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Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

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Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#71

Post by jacques_chester »

pyromine wrote: post #41
Igglyboo wrote: post #33

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 anyo…

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 si…

> I believe I have adhd, for many reasons, how realistic is it getting diagnosed at 18?

I was diagnosed as a 32 year old.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#72

Post by Mahn »

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…

> 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.

Procrastination can also be a pretty big problem for a coder, and theoretically a drug could help there.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#73

Post by ionflux »

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…

have you tried listening to white/pink/brown noise instead of music? it works wonders for my concentration. there are numerous noise generators online, i like this one: http://www.simplynoise.com/

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#74

Post by mrcactu5 »

baseh wrote: post #63

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 dem…

theanine appears naturally in green tea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#75

Post by falcolas »

maxerickson wrote: post #68
falcolas wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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).

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-co... More here (pdf): 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.)…

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!

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#76

Post by ionflux »

josephagoss wrote: post #26
PlzSnow wrote: post #23

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…

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.

I've found this FAQ on modafinil, I liked it a lot. The whole site is brilliant, actually. http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#77

Post by maxerickson »

falcolas wrote: post #75
maxerickson wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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-co... More here (pdf): 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.)…

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!

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.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#78

Post by Jhsto »

falcolas wrote: post #69
Jhsto wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You sure your high does not come from clearing out your withdrawal effects? To elaborate, smokers seem to be anxious before they get nicotine, but to what I understand the relief itself does not really come from nicotine, but because your brain is not used to not have it on hand.

Speaking for myself, there is no high. There's coming back up to normal. And yes, the positive effects to those with ADHD is 100% driven by the drug itself. I have 36 years of managing ADHD with coping mechanisms to compare the effects of medication against, and gods below I wish I had gotten help sooner.

I was not aware that some nootropics could be used to treat conditions like ADHD. I personally use 2g dose of taurine every now and then for mental boost, but it is basically just placebo compared to what you must experience. Great to hear though that you've found a cure - I happen to have restless leg, which has been enough to shake my mental sanity, as I have been unable to focus on anything. Having that inside your head must been quite harder to cope with, so kudos for you.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#79

Post by TheLarch »

sasas wrote: post #51
josephagoss wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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')

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.

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.

Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?

#80

Post by blackle »

jamesrcole wrote: post #62
PlzSnow wrote: post #23

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…

> SLEEPING WELL! [..] It's easy to fix and... I know you meant in the normal case, but it's definitely not easy to fix for some people, like with certain health problems. Not referring to you in particular, but it just gets a little grating when so many people talk about a good night's sleep as if it was something that anyone can just get.

I can relate to this so well, as a person who has struggled with their sleep schedule since early childhood. People suggest going to bed at the same time every night, but I think those people have the ability to fall asleep when they're given no external stimuli. For me, no external stimuli means my brain starts working overtime, keeping me up.
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