects if taken sensibly. Also combine with Theanine if wanting to venture into the world of "probably works and has harmless side-effects".
- b3n 12y ago
  You seem to contradict yourself, because caffeine is a nootropic.
  - Retra 12y ago
    That's not a contradiction, it's a context sensitive definition substitution.
- josephagoss 12y ago
  I agree with you about sleep, it's very underrated for cognitive ability and memory development. Did your research turn up anything negative about Modafinil? I find Modafinil to be much more powerful than caffeine, however I do worry about long term side effects, even though my research suggests they are safe to use.
  - swombat 12y ago
    See my article on the topic for more detailed, in-depth view of modafinil and start-ups: http://swombat.com/2012/2/27/modafinil-and-startups http://swombat.com/2012/2/27/modafinil-and-startups
  - ionflux 12y ago
    I've found this FAQ on modafinil, I liked it a lot. The whole site is brilliant, actually. http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil
- 12y ago
StevePerkins 12y ago
I took piracetam years ago when I was considering a career change and prepping for the LSAT exam. I believe that its legal history is somewhat similar to ephedra... 10-15 years ago you could buy it over-the-counter or online, but since then it's been taken off the market in the U.S. Regardless, my experience was that its only value is the placebo effect. If a substance actually does anything real, and there is potential for a pharmaceutical company to patent and profit from it, then you can generally rest assured that it will be scheduled to require a doctor's prescription. For just about everything, the over-the-counter options consist of vitamins and quackery. So either blatantly break the law, or don't. As an aside, what is the point of taking a serious nootropic for software development? Typically, a coder's problem isn't failure to get into a groove once they have uninterrupted time. The typical problem is not having uninterrupted time in the first place. Like most people here, probably, I work in an open floor plan environment. I'm subject to constant "drive-by" interruptions that could have been handled better via email, and a neverending roar all around me as colleagues literally scream at each other about Reddit memes or video games or the latest superhero movie. Do you have a drug that would allow me to completely shut off my hearing, peripheral vision, and other sensory input? So that I can work without having to blast music through $300 noise-canceling headphones (which itself impairs focus, but is the lesser of all evils)? If so, then I would gladly break the law to find a pharmaceutical escape from contemporary office plans that sacrifice productivity for the ability to squeeze headcount into the smallest possible space.
- Lewton 12y ago
  >Regardless, my experience was that its only value is the placebo effect. If a substance actually does anything real, and there is potential for a pharmaceutical company to patent and profit from it, then you can generally rest assured that it will be scheduled to require a doctor's prescription. For just about everything, the over-the-counter options consist of vitamins and quackery. So either blatantly break the law, or don't. Just a counter-point. Melatonin is OTC in the US (sadly not where I live) and the efficacy of melatonin on sleep quality is pretty hard to dispute. It's not what you'd normally call a nootropic maybe, but having melatonin on hand has significantly improved my life Edit: oh. Yeah. Of course, Adrafinil is OTC in the US too and that's the prodrug for Modafinil. Definitely not placebo either
josephagoss 12y ago
I take Modafinil every now and then. It's very powerful and can give me an amazing level of focus. Even though research suggests that they have little negative long term side effects I do worry about taking them and would prefer a more natural method to get the same result. Basically it's like this; If I get home from a 10 hour workday almost falling asleep, I can take one pill and suddenly it's like the day starts over again as my focus has returned. At the moment I feel like I need to do it as I have projects I work on in the evening that are important for my career progression.
- ncza 12y ago
  Health is your biggest asset. No career will be fun if your health is ruined. Be careful and treat your body well!
netman21 12y ago
I take nicotine. I am not a coder; I write non-fiction. I figure it was good enough for Mark Twain, it is good enough for me.
- TheLarch 12y ago
  "I had not smoked for three full months and no words can adequately describe the smoke appetite that was consuming me. I had been a smoker from my ninth year--a private one during my my first two years but a public one after that--that is to say, after my father's death. I was smoking and utterly happy before I was thirty steps from the lodge door. I do not now know what the brand of the cigar was. It was probably not choice, or the previous smoker would not have thrown it away so soon. But I realized that it was the best cigar that was ever made. The previous smoker would have thought the same if he had been without a smoke from three months. I smoked that stub without shame. I could not do it now without shame, because now I am more refined than I was then. But I would smoke it just the same. I know myself and I know the human race well enough to know that." He smoked the stub without shame.
- lfender6445 12y ago
  in what form?
  - 1011010111011 12y ago
    I am not the commenter you're replying to. But I wanted to add that I am a coder and use nicotine extensively. That plus moderate amounts of caffeine. I use either electronic cigarettes or snus. I figure both are at least safer than cigarettes. However I am concerned that both the hardware and liquid for e-cigs is of unknown danger. The hardware, which heats the liquid you inhale, has metal parts. There are no regulations in place about what metal they use. Regarding the liquid, I ended up finding one manufacturer who used all USP certified ingredients (except where not applicable such as with flavorings) and tested them for numerous known toxicities. However, PG and VG (the two main carrier liquids) have never been tested for safety in regard to long-term inhalation (even though they're GRAS). Same goes for inhaling those natural and artificial flavors. At least with snus, although it is tobacco based, the people of Sweden have used it for a long time and studies have been done to assess its safety. One study showed only a very small increase for some cancers. My main concern is gum loss or similar. However the safety of snus is associated with how it's manufactured, so like e-cigs that's kind of a wildcard. Anyhow, as far as the mental effects, it's kind of hard for me to comment since my entire teen and adult life has been spent using nicotine. However, I believe it prevents boredom with my work and helps to keep me somewhat engaged. Probably not much different than how your favorite music makes you feel when exercising. Also it slightly improves mood like caffeine.
Igglyboo 12y ago
I've been taking vyvanse(before that adderall) for the past 10 years. I wouldn't have been able to graduate from highschool without it, I can barely function at my job(devops) without it. I haven't noticed any long term affects, it definitely works though. It's scheduled so it's not easy to get but it definitely works compared to some of the more hit or miss OTC nootropics. I'm willing to answer any questions if anyone is interested.
- pyromine 12y ago
  Okay, so I'm a college freshmen who graduated high school in three years but did that in a combination of excelling and getting absolute 0's in classes because I'm not able to concentrate. I believe I have adhd, for many reasons, how realistic is it getting diagnosed at 18? Also, is there really not many noticeable long-term side effects, because I took vyvanse once and holy god it was the first time I was able to sit down and work on something straight for more than three hours without getting distracted other than things that I would naturally get in the flow with.
  - flowlikeh2o 12y ago
    I'm 30 and in med school, had a similar experience in high school, and my first attempt at college wasn't too different. I couldn't have changed gears without the right diagnosis, support and medication (though medication is truly just one aspect of it). I was diagnosed in my 20s. If you go to a therapist/psych to talk about your issues you have a good chance of working them out and getting the support you need. the first psych to dx me was through the university health department, don't be afraid to use the services that are available for you.
    - JohnBooty 12y ago
      > (though medication is truly just one aspect of it) Yes, this is so true. The major pieces of the puzzle for me ...from most to least important... are: good sleep, proper environment, exercise, nutrition, medication. When I say "nutrition" I don't even mean a strict diet. The most important part there for me is simply avoiding big doses of sugar and carbs. Those leave me drained.
Igglyboo 12y ago
I've been taking vyvanse(before that adderall) for the past 10 years. I wouldn't have been able to graduate from highschool without it, I can barely function at my job(devops) without it. I haven't noticed any long term affects, it definitely works though. It's scheduled so it's not easy to get but it definitely works compared to some of the more hit or miss OTC nootropics. I'm willing to answer any questions if anyone is interested.
EGreg 12y ago
Never took any drugs. Found that hot chocolate worked better for me than coffee to wake me up. However, the one safe drug I keep hearing about is modafinil. How safe? I don't know. All it takes for me to get focus when I'm sleepy is the glow of a computer screen. It turns out that light hitting your eyes tells your brain it's not time to sleep. http://sleepdisorders.about.com/b/2013/01/26/30-days-to-better-sleep-expose-yourself-to-morning-sunlight.htm http://sleepdisorders.about.com/b/2013/01/26/30-days-to-bett...
EGreg 12y ago
Never took any drugs. Found that hot chocolate worked better for me than coffee to wake me up. However, the one safe drug I keep hearing about is modafinil. How safe? I don't know. All it takes for me to get focus when I'm sleepy is the glow of a computer screen. It turns out that light hitting your eyes tells your brain it's not time to sleep. http://sleepdisorders.about.com/b/2013/01/26/30-days-to-better-sleep-expose-yourself-to-morning-sunlight.htm http://sleepdisorders.about.com/b/2013/01/26/30-days-to-bett...
baseh 12y ago
I tried something called Alpha-Brain by Onnit Labs based in Austin. The main ingredients of which are tyrosine, theanine and a bunch of other stuff. It is marketed as improving focus/memory. I used it for a couple of weeks and saw no benefits. The only noticeable change was my dreams got vivid when taking it (which is also claimed by them). When taking it, I also had short episode that felt like onset of a sudden dementia, I could not remember anything. Example: I couldnt remember where my car was parked when I was standing right in front of it. I dont know if it is caused by Alpha-Brain, but I was not taking anything else during that period. I stopped taking it soon after. Like they say, there is no biological free lunch. I would say the safest way is probably good nutrition, enough sleep and exercise.
- mrcactu5 12y ago
  theanine appears naturally in green tea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine
- dominotw 12y ago
  Similar experience with trubrain ( https://trubrain.com/ https://trubrain.com/ ). Didn't notice a thing.
- sqyttles 12y ago
  Thanks for the report. Joe Rogan's podcast had me tempted into trying it but I'm glad I didn't!
Mahn 12y ago
For those of you who do take them: Aren't you concerned by side effects and/or long term health effects? Not judging, just genuinely curious; I've looked into them but it seems the general consensus is that their effects, both short and long term, are not very well understood yet.
- JohnBooty 12y ago
  Happily, I'd say the answer is "yes." In the hacker community, I've never seen a article/discussion on the benefits of these substances that didn't include a healthy dose of skepticism coupled with lot of concern regarding the side effects.
- quicksparkle 12y ago
  I use Armodafinil/Modafinil 4-5 times per week, cycling for a few days here and there. I've considered a lot of others as well (e.g. *racetams - avoided on reports of 'brain fog' and a few of mental impairment - scary!). However, out of the dozens(?) I ended up considering, Modafinil was the only one I ended up deciding to try and ultimately take regularly. I've read enough studies (and try to keep up to date) to know what our current knowledge about it is. In almost all of the studies, side-effects have been fairly standard (headaches, a few people getting sick, etc.). It's been used on-prescription for the past decade without seeing any uproar. In the long-term, I consider the risk of unknowns worth the reward. Most evidence points to it being fairly safe, if not, that's a gamble I might pay for. I drink alcohol to have fun, often to excess. I eat junk food. I actively choose to do a lot of things that shorten my lifespan for negligible returns. If this little magic pill, which costs the same as a bottle of coca cola, makes me feel motivated and alert for 14 hours a day, I'm going to take it until I find a reason not to.
TheLarch 12y ago
The best nootropic for me is bicycling into work. Also, after years of experimenting with caffeine I'm convinced that for me, one cup in the morning is close to ideal. Caffeine stays in the body for many hours, so it's all too easy to fall into the trap where you're tired, so you drink more, &etc.
traitorjoe 12y ago
Here's an interesting post someone made cataloging all the different nootropics they've tried. http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics And here's one specifically about modafinil: http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil
SQL2219 12y ago
dark chocolate coffee coconut oil combo green tea and coffee chia seeds
tarequeh 12y ago
L-Theanine. Recently went through an interview spree. Helps me get rid of nervousness and focus on solving problems. Naturally found in tea leaves but obviously in small dosage. Can't confirm side-effects but sometimes gives me headache if I drink beer on the same day, particularly IPAs!
- mbrock 12y ago
  If you get good quality sencha, especially the (somewhat pricey) Gyokuro, you get a high dose of L-theanine and an absolutely delicious taste. One of my favorite pleasures in life!
littletimmy 12y ago
No, because Adderall messes with my creativity. I was doing a math major in college, and whenever I took adderall (legally prescribed) before doing a p-set, I always came up with a long and unelegant solution to a problem. It seemed to motivate me to work very hard, but not to work smart. No idea if this was just something I had in my head or there is some neurochemical basis for it.
- rodly 12y ago
  I have the exact same problem when taking Adderall/Vyavanse/etc my creativity and memory retention is horrendous. Creativity is such an important feature to your personality and taking it away makes you so robotic and boring that I'd rather have the AD/HD and my normal, fun self than a foggy head all the time.
- bcook 12y ago
  I have experienced the same thing, but it was primarily because the dosage was too high. I have taken Adderall for years, being initially prescribed 5mg and now, 5+ years later, taking 15-20mg per day. I take "drug vacations" (no Adderrall) on most weekends, to help keep my tolerance low. Personally, I find amphetamines very useful. :) For comparison, my friend was prescribed Adderall, but his initial dosage was 40mg per day. He did not enjoy it. I do not understand the (poor) reasoning for prescribing such a high initial dose.
- rbanffy 12y ago
  I use to joke a lot of the code I saw recently bears the distinctive mark of Adderall-induced creativity. OTOH, lots of Lisp or Smalltalk code I saw earlier could be attributing to LSD or psilocybin.
- jordsmi 12y ago
  Adderall is not a nootropic
FidesFacitFidem 12y ago
Not a nootropic per say but I've noticed a huge difference since focusing on my general health; 1) 7-8 hours sleep per night. 2) 1 hour of exercise per day (some days cardio, other days weights(focus on compounds; squat, deadlift, bench press, shoulder press, pullups, rows)) (for people thinking "I'm too busy to spend an hour of my day exercising". I think the productivity increase of clearing your head doing this exercise more than makes up for the hour it takes.) 3) balanced diet consisting of fresh natural foods. (fruit, veg, meat, fish etc. not frozen meals, microwave food where your not quite sure what's in it) Found I've lost weight, cardiovascular endurance has increased, I'm stronger and just feel a lot better. So my advice would be try and do all the above before taking any drugs that aren't very well researched and could cause long term issues.
- brador 12y ago
  Why no frozen meals?
  - totallymike 12y ago
    Seems like the main point is to only eat foods that are foods, not chemicals.
  - sgt101 12y ago
    Most commercially packaged frozen meals have lots and lots of sugar, salt and oils added to low quality (cheap) ingredients to make them palatable. Some people think freezing food destroys its quality, but I think that the evidence for that is weak and fails to regard the loss of quality that comes from keeping things in the fridge for another day. When I stopped eating ready meals I lost a kilo in a week, I believe (believe) that happened largely because I dropped so much salt out of my diet and therefore I was retaining much less water. Buy things fresh, make meals and freeze them. This will allow you to cook good things quickly in the evening. Spend an afternoon and make a chicken casserole, a beef stew, a lasagne, a cottage pie and a fish pie. Freeze in portions (aim for five from each) and you have weeks of quick, nutritious and delicious food that means that you will not be stuffing yourself with rubbish. But also buy a steamer and make sure that you have a large portion of steamed green veg every day. You're five a day can have one orange juice and a couple of bits of fruit, but a decent wodge of green is really important. Tender stem broccoli, greens, cabbage, peas, beans... all take about 30 seconds to prepare and 3-4 minutes to stem (tip: only put a mugful of water in the steamer, it will boil fast and then cook the greens just as well as 4 inches would).
andyl 12y ago
Lots of compounds being discussed here - seems like some could be useful. But how do I know what is safe?
d--b 12y ago
The replies on this thread are very surprising... It seems everyone has tried them!! The question you should ask yourself is why you would need to take pills to alter your normal brain function in the first place? Do you really need to be more focused / more relaxed? Where does the urge of being more productive come from? What is your end goal? Is that goal really going to make you happier?
- sgift 12y ago
  > The question you should ask yourself is why you would need to take pills to alter your normal brain function in the first place? Many medicines alter your "normal" brain function. So, why do we take medicines? Because "normal" can often be very shitty.
- azatris 12y ago
  It isn't as surprising once you realize tea (L-theanine & caffeine), coffee (caffeine) and cigarettes (nicotine) all are nootropics. :) More information: http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics
- Houshalter 12y ago
  A huge percentage of the population drinks coffee and alcohol, so it's not that radical. And not everyone's normal is optimal. I have pretty severe ADHD and would kill for medication.
himanshuy 12y ago
I have started taking Bacopa from Himalays 2 weeks back. Hoping to see results in 8 weeks.
blop 12y ago
I've been taking ~50mg modafinil 5 times a week for years. Last batch I bought was 2 years ago on the grey market (an online indian pharmacy) in 200mg pills form (so I divide them in 4 for a daily dose). I don't take any on weekends or on holiday, and sometimes I take 100mg if I'm going for a long car journey or something else that requires complete attention... The effects are very subtle but noticeable: more alertness and concentration, and a more positive outlook on things. I found it's also pretty good at keeping depression at bay.
- codecamper 12y ago
  Have you tried not taking it in a while? I found that modafinil sped my mind up too fast to figure anything out. And I was taking even half what you are taking. Just 25mg.
  - potatosaur 12y ago
    I've heard that armodafinil has a less pronounced effect- not as sped up and a more pronounced return to normality when it wears off. That's the thing that freaked me out about modafinil- it really seemed to last for ages.
  - blop 12y ago
    I stopped for 6 months a few years ago when I was on a sabbatical, no problem. I still need a morning coffee to feel awake even on holiday though!
lfender6445 12y ago
i've tried piracetam - the effects for me were borderline coffee + espresso for 30 minutes to an hour. it also seemed to stimulate my digestive tract. nothing extremely noticeable in terms of cognitive throughput, but I remember hearing about its increased memory effects in rats as a long term benefit. I drink 2 -3 cups of caffeinated tea per day, occasionally I drink coffee. This is all I need.
cheald 12y ago
I've taken L-Theanine with my coffee for years. The effect is subtle, but it's remarkable - I just look back over the last few hours and realize that I was distraction-proof. I haven't dabbled in anything else because I don't really like the idea of messing with my brain chemistry too much. Theanine gets a pass because it's just an amino acid, is naturally present in green tea, and is considered extremely safe. I'll happily recommend it to anyone looking to experiment without too much fear of side effects.
- medicineaccount 12y ago
  I feel the same way about small amounts of psilocybin.
- tjakab 12y ago
  I was taking L-Theanine (capsules) regularly a couple years back and I found that I built up a rapid tolerance to it after about a week where it stopped being effective. I had to cycle off every few days. I'm curious if anyone else has encountered this.
  - ponyous 12y ago
    I am taking something else but I think I noticed the same thing. I took only for 1 month of pills to try it out, so I don't really know if this is what happens in the long run.
azurelogic 12y ago
I was prescribed Ritalin and later Adderall from 3 years old until I was 24, when I quit. They did the job they were prescribed for: I was focused. I found Adderall to be "cleaner" feeling, and it had less of a negative effect on my personality. That said, both of them made me much more angry and type A. There is no doubt in my mind now that my dosage was too high, but back in the 80s and 90s, I don't think anyone really understood what constant stimulant overdoses in children looked like. This stuff has irreversibly shaped who I am for better and worse. I can't really recommend either one to anyone unless they really need it. On the topic of more accessible nootropics, I have worked with a number of the "racetam" substances, which tend to promote acetylcholine use in the brain. Because of this, all of them were taken with copious amounts of choline. I took Piracetam for about 2.5 years. It worked decently well early on at enhancing my focus, but towards the end, I questioned its benefits and quit. During that time, I also added in splashes of Oxiracetam, Aniracetam, and Pramiracetam. Oxiracetam is hands down the best of them all. It was made for hardcore analytical thinking. I used it primarily when I had exams or when I was more exhausted at work right after my daughter was born. It tends to tire the brain as it wears off and lead to some headaches though. Overall, it was a very useful tool Pramiracetam just gave me an instant headache the couple of times I tried it. Aniracetam is suggested to be more creative and anxiolytic. I felt a little calmer, but not enough to warrant consistent use. Quitting caffiene was really helpful for me. I know that's close to heresy among developers, but I wake up feeling a lot less crappy. Lately, I've been just taking Huperzine A, which acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. I feel like I get something similar to the performance of Piracetam, but without the need for the choline supplement to prevent headaches.
sqyttles 12y ago
I used to take a wide array of cognitive boosters during higher education and piracetam is one I know quite well personally. To make this short: It works for some things (like reading for hours at a time) but it has made me sometimes feel "foggy-headed" and less productive/creative. The effects it has on my GI tract have been problematic at times (causing gas) and it tends to make my blood sugar crash at T+3. Plus with the massive amount of choline you have to take alongside the product, it became an inconvenience rather than an aid. I would recommend sulbutiamine over piracetam if you want to "get things done".
TrevorJ 12y ago
Caffeine and L-Theanine work well together. The effects and mechanisms were well enough understood for me to feel comfortable trying this out.
jes5199 12y ago
I've tried modafinil a few times. It helps me a little with alertness, but not much - I can use it for long drives, but it didn't particularly help with programming. I sometimes get a side-effect from it that makes it something I can't take at work: I get super cranky and easily angered, like shouting-argument angry. It's out of character for me, and really weird. I took piracetam for a few months, and I thought maybe it was helping my focus and short-term memory. The side effect of that one, though, was even weirder: recovering sense memories of being a little kid. Like, flashbacks of the physical pain of the first time I had a bad injury. Vivid recollection of my adult teeth pushing my baby teeth out of the way. Even sensations of being an infant with no body autonomy at all. Worth experimenting with? Absolutely. Magic bullet for superhuman productivity? No way.
mafuyu 12y ago
I take piracetam/pramiracetam/noopept on and off and cycle between caffeine+l-theanine and nicotine. Some non-nootropic supplements I take are fish oil, Vitamin D3, and melatonin. Here are some of my anecdotes. ::Piracetam I haven't been able to get very consistent results with piracetam, but it's definitely not placebo. I've found that piracetam is hit-or-miss for a lot of people. Some are very sensitive and only need 500mg, while others, like myself, need somewhere around 10g, and it just doesn't work for others. When I started, the effects were fantastic: I had increased focus, more vivid dreams, and was more outgoing and personable when I'm normally introverted. However, after about 2 weeks of regular usage, much of the effect went away. This seems consistent with some other peoples' experiences with piracetam on the web. It seems to be having more effect now after a 2 month break, so it may just be tolerance. Also, @StevePerkins implied that piracetam is illegal to purchase in the US, but it is still unscheduled and legal to buy in most countries. ::Pramiracetam/Noopept These are much less subtle than piracetam. I usually take between 200-500mg pramiracetam and it has the same focusing effect of piracetam, but with a stimulating effect as well. I haven't noticed any tolerance issues, even with a period of regular use. With noopept, I only felt any effects when consuming around 5mg sublingually. It's not a racetam so it's a bit riskier, in my opinion. I felt focused without any stimulating effects and I found it helpful for exams. Some people have reported short term memory issues with higher doses. ::Caffeine/L-theanine This really is one of the best nootropics around if you can reduce your tolerance. Just caffeine makes me feel jittery, but taking it 1:1 with l-theanine makes me feel calm, focused, and energetic. ::Nicotine I cycle this with caffeine to reduce tolerance. I use 2mg gums, and it works pretty well. It feels like caffeine with the edge taken off. Like others have said, the benefits of nootropics are marginal compared to the low hanging fruit of sleep, exercise, and diet. If you're interested, just do your homework beforehand and balance the risks with the benefits. Everybody's different; find out which ones work and don't work for you, at what dosages. I think the racetams are relatively less risky, but they are psychoactive at high dosages, and there have not been studies on their long term effects over several years.
malepolish 12y ago
i tried piracetam but unfortunately it didn't have any effect on me. more recently i've been taking modafinil which has helped a lot – not necessarily with focus per-se, but being able to get through any drowsiness or that "wall" of just getting something started. though i will add my lifestyle is pretty clean, i would probably work on that first if yours is not. i recently changed my diet to mostly paleo but do include rice and beans. i use a nutribullet everyday to make my breakfast. i avoid processed foods, those with preservatives, etc. and cut down considerably on alcohol intake. i exercise a little bit (cardio mostly). adding paleo was great in that i no longer experienced the crash after eating a meal. about a year ago it was necessary to take 1-2 15 minute naps per day. now i can go 14+ hours without issue.
uxp100 12y ago
The closest I get is I occasionally take creatine. I'm vegetarian, I think the studies go either way on if the low creatine in a veg diet matters for mental acuity or not. I'll take 3g daily for a month, then forget about it, feel like it does nothing, etc. I notice small benefits re: muscle size, but never anything mental.
ilaksh 12y ago
I take Google constantly. The way it works (for me) is amazing. Basically whenever I have a hard problem I can just wiggle my fingers, stare at the screen for a few minutes, and then BAM! I know how people usually solve that problem. Its like my mind has expanded and tapped directly into other people's experiences.
jordsmi 12y ago
Just caffeine and L-theanine. Mixture of coffee and caff/l-theanine pills. I like the pills instead of all caffeine because I end up with bad jitters if I have too much caffeine in a day.
j_lev 12y ago
Piracetam/choline/caffeine stack for about six months. Would like to do another course at some stage. Mind was massively productive and I fleshed out several ideas over the period. Also got rid of the "mind fog" that starts to creep in from around 30 years old onwards.
starrychloe 12y ago
Piracetam, matcha, 5HE, dark chocolate. AT9PUiYE1X8FPWLUmo8aZKT7o7pS4Mmc4g

155 points by rayalez 12y ago

What do you think about them? Which ones do you take?

I take Ritalin, prescribed for ADHD-I. It's made a positive impact on my life. From time to time I am able to actually get stuff done. I also trialled dexedrine (which made me behave like a ... not nice person) and strattera (which did nothing for me).

Igglyboo 12y ago
You should try vyvanse, I used to take Ritalin and then my doctor trailed me on vyvanse and it lasts the entire day with far less negative side affects than Ritalin. I immediately fell in love, it's still patented though so it isn't cheap without insurance.
- falcolas 12y ago
  There is also Concerta - which is basically a mechanical pump contained in a pill that delivers Ritalin spread over 8 hours. They aren't under patent, but the extra mechanics built into the pill still drive a generic 30 day prescription into the $200 range (pre-insurance).
  - maxerickson 12y ago
    It isn't mechanical. It's osmotic. This blog has a nice illustration of it: https://drgrcevich.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/why-your-kids-concerta-hasnt-been-working-lately/ https://drgrcevich.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/why-your-kids-co... More here (pdf): https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/JPPS/article/viewFile/8282/7448 https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/JPPS/article... (osmosis is the movement of water across a semi permeable membrane, roughly speaking, the pill is arranged so that water is drawn into it, creating pressure that pushes the drug out of a small hole.) The particular mechanism used in Concerta does appear to be under patent.
    - falcolas 12y ago
      Mechanical delivery means does not exclude using osmosis to provide the pressure. Since the drug itself doesn't travel across an osmotic barrier, calling the delivery mechanism osmotic doesn't explain the mechanism very well. That said, I didn't know that the generic versions used a completely different delivery mechanism; thanks for the links!
      - maxerickson 12y ago
        I didn't mean to argue about the words. I read "mechanical pump" and simply didn't believe it, and went and tracked down the above. So for my ears, "mechanical pump" wasn't the right description. I assumed that others might have a similar experience and so I posted what I had found.
- jacques_chester 12y ago
  I could only trial the drugs that are approved in Australia, because that's where I lived when I was diagnosed. My plan is to talk to a psychiatrist about trialling some of the other drugs approved in the USA; we'll see how it goes.

hellodevnull 12y ago

Modafinil. Works great (14 hours of focus and productivity). At $5 a pop it's not something I can afford daily. If something cheaper becomes available I'd use it.

dEnigma 12y ago
That doesn't seem that expensive, I know some people spend this much for a single cup of coffee.
- noir_lord 12y ago
  It's all relative. For a chunk of humanity $5 is their entire discretionary daily spend (and for some it is their entire daily spend).
PaulHoule 12y ago
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrafinil http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrafinil
MarcusVorenus 12y ago
You shouldn't take modafinil daily though as you can develop a tolerance. You should take it 3 consecutive days and then rest the other 4 days of the week. Also extreme focus kills creativity so the rest days allow for a productivity/creativity cycle.
- vldx 12y ago
  Can you elaborate on this? What are the specific positives of cycling Modiafinil, instead irregular single use?
kudu 12y ago
ModafinilCat is well regarded and stocks the gold-standard Modalert for $2 a pill.
f0nd004u 12y ago
meth?

koalala 12y ago

Dexamphetamine. 1*5mg = 3 hours of uninterrupted coding, with maybe 1 minute total spent looking away from the screen to rest my eyes.

DougWebb 12y ago
If no one walks up to me or calls to interrupt me, my everyday routine is that level of focus. No drugs beyond a couple of morning coffee cups needed. One of my coworkers is normal, not like me. When he works in the office there's a lot more socializing, which is great, but it always makes me feel terribly non-productive.
- AaronFriel 12y ago
  Uninterrupted activity: the best nootropic.

afswashere 12y ago

I use Modafinil (Modalert) once a week. It allows me to work with 100% focus and productivity for 24 hours... so my week is like this: Mon. to Wed. = meetings readings, learning and planning... then I take a pill and execute hard.

bshimmin 12y ago
Let me get this right. You pop this pill and then work for 24 hours straight? How do you feel the following day?
- alaskamiller 12y ago
  It's like caffeine without side effects. Front end of the 24 hours you can be productive with detailed tasks but towards the latter part you're best with menial tasks, like cleaning.
  - sasas 12y ago
    no headaches?
JohnBooty 12y ago
How do you obtain it? (I understand you might not be able to be specific) I've heard of it being prescribed off-label for people with ADHD diagnoses.

auganov 12y ago

I take Piracetam, I'm not sure if it works, I'd say no so far (half a year). I'm very interested in nootropics that would work long term (whole life, all the time). Unfortunately most that have a profound effect seem to level-off etc (say Adderall). So I don't think I'll ever try that kind.

mariuolo 12y ago

I've taken Aniracetam for a while. It didn't make me as nervous as Piracetam. Went on and off and noticed some memory improvement.

maaaats 12y ago

I've never heard of this before. To save you some time: > Nootropics, also referred to as smart drugs, memory enhancers, neuro enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers, are drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that improve one or more aspects of mental function, such as working memory, motivation, and attention. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic

sasas 12y ago

Not a nootropic as such, but fuelling my brain on ketones rather the glucose has made an incredible difference in concentration and cognitive ability. (Ketogenic = High fat, carb restricted diet)

josephagoss 12y ago
How large a difference? I'm willing to try anything that gives me the focus of Modafinil without actually taking drugs.
- swombat 12y ago
  Good sleep and exercise will do that for you (speaking from experience).
- sasas 12y ago
  For me personally - a significant difference. My productivity has increased due to rarely incurring cognitive fatigue due to fluctuating energy levels (i.e that afternoon slump after lunch goes away, skipping a meal has little or no consequence). I can code for 8 straight hours without having to eat where before if I skipped a meal I'd start getting hazy. Additional benefits include weight loss while eating as much as you want, never getting hungry, being able to do a 10km run on an empty stomach and still be full of energy ..
- BSousa 12y ago
  Depends. I find myself more alert for some stints of time while in a ketogenic state, but on the other hand, have difficulty falling asleep (as in, normal day I'm drop dead asleep at 11-12pm, while in keto, I'm sleepy (very sleepy, groggy) but it is common for me to be awake at 2-3am. Wake up times is the same. Not sure what is best to be honest since lack of sleep brings a lot of problems by itself.
tmikaeld 12y ago
Having been burning Ketones more than Carbs for more than 2 years now, i can absolutely attest to that. Previously i had to use Caffeine and occasionally Ephedra to stay properly focused on programming tasks. But the people around me often thought i was angry and annoyed easily, that is completely the opposite now that i'm "on" Ketones.

LeonRobrotsky 12y ago

M-F I take one 200mg tablet of caffeine in the morning. I also quit getting blackout drunk 4-5 nights a week.

pliftkl 12y ago
While I wasn't getting blackout drunk repeatedly, I definitely had an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and removing alcohol had enormous positive effects on my cognitive abilities. I also do a heavy dose of caffeine in the morning.
mbrownnyc 12y ago
Funny, but yes... even if I drink more than say... two glasses of wine, I am noticeably less alert, drowsy, and impaired the next day. So, not even "blackout drunk..." Better off waiting for the weekends for any alcohol.
TheLarch 12y ago
My coordination improved when I quit drinking. I was a fairly heavy drinker, but not nearly to that extent. It used to be that when I dropped something, I would seldom catch it on the way down. Now I often or usually do. I didn't notice a commensurate improvement in code output or quality though, but it could have happened without me noticing.

jheriko 12y ago

Be careful. A lot of the drugs with strong effects necessarily have long term consequences from repeated use owing to their mechanisms of action. You risk making yourself 'dumber' over time with prolonged use. Especially, with the amphetamine based crap that US doctors seem okay to use for medical purposes despite most of the developed world not doing so, and using safer alternatives.

josephagoss 12y ago
Out of curiosity, have you heard of any negative long term side effects from Modafinil and it's derivatives? (I don't think they are based on 'amphetamine')
- sasas 12y ago
  I have a friend who has taken it every day for the last 2 years. No negative side effects except when he doesn't take it, he feels like he is not performing at his best. The major concern with Modafinil is that we just don't know what the long term side effects are. That's the risk you take.
  - TheLarch 12y ago
    That is exactly why I've never tried it. I'm afraid it will work, and then I'll want or need to use it all the time. Then who knows what will happen years from when I begin.
- quicksparkle 12y ago
  Correct, Modafinil is not an amphetamine. It is distinct from other psychoactive substances, and we don't fully understand its mechanisms of action, how it affects the brain, or why it works. It's normally classed a 'eurogic' or 'wakefulness-promoting agent', and it (+derivatives) is the only drug of that class. Long term effects are tolerance, and.. not much else. It has to be cycled regularly. If you abuse it or fail to socialize/have fun enough it'll end up making you feel like a zombie. It's been in regular use for a decade and a half, I haven't heard of any serious issues. The main risks are the first time you take it. If you're allergic you can have some very serious reactions. In addition, if you're in a high-risk group (low immune system, etc.), you want to avoid the slight risk of SJS/TEN is can cause. SJS/TEN is probably the most terrifying risk, although it's extremely rare, and hundreds of other drugs can cause it too. Each of these substances are amazing, but not without some danger.

AnkhMorporkian 12y ago

I've been tinkering with nootropics for several years. I've found over that time some things that work for me, and many things that don't. While not all of the following are strictly speaking nootropics, they all contribute to my overall mental state: - Aniracetam. Helps a lot with my concentration and working my way through problems logically. - Caffeine/L-theanine. Caffeine is a no-brainer, but l-theanine is amazing in that at a 2:1 ration of l-theanine to caffeine it removes essentially all the jumpiness of the caffeine. - Tianeptine. This is an anti-depressant that also helps a bit with my anxiety. - Noopept. This one helps with my concentration quite a bit, and also makes my vision more vibrant. The vision thing doesn't matter so much, but it's pretty neat. - Rhodiola. This helps tremendously with my anxiety and stops me from ruminating. - Taurine. Another one that helps me with my anxiety, and has the added benefit of helping with blood pressure. Though I've had my blood pressure under control for years, it's never bad to have a helping hand.

snarfy 12y ago

I've had interesting and unexpected results taking Lecithin supplements. There is a stimulating effect similar to caffeine or a B12 shot, and there is also a focusing effect where I could not stop fixating. I can have a tendency to day dream but not on Lecithin. It makes your train of thought very hard to derail. I still take it sometimes but not regularly. It hurts my stomach and can be a bit too much sometimes. As far as I understand, lecithin breaks down/converts to choline an inositol, and it's these which are causing the mental effect. Since it's a food, the effects aren't as immediate. You'll notice it more on day two.

BSousa 12y ago
Only references to Lecithin as a supplement I found were Soy Lecithin, is this it?
- snarfy 12y ago
  Yep, that's it.

bcg1 12y ago

Every day I take a significant dose of one of the ones that you've heard of, for "ADD". I started doing so because of non-coding reasons but reading the Wikipedia article it is listed on that page. I'm concerned about the long term effects of taking a psychoactive substance every day. However the one that I take has been used for a while so the long term effects are probably more well known that some of the new ones like Modafinil. I would be extremely careful and think twice about going down this road unless you absolutely need to. I have a lot of experience fiddling with my body chemistry and usually I decide to stop after a while. IIRC Sigmund Freud had a similar experience, where he injected himself with cocaine 3 times a day for ten years and wrote about it... then after he stopped came to the conclusion that the cocaine was distorting his perception and that he was actually full of shit. Cocaine is not too different from many of these substances. Enjoy and be safe! EDIT: bonus reading for the weekend: http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/weaknesses.html http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/weaknesses.html

madamepsychosis 12y ago

L-theanine has been a miracle drug for me. Took away a lot of my depression/energy issues.

PlzSnow 12y ago

NO! I investigated nootropics extensively. If you want to know the fruits of my research: * anything that "works" has a very pronounced psychoactive effect on the brain. Which is scary in the long-term. * by far the biggest cognitive boost you can get is SLEEPING WELL! Do this FIRST! It's easy to fix and gives a huge boost in output. * caffeine works as well as many nootropics, with little to no side-effects if taken sensibly. Also combine with Theanine if wanting to venture into the world of "probably works and has harmless side-effects".

b3n 12y ago
You seem to contradict yourself, because caffeine is a nootropic.
- Retra 12y ago
  That's not a contradiction, it's a context sensitive definition substitution.
josephagoss 12y ago
I agree with you about sleep, it's very underrated for cognitive ability and memory development. Did your research turn up anything negative about Modafinil? I find Modafinil to be much more powerful than caffeine, however I do worry about long term side effects, even though my research suggests they are safe to use.
- swombat 12y ago
  See my article on the topic for more detailed, in-depth view of modafinil and start-ups: http://swombat.com/2012/2/27/modafinil-and-startups http://swombat.com/2012/2/27/modafinil-and-startups
- ionflux 12y ago
  I've found this FAQ on modafinil, I liked it a lot. The whole site is brilliant, actually. http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil
12y ago

StevePerkins 12y ago

I took piracetam years ago when I was considering a career change and prepping for the LSAT exam. I believe that its legal history is somewhat similar to ephedra... 10-15 years ago you could buy it over-the-counter or online, but since then it's been taken off the market in the U.S. Regardless, my experience was that its only value is the placebo effect. If a substance actually does anything real, and there is potential for a pharmaceutical company to patent and profit from it, then you can generally rest assured that it will be scheduled to require a doctor's prescription. For just about everything, the over-the-counter options consist of vitamins and quackery. So either blatantly break the law, or don't. As an aside, what is the point of taking a serious nootropic for software development? Typically, a coder's problem isn't failure to get into a groove once they have uninterrupted time. The typical problem is not having uninterrupted time in the first place. Like most people here, probably, I work in an open floor plan environment. I'm subject to constant "drive-by" interruptions that could have been handled better via email, and a neverending roar all around me as colleagues literally scream at each other about Reddit memes or video games or the latest superhero movie. Do you have a drug that would allow me to completely shut off my hearing, peripheral vision, and other sensory input? So that I can work without having to blast music through $300 noise-canceling headphones (which itself impairs focus, but is the lesser of all evils)? If so, then I would gladly break the law to find a pharmaceutical escape from contemporary office plans that sacrifice productivity for the ability to squeeze headcount into the smallest possible space.

Lewton 12y ago
>Regardless, my experience was that its only value is the placebo effect. If a substance actually does anything real, and there is potential for a pharmaceutical company to patent and profit from it, then you can generally rest assured that it will be scheduled to require a doctor's prescription. For just about everything, the over-the-counter options consist of vitamins and quackery. So either blatantly break the law, or don't. Just a counter-point. Melatonin is OTC in the US (sadly not where I live) and the efficacy of melatonin on sleep quality is pretty hard to dispute. It's not what you'd normally call a nootropic maybe, but having melatonin on hand has significantly improved my life Edit: oh. Yeah. Of course, Adrafinil is OTC in the US too and that's the prodrug for Modafinil. Definitely not placebo either

josephagoss 12y ago

I take Modafinil every now and then. It's very powerful and can give me an amazing level of focus. Even though research suggests that they have little negative long term side effects I do worry about taking them and would prefer a more natural method to get the same result. Basically it's like this; If I get home from a 10 hour workday almost falling asleep, I can take one pill and suddenly it's like the day starts over again as my focus has returned. At the moment I feel like I need to do it as I have projects I work on in the evening that are important for my career progression.

ncza 12y ago
Health is your biggest asset. No career will be fun if your health is ruined. Be careful and treat your body well!

netman21 12y ago

I take nicotine. I am not a coder; I write non-fiction. I figure it was good enough for Mark Twain, it is good enough for me.

TheLarch 12y ago
"I had not smoked for three full months and no words can adequately describe the smoke appetite that was consuming me. I had been a smoker from my ninth year--a private one during my my first two years but a public one after that--that is to say, after my father's death. I was smoking and utterly happy before I was thirty steps from the lodge door. I do not now know what the brand of the cigar was. It was probably not choice, or the previous smoker would not have thrown it away so soon. But I realized that it was the best cigar that was ever made. The previous smoker would have thought the same if he had been without a smoke from three months. I smoked that stub without shame. I could not do it now without shame, because now I am more refined than I was then. But I would smoke it just the same. I know myself and I know the human race well enough to know that." He smoked the stub without shame.
lfender6445 12y ago
in what form?
- 1011010111011 12y ago
  I am not the commenter you're replying to. But I wanted to add that I am a coder and use nicotine extensively. That plus moderate amounts of caffeine. I use either electronic cigarettes or snus. I figure both are at least safer than cigarettes. However I am concerned that both the hardware and liquid for e-cigs is of unknown danger. The hardware, which heats the liquid you inhale, has metal parts. There are no regulations in place about what metal they use. Regarding the liquid, I ended up finding one manufacturer who used all USP certified ingredients (except where not applicable such as with flavorings) and tested them for numerous known toxicities. However, PG and VG (the two main carrier liquids) have never been tested for safety in regard to long-term inhalation (even though they're GRAS). Same goes for inhaling those natural and artificial flavors. At least with snus, although it is tobacco based, the people of Sweden have used it for a long time and studies have been done to assess its safety. One study showed only a very small increase for some cancers. My main concern is gum loss or similar. However the safety of snus is associated with how it's manufactured, so like e-cigs that's kind of a wildcard. Anyhow, as far as the mental effects, it's kind of hard for me to comment since my entire teen and adult life has been spent using nicotine. However, I believe it prevents boredom with my work and helps to keep me somewhat engaged. Probably not much different than how your favorite music makes you feel when exercising. Also it slightly improves mood like caffeine.

Igglyboo 12y ago

I've been taking vyvanse(before that adderall) for the past 10 years. I wouldn't have been able to graduate from highschool without it, I can barely function at my job(devops) without it. I haven't noticed any long term affects, it definitely works though. It's scheduled so it's not easy to get but it definitely works compared to some of the more hit or miss OTC nootropics. I'm willing to answer any questions if anyone is interested.

pyromine 12y ago
Okay, so I'm a college freshmen who graduated high school in three years but did that in a combination of excelling and getting absolute 0's in classes because I'm not able to concentrate. I believe I have adhd, for many reasons, how realistic is it getting diagnosed at 18? Also, is there really not many noticeable long-term side effects, because I took vyvanse once and holy god it was the first time I was able to sit down and work on something straight for more than three hours without getting distracted other than things that I would naturally get in the flow with.
- flowlikeh2o 12y ago
  I'm 30 and in med school, had a similar experience in high school, and my first attempt at college wasn't too different. I couldn't have changed gears without the right diagnosis, support and medication (though medication is truly just one aspect of it). I was diagnosed in my 20s. If you go to a therapist/psych to talk about your issues you have a good chance of working them out and getting the support you need. the first psych to dx me was through the university health department, don't be afraid to use the services that are available for you.
  - JohnBooty 12y ago
    > (though medication is truly just one aspect of it) Yes, this is so true. The major pieces of the puzzle for me ...from most to least important... are: good sleep, proper environment, exercise, nutrition, medication. When I say "nutrition" I don't even mean a strict diet. The most important part there for me is simply avoiding big doses of sugar and carbs. Those leave me drained.

Igglyboo 12y ago

EGreg 12y ago

Never took any drugs. Found that hot chocolate worked better for me than coffee to wake me up. However, the one safe drug I keep hearing about is modafinil. How safe? I don't know. All it takes for me to get focus when I'm sleepy is the glow of a computer screen. It turns out that light hitting your eyes tells your brain it's not time to sleep. http://sleepdisorders.about.com/b/2013/01/26/30-days-to-better-sleep-expose-yourself-to-morning-sunlight.htm http://sleepdisorders.about.com/b/2013/01/26/30-days-to-bett...

EGreg 12y ago

baseh 12y ago

I tried something called Alpha-Brain by Onnit Labs based in Austin. The main ingredients of which are tyrosine, theanine and a bunch of other stuff. It is marketed as improving focus/memory. I used it for a couple of weeks and saw no benefits. The only noticeable change was my dreams got vivid when taking it (which is also claimed by them). When taking it, I also had short episode that felt like onset of a sudden dementia, I could not remember anything. Example: I couldnt remember where my car was parked when I was standing right in front of it. I dont know if it is caused by Alpha-Brain, but I was not taking anything else during that period. I stopped taking it soon after. Like they say, there is no biological free lunch. I would say the safest way is probably good nutrition, enough sleep and exercise.

mrcactu5 12y ago
theanine appears naturally in green tea https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine
dominotw 12y ago
Similar experience with trubrain ( https://trubrain.com/ https://trubrain.com/ ). Didn't notice a thing.
sqyttles 12y ago
Thanks for the report. Joe Rogan's podcast had me tempted into trying it but I'm glad I didn't!

Mahn 12y ago

For those of you who do take them: Aren't you concerned by side effects and/or long term health effects? Not judging, just genuinely curious; I've looked into them but it seems the general consensus is that their effects, both short and long term, are not very well understood yet.

JohnBooty 12y ago
Happily, I'd say the answer is "yes." In the hacker community, I've never seen a article/discussion on the benefits of these substances that didn't include a healthy dose of skepticism coupled with lot of concern regarding the side effects.
quicksparkle 12y ago
I use Armodafinil/Modafinil 4-5 times per week, cycling for a few days here and there. I've considered a lot of others as well (e.g. *racetams - avoided on reports of 'brain fog' and a few of mental impairment - scary!). However, out of the dozens(?) I ended up considering, Modafinil was the only one I ended up deciding to try and ultimately take regularly. I've read enough studies (and try to keep up to date) to know what our current knowledge about it is. In almost all of the studies, side-effects have been fairly standard (headaches, a few people getting sick, etc.). It's been used on-prescription for the past decade without seeing any uproar. In the long-term, I consider the risk of unknowns worth the reward. Most evidence points to it being fairly safe, if not, that's a gamble I might pay for. I drink alcohol to have fun, often to excess. I eat junk food. I actively choose to do a lot of things that shorten my lifespan for negligible returns. If this little magic pill, which costs the same as a bottle of coca cola, makes me feel motivated and alert for 14 hours a day, I'm going to take it until I find a reason not to.

TheLarch 12y ago

The best nootropic for me is bicycling into work. Also, after years of experimenting with caffeine I'm convinced that for me, one cup in the morning is close to ideal. Caffeine stays in the body for many hours, so it's all too easy to fall into the trap where you're tired, so you drink more, &etc.

traitorjoe 12y ago

Here's an interesting post someone made cataloging all the different nootropics they've tried. http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics And here's one specifically about modafinil: http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil

SQL2219 12y ago

dark chocolate coffee coconut oil combo green tea and coffee chia seeds

tarequeh 12y ago

L-Theanine. Recently went through an interview spree. Helps me get rid of nervousness and focus on solving problems. Naturally found in tea leaves but obviously in small dosage. Can't confirm side-effects but sometimes gives me headache if I drink beer on the same day, particularly IPAs!

mbrock 12y ago
If you get good quality sencha, especially the (somewhat pricey) Gyokuro, you get a high dose of L-theanine and an absolutely delicious taste. One of my favorite pleasures in life!

littletimmy 12y ago

No, because Adderall messes with my creativity. I was doing a math major in college, and whenever I took adderall (legally prescribed) before doing a p-set, I always came up with a long and unelegant solution to a problem. It seemed to motivate me to work very hard, but not to work smart. No idea if this was just something I had in my head or there is some neurochemical basis for it.

rodly 12y ago
I have the exact same problem when taking Adderall/Vyavanse/etc my creativity and memory retention is horrendous. Creativity is such an important feature to your personality and taking it away makes you so robotic and boring that I'd rather have the AD/HD and my normal, fun self than a foggy head all the time.
bcook 12y ago
I have experienced the same thing, but it was primarily because the dosage was too high. I have taken Adderall for years, being initially prescribed 5mg and now, 5+ years later, taking 15-20mg per day. I take "drug vacations" (no Adderrall) on most weekends, to help keep my tolerance low. Personally, I find amphetamines very useful. :) For comparison, my friend was prescribed Adderall, but his initial dosage was 40mg per day. He did not enjoy it. I do not understand the (poor) reasoning for prescribing such a high initial dose.
rbanffy 12y ago
I use to joke a lot of the code I saw recently bears the distinctive mark of Adderall-induced creativity. OTOH, lots of Lisp or Smalltalk code I saw earlier could be attributing to LSD or psilocybin.
jordsmi 12y ago
Adderall is not a nootropic

FidesFacitFidem 12y ago

Not a nootropic per say but I've noticed a huge difference since focusing on my general health; 1) 7-8 hours sleep per night. 2) 1 hour of exercise per day (some days cardio, other days weights(focus on compounds; squat, deadlift, bench press, shoulder press, pullups, rows)) (for people thinking "I'm too busy to spend an hour of my day exercising". I think the productivity increase of clearing your head doing this exercise more than makes up for the hour it takes.) 3) balanced diet consisting of fresh natural foods. (fruit, veg, meat, fish etc. not frozen meals, microwave food where your not quite sure what's in it) Found I've lost weight, cardiovascular endurance has increased, I'm stronger and just feel a lot better. So my advice would be try and do all the above before taking any drugs that aren't very well researched and could cause long term issues.

brador 12y ago
Why no frozen meals?
- totallymike 12y ago
  Seems like the main point is to only eat foods that are foods, not chemicals.
- sgt101 12y ago
  Most commercially packaged frozen meals have lots and lots of sugar, salt and oils added to low quality (cheap) ingredients to make them palatable. Some people think freezing food destroys its quality, but I think that the evidence for that is weak and fails to regard the loss of quality that comes from keeping things in the fridge for another day. When I stopped eating ready meals I lost a kilo in a week, I believe (believe) that happened largely because I dropped so much salt out of my diet and therefore I was retaining much less water. Buy things fresh, make meals and freeze them. This will allow you to cook good things quickly in the evening. Spend an afternoon and make a chicken casserole, a beef stew, a lasagne, a cottage pie and a fish pie. Freeze in portions (aim for five from each) and you have weeks of quick, nutritious and delicious food that means that you will not be stuffing yourself with rubbish. But also buy a steamer and make sure that you have a large portion of steamed green veg every day. You're five a day can have one orange juice and a couple of bits of fruit, but a decent wodge of green is really important. Tender stem broccoli, greens, cabbage, peas, beans... all take about 30 seconds to prepare and 3-4 minutes to stem (tip: only put a mugful of water in the steamer, it will boil fast and then cook the greens just as well as 4 inches would).

andyl 12y ago

Lots of compounds being discussed here - seems like some could be useful. But how do I know what is safe?

d--b 12y ago

The replies on this thread are very surprising... It seems everyone has tried them!! The question you should ask yourself is why you would need to take pills to alter your normal brain function in the first place? Do you really need to be more focused / more relaxed? Where does the urge of being more productive come from? What is your end goal? Is that goal really going to make you happier?

sgift 12y ago
> The question you should ask yourself is why you would need to take pills to alter your normal brain function in the first place? Many medicines alter your "normal" brain function. So, why do we take medicines? Because "normal" can often be very shitty.
azatris 12y ago
It isn't as surprising once you realize tea (L-theanine & caffeine), coffee (caffeine) and cigarettes (nicotine) all are nootropics. :) More information: http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics
Houshalter 12y ago
A huge percentage of the population drinks coffee and alcohol, so it's not that radical. And not everyone's normal is optimal. I have pretty severe ADHD and would kill for medication.

himanshuy 12y ago

I have started taking Bacopa from Himalays 2 weeks back. Hoping to see results in 8 weeks.

blop 12y ago

I've been taking ~50mg modafinil 5 times a week for years. Last batch I bought was 2 years ago on the grey market (an online indian pharmacy) in 200mg pills form (so I divide them in 4 for a daily dose). I don't take any on weekends or on holiday, and sometimes I take 100mg if I'm going for a long car journey or something else that requires complete attention... The effects are very subtle but noticeable: more alertness and concentration, and a more positive outlook on things. I found it's also pretty good at keeping depression at bay.

codecamper 12y ago
Have you tried not taking it in a while? I found that modafinil sped my mind up too fast to figure anything out. And I was taking even half what you are taking. Just 25mg.
- potatosaur 12y ago
  I've heard that armodafinil has a less pronounced effect- not as sped up and a more pronounced return to normality when it wears off. That's the thing that freaked me out about modafinil- it really seemed to last for ages.
- blop 12y ago
  I stopped for 6 months a few years ago when I was on a sabbatical, no problem. I still need a morning coffee to feel awake even on holiday though!

lfender6445 12y ago

i've tried piracetam - the effects for me were borderline coffee + espresso for 30 minutes to an hour. it also seemed to stimulate my digestive tract. nothing extremely noticeable in terms of cognitive throughput, but I remember hearing about its increased memory effects in rats as a long term benefit. I drink 2 -3 cups of caffeinated tea per day, occasionally I drink coffee. This is all I need.

cheald 12y ago

I've taken L-Theanine with my coffee for years. The effect is subtle, but it's remarkable - I just look back over the last few hours and realize that I was distraction-proof. I haven't dabbled in anything else because I don't really like the idea of messing with my brain chemistry too much. Theanine gets a pass because it's just an amino acid, is naturally present in green tea, and is considered extremely safe. I'll happily recommend it to anyone looking to experiment without too much fear of side effects.

medicineaccount 12y ago
I feel the same way about small amounts of psilocybin.
tjakab 12y ago
I was taking L-Theanine (capsules) regularly a couple years back and I found that I built up a rapid tolerance to it after about a week where it stopped being effective. I had to cycle off every few days. I'm curious if anyone else has encountered this.
- ponyous 12y ago
  I am taking something else but I think I noticed the same thing. I took only for 1 month of pills to try it out, so I don't really know if this is what happens in the long run.

azurelogic 12y ago

I was prescribed Ritalin and later Adderall from 3 years old until I was 24, when I quit. They did the job they were prescribed for: I was focused. I found Adderall to be "cleaner" feeling, and it had less of a negative effect on my personality. That said, both of them made me much more angry and type A. There is no doubt in my mind now that my dosage was too high, but back in the 80s and 90s, I don't think anyone really understood what constant stimulant overdoses in children looked like. This stuff has irreversibly shaped who I am for better and worse. I can't really recommend either one to anyone unless they really need it. On the topic of more accessible nootropics, I have worked with a number of the "racetam" substances, which tend to promote acetylcholine use in the brain. Because of this, all of them were taken with copious amounts of choline. I took Piracetam for about 2.5 years. It worked decently well early on at enhancing my focus, but towards the end, I questioned its benefits and quit. During that time, I also added in splashes of Oxiracetam, Aniracetam, and Pramiracetam. Oxiracetam is hands down the best of them all. It was made for hardcore analytical thinking. I used it primarily when I had exams or when I was more exhausted at work right after my daughter was born. It tends to tire the brain as it wears off and lead to some headaches though. Overall, it was a very useful tool Pramiracetam just gave me an instant headache the couple of times I tried it. Aniracetam is suggested to be more creative and anxiolytic. I felt a little calmer, but not enough to warrant consistent use. Quitting caffiene was really helpful for me. I know that's close to heresy among developers, but I wake up feeling a lot less crappy. Lately, I've been just taking Huperzine A, which acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. I feel like I get something similar to the performance of Piracetam, but without the need for the choline supplement to prevent headaches.

sqyttles 12y ago

I used to take a wide array of cognitive boosters during higher education and piracetam is one I know quite well personally. To make this short: It works for some things (like reading for hours at a time) but it has made me sometimes feel "foggy-headed" and less productive/creative. The effects it has on my GI tract have been problematic at times (causing gas) and it tends to make my blood sugar crash at T+3. Plus with the massive amount of choline you have to take alongside the product, it became an inconvenience rather than an aid. I would recommend sulbutiamine over piracetam if you want to "get things done".

TrevorJ 12y ago

Caffeine and L-Theanine work well together. The effects and mechanisms were well enough understood for me to feel comfortable trying this out.

jes5199 12y ago

I've tried modafinil a few times. It helps me a little with alertness, but not much - I can use it for long drives, but it didn't particularly help with programming. I sometimes get a side-effect from it that makes it something I can't take at work: I get super cranky and easily angered, like shouting-argument angry. It's out of character for me, and really weird. I took piracetam for a few months, and I thought maybe it was helping my focus and short-term memory. The side effect of that one, though, was even weirder: recovering sense memories of being a little kid. Like, flashbacks of the physical pain of the first time I had a bad injury. Vivid recollection of my adult teeth pushing my baby teeth out of the way. Even sensations of being an infant with no body autonomy at all. Worth experimenting with? Absolutely. Magic bullet for superhuman productivity? No way.

mafuyu 12y ago

I take piracetam/pramiracetam/noopept on and off and cycle between caffeine+l-theanine and nicotine. Some non-nootropic supplements I take are fish oil, Vitamin D3, and melatonin. Here are some of my anecdotes. ::Piracetam I haven't been able to get very consistent results with piracetam, but it's definitely not placebo. I've found that piracetam is hit-or-miss for a lot of people. Some are very sensitive and only need 500mg, while others, like myself, need somewhere around 10g, and it just doesn't work for others. When I started, the effects were fantastic: I had increased focus, more vivid dreams, and was more outgoing and personable when I'm normally introverted. However, after about 2 weeks of regular usage, much of the effect went away. This seems consistent with some other peoples' experiences with piracetam on the web. It seems to be having more effect now after a 2 month break, so it may just be tolerance. Also, @StevePerkins implied that piracetam is illegal to purchase in the US, but it is still unscheduled and legal to buy in most countries. ::Pramiracetam/Noopept These are much less subtle than piracetam. I usually take between 200-500mg pramiracetam and it has the same focusing effect of piracetam, but with a stimulating effect as well. I haven't noticed any tolerance issues, even with a period of regular use. With noopept, I only felt any effects when consuming around 5mg sublingually. It's not a racetam so it's a bit riskier, in my opinion. I felt focused without any stimulating effects and I found it helpful for exams. Some people have reported short term memory issues with higher doses. ::Caffeine/L-theanine This really is one of the best nootropics around if you can reduce your tolerance. Just caffeine makes me feel jittery, but taking it 1:1 with l-theanine makes me feel calm, focused, and energetic. ::Nicotine I cycle this with caffeine to reduce tolerance. I use 2mg gums, and it works pretty well. It feels like caffeine with the edge taken off. Like others have said, the benefits of nootropics are marginal compared to the low hanging fruit of sleep, exercise, and diet. If you're interested, just do your homework beforehand and balance the risks with the benefits. Everybody's different; find out which ones work and don't work for you, at what dosages. I think the racetams are relatively less risky, but they are psychoactive at high dosages, and there have not been studies on their long term effects over several years.

malepolish 12y ago

i tried piracetam but unfortunately it didn't have any effect on me. more recently i've been taking modafinil which has helped a lot – not necessarily with focus per-se, but being able to get through any drowsiness or that "wall" of just getting something started. though i will add my lifestyle is pretty clean, i would probably work on that first if yours is not. i recently changed my diet to mostly paleo but do include rice and beans. i use a nutribullet everyday to make my breakfast. i avoid processed foods, those with preservatives, etc. and cut down considerably on alcohol intake. i exercise a little bit (cardio mostly). adding paleo was great in that i no longer experienced the crash after eating a meal. about a year ago it was necessary to take 1-2 15 minute naps per day. now i can go 14+ hours without issue.

uxp100 12y ago

The closest I get is I occasionally take creatine. I'm vegetarian, I think the studies go either way on if the low creatine in a veg diet matters for mental acuity or not. I'll take 3g daily for a month, then forget about it, feel like it does nothing, etc. I notice small benefits re: muscle size, but never anything mental.

ilaksh 12y ago

I take Google constantly. The way it works (for me) is amazing. Basically whenever I have a hard problem I can just wiggle my fingers, stare at the screen for a few minutes, and then BAM! I know how people usually solve that problem. Its like my mind has expanded and tapped directly into other people's experiences.

jordsmi 12y ago

Just caffeine and L-theanine. Mixture of coffee and caff/l-theanine pills. I like the pills instead of all caffeine because I end up with bad jitters if I have too much caffeine in a day.

j_lev 12y ago

Piracetam/choline/caffeine stack for about six months. Would like to do another course at some stage. Mind was massively productive and I fleshed out several ideas over the period. Also got rid of the "mind fog" that starts to creep in from around 30 years old onwards.

starrychloe 12y ago

Piracetam, matcha, 5HE, dark chocolate. AT9PUiYE1X8FPWLUmo8aZKT7o7pS4Mmc4g