Misc looking for a good nootropic. ideas?

[onmyway]

here is my situation: i will be starting my second year of medical school in a few weeks. i have discovered that for me, the only thing hard about preclinical sciences is the memorization.

can anyone suggest a good nootropic for me to help with memorization? has anyone used a particular one in an academic setting with measurable results?

i take bupropion daily.
also a daily marijuana user and consume 2-6 beers on weekdays, more on weekends (yes, im aware that drinking is bad for my hippocampus). sometimes i wonder about taking bupropion with alcohol, maybe it causes some glutamate toxicity? perhaps i should look into things that are neuroprotective?


thanks everyone.

 

[qwe]

why not try the classics like piracetam?

nootropics sometimes have some anxiogenic effects. that might not be a lil uncomfortable to combine with an alcohol tolerance/dependence, just thinking out loud

 

[Moredopamine]

Sometimes 90% of the battle with memorization is motivation, so perhaps stimulants like methylphenidate or dextroamphetamine?

If you're not into those nootropics, I suppose Huperzine-A is the best cholinergic. Getting lots of aerobic exercise (e.g. running) has been scientifically proven to help retention of information by a significant amount. Omega-3 fatty acids--EPA/DHA and not ALA aka plant sources--will improve brain functions overall, especially if you're deficient (and according to statistics, you likely are!).

Creatine improves fluid intelligence, especially in vegetarians (or those whose creatine intake is low for whatever reason).
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691485/pdf/14561278.pdf)

Those last three also improve mood, which again, helps with motivation to study. Sometimes it's hard to differentiate between 'motivation' and raw 'learning capacity.'

why not try the classics like piracetam?

Piracetam has very little if no documented ability to help cognition in healthy young adults (rats/those with cognitive issues are very different from young healthy adults). Might make for a good placebo effect though.

My above recommendations are actually shown to help intelligence in healthy young adults.

 

[onmyway]

Sometimes 90% of the battle with memorization is motivation, so perhaps stimulants like methylphenidate or dextroamphetamine?

If you're not into those nootropics, I suppose Huperzine-A is the best cholinergic. Getting lots of aerobic exercise (e.g. running) has been scientifically proven to help retention of information by a significant amount. Omega-3 fatty acids--EPA/DHA and not ALA aka plant sources--will improve brain functions overall, especially if you're deficient (and according to statistics, you likely are!).

Creatine improves fluid intelligence, especially in vegetarians (or those whose creatine intake is low for whatever reason).
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1691485/pdf/14561278.pdf)

Those last three also improve mood, which again, helps with motivation to study. Sometimes it's hard to differentiate between 'motivation' and raw 'learning capacity.'



Piracetam has very little if no documented ability to help cognition in healthy young adults (rats/those with cognitive issues are very different from young healthy adults). Might make for a good placebo effect though.

My above recommendations are actually shown to help intelligence in healthy young adults.

i find that bupropion and caffeine are plenty stimulating for me and take care of the motivational problems quite well. i have experimented with other stims like adderall and ritalin, they are too stimulating for me and the comedown is shit.

i do take 3000 mg of omega-3 daily, along with vitamin b complex, D,A,C,magnesium, calcium. i eat plenty of antioxidants and run about 10 miles a week.

ill look into huperzine-A, thanks.

 

[Moredopamine]

If you find Adderall/Ritalin too much, you could try Modafinil as well. It's a bit more stimulating than caffeine but it is actually a lot safer seeing as it doesn't ruin memory faculties in the long run as the more powerful stimulants too (indeed it may improve them).


Modafinil.com is a good place to start if you're unfamiliar. It's also readily available online.

 

[onmyway]

ive thought about modafinil but i havent been back to my doc tp ask for a script. it seems like it would address many of the same depressive symptoms that wellbutirn does (especially fatigue) , so maybe i could try a switch. the increase in histamine in the is also interesting.

interestingly, i have found kratom to be mood elevating and slightly nootropic at low doses. problem is i want to re-dose all day.