91–100 of 223 posts
For those of you who do take them: Aren't you concerned by side effects and/or long term health effects? Not judging, just genuinely curious; I've looked into them but it seems the general consensus is that their effects, both short and long term, are not very well understood yet.
In the hacker community, I've never seen a article/discussion on the benefits of these substances that didn't include a healthy dose of skepticism coupled with lot of concern regarding the side effects.
Modafinil. Works great (14 hours of focus and productivity). At $5 a pop it's not something I can afford daily. If something cheaper becomes available I'd use it.
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…
The Mayo Clinic's website doesn't quite feel as strongly as you do about Melatonin:
> The hormone melatonin helps control your natural sleep-wake cycle. Some research suggests that melatonin supplements might be helpful in treating jet lag or reducing the time it takes to fall asleep — although the effect is typically mild. Side effects can include headache and daytime sleepiness. [0]
Another page from Mayo Clinic's website:
> Melatonin might also reduce the time it takes to fall asleep — although this effect is typically mild. [1]
I wouldn't tout Melatonin as the great counterexample of a nootropic that's OTC, considering it's questionable value and limited long-term use.
[0] - http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/in-depth/sleep-aids/art-20047860?pg=2
[1] - http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/adult-health/expert-answers/melatonin-side-effects/faq-20057874Modafinil. Works great (14 hours of focus and productivity). At $5 a pop it's not something I can afford daily. If something cheaper becomes available I'd use it.
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.
PSA: http://smile.amazon.com/Source-Naturals-Melatonin-Liquid-Nat... is melatonin in drop form, with 3 drops being 0.3 mg. See http://www.gwern.net/Melatonin for a good writeup :)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> 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.
There are plenty of process oriented methods for solving this one e.g. pomodoros and outside-in development.
In fact, with out a process or at least a process-oriented approach in place, ADHD medication or other stimulants alone can create hilarious-but-frustrating situation where you're all hopped up on meds and your laser-like focus gets "locked onto" something totally useless, like reorganizing your music collection instead of completing the programming task that really needs to be done.
However, medication (for those that need it) plus a process-oriented approach (or at least a solid task list) is the most effective combination of all.
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…
You seem to contradict yourself, because caffeine is a nootropic.
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…
to quote from drugs.com:
"Lisdexamfetamine is a drug of abuse and may be habit-forming."
But that said, you've heard these all before.
To new users; Long term use usually requires higher doses, the longer you're on them the worse the withdrawl symptoms. The majority of these drugs work in a similar way to coke, with all the either positive/negative personality changes that come with them.