Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

slatestarcodex.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 105 posts

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#11

Post by drakaal »

I think you have to have certain conditions for nootropics to really do anything.

I take Aniracetam and it makes a big difference in my life. I take a LOT less than most people, and the thing I notice is that I don't have songs stuck in my head.

This may seem like a weird condition to be trying to get rid of but it makes a huge difference in my life and my concentration. There may be other effects, and some fuzzy metrics we could test for like how well I do at Baby Animal Match, or how fast I can do a Sudoku, but I can "observe" this one in my day to day life.

I talk about my experience here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcHkTuMlqys

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#12

Post by pstuart »

Aloisius wrote: post #7
pakitan wrote: post #5

I'm quite surprised to see caffeine ranked so close to modafinil. I've never used modafinil but from what I've read, for some people it's almost a wonder-drug. Caffeine gets me "high" but if anything, it can even be counter-productive at times. I wouldn't rate it anywhere near life-changing.

Well. I have tried modafanil from two different sources (both were modalert iirc) and noticed absolutely nothing. I tried various doses. I tried taking it before staying up all night and after. Each time was a complete disappointment. So it could be hype, me being unlucky with fake pills or differences in physiology.

Same thing here. I was thrilled to learn it could be prescribed for sleep apnea and was provided with free samples. I felt nothing. An acquaintance mentioned it did wonders for resetting the internal clock when traveling to different time zones, I'll try it again when that occurs.

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#13

Post by fatman »

What about Nicotine? Back in college and for a few years afterward, I used to put in a big fat dip (or chew) for all/late-nighters to help me buckle down, focus, and stay alert. I stopped for all the standard health reasons, but I find that caffeine is only about 2/3 as good.

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#14

Post by oldstrangers »

pakitan wrote: post #5

I'm quite surprised to see caffeine ranked so close to modafinil. I've never used modafinil but from what I've read, for some people it's almost a wonder-drug. Caffeine gets me "high" but if anything, it can even be counter-productive at times. I wouldn't rate it anywhere near life-changing.

I took modafinil in the form of Provigil. Wasn't very similar to caffeine. It's more akin to Adderall. However, I still rank caffeine as more productive for me than either Provigil or Adderall. Provigil was weird, seemed to increase my hearing, and put me on edge. I was certainly more alert, but to an extent that was just excessive. I'd pay attention to so many trivial details that it was mentally and physically exhausting me. Things I never noticed before, song lyrics, instruments in songs, people's mannerisms, etc.

Adderall wasn't as bad, but it just wrecked my physical state. Twitchy, nervous, jaw hurt, wouldn't eat. In low enough doses, adderall is probably as useful as a cup of coffee. Long term health risks though seem pretty bleak.

Wellbutrin is another wonder drug that's not always talked about. Increased my concentration, increased my sex drive, increased my athletic performance... But! The first week on a full dose and I wanted jump through a window. Does very weird things to your brain (epileptic seizures included). I described it as being able to feel things in my head that I shouldn't be able to. Started hearing lots of high pitched humming. Apparently all side effects, bleg.

I'll stick to coffee.

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#15

Post by zen_boy »

computer wrote: post #9

I have a fair bit of experience with modafinil/adronafinil, so if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I'm not recommending trying them without docter's prescription, of course. It helped me greatly to stay up longer, to sleep less, and to concentrate better. However, those effects get much weaker over time: the sleep effects for me were less clear after 1-2 months, the concentration after weeks. Side effects…

Would love to hear your general thoughts on Modafinil. One of the things they say is that it has minor side-effects and that tolerance builds up really slow, if at all, in comparison. What's your take on it, empirically?

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#16

Post by fatman »

computer wrote: post #9

I have a fair bit of experience with modafinil/adronafinil, so if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I'm not recommending trying them without docter's prescription, of course. It helped me greatly to stay up longer, to sleep less, and to concentrate better. However, those effects get much weaker over time: the sleep effects for me were less clear after 1-2 months, the concentration after weeks. Side effects…

How do you get that doctor's prescription in the US?

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#17

Post by thepatshea »

fatman wrote: post #16
computer wrote: post #9

I have a fair bit of experience with modafinil/adronafinil, so if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I'm not recommending trying them without docter's prescription, of course. It helped me greatly to stay up longer, to sleep less, and to concentrate better. However, those effects get much weaker over time: the sleep effects for me were less clear after 1-2 months, the concentration after weeks. Side effects…

How do you get that doctor's prescription in the US?

You need to be diagnosed with narcolepsy or shift-work syndrome to get prescribed modafinil in the US.

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#18

Post by oldstrangers »

thepatshea wrote: post #17
fatman wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you get that doctor's prescription in the US?

You need to be diagnosed with narcolepsy or shift-work syndrome to get prescribed modafinil in the US.

Some psychs will prescribe it for ADD/ADHD (mine did).

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#19

Post by oldstrangers »

fatman wrote: post #13

What about Nicotine? Back in college and for a few years afterward, I used to put in a big fat dip (or chew) for all/late-nighters to help me buckle down, focus, and stay alert. I stopped for all the standard health reasons, but I find that caffeine is only about 2/3 as good.

Maybe you find caffeine 2/3 as good because it's not as addictive as nicotine.

Re: Nootropics Survey Results And Analysis

#20

Post by computer »

zen_boy wrote: post #15
computer wrote: post #9

I have a fair bit of experience with modafinil/adronafinil, so if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I'm not recommending trying them without docter's prescription, of course. It helped me greatly to stay up longer, to sleep less, and to concentrate better. However, those effects get much weaker over time: the sleep effects for me were less clear after 1-2 months, the concentration after weeks. Side effects…

Would love to hear your general thoughts on Modafinil. One of the things they say is that it has minor side-effects and that tolerance builds up really slow, if at all, in comparison. What's your take on it, empirically?

First a warning, because I've seen many misconceptions: Modafinil is not a sleep replacement. Especially not long-term. Do not use it that way. Its anti-sleep property is that it suppresses many parts of the urge to sleep. It does not provide any of the effects sleep provides.

--

Well, I've always had issues with sleep: I have an 25 hour circadian rythm, so before modafinil I often just let it run and wake up an hour later every day. I thought modafinil might be something useful to help me experiment with my sleep. Note that I did not get a doctor's receipt, so I imported the drug myself. (I'm not in the US; it's not a felony where I am.)

You say "in comparison"-- I must say that I do not have much to compare it to. The only other substance of this kind that I feel an effect of is caffeine, and it's on a completely different level, in all ways.

Side-effects I noticed were mostly dry/chapped lips, reduced appetite and diarrhea-- the last of which seems not to be very common.

In terms of its nootropic effects, I'm normally very bad at focusing on stuff for long periods of time, and for some periods it helped me focus for long times on tedious things. Or it helped me focus on cleaning the house really well, reading the internet thoroughly and avoiding what I had to get done. But if I used it and spent a night studying, I would remember the material studied very well. This concentration effect was also the quickest to fade after longer use.

The main effect is its anti-sleep property is that it suppresses many parts of the urge to sleep. It does not provide any of the effects sleep provides.

Right now I don't use it, because I am not working on anything that would benefit from it, and the side effects are not worth it to me right now. Also, melatonin has helped me with my sleep rythm issues for some time, so I don't need it for that.

I did not notice any addictive effects whatsoever. There's no high you get from it, nor a low after you stop, perhaps besides sleeping a bit longer for a few days.

Post reply on HN