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Misc what substances help you focus

placebonaut said:
I would add Citicoline (CDP‑Choline) + L‑Tyrosine + caffeine - great for mental concentration, works much better than I expected
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I used to be a big choline PAM supporter but, damn dude the clinical research on the long term cardiac effects of TMAO (trimethylamine n-oxide) intersecting with the pretty clear observation that increased cholinergic activity leads to increased levels of endogenously produced/metabolized TMAO, it paints quite an ominous picture. I have stayed away from frequent use, but I am absolutely fascinated by cholinergic hallucinogens which I super rarely hear people speak about for some reason.
 
Esperighanto said:
I used to be a big choline PAM supporter but, damn dude the clinical research on the long term cardiac effects of TMAO (trimethylamine n-oxide) intersecting with the pretty clear observation that increased cholinergic activity leads to increased levels of endogenously produced/metabolized TMAO, it paints quite an ominous picture. I have stayed away from frequent use, but I am absolutely fascinated by cholinergic hallucinogens which I super rarely hear people speak about for some reason.
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Glad you flagged this, I'd not come across this issue before!

I'm using it currently in my daily stack and have issues with cholesterol too, so maybe this is 1 for me to drop and only use occasionally (maybe never given the benefit from it)

Effects of choline metabolite—trimethylamine N-oxide on immunometabolism in inflammatory bowel disease - PMC

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a key metabolite derived from the gut microbial metabolism of choline, has recently been implicated as a significant contributor to the development of several chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular ...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

AI summary

Dietary choline is metabolized by gut microbiota into trimethylamine (TMA), which the liver oxidizes into trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Elevated TMAO levels are associated with cardiovascular risks like atherosclerosis and heart failure, by promoting cardiac fibrosis, adverse remodeling, and inflammation. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Key Cardiac Effects of TMAO
  • Atherosclerosis: TMAO alters cholesterol metabolism and promotes macrophage cholesterol accumulation, creating foam cells in arterial walls. [1]
  • Thrombosis: It enhances platelet reactivity, increasing the risk of blood clots and thrombosis. [1, 2, 3, 4]
  • Heart Failure: Elevated circulating TMAO exacerbates cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in heart failure models. [1]
  • Acute Electrophysiological Changes: Studies have shown that acute exposure to TMAO briefly alters ionic currents, such as increasing calcium currents and shortening the action potential duration in cardiomyocytes. [1]

Clinical Context and Interventions
The biological relationship between choline, TMAO, and cardiovascular outcomes is complex: [1, 2, 3]
  • While some studies link dietary choline and its gut-derived metabolites to cardiovascular events, others show that plasma TMAO levels are a marker rather than a direct causative agent for disease in all healthy populations. [1, 2]
  • Certain research highlights that TMAO levels can drive specific immune system changes, like differentiating Th17 cells and causing systemic inflammation. [1]
  • Medications like metformin and targeted microbiota inhibitors (e.g., DMB) have been shown to suppress TMA-producing gut microbes, significantly reducing choline-diet-induced serum TMAO in experimental models. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
For more information on the metaorganismal pathways of this metabolite, you can review published studies on PubMed Central (PMC) or Nature.
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AI follow up questions
Is occasional use safe?

Yes, occasional use of choline supplements or choline-rich foods is generally considered safe for the heart. [1, 2] The cardiovascular risks associated with TMAO—such as arterial plaque formation, systemic inflammation, and cardiac tissue changes—primarily stem from chronic, prolonged elevations rather than temporary, isolated spikes. [1, 2]

Chronicity Matters for Heart Risk
  • Temporary Fluctuations: Eating a single choline-heavy meal or taking an occasional supplement causes a brief rise in blood TMAO levels. Healthy kidneys quickly and efficiently filter this out of your system, returning your blood levels to baseline within hours. [1, 2]
  • No Sudden Damage: The negative cardiac effects of TMAO (like endothelial dysfunction or tissue remodeling) are gradual processes driven by cumulative, day-in, day-out exposure. An occasional spike does not trigger these chronic diseases. [1, 2]

The Delivery Mechanism Is Crucial
The physical form of the choline you ingest significantly impacts how much TMAO your gut bacteria can actually produce: [1]
  • Free Choline Supplements: Forms like choline bitartrate (frequently found in cheap multivitamins) are rapidly converted by gut bacteria, causing a sharper, more pronounced surge in baseline TMAO levels. [1, 2]
  • Lipid-Bound Dietary Choline: Choline found naturally in whole foods like eggs or beef liver is primarily phosphatidylcholine (lecithin). Research indicates that these natural, lipid-bound forms are absorbed much earlier in the digestive tract, leaving less free choline for gut microbes to convert into TMAO. [1, 2, 3]
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Obvious ones: Dextr0@mphetamine and regular amphetamine. Caffeine.
Not so obvious ones: Clonidine, Pregabalin, and a low dose benzo that isn't x@n@x.
Nootropics: Alpha GPC, Piracetam (most racetams for that matter), L-theanine Thorne Memoractiv (swear by this stuff), Lions mane, and Pharmagaba.
The trick with stimulants is to take the lowest dose to mitigate your ADHD symptoms, eat as regularly and healthy as you can, and get as much sleep as you can. My symptoms are mostly the innatentive type, so I really need more when I am learning something new because I will space out in lala land if the subject isn't interesting. I do wish I were diagnosed ADHD sooner because I notice how much better I function overall and may have prevented me from using opiates to try and get ahead in life. There is NOTHING better than getting 9 hours of solid sleep with an hour of deep sleep and 2 hours of REM sleep. Then, waking up and taking Vyvanse, Pregabalin, Lion's mane, Alpha GPC, Memoractiv, and 8oz red bull. Bring the mf day on! That is the code for "God Mode" in my life. If you are struggling with focus, the first thing I would cancel out is a sleep study. They are easy to get and can do them at home by wearing something on your finger.
 
Amphetamines, they give me a completely uncompromising laser focus on the least applicable and most unconvential things I decide to venture into hour after hour. For 1 hour my amphetamine enhanced brain accepts using ai to write job applications and such, but at some point the temptation to do more interesting and intellectually stimulating things with the ai becomes to strong, resulting in a completely unhinged and insatiable research on whatever subject pops up in my mind. Last time at the 50 hour mark after many attempts from the ai to make me go to bed it bluntly stated that this session is over as it considered it a health hazard to continue this madness unless i go to sleep.
 
oddly pot. I can get interested in JUST ABOUT anything with a good buzz and a reason to be.

Adderall was good for staying up extra hours though.
 
Slightly_Paranoid13 said:
Nootropics: Alpha GPC, Piracetam (most racetams for that matter), L-theanine Thorne Memoractiv (swear by this stuff), Lions mane, and Pharmagaba.
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I like Citicoline (CDP‑Choline), Uridine (UMP) and if you have ADHD type symptoms NAC and Algar appears to help

notsmokeymcpot420 said:
oddly pot. I can get interested in JUST ABOUT anything with a good buzz and a reason to be.
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yeah this is a good shout, and make sure you pick the right strain, depends what you're going, I prefer something creative to get my mind going, and something with lots of energy if I need to be busy.
 
benzodiazepines hands down

then there is coffee
kratom
phenibut hcl
others....
which i find all mix well (for me) with first entry

plz do not try this at home

kratom is the only "opioid" i trust these days to mix with the bnz
still have an issue with tagging kratom as an opioid... though coffee is a stimulant it is not meth
 
I think this one is pretty easy. If we are talking about psychoactive drugs, there are only a few that are really suitable.

Cocaine - This might come to mind as a stimulant. That nature of Cocaine however does not lend itself to stuff like focusing on work. It is much more of a wild, kind of unhinged stimulation, which is why people like to party with it.

Amphetamines/Cathinones/Methylphenidate (Ritalin) - These are your best bet. However, using Amphetamines for this purpose can be ultimately more detrimental to your long-term success if not used with extreme care and responsibility. If you are not capable of keeping your shit together, you end up taking more, growing a tolerance and then the process occurs exponentially until you're using incredibly high doses just to maintain functionality. Withdrawal is pretty catastrophic to a person's stability at this point. If you are into getting high, I would avoid trying to incorporate these things into your life, but there is your answer.

Caffeine/Ephedrine - Basic stimulants that will increase wakefulness and potentially increase your working cognition. These stimulants can also be abused in high doses due to tolerance. While it is not as destructive as Methamphetamine, it's not good for you to consume a ton of Caffeine every day.

Modafinil - In simple terms, this is a step above Caffeine. It is better at actually increasing working cognition in addition to causing stimulation. If I had to recommend a single substance based on variables like utility, potential harm etc. I would recommend Modafinil to most people.

Rhodiola Rosea - Get the real shit. If you need to know where to go, just ask but I'm not gonna advertise here on the forums. This stuff is great for focus. It works in a much more nuanced and hard to describe way, but this is my number 2 recommendation.

Racetams - These are great market substances allegedly said to enhance focus. I have little experience with them, but Reddit has a lot of what seems like positive information. They have Racetams that can be taken intranasally for quick action. I suppose that's cool if they work. I can't comment though.

There is a starting list for you.
 
Amphetamines give me laser focus. But it is not necessarily on the task I should be focusing on. The same can be said about methylphenidate to a smaller degree. The thing is that what you do while on these substances may affect how much dopamine they release. So it may be very tempting to prioritize engagements that maximize their dopamine release.

The only substance that absolutely helps me concentrate on work, family and other things I should concentrate on is Tramadol. But amphetamines are more fun, and the risk of constipation and Tramadol addiction are obvious dealbreakers. Furthermore I guess no psychiatrist would prescribe Tramadol for concentration issues.
 
"Focus" - in the title of this thread, needs so much more vital information that is subject to whoever is reading the responses or asking the question.

IME it is this simple.

Our brains control our focus.

Our inspirations choose our focus.

Life can dictate our focus.

Therefore, any "substance" that assists the brain to wake up to "control the focus" will work. And the opposite applies too, ie assisting the brain to sleep will control that "focus".

If no "substance" is needed for the issue that requires "focus", then natural behavior would be that substance or the "focus" basically becomes a "diversion" and could be harmful/time wasting etc. and a substance isn't needed.

Basically if you are talking about tasks or things you don't want to do, but have to do, for whatever reason, then whatever substance, that sparks the action to "focus", on whatever, to completion, is the best substance for you.

If the "focus" is on things that are required, but really isn't necessary, then turn your "focus" elsewhere, as focusing on these things is counter productive and very often have long lasting negative effects that become habitual.

We all have the same "wiring" in our brains to handle this, some of our wiring needs a push to get going (and this is where "a substance" is the "spark plug and/or an "off switch"), we are all different yet the same.

They just need to be "switched on" and then our brain/desire/neurotransmitters can take the controls and the "focus" will be achieved.

It is a great feeling if and when one finds that substance, we all know that, but mastering the control when a substance is required even for the things we love doing, then the above is my "how to trust your gut feel" and only use that substance for that specific "focus"

Are you looking for escape, oblivion or clarity? Rhetorical.

It could be anything, as said, "focus" is subjective.

To end off, the substance I know helps me focus works great. But once the "focus/task/plan etc" is over, the good feeling would be nice to have all the time, and controlling the substance shouldn't be the "focus".
It is very difficult to do, and sorry for the long post and not naming any substance, but I hope this makes a little sense.

Stay safe and follow your inspiration.
 
Esperighanto said:
Genuine question here but isn't modafinil a stimulant still? I know that fladrafinil is so much stronger than modafinil that it's maybe the only stimulant I've ever found myself redosing without even thinking about it. I don't do that shit with meth, but I did it with fladrafinil for some reason.
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yes and no. if we’re getting technical modafinil is technically a “eugeroic” as opposed to a stimulant. it’s effects on the dopamine system are much weaker than amphetamines, impacting norepinephrine and (mostly) orexin more significantly than dopamine. it has more to do with wakefulness and alertness than the reward/focus stuff specifically tho they do work incredibly similarly. but personally modafinil is smooth enough and longer lasting enough that i’ve never found myself compulsively redosing. personally i don’t really get much euphoria from it at all so i find myself able to use it for my ADHD/chronic fatigue without risking abuse. the couple of times i tried to take more than my usual dose to chase the stimulation it just made me headachy, irritable, and nauseous.

so like, it’s kind of a stimulant still but technically not. i’ve heard of some people running into issues with abuse with it but significantly less so than amphetamines. it works differently enough from a stimulant for me to use it without risk of abuse and similarly enough for it to still work. it can definitely still feel good cause it tickles one’s dopamine but not nearly to the same extent as amphets. i’ve had modafinil, armodafinil, and fl-modafinil all of which i’ve barely noticed a difference between, tho Armodafinil remains my favorite. it’s the cleanest, longest lasting, and strongest of the three. i can’t speak to fladrafinil specifically but in general its not exactly a stimulant. and for me personally, it’s different enough to be okay.
 
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