• Select Your Topic Then Scroll Down
    Alcohol Bupe Benzos
    Cocaine Heroin Opioids
    RCs Stimulants Misc
    Harm Reduction All Topics Gabapentinoids
    Tired of your habit? Struggling to cope?
    Want to regain control or get sober?
    Visit our Recovery Support Forums

Stimulants Compare modafinil with traditional psychostimulants

Neuroprotection

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 18, 2015
Messages
1,082
hello everyone. I would appreciate any help comparing The wakefulness promoter and so-called super Study drug modafinil with traditional psychostimulants like methylphenidate/amphetamine. it would be nice if people could share their experiences especially if they’ve tried both. I would welcome the experiences of those with and without ADHD. i’m looking to compare aspects of these drugs on cognition, mood/emotions, motivation/focus as well as anything else you may wish to share.
 
Phenylpiracetam 100mg capsules were studies on mice against Methylphenidate (Ritalin) and d-Amphetamine (Dexedrine) and Phenylpiracetam produced robust results. It has dopaminergic effects (indirectly) and other excitatory neurotransmitters like Glutamine and Acetylcholine (If I remember correctly)

I have Nootropics Depot brand Phenylpiracetam 100mg capsules and they are VERY effective non habit forming stimulant which was banned as a performance enhancing substance by Olympics officials

Modafinil is a popular stimulant used by U.S. armed forced in place of Dexedrine (d-Amphetamine) used in the 1950’s
Phenylpiracetam is a very effective stimulant

I have a script for both Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine) prodrug to d-amphetamine and Methylphenidate (Ritalin) which I use, but also have and tried Phenylpiracetam which is a safe non addictive stimulant alternative. Just like Modafinil is used as a wakefulness promoting agent
 
Piracetam always worked best for study and focus for me. By far. A choline enhancer primarily, it tickled up Actylcholine which is more for focus, memory, and concentration.

Traditional dopamine type stimulants gave me motivation and wakefullness short term, but always seemed to make me more scattered, even right away, first use.
We've all had the "get everything done all at once" effect from speed. Great efficiency for reams of mundane tasks at first and then after three days of use, you are figuring ways to attach ashtrays to your wall. :rolleyes:

For sitting and studying and focusing on things linearly, the "acetams" worked best for me.
I realize that is not all you're asking about.
 
Phenylpiracetam 100mg capsules were studies on mice against Methylphenidate (Ritalin) and d-Amphetamine (Dexedrine) and Phenylpiracetam produced robust results. It has dopaminergic effects (indirectly) and other excitatory neurotransmitters like Glutamine and Acetylcholine (If I remember correctly)

I have Nootropics Depot brand Phenylpiracetam 100mg capsules and they are VERY effective non habit forming stimulant which was banned as a performance enhancing substance by Olympics officials

Modafinil is a popular stimulant used by U.S. armed forced in place of Dexedrine (d-Amphetamine) used in the 1950’s
Phenylpiracetam is a very effective stimulant

I have a script for both Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine) prodrug to d-amphetamine and Methylphenidate (Ritalin) which I use, but also have and tried Phenylpiracetam which is a safe non addictive stimulant alternative. Just like Modafinil is used as a wakefulness promoting agent


Just to confirm, you say you have Phenylpirasatam but haven’t tried it? if so, may I ask why you haven’t tried it?
 
Piracetam always worked best for study and focus for me. By far. A choline enhancer primarily, it tickled up Actylcholine which is more for focus, memory, and concentration.

Traditional dopamine type stimulants gave me motivation and wakefullness short term, but always seemed to make me more scattered, even right away, first use.
We've all had the "get everything done all at once" effect from speed. Great efficiency for reams of mundane tasks at first and then after three days of use, you are figuring ways to attach ashtrays to your wall. :rolleyes:

For sitting and studying and focusing on things linearly, the "acetams" worked best for me.
I realize that is not all you're asking about.


Thanks for your answer. I definitely understand how you could benefit from cholinergic supplements for focus. Just out of interest, have you tried phenylpirasatam?
Also, may I ask whether you have noticed any prodepressive/Anti-reward or antimanic properties of cholinergic supplements? I know that’s probably not the case with typical nootropics but I’ve read that cholinesterase inhibitors and possibly muscarinic agonists can suppress the reward system, induce depressive behaviour and could be a possible treatment for bipolar mania. I think this is based on the so-called cholinergic and noradrenergic balance hypothesis of depression and mania. as I’ve suffered from an admittedly short, but very scary period of anhedonia whilst my general depressive mood/ fatigue has consistently got worse, I fear that cholinergic supplementation could further lower my mood.
 
Thanks for your answer. I definitely understand how you could benefit from cholinergic supplements for focus. Just out of interest, have you tried phenylpirasatam?
Also, may I ask whether you have noticed any prodepressive/Anti-reward or antimanic properties of cholinergic supplements? I know that’s probably not the case with typical nootropics but I’ve read that cholinesterase inhibitors and possibly muscarinic agonists can suppress the reward system, induce depressive behaviour and could be a possible treatment for bipolar mania. I think this is based on the so-called cholinergic and noradrenergic balance hypothesis of depression and mania. as I’ve suffered from an admittedly short, but very scary period of anhedonia whilst my general depressive mood/ fatigue has consistently got worse, I fear that cholinergic supplementation could further lower my mood.
Hmmm. Just personal experience/feeling here.

Piracetum gave me a certain amount of good feeling, I guess you could say euphoria. I felt capable and sharp and that feels good.

The anti-aging/smart drug set did mention that you could feel depressed after longer term use. I found that to be true, if I did it a long time I would noticeably get depressed more easily. At that time in my life, I was taking a class or two and then took a semester off. That worked well, one or two semesters taking it and then at least a semester off.

That was how I did my 30's. Good times. Constructive, learning, and getting ahead at work, then time off for Grateful Dead (and other) shows, weed and psychedelics. Best of both worlds.
 
I found very little online regarding comparison of modafinil with methylphenidate with the tiny number of reports/Anecdotes being mixed. A few claimed modafinil was smoother, More gentle, Much longer lasting and more procognitive rather than making them impulsive like the other stimulants. on the other hand, others much prefer traditional psychostimulants(Methylphenidate/amphetamine). These individuals claimed that traditional psychostimulants gave them the push/motivation needed to start tasks as well as the energy to push through them. Though I’ve never tried either, I think there’s definitely a tendency of traditional psychostimulants to make boring tasks seem interesting or at least bearable. we all know about the amazing anecdotes of first time healthy modafinil users including several journalists around the world. however, it is likely these people have never tried traditional psychostimulants so they could feel the modafinil more strongly, Plus they only had caffeine to compare it too. interestingly, the very mild dopamine reuptake inhibition by modafinil could play a major role in it’s beneficial effects or more likely its reinforcing effects at least in occasional users. A leading member of The US National Institute Of drug abuse, Nora Volkow has repeatedly warned about the ability of modafinil to increase nucleus accumbens dopamine in a similar manner to cocaine. of course, this is concerning, but I think it demonstrates something very important about human behaviour. emotions are just as important, if not more important than logic/cognitive processing in driving our behaviours. dopamine and the nucleus accumbens are central to this. much research has gone into understanding the functions and mechanisms of neuro transmission in the hippocampus and increasing their efficiency. this is sensible given the role of the hippocampus in memory. however, I believe there should be just as much focus on the nucleus accumbens and the rewards system in general and we should look for ways to improve its efficiency even if that be through chemical/genetic means. The truth is, most of us won’t really do things to our best potential if we dislike them or see little benefit. this is why, particularly in office environments/Educational institutions where the work is predominantly mental/Cognitive, chronic stress and related health conditions are so high. People often find ways to waste time including constantly taking toilet and coffee breaks and signing in over an hour before they actually come to their desk. this is why many have resorted to drugs like Adderall, Not because they were cognitively impaired but because they needed some excitement to get them going and push them through the horrible day ahead.
 
Just to confirm, you say you have Phenylpirasatam but haven’t tried it? if so, may I ask why you haven’t tried it?

Piracetam is a popular Nootropic drug/supplement. Google it and read Wikipedia page

Adding a Phenyl ring to its molecular structure give you an “improved version” Phenylpiracetam. It is a stimulant nootropic with several uses and yes, can give some a mild euphoric feeling

And Yes, I did try it. Several times. First time I took half a 100mg capsule and in 30-45min I sprung up from the couch and was like….Wow, this stuff works lol. A very clean, clear headed feeling with very little to no cardiovascular negative effects

In Soviet Russia it is a legit prescription drug, just like Phenibut. Phenylpiracetam is banned from Olympics as a doping agent / performance enhancing drug and is screened for via urine analysis

Phenylpiracetam 100mg capsules can be easily ordered online as a nootropic supplement. It can be just as effective as the habit forming dopaminergic stimulants (Methylphenidate & Amphetamines). I have all three substances in my inventory and is definitely a safe and effective nootropic stimulant.
 
Piracetam is a popular Nootropic drug/supplement. Google it and read Wikipedia page

Adding a Phenyl ring to its molecular structure give you an “improved version” Phenylpiracetam. It is a stimulant nootropic with several uses and yes, can give some a mild euphoric feeling

And Yes, I did try it. Several times. First time I took half a 100mg capsule and in 30-45min I sprung up from the couch and was like….Wow, this stuff works lol. A very clean, clear headed feeling with very little to no cardiovascular negative effects

In Soviet Russia it is a legit prescription drug, just like Phenibut. Phenylpiracetam is banned from Olympics as a doping agent / performance enhancing drug and is screened for via urine analysis

Phenylpiracetam 100mg capsules can be easily ordered online as a nootropic supplement. It can be just as effective as the habit forming dopaminergic stimulants (Methylphenidate & Amphetamines). I have all three substances in my inventory and is definitely a safe and effective nootropic stimulant.


Interesting. are there any circumstances where traditional dopaminergic stimulants work better than phenylpirasatam. The reason I ask is because many people still resort to them. actually, I don’t think phenylpirasatam is simply a more efficient/Bioavailable analog of pirasatam. rather, it is a powerful and unique drug in its own right with a significant dopaminergic effect.
 
Correct. It is…

Modafinil / Piracetam / Phenylpiracetam are “wakefulness promoting agents” used as a safer alternative to the habit forming & addictive Amphetamines. The U.S. Military used Dexedrine since the Second World War up to 1991 both Gulf Wars are still selectively in special operations, elite pilots conducting long range missions, etc…..but the general forces no longer can use Dexedrine amphetamine. The now use Modafinil

Benzedrine/Dexedrine/Methedrine are/were all used in combat operations

Current ADHD meds also use all those… Ritalin & Adderall mostly, and Vyvanse, Dexedrine and Desoxyn (d-Meth) are used in the U.S.

Desoxyn (d-Methamphetamine) 5mg tablets X 3-4 daily is a typical dose, but rarely prescribed and super expensive is un-insured. All people taking pharmaceutical d-Methamphetamine say it’s the best ADHD medication without any increased HR & BP taken at low therapeutic doses.

I personally like Methylphenidate (Ritalin) best. It gave me significant euphoria initially then came accustom to its effects. Short acting 3-4 hours max. Adderall XR or Dexedrine Spansule 10-15mg would be best for 8-10 hour coverage

Phenylpiracetam is a great alternative to the pleasurable & euphoric Amphetamines which tend to be used recreationally. We all do it….sometimes lol. Opioids & Dopaminergic stimulants are my fav combo

I have a prescription for many different CII substances here in Canada…..opioids, stimulants, benzos, etc, etc
 
I don't consider modafinil any less of a stimulant than the amphetamines or phenidates I've tried, but I'm quite sensitive to stimulants. The biggest difference is that amphetamines tend to be euphoric, whereas the phenidates and modafinil feel more mechanical.

Interesting. are there any circumstances where traditional dopaminergic stimulants work better than phenylpirasatam. The reason I ask is because many people still resort to them. actually, I don’t think phenylpirasatam is simply a more efficient/Bioavailable analog of pirasatam. rather, it is a powerful and unique drug in its own right with a significant dopaminergic effect.
In my experience, tolerance to grows phenylpiracetam quite rapidly, to the point that it has no discernible effect. Pharmacologically though, it's quite fascinating due to its high selectivity for DAT over NET, which is in contrast to the strong NET selectivity of amphetamines and phenidates. Most of the other racetams, despite sharing structural similarities, tend to have unique pharmacologies.

For example, noopept seems to work primarily via the transcription factor HIF-1 (which involves itself in diverse functions such as wound healing and testosterone synthesis), and additionally its metabolite cGP may increase the level of free IGF-1 in the blood. Or take fasoracetam, which appears to be group II+group III mGluR agonist. Group II mGluRs are quite interesting to me, as they regulate glutamate release in the brain and can modulate the response to both psychedelic and dissociative drugs.
 
I don't consider modafinil any less of a stimulant than the amphetamines or phenidates I've tried, but I'm quite sensitive to stimulants. The biggest difference is that amphetamines tend to be euphoric, whereas the phenidates and modafinil feel more mechanical.


In my experience, tolerance to grows phenylpiracetam quite rapidly, to the point that it has no discernible effect. Pharmacologically though, it's quite fascinating due to its high selectivity for DAT over NET, which is in contrast to the strong NET selectivity of amphetamines and phenidates. Most of the other racetams, despite sharing structural similarities, tend to have unique pharmacologies.

For example, noopept seems to work primarily via the transcription factor HIF-1 (which involves itself in diverse functions such as wound healing and testosterone synthesis), and additionally its metabolite cGP may increase the level of free IGF-1 in the blood. Or take fasoracetam, which appears to be group II+group III mGluR agonist. Group II mGluRs are quite interesting to me, as they regulate glutamate release in the brain and can modulate the response to both psychedelic and dissociative drugs.


Thank you for that. Just wondered if you’ve ever tried the traditional Racetams like piracetam or oxiracetam and if so, do you see their potential to worsen depression. i’ve heard people talk about this on reddit and although it might be uncommon, it is in line with the cholinergic hypothesis of depression. this hypothesis states that excessive cholinergic activity, especially of muscarinic receptors is linked to low mood, reward deficiency and despair like behaviour. actually, depression is a known side-effect of cholinesterase inhibitors. this is especially the case when used by healthy people who don’t need them.
 
I never felt anything off modafinil. I also tried one of its analogues... forget the name. That one didn't do anything either.
 
Thank you for that. Just wondered if you’ve ever tried the traditional Racetams like piracetam or oxiracetam and if so, do you see their potential to worsen depression. i’ve heard people talk about this on reddit and although it might be uncommon, it is in line with the cholinergic hypothesis of depression. this hypothesis states that excessive cholinergic activity, especially of muscarinic receptors is linked to low mood, reward deficiency and despair like behaviour. actually, depression is a known side-effect of cholinesterase inhibitors. this is especially the case when used by healthy people who don’t need them.
Interesting, I don't know much about choline and depression, aside from a few Reddit reports on a-GPC seeming to worsen it. When I was taking a-GPC daily I suspected it was putting me in a bad mood, but it's hard to say for sure as my mood fluctuates so much anyways. I've used piracetam quite a bit and I don't recall it ever putting me in a bad mood.
 
Interesting, I don't know much about choline and depression, aside from a few Reddit reports on a-GPC seeming to worsen it. When I was taking a-GPC daily I suspected it was putting me in a bad mood, but it's hard to say for sure as my mood fluctuates so much anyways. I've used piracetam quite a bit and I don't recall it ever putting me in a bad mood.
I wouldn't say that it puts me in a bad mood. More makes me more susceptible to to depression. I've read of others saying this also. However, in both their cases and mine, it took months and months and wasn't a huge thing. Noticeable, though.
I've taken Piracetam 6 months at a stretch many times without noticing it.
 
I am getting the modafinil and piracetam and I could tell you it's been very effective for me. I am using it for all my exams and it helps me run for around 10-11 hours.
 
I found some Adradinil caplets in my "stash" back when you could order them from a really popular nootropics website. I took one and it really seemed to help with my daytime sleepiness, and didn't "tickle" my addiction brain like a traditional stimulant.

Then I got some Modafinil and have found it to be incredibly helpful with staying awake and alert throughout most of the day. It also doesn't make me crave more like an amphetamine. It makes me feel like I got a good night's rest. Well worth it, IMHO.
 
this will be a bit long but I will try and will paint a pefect picture with words of the asked question?

typical for being adhd freak and stim freak that could find a way to try addys, dexies even meth in two occasions, also I i'm rxd Concerta 72mg for hyperkinetic disorder as it is called here.
There is only one other generic med like Concerta with MPH being the active ingridient and that same "big pharma" being generous here has med called Vigifinil which I was also prescribed for year or two and no real mystery as brand name says already it's modafinil but in 100mg only.

speed can be good here amph sulphate if a person selling that speed knows that amphetamine is a thing, a substance well should be the fundament of that speed, he or she or whatnot creature seels it today
blow is well 100euro putting on a number in roulette so 1 in 36x, or maybe you are lucky fuck and you hitt them in a row but I doubt it so it is that bad!

Almost all stimulant racetams from ND I tried with choline supplementation but Aniracetam was better twice without choline than phenypiracetam with

so let's go with the clean stims here RXd, MPH almost always the same never like cocaine but like I said about blow maybe my luck was bad( focus, no euphoria, and want to fuck anything that walks being that here girls look like million bucks and summertime they are in panties walking in stores)

and now Modafinil: first it tried adrafinil from ND, nothing, shit I loved them cause of phenibut, than tried Modalert from couple sources I haven't had any luck or I simply don't remember being it any potent
Well now Indian brand armodafinil but not waklert in my case was Artvigil:
and couple times I was fucking tweaking! lett me tell you that I was working like the hardest job in 2021 being delivery guy and carrying cases of beers and sodas.
That artvigil 150mg hold me whole days but as the thing with these afinils which later in 2022 i tested better with that Vigifinil as that was also true stim for me.

I know it says it works on histamine, orexin bla bla but that may be true but laso in my case gabapentinoids worked something less hard to describe so here it goes:

So I was without energy and my neuropathy also started so without any stim taking buprenorphine like 1 or 2mg but was stable before I tapered to the end later and had script for xanax xr2mg or extended release as pregabalin 600mg. Si I am without energy or ADHD is worse at that time almost as rebound ADHD was hitting me, and that was always cause my family doc was scared of things that 3 days later was not anymore.
and she caused me a lot of trouble here and here she is substitution for like 7 years now for young doc that was 18 and now is a surgeon but as I think this one has no phd on paper there needs to be these young dr. and doctors are going from here so 90yr old is best we got now
Why am I mentioning this cause my mails saved me as I would cc here in mails for modafinil and well:
200mg sublingual as 3rd one with glass of water and almost light MDMA- or better dextroamphetamine was best and most similar experience.
Being that has long half life and always that first day not going to sleep as early as my xanax wasn't working on modafinil the same as pregabalin while buprenorphine was maybe the dopamine rush that I felt with moda.
But I found I guy on reddit explaining what was makin sense as to 2cn day taking 100mg and r3d day 50mg and 4th day break as similar and all by their feels to it but that was my regimen and it was good but my stomach hurted and my kidneys was I don't know bad as my piss was always dark and my skin was funny like always dry and after a week by week like 3rd or 4th week I felt very lethargic also anhedonic like I was to many hours feeling siperhuman or I cannot repeat that like 3 or 4 day with MPH or any stim or even only modafinl now,
cause I'm not on buprenorphine but I sure feel closer with moda for two days and later I tried Provigil as I forgot to mention my father was on 5cycles of chemo again and he only say that only feels modafinil and he even was psychotic in Germany saying that why they don't wanna give him Vigifinil after I explained again that that is cro version of modafinil and that Elvanse is the thing he should try so:

There is still things that needs to be done with human modafinil trials as with people with narcolepsy, ADHD, as an antidepressant and many others cause it is not just a nootrpic like phenibut was at the 2011.
 
Moda doesn't work as well as ~phetamines or ~phenidates for me, but it's a modest stop-gap if there's none of those about (for my ADHD). The only real plus (for me) is the moda doesn't stimulate libido - I really dislike (well, it's more like love-hate) that effect, from amphetamines especially. Unfortunately I do find sleep harder on moda, even on modest (say, 50-100mg) doses, and after a couple days use in a row, I need to take a break or I start getting horribly grumpy and delusional despite my best efforts to stay centered and grounded.
 
Moda doesn't work as well as ~phetamines or ~phenidates for me, but it's a modest stop-gap if there's none of those about (for my ADHD). The only real plus (for me) is the moda doesn't stimulate libido - I really dislike (well, it's more like love-hate) that effect, from amphetamines especially. Unfortunately I do find sleep harder on moda, even on modest (say, 50-100mg) doses, and after a couple days use in a row, I need to take a break or I start getting horribly grumpy and delusional despite my best efforts to stay centered and grounded.


Thanks for sharing that. I feel like media reporting on smart drugs, especially modafinil have created an allusion in the mind of many that modafinil is some kind of miracle substance like that from the movie limitless. Others tout it as a much less addictive but equally effective alternative to amphetamine/methylphenidate. for some, the 2nd point may well be true. however, through reading peoples experiences, I soon found that Modafinil was really more of a wakefulness promoter, kind of like an enhanced version of caffeine with a few added Nootropic effects. meanwhile, traditional psychostimulants could make boring tasks exciting or at least less boring, which is very powerful in helping people get things done.
 
Top