I’m a photographer and I’ve been taking Alpha Brain before big shoots for a while now. Sometimes up to 8 capsules to feel anything. My wallet can’t keep up with that. I researched and decided to make my own stack based on what each nootropic claims to achieve. Unfortunately since I’m not experienced, my concoction of nootropics has caused heavy brain fog over the past 48hrs. Words were being deleted as I was thinking them, I could not come up with simple terms weather speaking or typing. I couldn’t remember which light switch did what in my house. The most telling incident was I could not remember the name of the company I’ve been buying my workout supplements from for over three years. I highly doubt this is coincidental, even though it’s only been 48 hours or so of taking this stack. I encapsulated the ingredients because I think it’s awesome lol, but also because I didn’t want to mix everything up every time and take it with a fat source. My stack consists of the following:

Piracetam
Aniracetam
Sulbutiamine
Choline Bitartrate

When I bought everything, I didn’t know choline Bitartrate was choline by BS lol. I eat eggs every morning so hopefully I get enough choline naturally, but I will be ordering CDP asap. It was my first time trying to make my own capsules so I only got 322-318mg per cap. I take them with either food, Mct oil or fish oil. I’m hoping it’s just a low dose and quality of choline causing my memory loss and fog. If my calculations are correct, my scale is fairly close, with taking four 322mg capsules at a time, my dosages are as follows:

Piracetam: 448mg
Aniracetam: 280mg
Sulbutiamine: 280mg
Choline: 280mg

My goal is to up my memory retention, boost creativity and have confidence and willingness to to be more out going when I have the camera in my hand. It will be tough this weekend as I am booked both days and since writing this, I couldn’t remember the words “consists” and “incident” and “coincidental”, which is scary since I love to write and normally this wouldn’t happen.

I have a friend putting her kid on stupid ADHD meds, I’ve been researching to see exactly how his body can be protected. So far I’ve gleaned this:

The theory behind neurotoxicity in these medicines and supplements is due to all the dopamine production which is fairly reactive. The oxidized metabolite of dopamine damages synaptic terminals of dopaminergic neurons, causing them to no longer release dopamine. It’s my further understanding that the oxidative byproducts can also damage other parts of the body instead of treatment. 

It it were my kid, these are some things I would consider. Please feel free to correct anything I’ve got wrong here and make further suggestions. These aren’t necessarily in the Nootropics class so I’m less familiar with how they work.

Primarily needed are antioxidants: brain and liver protection and a mix is needed since antioxidants focus on different parts of the body.

1. Vitamin C: Neutralizes free radicals in the blood and other antioxidants rely on it to function

2. Vitamin E: Protects fatty areas of body such as walls of blood vessels

3. ALA: Protects Cell Membrane and inner cell, also a cofactor for glutathione production so includes liver protection

4. CoEnzyme Q10 (ubiquinone): Protects mitochondria

5. Beta Carotene: Mitochondrial Protection

6. ALCAR: Protects walls of Mitochondria

7. Curcumin: Powerful antioxodant. Blocks CREB (major reason for tolerance). Protects brain against apoptosis.

8. Brain Antioxidants: ALA, ALCAR, Melatonin

8a. Melatonin: Protects and Repairs Liver

9. PQQ: Neurotoxicity Protection

10. Aspirin: Antioxidant, brain protection

11. Ginkgo: Vasodilation (stimulants cause vasoconstriction)

12. GABA promoters (ex: picamilon, ASH, Bacopa): Vasodilation

13. Uridine & Forskolin: Upregulate D-Receptors

14. Piracetam: Enhances bioavailability of oxygen in the brain thereby reducing hypoxic damage

15. Milk Thistle, NAC: Reduce Liver damage by increasing glutathione

16. Vitamin D: Upregulated GDNF production which protects against Neurotoxicity.

17. Flavanoids: Help reduce inflammation in arterial walls caused by oxidized LDL cholesterol

18. Increase NGF and BDNF production: Phosphatydilserine, AGPC, Noopept

19. Phenylalanine: Starting point to help replenish neurotransmitters

Has anyone else noticed that Noopept suppresses appetite? I don’t know if it’s just that it keeps me intensely engaged for so long that I forget about food, or if it’s actually suppressing my appetite, but considering how hard I work my body when I’m doing landscaping at home, six hours is a long time for me to go without wanting food. It’s pretty awesome, I never thought Nootropics would help me with weight loss, but I’m burning way more calories than I’m eating every day, and gradually slimming down. 

I had an epiphany about a month ago when I realized that my body is like a battery of stored energy, since over the past three years I’ve been unable to burn fat due to hormonal disturbances which I finally managed to correct in the past eight months with the help of a naturopath. All the fat I’ve stored up is now being used as fuel to push the wheelbarrow, dig new garden beds, pull weeds and move rocks. I alternate between Noopept and Piracetam depending on how physical the activity and how long I plan to work. Noopept makes me want to do everything to completion no matter how much time or energy it requires. Piracetam seems better for short bursts of work activity–if I take it a second or third time I tend to get edgy and not be able to chill at night so I tend to just take it once.

Anyway, I’m going to do some research to see if there have ever been reported effects of appetite suppression with this particular nootropic but I thought I’d also mention it in this group so I could make a recommendation to anyone desiring to lose weight, it might help you.

Since there are often discussions about psychological health in, I’d like to share my experiences about “THE” anti-noot par excellence: Neuroleptics.
Christmas is coming and I think I am not the only one who faces a lot of stress and maybe insomnia. All my other sleep aids didn’t help and I thought: maybe I could try Seroquel again. I tried it some years before and it wasn’t the right substance at this moment (made me do weird things). On the other hand I just could have had a bad episode of life.
Anyway… about the side effects. I leave them out. They can be horrible, especially for your metabolism (is supposed to trigger diabetes)
The first time I took it, it knocked me out so bad, I had trouble to stand straight while peeing xD. I had to sleep so damn much!
2 years have passed by and I never touched Seroquel again. Took it last week and expected the knock-out effect. Nothing happened. First thing that made me worrying.
How can a drug affect my tolerance after two years never taking it???
My sleep latency has been lowered though and I was finally able to sleep.
What I find also interesting is the fact that it made me less irritable during the day even though I took it in the evening and half life is only 12 hours. I mean, I am aware that neuroleptics can have an antidepressant effect in low doses, but it’s not the same effect i get from low dosed SSRI’s or tricyclics. Also, I got the urge to do sports which usually doesn’t happen. And I was able to do things I normally procrastinate because I haven’t found the optimal strategy to get stuff done the right way (avoidant personality). Also, I feel like having a normal „male aggression“ which I didn’t have before and at the same time I am more clear minded but I doubt someone external sees a difference.

{:en}Meldonium is manufactured and sold as Mildronate in Latvia. Not available in the US Banned by WADA as of January 2016 Meldonium works by decreasing the availability of L-carnitine, which helps mitochondria use fat for muscular energy.

Reducing available L-carnitine shifts the source of energy production from fat to glucose. Aerobic glucose oxidation consumes less oxygen than fatty acid oxidation and increases the effectiveness of ATP generation. In ischemic conditions (lack of oxygen), meldonium appears to prevent ATP transport impairment. Ironically, L-carnitine, which meldonium inhibits, is used as a supplement for athletic performance.

Two decades of research have been inconclusive L-carnitine is available in the US as the prescription drug Carnitor® All published clinical studies, except one are in Russian. Abstracts of randomized controlled trials have reported the efficacy of meldonium in cardiovascular disease, including agina. Only one abstract mentioned adverse effects, stating that none occurred. No long-term studies. No studies on the effect of meldonium on human athletic performance

Has anyone noticed worsened short term memory under the influence of Noopept? Noopept has improved my perception of colors tremendously. I think I may have had damaged neurons in my visual cortex from years of dissociative anaesthetic abuse, a long time ago. When I started taking noopept I immediately noticed that colors seemed much more saturated. everything seemed much more 3 dimensional and my depth perception thus improved. noopept has also improved my reaction time. I don’t have to premeditate actions, my actions just sort of flow, including my speech. I used to have to think about the order in which I was going to accomplish tasks, or how I was going to phrase a sentence, but I don’t anymore. it just comes out. It has also improved my long term memory.
But my short term memory is somewhat worsened on noopept. It’s not to the point where it adversely affects my ability to function. Overall, my functioning is dramatically improved. I am actually just kind of interested in what might be going in the brain to where some long term memory is gained at the expense of short term memory. My theory is that it may be that short term memory begins being processed into long term memory much more rapidly and thus leaves short term memory faster than it usually would.

{:en}A bit of my history.
I’m 38 with really bad ADD. I’ve been a drug tourist, & extremely heavy drinker since 15. (Please don’t give me a lecture about how “dangerous” my start off with noots was, cause I’m not interested. Thank you.)
Always been really into art, philosophy, science, thought processes etc, as well as excess & debauchery.

Present
I read an article on noots on The Daily Dot maybe a month ago & just HAD to try these things, so I started researching & got a gram of Sunifiram.
Ignored the dosing & took a bunch for 2 weeks. I was AMAZED from day 1 (still drinking a 12 pack a day after getting off night shift). My brain was on rapid fire mode the whole time. After 2 weeks of this awesomeness, it was too much coming in too fast, so I switched to Noopept. Started with 20 mg a couple times a day along with 500 mg phenibut& upped noop to 30. A week later. Again, neurons rapid firing.
After work I had a lot of time for self reflection, & meditating on my 23 year drinking problem. Last week, I dropped from 12 to 4 beers a day just instinctively.
I loved the brain surgery & sponge brain that I got from noop, but at the maxed out dose I was taking, I felt it hard to connect with people, & sex was the farthest thing from my mind (I didn’t even notice, but my old lady NEEDS her sexytime!)
Next I got some Piracetam started at 1-4 mg 3 times a day & Adrafinil at 600 mg before work & once more sometimes.
This seems perfect for my ADD & for getting through work.
I think I found my stack. Ordered some aniracetam to mix in outside of work, because I read it makes sexytime even better (more affectionate & connected) & enhances creativity.

One last side note. Through all of this, halfway through noopept cycle, I added in l-theanine & plan on keeping it a constant as opposed to taking phenibut every day.

I can’t believe I just typed this whole thing. These things work.
I have lots more to write about effects on socialization, anxiety, & motivation, but this is long enough for now.

If you read this whole thing, thank you, & please leave comments

n-acetyl semax atypical experience
I thought I’d share my experience since it’s so different from all the other great experiences being posted. I only took it 3x over about a week and a half (not consecutive day. nasal 300 mcg spray, 1 spray per day
day 1 (drank my regular strong cup of coffee when I took it in the morning): I felt very stimulated for the first couple hours. The whole day I felt very negative and snappy and irritable
day 2 (decided to try without my coffee): didn’t notice any effect at all really, so finally ended up drinking my coffee because I was tired
day 3 (tried without coffee again)- Felt very mild stimulation and focus, but was tired so ended up drinking coffee
– does not help to uplift my mood at all, and makes me feel more irritable and less patient with people and a little tired

The weird/bad part is that the night after day 3 (not the same night), I had a weird experience when I was trying to go to sleep around 11:45 PM where I was WIDE awake, and my head had a feeling like it was pulsating, and my heart/chest felt like it was going fast and I had a weird tingling sensation in my body. It took me a couple hours to fall asleep because I was so abnormally wide awake and the weird sensations in my body. The only thing I had done differently than usual was to take the semax the day before, so I think it was from the Semax and now I’m scared to take it again. Anyone else had an experience similar to mine? My husband takes the same semax and it works great for him. He is seeing great results. I am so disappointed that it’s not working for me like for other people.

{:en}So far I have been having good results and my concentration in college has gone up which has done wonders for me. My Stack below consists of:
•Aniracetam 750 mg
•noopept (twice a day): 10mg morning and 10mg in night.
• vitamin and fish oil in night
•choline source

Any suggestions you guys might have that I can make my stack better? add or take away?
Lastly can i take this stack everyday and what are the longterm effects of these racetams on the brain? I assume they are shortterm because they have half lives such as others as well.

I have an increase in focus, increase in drive so that feels good. I feel a bit “stuck” and “lazy” overslept and went late to class and little things are holding me back but overall my drive has increased and that is due to the environment i am in as well as my daily meditation cbt (10mins) and its just different cuz I interact with people way more succinct, and positive.{:}{:es}Hasta ahora he estado teniendo buenos resultados y mi concentración en la universidad ha subido maravillas que ha hecho por mí. Mi pila de abajo consta de:
• El aniracetam 750 mg
• noopept (dos veces al día): 10 mg y 10 mg por la mañana en la noche.
• vitaminas y aceite de pescado en la noche
• fuente de colina

 

{:en}Social anxiety has always been a drawback in my life. through high school and university i have almost always been alone, no friends and not social with anyone.
My doctor thought i had depression so he gave me elavil and remeron. these two combined gives me a great night of sleep and also helped in the depression side but has done nothing to the social anxiety side. Because of the sedative effects of elavil and remeron he also introduced me welbutrin once in the morning.
Some months ago he also prescribed me Paxil. after taking it for some weeks, i got some mixed results. the social anxiety was gone but paxil also killed my motivation and emotions. I didnt want to do anything at all, not thinking about work, job and family. the worst of all happened when one day my wife cried on the phone and i just started laughing. after that i thought there was something wrong with medicine so i quit it.

I was introduced to a Psychiatry to find out if i had ADHD.She told me that i had mostly social anxiety but also very week ADHD due to the loss of interests in activity, law energy and loss of motivation.
This Friday i have an appointment with her to discuss about a possible medicine.

I don´t want to take any other SSRI. I will be glad if you take your time and give any advice or suggestion on what should i expect or ask for