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Nootropics

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Re: Nootropics

#111

Post by tominous »

JusticeJuice wrote: post #88
thatswrong0 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see why you couldn't eat healthy, exercise, and take melatonin (for example). He brought up an excellent point in his essay about melatonin that although being purely "natural" may be beneficial, we don't live in a natural world. We expose ourselves to blueish light far more than our ancestors.. so why wouldn't it make sense to counteract that artificial influence with something like melatonin? There's nothin…

I've found melatonin best used not on a regular basis, but on nights you know it will take extra time to get to sleep, or when you have to wake early. Its more about keeping your sleep schedule in check. "Conservatively, a bottle of melatonin pills will cost about 6 USD for 150 pills". This is the part I find interesting. I live in NZ, and melatonin isn't readily available - unlike most drugs here it's not government…

In NZ you should be able to get a prescription from a doctor then import a limited personal supply from overseas. Quality may vary.

http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/compliance/faqs.asp

Re: Nootropics

#112

Post by hirsin »

JusticeJuice wrote: post #88
thatswrong0 wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see why you couldn't eat healthy, exercise, and take melatonin (for example). He brought up an excellent point in his essay about melatonin that although being purely "natural" may be beneficial, we don't live in a natural world. We expose ourselves to blueish light far more than our ancestors.. so why wouldn't it make sense to counteract that artificial influence with something like melatonin? There's nothin…

I've found melatonin best used not on a regular basis, but on nights you know it will take extra time to get to sleep, or when you have to wake early. Its more about keeping your sleep schedule in check. "Conservatively, a bottle of melatonin pills will cost about 6 USD for 150 pills". This is the part I find interesting. I live in NZ, and melatonin isn't readily available - unlike most drugs here it's not government…

Is it government controlled in NZ? In the US I can buy it off the shelf for a few dollars. Happy to set up arbitrage...

Re: Nootropics

#113

Post by [deleted] »

perfectfire wrote: post #61

I've been on (legally, with a prescription) Modafinil (4 straight days of nausea), Armodafinil (made me really sleepy), Dextroamphetamine (3 times including right now), Adderall (constantly felt sick), Adderall XR (even worse than Adderall), Ritalin SR (about the same as Adderall), Bupropion twice (Wellbutrin, no noticeable effect). Pretty much everything other than Dextroamphetamine either made me feel sick or stran…

[deleted]

Re: Nootropics

#114

Post by atmosx »

offtopic: Does anyone see a web add on top of the article?

I'm trying to understand if Chrome is infected. Chrome and Safari both display the add while FF doesn't display the add.

Re: Nootropics

#115

Post by FullMtlAlcoholc »

perfectfire wrote: post #61

I've been on (legally, with a prescription) Modafinil (4 straight days of nausea), Armodafinil (made me really sleepy), Dextroamphetamine (3 times including right now), Adderall (constantly felt sick), Adderall XR (even worse than Adderall), Ritalin SR (about the same as Adderall), Bupropion twice (Wellbutrin, no noticeable effect). Pretty much everything other than Dextroamphetamine either made me feel sick or stran…

Like you, I once was on a roller-coaster of cognition enhancing drugs. I did find that I was more productive, but only if I planned out what exactly I wanted to do beforehand and removed all distractions from my workspace. (Phone on airplane mode in another room, email/chat closed, websites blocked, etc.) However, the side effects made it rarely worth it.

However, I started going to see a new doctor. He recommended to Selegiline. I had some reservations, as it is officially classified as a MAOI, but he had some impressive credentials (PhD in neurobiology and MD, Postdoc in psychopharmacology and neuronal regeneration, APA President, wrote APA Textbook of Psychopharmacology) and seemed personally familiar with it.

It has been a revelation for me. It provides similar benefits without the tunnel-vision or distractibility. Most importantly, it doesn't have a noticeable narcotic/stimulant effect, nor does it have the dietary restrictions of MAOI. It does partly metabolize into Levoamphetamine and levomethamphetamine, but it's a minimal amount and you don't feel it. I'm still young, so I cannot attest to its supposed anti-aging/neuroprotective qualities.

Re: Nootropics

#116

Post by pavs »

HalfwayToDice wrote: post #74

The best nootropic is getting a good nights sleep. It takes effort! Preparing for bed early and disciplining yourself to put the light out is not easy. Not nearly as easy as popping a pill. But it's so much more effective than any drug listed here. And for a safe and provable quick cognitive boost, take some caffeine, preferable green tea with theanine.

I agree, but it's very difficult for me to fall asleep naturally. I have tried all the well-known advice and even tried long workouts late in the day so that it would help me to get tired and fall asleep. The only thing that works for me is melatonin and making sure I am away from all kinds of blue lights 2-3 hours before bed. I have been sleeping great for the last 6 months or so. I have tried to get off of melatonin pills, I would sleep normally for a couple of days then I would have trouble falling sleep again. To the best of my knowledge, I haven't seen any side effect from melatonin.

I also have random sudden panic attacks. I stopped drinking coffee (which helped a lot) and I would only drink 1 cup of green tea once a day in the morning. Instead, I take modafinil during the day to try to stay awake. The daytime tiredness has nothing to do with sleep or my food intake (I have done extensive research on nutrition), I am fairly physically active, currently training for my first 10k. If I drink coffee I will be fine in terms of alertness but it will make my anxiety crazy (not always but a lot more than not drinking any coffee). So I started taking modafinil which works great without making my anxiety/panic attack any worse.

Even with no coffee and good nights of sleep and being fairly physically active, and trying out all the self-help methods I could get my hands on in the last couple of years, I still couldn't fix my anxiety/panic attack issues. The only thing that works is benzo (clonazepam 0.5mg once a day). It works amazing - not only I am happiest when I am on it I am also the most productive (because of less anxiety and panic attack). I have been taking it for the last 3 months regularly (prescribed) and I am already addicted to it. If I try not to take a benzo for one day my anxiety is off the roof - the feeling is horrible and I can't get anything done the whole day.

At the moment I am trying to find the best way I can get off my dependencies on benzo but still keep my sanity.

The point of my post is that sometimes life is not as simple as "getting a good night's sleep" because even something as simple as "getting a good nights sleep" can be quite a bit struggle for some of us.

Re: Nootropics

#117

Post by throwaway__123 »

Zoloft

I am afraid of sounding like a shill, but the fact is I'm 30 engineer, who has been trying to feel better my whole life through experiments with: ketamine, CBD, various nutrients, various dietary changes, exercise, being more social, meditation. None of them made lasting improvement like sertraline has, I wish I had been open-minded enough to try it years ago.

In retrospect, maybe it was ridiculous to try to find happiness with all methods other than the ones there are best medical evidence for... I guess I was afraid that somehow I'd be conceding there was something "wrong" with me (which is wonk). I was wondering why nobody had ever mentioned this before, and I realized people who use prescription medications are probably afraid to admit it. So I'm just putting out my sincere recommendation out there, as I wish somehow had done for me.

Re: Nootropics

#118

Post by obmelvin »

thatswrong0 wrote: post #69
fowlerpower wrote: post #28

Does anyone else think this shit is totally bat shit crazy? I may be of the minority here but I am definitely not the minority in the real world. If you care about health why not exercise and eat healthy and never take any type of drug for any reason unless you are sick.

I don't see why you couldn't eat healthy, exercise, and take melatonin (for example). He brought up an excellent point in his essay about melatonin that although being purely "natural" may be beneficial, we don't live in a natural world. We expose ourselves to blueish light far more than our ancestors.. so why wouldn't it make sense to counteract that artificial influence with something like melatonin? There's nothin…

https://www.supermemo.com/en/articles/sleep#Factors_that_aff...

Then ctr+f melatonin and shortly lower there is some good information about how melatonin is not that great. Highly recommend the general article - incredible amount of information.

Re: Nootropics

#119

Post by jamestnz »

ajkjk wrote: post #66
daveguy wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

His testing and analysis are not exactly rigorous. Even with an N=1 he comments about how he can smell the difference between the placebo and treatment. In his most highly rated drug, modafinil, he took it on 8 different days and could tell which one it was 5/8 times. 8 days, couldn't tell the difference 3/8 times and it is his most highly recommended drug. He definitely needs to try drug free, exercise and sleep ove…

If you know someone who has better data, I'm sure everyone would like to read it. You have to at least be impressed with the level of rigor he did manage for a person working alone to test hundreds of chemicals.

This post reminded of a similar effort from 25 years ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PiHKAL

This guy produced and personally tested over 150 different psychedelic compounds, and published his notes on synthesis, dosage and effects.

Re: Nootropics

#120

Post by wonkaWonka » 

  ...if caffeine were a new drug, I wonder what 
  Schedule it would be in and if people might 
  be even more leery of it than modafinil.

  ...

  So I eventually got around to ordering another 
  thing of nicotine gum...

  A second dose was similar, and the third dose 
  was at 10 PM before playing Ninja Gaiden II 
  seemed to stop the usual exhaustion I feel after 
  playing through a level or so.
Okay, I'm no longer part of the gwern fanclub. I could pick apart other aspects of this article, but I'll refrain, since it's not without a modicum of practical utility.

Yes, he writes very lengthy, detailed articles. Lovely. But they are anecdotes. And artisanal anecdotes at best.

To summarize gwern: A layman tries some stuff that is innately accessible to any layman, and writes haughtily aloof essays.

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