What exactly are the effects of Nootropics; smart drugs

[gingervitus]

I had never heard of nootropics ("smart drugs") until tonight but I've been doing research for the past hour or so and can't get a straight explanation of what exactly they do besides increasing cognition and clarity of thought and what not. The wiki page on it didn't help much in explaining them and wikipedia isn't any more helpful. I'm just not entirely sure the affects of the drug.

I've started experimenting with ADD meds (mostly Vyvanse -- slow release lisdexamfetamine that converts into dextroamp -like adderal- after ingestion; last all day, mild euphoria but lots of motivation/focus) recently but my tolerance is building and the kids I buy from charge a lot because I'm too generous with pricing the first time I buy and then they won't go lower. My fault but meh. What I liked about them was the sort of mix between the amazing focus, motivation, and passion for everything head-high and the slight, controllable, but still euphoric and awesome energy body-high. It's perfect for school but the comedowns really get to me (light right now). So I was thinking about experimenting with other stimulants/ drugs that don't negatively affect my schooling (or completely destroy my body) while I waiting for my tolerance to drop again to 60mg, my original dose, after two weeks or so. I've done it three or four times within a two week period after my first time and all of those doses had only subtle study-boosting effects (I only felt it once I started writing or typing) and no euphoria or energy at all; sometimes I felt like it brought down my natural mood or energy.

<snip> I have no idea what they do though. In short, (sorry I wrote the paragraph above, v's are still working, I just keep rambling on) are the study-boosting effects of these smart drugs similar to speed minus the euphoria? Is there any good way of describing them to me somehow? I think the euphoria of it makes me even more focus because I'm in such a good mood and I'm so confident. I'm a very anxious kid, at least I used to be and now I'm quite recovered but I still get attacks every not and then and just generally don't feel comfortable a lot of the time. Amp fixes this, but I didn't really wanna become a speed freak. Anyways I heard that some of these supplements can help with anxiety as well as focus but what I'm really in need of is motivation, I feel like that's the biggest thing I like about Vyvanse, I can write on and on, and do yard work like a pro. I'd really dig being able to get my hands on some sort of these Nootropics.

<snip>

 

[tokenname]

I really like this post..it's different.
Believe it or not..I'm a college student.
They actually allow 30 year olds in there now..crazy.
Anyway..I don't have any personal experience with nootropics..but
I do have a couple girlfriends who swear by them.
Alot of Bvitamins, many of them include typical energy drink ingredients, there's many different to choose from.
The best I can do..is have a talk w/them, and find out more...if you're interested..
Or hopefully, you'll find what you're looking for from somebody else who comes along soon.
token

 

[Pjkt2501]

However the efficacy of nootropic substances, in most cases, has not been conclusively determined. This is complicated by the difficulty of defining and quantifying cognition and intelligence.

The effects? If they're working for you in a positive fashion, great!

It's placebo...

 

[tokenname]

The effects? If they're working for you in a positive fashion, great!

It's placebo...

omg...
I wonder where you get placebo?
That is so what I need.
I've heard all about them!
pretty safe...kinda cheap...
just like me!

Hold on a sec...
feels like that came out wrong.

token

 

[Nucynta_80]

I use an OTC supplement/herbal drug called Phenibut. Its considered both a muscle relaxant (and at higher doses sedative due) and a nootropics. This is because aside from GABA B action (and A at higher doses), phenibut also acts mildly on the dopamine system so its more clear headed but relaxing. It certainly helps on a medical aspect to help with the pain.....and the stress. It has a social aspect but its much more of a relax and watch a movie with a friend type of "social".

Word of warning, phenibut might be OTC but it has its own risks being a GABA B agent. It can cause withdraw if used continuously over several days and then stopped, similiar to Baclofen. Be safe.

 

[tokenname]

I use an OTC supplement/herbal drug called Phenibut. Its considered both a muscle relaxant (and at higher doses sedative due) and a nootropics. This is because aside from GABA B action (and A at higher doses), phenibut also acts mildly on the dopamine system so its more clear headed but relaxing.

Word of warning, phenibut might be OTC but it has its own risks being a GABA B agent. It can cause withdraw if used continuously over several days and then stopped, similiar to Baclofen. Be safe.

Just to chime in on this..
I have read that tolerance builds up like crazy to this chemical.
And not good crazy...bad crazy: think charlie sheen.

Tolerance was a big idea during the renaissance..
but in my own personal experience..
it's hurt more than it's helped.

I must be doing it wrong.

token

 

[Nucynta_80]

^I use 2 tablets and not daily. Sometimes when I do however have pain and have a few scheduled days off work, ill use it for 3 or 4 days. Even at only 1G (2 tablets a day, 1/2 the max recommended amount) I swear I can feel some rebound anxiety the day about 36 hours after the last dose. Its very mild and honestly if I didn't stop to recognize it, I probably wouldn't notice it. Still, to feel some mild withdraw after just a few days at low dose use, I can only imagine the withdraw is bad if used at high doses over several days. Its certainly an OTC herbal drug you want to proceed with caution with.

 

[Pjkt2501]

Phenibut is related to a muscle relaxant that I'm Rx'd called 'Baclofen' - and it's pretty damn worthless in the grand scheme of things. It's a GABA-B agonist (mixes well[ish] w/ benzos - GABA-A). If they didn't help me sleep at night after having to use clonazepam during the day, I wouldn't waste the time or money on it. Cyclobenzaprine (TCA-style.. ehhh) or Soma would be the right way of going about that.

 

[gingervitus]

The effects? If they're working for you in a positive fashion, great!

It's placebo...

That doesn't mean placebo. That means it hasn't been scientifically tested. I'm sure some of them are scams but I've read of people saying that they really felt them. I think the reason some of these are still legal are because they haven't been tested; they might end up like synthetic cannaboids and bath salts, it'll be a huge wild goose chase for everybody involved but the product is going to get more and more mysterious every time they need to change the chemicals.

 

[Pjkt2501]

Well all I can say is this then: the effects are what are written on the bottle. I am happy if they work for you, or anyone else.

(No sarcasm, I'm serious)

 

[mgrady3]

A buddy of mine used one of them in college, can't remember which but it was one of the more familiar Racetam chemicals - I think it was piracetam.
I never heard much from him as far as if they worked well but I know he took them pretty frequently to get motivation to do school work.

They seem like the kind of thing that work for some people but not others... If you're lookign for a pill thats going to write your paper for you then you're out of luck but if you're looking for something that might help you clear your mind and gather your thoughts... idk maybe nootropics can help with that. Personally i've never been abel to justify the cost w/o trying them before hand. I'm not about to buy 100+ pills that may just as well be sugar...

 

[Foreigner]

In Spring 2011 I used paracetam, vinpocetine, hydergine, selegiline, lilly bulb extract, and choline together for about two months. I was able to sleep less but still feel rested, retain more information, my memory rocked, and I feel like it did some kind of repair work on my brain from all the years of drug abuse. The only thing about it I didn't like is that it obviously increased vascular flow to the brain a lot, so my head felt congested all the time, and I would have a low level headache here and there. Nootropics potentiate one another, so the more kinds you take the lower the dose of each one.

My very first LSD trip took place while I was taking these, and my friend gave me a shot of oxytocin in my deltoid just before the trip to top it all off. It was out of this world, and totally cosmic!

 

[sir_thizzalot]

Well, they make you think you'll have all these great effects (which you might) and since it's not recreational, it's not bad for you (well, your DA receptors will be fine, at least we do know that!), but just know negative effects are possible especially when taking something daily. DMAE left me with a worse memory and an odd sort of depression, from the smallest dose available, used once daily for several months. It get's better, but there's other odd effects, like I believe it's permanently fucked up my enjoyment of weed, which is really hard to explain and harder to understand, but I'm not the only one who's felt this apparently.
This is just about dmae, but maby something to note for all of them. Personally, I think any of the drugs that raise your levels of any neurotransmitter shouldn't be used daily. Tyrosine(I used a lot), 5-htp(used a bit), dmae, etc... I don't know why and I could give ideas, but my experience is all I have that speaks much.

 

[clear_sky]

A friend and I were having a discussion about noortopics only today!
From what I can gather, it's basically any chemical that impacts your cognitive/memory functions.
Which can be almost anything, I guess some drugs are especially designed to do that.

Personally, I take a couple of herbal ones daily:
- Rhodiola 500mg
- Brahmi 6000 Optimal (Brahmi 6000mg, Ginkgo Biloba 2000mg, Schizandra Chinensis Fruit 500mg, Korean ginseng root 500mg, Capsicum fruit 25mg)

I definitely noticed a significant improvement in my memory since I started Brahmi, have been taking Rhodiola for about 3 weeks and it's helping out as well - I need to concentrate a lot for study. I work full time and study at home, so by the time I get to my books, my brain was just not working. Since I started taking the supplements, I manage to get at least a couple of study hours in after a full day at the office.

Foreigner, most of the ones you named - would they be prescription or are any of them available OTC?

 

[mgrady3]

afaik most of those are 'otc' in the sense that you can buy them online or maybe at some kinda health/supplement/smart shop but probably not at your local pharmacy or mom n pop shop.

but they're easily found online. That being said - you may want to look into the specific legalities from where ever you are from. There's often different kinds of legislation regarding supplements and things that aren't 'FDA approved' or whatever. Some of these chemicals may be sold as "Not for human consumption" which doesn't always mean they are harmful just that they haven't been approved by what ever governemnt body regulates that kind of thing.

I think most of the racetams can be purchased online the piracetam wiki brings up this quote though:

"However, in August 2010, the FDA issued a single letter to one supplier ordering the discontinuation of the sale of Piracetam in the US as a dietary supplement owing to the relatively strict definition of what constitutes a dietary supplement. Under section 201(ff)(1) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 321(ff)(1): Piracetam is not a vitamin, mineral, amino acid, herb or other botanical, or dietary substance for use by man to supplement the diet by increasing the total dietary intake. Further, piracetam is not a concentrate, metabolite, constituent, extract or combination of any such dietary ingredient.[24] As of April 2011, Piracetam continues to be widely available online and in some shops in the United States, but is no longer marketed as a dietary supplement."

 

[clear_sky]

thanks
Hopefully I won't run into any problems ordering this stuff into Aus..

 

[mgrady3]

Hadden't even realized it. I guess I take a nootropic supplement maybe twice a week:
Its a drink i pick up at my local health food store; started using it because i like the taste and thought it could help alleviate the anticholinergic effects from using 1st gen antihistamines for sedation (going through some serious insomnia issues and a benzo taper)

it contains:
1830mg total of- A-Glyceryl Phosphoryl Choline, Elutherococcus Extract, Rhodiola Rosea extract, DiMethylAminoEthanol (DMAE) and Blue Green Algae [aphanizomenon flos-aqua]

Who knows if it actually does anything cognitive wise. More or less i just like the taste and supporting my local shops.

 

[clear_sky]

In case you take anything with SSRI interacting properties, be aware that Rhodiola has MAOI properties.
I only found this out myself today.

Sorry if this is off the topic, but a friend of mine is going through the same sort of thing.
Can you recommend any antihistamines for him? He's taking Avanza for sleep atm but isn't keen on continuing with it.

 

[KalmZephyr]

Gingervitus...Nothing, and I mean NOTHING compares to straight-up Adderall, Vyvanse or other similar amphetamines in terms of notable cognitive enhancement. That is what the drug is designed and manufactured for..increased focus and higher levels of energy for the purpose of being able to sit down and accomplish a task. The enhancement of concentration is unparalleled by amphetamines just by definition.
That being said, there are drugs OTC that have been shown to improve focus and give a higher level of energy. 5 Hour Energy will get you there...otherwise I have heard that Ephedrine is being preferred even over caffeine in terms of that tireless boost and cognitive enhancement.
Ephedrine is similar in structure to amphetamines (the closest that you will see without a prescription) and should not be used in conjunction with amphetamines that you might be using (like Vyvanse) I have heard positive anecdotal reports on the recreational potential of ephedrine in lieu of other prescription amphetamines, caffeine, or even other OTC stimulant products. I highly urge you to read about it if this interests you.