
Ask HN: Do you take nootropics? - rayalez
What do you think about them?<p>Which ones do you take?
======
FidesFacitFidem
Not a nootropic per say but I've noticed a huge difference since focusing on
my general health;

1) 7-8 hours sleep per night.

2) 1 hour of exercise per day (some days cardio, other days weights(focus on
compounds; squat, deadlift, bench press, shoulder press, pullups, rows))

(for people thinking "I'm too busy to spend an hour of my day exercising". I
think the productivity increase of clearing your head doing this exercise more
than makes up for the hour it takes.)

3) balanced diet consisting of fresh natural foods. (fruit, veg, meat, fish
etc. not frozen meals, microwave food where your not quite sure what's in it)

Found I've lost weight, cardiovascular endurance has increased, I'm stronger
and just feel a lot better.

So my advice would be try and do all the above before taking any drugs that
aren't very well researched and could cause long term issues.

~~~
brador
Why no frozen meals?

~~~
sgt101
Most commercially packaged frozen meals have lots and lots of sugar, salt and
oils added to low quality (cheap) ingredients to make them palatable.

Some people think freezing food destroys its quality, but I think that the
evidence for that is weak and fails to regard the loss of quality that comes
from keeping things in the fridge for another day.

When I stopped eating ready meals I lost a kilo in a week, I believe (believe)
that happened largely because I dropped so much salt out of my diet and
therefore I was retaining much less water.

Buy things fresh, make meals and freeze them. This will allow you to cook good
things quickly in the evening. Spend an afternoon and make a chicken
casserole, a beef stew, a lasagne, a cottage pie and a fish pie. Freeze in
portions (aim for five from each) and you have weeks of quick, nutritious and
delicious food that means that you will not be stuffing yourself with rubbish.

But also buy a steamer and make sure that you have a large portion of steamed
_green_ veg every day. You're five a day can have one orange juice and a
couple of bits of fruit, but a decent wodge of green is really important.
Tender stem broccoli, greens, cabbage, peas, beans... all take about 30
seconds to prepare and 3-4 minutes to stem (tip: only put a mugful of water in
the steamer, it will boil fast and then cook the greens just as well as 4
inches would).

~~~
brador
Sugar and salt I understand. Do you have more info on the oils? Have not heard
that before.

~~~
nostrebored
A ton of cheap food uses hydrogenated oils, which have been shown to have
negative impact on your circulatory system.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogenation#Health_implicatio...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogenation#Health_implications)

~~~
abecedarius
Oh yes, I forgot to even mention them because they're an automatic 'no' to me.

------
StevePerkins
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 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 law, or don't.

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. Like most people here, probably, I work
in an open floor plan environment. I'm subject to constant "drive-by"
interruptions that could have been handled better via email, and a neverending
roar all around me as colleagues literally scream at each other about Reddit
memes or video games or the latest superhero movie.

Do you have a _drug_ that would allow me to completely shut off my hearing,
peripheral vision, and other sensory input? So that I can work without having
to blast music through $300 noise-canceling headphones (which itself impairs
focus, but is the lesser of all evils)? If so, then I would gladly break the
law to find a pharmaceutical escape from contemporary office plans that
sacrifice productivity for the ability to squeeze headcount into the smallest
possible space.

~~~
Lewton
>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 law, or don't.

Just a counter-point. Melatonin is OTC in the US (sadly not where I live) and
the efficacy of melatonin on sleep quality is pretty hard to dispute. It's not
what you'd normally call a nootropic maybe, but having melatonin on hand has
significantly improved my life

Edit: oh. Yeah. Of course, Adrafinil is OTC in the US too and that's the
prodrug for Modafinil. Definitely not placebo either

~~~
coryl
I have a weird experience with melatonin. It puts me out quickly, but I wake
up about 4-5 hours later in a half drugged state. For the next few hours I'm
awake but drowsy.

~~~
malepolish
you might try adding 5-HTP to the mix. i had the same issue, after taking
melatonin – i'd fall sleep, but wake up a few hours later. pretty much every
night.

right now i take 1/2 of 2.5 mg melatonin (sublingual) with 50-100 mg 5-HTP,
ideally 30-45 min before going to bed.

adding 5-HTP was A MIRACLE ! after just a day or two i slept very soundly and
had AMAZING dreams – we're talkin 2160p 10.5 THX Lord of the Rings epic
trilogy with you playing lead role. those first few weeks i even went to bed
earlier just so i could dream longer. :) prior to that it had been decades
since i remembered having any dreams. (warning though, i've told several
friends about it – after they tried it they had to stop because the dreams
were too intense.)

i read about 5-HTP in this book i borrowed from my chiropracter:
[http://smile.amazon.com/5-HTP-Natural-Overcome-Depression-
In...](http://smile.amazon.com/5-HTP-Natural-Overcome-Depression-
Insomnia/dp/0553379461/) basically it states that melatonin is only part of
the sleep equation, seratonin is the other part. your body can produce
seratonin from 5-HTP (which is the chemical in turkey which makes you drowsy).

also:

staring at a computer screen can really mess with your sleep – due to chemical
imbalance with these hormones. to help as much as possible, i installed F.lux
on all of my computers.

i also recently added Modalert to my daily routine, but that's another
story...

~~~
wiresurfer
I can vouch for F.lux. Its such an essential tool for me now and I have made
it a point to get it on all my devices. Apart from the advantages it has in
not disrupting my sleep cycle, I actually enjoy the warmer tones. Even when it
comes to home lighting, I have always preferred the yellow shades over the
incandescent whites. Never tried melatonin, either stand alone or coupled with
5-HTP. Let me read a little more. Thanks for the pointers.

As an aside, I would definitely say get your sleep cycles right and more
disciplined definitely puts you in a much higher efficiency bracket. Coupled
with some simple lifestyle hacks ( playing a team outdoor sport, if you are
not the workout type, no devices in bedroom rule, boring but informative tech
talk to go to sleep, light and early dinners, no coffee post sunset) you would
be surprised how many extra hours of high concentration work you are capable
of.

------
maaaats
I've never heard of this before. To save you some time:

> _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._

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic)

------
bcg1
Every day I take a significant dose of one of the ones that you've heard of,
for "ADD". I started doing so because of non-coding reasons but reading the
Wikipedia article it is listed on that page.

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](http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/weaknesses.html)

------
baseh
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
dementia, I could not remember anything. Example: I couldnt remember where my
car was parked when I was standing right in front of it. I dont know if it is
caused by Alpha-Brain, but I was not taking anything else during that period.
I stopped taking it soon after.

Like they say, there is no biological free lunch. I would say the safest way
is probably good nutrition, enough sleep and exercise.

~~~
mrcactu5
theanine appears naturally in green tea

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine)

------
AnkhMorporkian
I've been tinkering with nootropics for several years. I've found over that
time some things that work for me, and many things that don't. While not all
of the following are strictly speaking nootropics, they all contribute to my
overall mental state:

\- 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.

------
Igglyboo
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 anyone is interested.

~~~
pyromine
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 sit down
and work on something straight for more than three hours without getting
distracted other than things that I would naturally get in the flow with.

~~~
flowlikeh2o
I'm 30 and in med school, had a similar experience in high school, and my
first attempt at college wasn't too different. I couldn't have changed gears
without the right diagnosis, support and medication (though medication is
truly just one aspect of it).

I was diagnosed in my 20s. If you go to a therapist/psych to talk about your
issues you have a good chance of working them out and getting the support you
need. the first psych to dx me was through the university health department,
don't be afraid to use the services that are available for you.

~~~
JohnBooty

      > (though medication is truly just one aspect of it)
    

Yes, this is so true. The major pieces of the puzzle for me ...from most to
least important... are: good sleep, proper environment, exercise, nutrition,
medication.

When I say "nutrition" I don't even mean a strict diet. The most important
part there for me is simply avoiding big doses of sugar and carbs. Those leave
me drained.

------
azurelogic
I was prescribed Ritalin and later Adderall from 3 years old until I was 24,
when I quit. They did the job they were prescribed for: I was focused. I found
Adderall to be "cleaner" feeling, and it had less of a negative effect on my
personality. That said, both of them made me much more angry and type A. There
is no doubt in my mind now that my dosage was too high, but back in the 80s
and 90s, I don't think anyone really understood what constant stimulant
overdoses in children looked like. This stuff has irreversibly shaped who I am
for better and worse. I can't really recommend either one to anyone unless
they really need it.

On the topic of more accessible nootropics, I have worked with a number of the
"racetam" substances, which tend to promote acetylcholine use in the brain.
Because of this, all of them were taken with copious amounts of choline. I
took Piracetam for about 2.5 years. It worked decently well early on at
enhancing my focus, but towards the end, I questioned its benefits and quit.
During that time, I also added in splashes of Oxiracetam, Aniracetam, and
Pramiracetam. Oxiracetam is hands down the best of them all. It was made for
hardcore analytical thinking. I used it primarily when I had exams or when I
was more exhausted at work right after my daughter was born. It tends to tire
the brain as it wears off and lead to some headaches though. Overall, it was a
very useful tool Pramiracetam just gave me an instant headache the couple of
times I tried it. Aniracetam is suggested to be more creative and anxiolytic.
I felt a little calmer, but not enough to warrant consistent use.

Quitting caffiene was really helpful for me. I know that's close to heresy
among developers, but I wake up feeling a lot less crappy.

Lately, I've been just taking Huperzine A, which acts as an
acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. I feel like I get something similar to the
performance of Piracetam, but without the need for the choline supplement to
prevent headaches.

------
littletimmy
No, because Adderall messes with my creativity.

I was doing a math major in college, and whenever I took adderall (legally
prescribed) before doing a p-set, I always came up with a long and unelegant
solution to a problem. It seemed to motivate me to work very hard, but not to
work smart.

No idea if this was just something I had in my head or there is some
neurochemical basis for it.

~~~
rodly
I have the exact same problem when taking Adderall/Vyavanse/etc my creativity
and memory retention is horrendous. Creativity is such an important feature to
your personality and taking it away makes you so robotic and boring that I'd
rather have the AD/HD and my normal, fun self than a foggy head all the time.

------
hellodevnull
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.

~~~
dEnigma
That doesn't seem that expensive, I know some people spend this much for a
single cup of coffee.

~~~
noir_lord
It's all relative.

For a chunk of humanity $5 is their entire discretionary daily spend (and for
some it is their entire daily spend).

------
blop
I've been taking ~50mg modafinil 5 times a week for years. Last batch I bought
was 2 years ago on the grey market (an online indian pharmacy) in 200mg pills
form (so I divide them in 4 for a daily dose).

I don't take any on weekends or on holiday, and sometimes I take 100mg if I'm
going for a long car journey or something else that requires complete
attention...

The effects are very subtle but noticeable: more alertness and concentration,
and a more positive outlook on things. I found it's also pretty good at
keeping depression at bay.

~~~
codecamper
Have you tried not taking it in a while?

I found that modafinil sped my mind up too fast to figure anything out. And I
was taking even half what you are taking. Just 25mg.

~~~
potatosaur
I've heard that armodafinil has a less pronounced effect- not as sped up and a
more pronounced return to normality when it wears off. That's the thing that
freaked me out about modafinil- it really seemed to last for ages.

------
cheald
I've taken L-Theanine with my coffee for years. The effect is subtle, but it's
remarkable - I just look back over the last few hours and realize that I was
distraction-proof.

I haven't dabbled in anything else because I don't really like the idea of
messing with my brain chemistry too much. Theanine gets a pass because it's
just an amino acid, is naturally present in green tea, and is considered
extremely safe.

I'll happily recommend it to anyone looking to experiment without too much
fear of side effects.

~~~
tjakab
I was taking L-Theanine (capsules) regularly a couple years back and I found
that I built up a rapid tolerance to it after about a week where it stopped
being effective. I had to cycle off every few days. I'm curious if anyone else
has encountered this.

~~~
ponyous
I am taking something else but I think I noticed the same thing. I took only
for 1 month of pills to try it out, so I don't really know if this is what
happens in the long run.

------
afswashere
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.

~~~
bshimmin
Let me get this right. You pop this pill and then work for 24 hours straight?
How do you feel the following day?

~~~
alaskamiller
It's like caffeine without side effects. Front end of the 24 hours you can be
productive with detailed tasks but towards the latter part you're best with
menial tasks, like cleaning.

~~~
sasas
no headaches?

------
TheLarch
The best nootropic for me is bicycling into work.

Also, after years of experimenting with caffeine I'm convinced that for me,
one cup in the morning is close to ideal. Caffeine stays in the body for many
hours, so it's all too easy to fall into the trap where you're tired, so you
drink more, &etc.

------
sasas
Not a nootropic as such, but fuelling my brain on ketones rather the glucose
has made an incredible difference in concentration and cognitive ability.

(Ketogenic = High fat, carb restricted diet)

~~~
josephagoss
How large a difference? I'm willing to try anything that gives me the focus of
Modafinil without actually taking drugs.

~~~
swombat
Good sleep and exercise will do that for you (speaking from experience).

------
jacques_chester
I take Ritalin, prescribed for ADHD-I. It's made a positive impact on my life.

From time to time I am able to actually _get stuff done_.

I also trialled dexedrine (which made me behave like a ... not nice person)
and strattera (which did nothing for me).

~~~
Igglyboo
You should try vyvanse, I used to take Ritalin and then my doctor trailed me
on vyvanse and it lasts the entire day with far less negative side affects
than Ritalin. I immediately fell in love, it's still patented though so it
isn't cheap without insurance.

~~~
falcolas
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).

~~~
maxerickson
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...](https://drgrcevich.wordpress.com/2014/02/23/why-your-kids-concerta-
hasnt-been-working-lately/)

More here (pdf):

[https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/JPPS/article...](https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/JPPS/article/viewFile/8282/7448)

(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.)

The particular mechanism used in Concerta does appear to be under patent.

~~~
falcolas
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!

~~~
maxerickson
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.

------
koalala
Dexamphetamine. 1*5mg = 3 hours of uninterrupted coding, with maybe 1 minute
total spent looking away from the screen to rest my eyes.

~~~
DougWebb
If no one walks up to me or calls to interrupt me, my everyday routine is that
level of focus. No drugs beyond a couple of morning coffee cups needed.

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.

~~~
AaronFriel
Uninterrupted activity: the best nootropic.

------
d--b
The replies on this thread are very surprising... It seems everyone has tried
them!!

The question you should ask yourself is why you would need to take pills to
alter your normal brain function in the first place? Do you really need to be
more focused / more relaxed? Where does the urge of being more productive come
from? What is your end goal? Is that goal really going to make you happier?

~~~
azatris
It isn't as surprising once you realize tea (L-theanine & caffeine), coffee
(caffeine) and cigarettes (nicotine) all are nootropics. :)

More information:
[http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics](http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics)

------
auganov
I take Piracetam, I'm not sure if it works, I'd say no so far (half a year).
I'm very interested in nootropics that would work long term (whole life, all
the time). Unfortunately most that have a profound effect seem to level-off
etc (say Adderall). So I don't think I'll ever try that kind.

------
traitorjoe
Here's an interesting post someone made cataloging all the different
nootropics they've tried.

[http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics](http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics)

And here's one specifically about modafinil:

[http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil](http://www.gwern.net/Modafinil)

------
jes5199
I've tried modafinil a few times. It helps me a little with alertness, but not
much - I can use it for long drives, but it didn't particularly help with
programming. I sometimes get a side-effect from it that makes it something I
can't take at work: I get super cranky and easily angered, like shouting-
argument angry. It's out of character for me, and really weird.

I took piracetam for a few months, and I thought maybe it was helping my focus
and short-term memory. The side effect of that one, though, was even weirder:
recovering sense memories of being a little kid. Like, flashbacks of the
physical pain of the first time I had a bad injury. Vivid recollection of my
adult teeth pushing my baby teeth out of the way. Even sensations of being an
infant with no body autonomy at all.

Worth experimenting with? Absolutely.

Magic bullet for superhuman productivity? No way.

------
snarfy
I've had interesting and unexpected results taking Lecithin supplements. There
is a stimulating effect similar to caffeine or a B12 shot, and there is also a
focusing effect where I could not stop fixating. I can have a tendency to day
dream but not on Lecithin. It makes your train of thought very hard to derail.
I still take it sometimes but not regularly. It hurts my stomach and can be a
bit too much sometimes.

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.

~~~
BSousa
Only references to Lecithin as a supplement I found were Soy Lecithin, is this
it?

~~~
snarfy
Yep, that's it.

------
sqyttles
I used to take a wide array of cognitive boosters during higher education and
piracetam is one I know quite well personally. To make this short:

It works for some things (like reading for hours at a time) but it has made me
sometimes feel "foggy-headed" and less productive/creative. The effects it has
on my GI tract have been problematic at times (causing gas) and it tends to
make my blood sugar crash at T+3. Plus with the massive amount of choline you
have to take alongside the product, it became an inconvenience rather than an
aid.

I would recommend sulbutiamine over piracetam if you want to "get things
done".

------
josephagoss
I take Modafinil every now and then. It's very powerful and can give me an
amazing level of focus.

Even though research suggests that they have little negative long term side
effects I do worry about taking them and would prefer a more natural method to
get the same result.

Basically it's like this; If I get home from a 10 hour workday almost falling
asleep, I can take one pill and suddenly it's like the day starts over again
as my focus has returned. At the moment I feel like I need to do it as I have
projects I work on in the evening that are important for my career
progression.

~~~
ncza
Health is your biggest asset. No career will be fun if your health is ruined.
Be careful and treat your body well!

------
EGreg
Never took any drugs. Found that hot chocolate worked better for me than
coffee to wake me up. However, the one safe drug I keep hearing about is
modafinil. How safe? I don't know.

All it takes for me to get focus when I'm sleepy is the glow of a computer
screen. It turns out that light hitting your eyes tells your brain it's not
time to sleep.

[http://sleepdisorders.about.com/b/2013/01/26/30-days-to-
bett...](http://sleepdisorders.about.com/b/2013/01/26/30-days-to-better-sleep-
expose-yourself-to-morning-sunlight.htm)

------
jheriko
Be careful.

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.

~~~
josephagoss
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')

~~~
sasas
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.

~~~
TheLarch
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.

------
mariuolo
I've taken Aniracetam for a while. It didn't make me as nervous as Piracetam.

Went on and off and noticed some memory improvement.

------
ilaksh
I take Google constantly. The way it works (for me) is amazing. Basically
whenever I have a hard problem I can just wiggle my fingers, stare at the
screen for a few minutes, and then BAM! I know how people usually solve that
problem. Its like my mind has expanded and tapped directly into other people's
experiences.

------
madamepsychosis
L-theanine has been a miracle drug for me. Took away a lot of my
depression/energy issues.

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mafuyu
I take piracetam/pramiracetam/noopept on and off and cycle between
caffeine+l-theanine and nicotine. Some non-nootropic supplements I take are
fish oil, Vitamin D3, and melatonin. Here are some of my anecdotes.

::Piracetam

I haven't been able to get very consistent results with piracetam, but it's
definitely not placebo. I've found that piracetam is hit-or-miss for a lot of
people. Some are very sensitive and only need 500mg, while others, like
myself, need somewhere around 10g, and it just doesn't work for others. When I
started, the effects were fantastic: I had increased focus, more vivid dreams,
and was more outgoing and personable when I'm normally introverted. However,
after about 2 weeks of regular usage, much of the effect went away. This seems
consistent with some other peoples' experiences with piracetam on the web. It
seems to be having more effect now after a 2 month break, so it may just be
tolerance. Also, @StevePerkins implied that piracetam is illegal to purchase
in the US, but it is still unscheduled and legal to buy in most countries.

::Pramiracetam/Noopept

These are much less subtle than piracetam.

I usually take between 200-500mg pramiracetam and it has the same focusing
effect of piracetam, but with a stimulating effect as well. I haven't noticed
any tolerance issues, even with a period of regular use.

With noopept, I only felt any effects when consuming around 5mg sublingually.
It's not a racetam so it's a bit riskier, in my opinion. I felt focused
without any stimulating effects and I found it helpful for exams. Some people
have reported short term memory issues with higher doses.

::Caffeine/L-theanine

This really is one of the best nootropics around if you can reduce your
tolerance. Just caffeine makes me feel jittery, but taking it 1:1 with
l-theanine makes me feel calm, focused, and energetic.

::Nicotine

I cycle this with caffeine to reduce tolerance. I use 2mg gums, and it works
pretty well. It feels like caffeine with the edge taken off.

Like others have said, the benefits of nootropics are marginal compared to the
low hanging fruit of sleep, exercise, and diet. If you're interested, just do
your homework beforehand and balance the risks with the benefits. Everybody's
different; find out which ones work and don't work for you, at what dosages. I
think the racetams are relatively less risky, but they are psychoactive at
high dosages, and there have not been studies on their long term effects over
several years.

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TrevorJ
Caffeine and L-Theanine work well together. The effects and mechanisms were
well enough understood for me to feel comfortable trying this out.

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netman21
I take nicotine. I am not a coder; I write non-fiction. I figure it was good
enough for Mark Twain, it is good enough for me.

~~~
lfender6445
in what form?

~~~
1011010111011
I am not the commenter you're replying to. But I wanted to add that I am a
coder and use nicotine extensively. That plus moderate amounts of caffeine.

I use either electronic cigarettes or snus. I figure both are at least safer
than cigarettes. However I am concerned that both the hardware and liquid for
e-cigs is of unknown danger.

The hardware, which heats the liquid you inhale, has metal parts. There are no
regulations in place about what metal they use.

Regarding the liquid, I ended up finding one manufacturer who used all USP
_certified_ ingredients (except where not applicable such as with flavorings)
and tested them for numerous known toxicities. However, PG and VG (the two
main carrier liquids) have never been tested for safety in regard to long-term
inhalation (even though they're GRAS). Same goes for inhaling those natural
and artificial flavors.

At least with snus, although it is tobacco based, the people of Sweden have
used it for a long time and studies have been done to assess its safety. One
study showed only a very small increase for some cancers. My main concern is
gum loss or similar. However the safety of snus is associated with how it's
manufactured, so like e-cigs that's kind of a wildcard.

Anyhow, as far as the mental effects, it's kind of hard for me to comment
since my entire teen and adult life has been spent using nicotine. However, I
believe it prevents boredom with my work and helps to keep me somewhat
engaged. Probably not much different than how your favorite music makes you
feel when exercising. Also it slightly improves mood like caffeine.

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uxp100
The closest I get is I occasionally take creatine. I'm vegetarian, I think the
studies go either way on if the low creatine in a veg diet matters for mental
acuity or not. I'll take 3g daily for a month, then forget about it, feel like
it does nothing, etc. I notice small benefits re: muscle size, but never
anything mental.

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Mahn
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.

~~~
quicksparkle
I use Armodafinil/Modafinil 4-5 times per week, cycling for a few days here
and there.

I've considered a lot of others as well (e.g. *racetams - avoided on reports
of 'brain fog' and a few of mental impairment - scary!). However, out of the
dozens(?) I ended up considering, Modafinil was the only one I ended up
deciding to try and ultimately take regularly.

I've read enough studies (and try to keep up to date) to know what our current
knowledge about it is. In almost all of the studies, side-effects have been
fairly standard (headaches, a few people getting sick, etc.). It's been used
on-prescription for the past decade without seeing any uproar.

In the long-term, I consider the risk of unknowns worth the reward. Most
evidence points to it being fairly safe, if not, that's a gamble I might pay
for.

I drink alcohol to have fun, often to excess. I eat junk food. I actively
choose to do a lot of things that shorten my lifespan for negligible returns.

If this little magic pill, which costs the same as a bottle of coca cola,
makes me feel motivated and alert for 14 hours a day, I'm going to take it
until I find a reason not to.

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malepolish
i tried piracetam but unfortunately it didn't have any effect on me. more
recently i've been taking modafinil which has helped a lot – not necessarily
with focus per-se, but being able to get through any drowsiness or that "wall"
of just getting something started.

though i will add my lifestyle is pretty clean, i would probably work on that
first if yours is not.

i recently changed my diet to mostly paleo but do include rice and beans. i
use a nutribullet everyday to make my breakfast. i avoid processed foods,
those with preservatives, etc. and cut down considerably on alcohol intake. i
exercise a little bit (cardio mostly).

adding paleo was great in that i no longer experienced the crash after eating
a meal. about a year ago it was necessary to take 1-2 15 minute naps per day.
now i can go 14+ hours without issue.

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tarequeh
L-Theanine. Recently went through an interview spree. Helps me get rid of
nervousness and focus on solving problems. Naturally found in tea leaves but
obviously in small dosage. Can't confirm side-effects but sometimes gives me
headache if I drink beer on the same day, particularly IPAs!

~~~
mbrock
If you get good quality sencha, especially the (somewhat pricey) Gyokuro, you
get a high dose of L-theanine and an absolutely delicious taste. One of my
favorite pleasures in life!

------
j_lev
Piracetam/choline/caffeine stack for about six months.

Would like to do another course at some stage. Mind was massively productive
and I fleshed out several ideas over the period. Also got rid of the "mind
fog" that starts to creep in from around 30 years old onwards.

------
jordsmi
Just caffeine and L-theanine. Mixture of coffee and caff/l-theanine pills.

I like the pills instead of all caffeine because I end up with bad jitters if
I have too much caffeine in a day.

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lfender6445
i've tried piracetam - the effects for me were borderline coffee + espresso
for 30 minutes to an hour. it also seemed to stimulate my digestive tract.
nothing extremely noticeable in terms of cognitive throughput, but I remember
hearing about its increased memory effects in rats as a long term benefit.

I drink 2 -3 cups of caffeinated tea per day, occasionally I drink coffee.
This is all I need.

------
himanshuy
I have started taking Bacopa from Himalays 2 weeks back. Hoping to see results
in 8 weeks.

------
SQL2219
dark chocolate coffee coconut oil combo green tea and coffee chia seeds

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PlzSnow
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 sensibly. Also combine with Theanine if wanting to venture into the world of "probably works and has harmless side-effects".

~~~
josephagoss
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.

~~~
swombat
See my article on the topic for more detailed, in-depth view of modafinil and
start-ups:

[http://swombat.com/2012/2/27/modafinil-and-
startups](http://swombat.com/2012/2/27/modafinil-and-startups)

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LeonRobrotsky
M-F I take one 200mg tablet of caffeine in the morning.

I also quit getting blackout drunk 4-5 nights a week.

~~~
pliftkl
While I wasn't getting blackout drunk repeatedly, I definitely had an
unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and removing alcohol had enormous
positive effects on my cognitive abilities.

I also do a heavy dose of caffeine in the morning.

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andyl
Lots of compounds being discussed here - seems like some could be useful. But
how do I know what is safe?

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starrychloe
Piracetam, matcha, 5HE, dark chocolate. AT9PUiYE1X8FPWLUmo8aZKT7o7pS4Mmc4g

