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Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

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Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#181

Post by archemike_ »

Lewton wrote: post #35
StevePerkins wrote: post #24

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 potent…

>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 la…

for someone who likes melatonin but wants something stronger to aid sleep that's not medication/pills I recommend valerian root, it'll put your right to sleep reset your stress, like clearing your bodies ram.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#182

Post by collyw »

nbouscal wrote: post #170
coryl wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been taking 1 or 2 5mg tablets. 2 tablets definitely seems like too much.

Yeah, 10mg is a crazy dose, even 5mg is far more than most people I know take. I would try out doses in the 100mcg-1mg range and see how they work.

Some people reckon that a lower dose (1mg) is more effective than 3 or 5mg. Its gotten a bit too popular, and there is tons of conflicting advice on using it.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#183

Post by ponyous »

tjakab wrote: post #180
cheald wrote: post #138

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…

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.

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.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#184

Post by collyw »

Lewton wrote: post #43
sumitviii wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MIT has a patent on doses less than 1 mg and some(not exactly >1 mg) higher doses can have harmful effects.

Source on the harmful effects? I have not seen any credible study showing any significantly harmful effects. Did not know about the MIT thing. That explains why it seems impossible to find melatonin in reasonable doses. It took me a long time even to find something as low as 1 mg pills here in europe (why would anyone ever want to buy 8 mg melatonin pills??)

biovea.com does 1mg ones in Europe.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#185

Post by collyw »

ch wrote: post #44
sumitviii wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MIT has a patent on doses less than 1 mg and some(not exactly >1 mg) higher doses can have harmful effects.

It is possible to patent the quantity of dosage for a given chemical? There must be more to this than you let on, no?

homoeopathy could crush the patent system!

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#186

Post by joeyspn »

malepolish wrote: post #172
coryl wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a weird experience with melatonin. It puts me out quickly, but I wake up about 4-5 hours later in a half drugged state. For the next few hours I'm awake but drowsy.

you might try adding 5-HTP to the mix. i had the same issue, after taking melatonin – i'd fall sleep, but wake up a few hours later. pretty much every night. right now i take 1/2 of 2.5 mg melatonin (sublingual) with 50-100 mg 5-HTP, ideally 30-45 min before going to bed. adding 5-HTP was A MIRACLE ! after just a day or two i slept very soundly and had AMAZING dreams – we're talkin 2160p 10.5 THX Lord of the Rings ep…

Never heard of F.lux before.. I just installed it and it looks great!

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#187

Post by wiresurfer »

malepolish wrote: post #172
coryl wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a weird experience with melatonin. It puts me out quickly, but I wake up about 4-5 hours later in a half drugged state. For the next few hours I'm awake but drowsy.

you might try adding 5-HTP to the mix. i had the same issue, after taking melatonin – i'd fall sleep, but wake up a few hours later. pretty much every night. right now i take 1/2 of 2.5 mg melatonin (sublingual) with 50-100 mg 5-HTP, ideally 30-45 min before going to bed. adding 5-HTP was A MIRACLE ! after just a day or two i slept very soundly and had AMAZING dreams – we're talkin 2160p 10.5 THX Lord of the Rings ep…

I can vouch for F.lux. Its such an essential tool for me now and I have made it a point to get it on all my devices. Apart from the advantages it has in not disrupting my sleep cycle, I actually enjoy the warmer tones. Even when it comes to home lighting, I have always preferred the yellow shades over the incandescent whites. Never tried melatonin, either stand alone or coupled with 5-HTP. Let me read a little more. Thanks for the pointers.

As an aside, I would definitely say get your sleep cycles right and more disciplined definitely puts you in a much higher efficiency bracket. Coupled with some simple lifestyle hacks ( playing a team outdoor sport, if you are not the workout type, no devices in bedroom rule, boring but informative tech talk to go to sleep, light and early dinners, no coffee post sunset) you would be surprised how many extra hours of high concentration work you are capable of.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#188

Post by woah »

KaiserPro wrote: post #157
driverdan wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As a fellow devop, I say that you shouldn't need drugs to do your job. You need to learn about mental health and, in this case, ADHD. You can't just wish mental health issues away.

No, as someone who has had depression a job either makes you worse or better. If your job makes you worse, you must change.

As someone who has sprained my ankle I now have expert authority on your mental condition.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#189

Post by snarfy »

BSousa wrote: post #144
snarfy wrote: post #18

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…

Only references to Lecithin as a supplement I found were Soy Lecithin, is this it?

Yep, that's it.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#190

Post by Houshalter »

d--b wrote: post #118

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?

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.
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