11–20 of 223 posts
> 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.
(Ketogenic = High fat, carb restricted diet)
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.
I also quit getting blackout drunk 4-5 nights a week.
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.
- 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.
Dexamphetamine. 1*5mg = 3 hours of uninterrupted coding, with maybe 1 minute total spent looking away from the screen to rest my eyes.
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.
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.
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.
Let me get this right. You pop this pill and then work for 24 hours straight? How do you feel the following day?
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