Okay, so this is going to be my blog post about my nootropics and vitamins, as requested. I really find this subject to be interesting, and it has been a bit of a hobby(?) of mine. I just really enjoy the topic even though I don't have a complete understanding (but I understand and learn more every day, and that is part of what makes it so fun, there is so much unknown and stuff to explore).
I would like to start of by saying that I don't think these can substitute real pharmaceuticals. They are very weak, but noticeable. My personal opinion is that they should be used mostly for mild cases or as a first line of defense since there are very, very few bad side effects. Also, you can never mix these with SSRIs, and you need to do a lot of research first to make sure that you are not creating any interactions.
My initial intent of taking these was to make my memory better and correct something that I saw as cognitive decline, although I think it was mostly effects of long term lack of socialization and depression, not an actual decline. I considered that it was possibly some type of schizophrenia, but I no longer think that is realistic, and I have been told that it was most likely not the case.
So, I will break it down into groups.
Basic Vitamins/herbs
[I started with just these for about a month and did not notice any significant improvements, but they are healthy, so I think it is beneficial in the long run, and I don't have to pay for these, my parents buy and take them too]
Multivitamin- Everyone should take one, I think, and I don't eat too much, so it is really just a security thing to make sure I get enough of most things.
Grape Seed Extract- A ton of possible benefits. Mostly, I take it for anti-cancer and as an antioxidant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape_seed_extract#Potential_anti-disease_effects
Omega-3- This is just a basic nutrition and it has a ton of links to different things. The research is still a bit shaky as to how much it helps, but it seems promising, and I am interested in it.
Turmeric- My whole family takes this, and it is supposedly anti-cancer. I have not found as much research on it as I have the others, but I take it because it could possibly be helpful, but it is not going to hurt me if not. I would not buy it on my own, though.
Base nootropics
[I took these next, alongside the vitamins, and I still take them. I have determined that they have noticeable, good effects with few bad side effects. They also made my grades go up when I started taking them, which was needed because my grades had been dropping and it was increasingly difficult to think in school.]
Piracetam(1.2g)- This is the most basic nootropic that is pretty much considered THE nootropic to start with. This one is also the mildest. It takes a while to take full effect, too. The difference is noticeable. The main effect is that it helps with mood. It definitely has an effect on mood for me. I wouldn't say it is exactly an anti-depressant, though. I feel like it makes me less prone to having an extremely low mood, and that it allows me to be reactively happy, but I don't think it really gives you a dependable mood boost. The best I can describe it is that it both makes your emotions stronger, and it makes you more conscious over them. It makes me stronger against my own emotions. I feel like it makes my mind slightly more clear.
Oxiracetam(600mg)- This one is closest to having actual recreational drug effects, and it is much stronger than piracetam. Firstly, it gives me more energy, both physical and mental. It solves the feeling of constantly being tired. This makes my mind clear even more than the piracetam. Secondly, there is an effect that is almost like a recreational drug. I have heard it compared to cannabis in this respect, but I have never smoked. The best thing I can compare it to is hydrocodone, which I took low doses(about 10mg, I think) of after getting my wisdom teeth removed. It is like a very mild version of the feeling that opiates give that makes everything look beautiful, but I feel like the mechanism is different. It makes me more able to enjoy the visual part of things, I think by letting me notice them easier and it makes colors brighter. Audio is also improved, but in a strange way. Again, sorta similar to opiates, but with the different mode of action. It makes music "richer" in a way, but only if I like the music, unlike the opiates where I played one song on repeat for around 2 hours, thinking it was the best song ever, and I didn't like it at all when off the medicine. Oxiracetam is probably my favorite of the nootropics.
Choline Bitartrate(variable amounts, not every day)- Choline is normally recommended to be taken with the racetams because they deplete choline, but I don't normally need to take it (I have heard that younger people probably don't because their body produces more of it naturally). If I get a racetam headache or brainfog (very distinctive, not like any other kind of brainfog), I take it. Normally about 600mg, but it depends on the severity. It smells horrible, but it is the only one I don't put in capsules because it tastes so, so good. It is better than candy to me; it tastes something like sour candy, but just amazing. I would eat it as candy if it wasn't bad to consume too much of.
CILTEP
[This is a stack invented on the longecity forums, intended to increase your ability to form long term memory. It is not as well researched, and is mostly based on theory. I no longer take it as of today. It is what makes me "happy" due to the fact that it caused more dopamine to be made from the L-tyrosine. However, it apparently causes "degradation " in working memory (through several mechanisms, as shown by several studies), so I am discontinuing it.]
Quercetin- I really liked this one because it almost completely takes away all of my seasonal allergies, but it is a primary cause of the loss of working memory.
Forskolii- Interacts with the Quercetin to form the increased cAMP which theoretically increases the ability to form long term memories. The effects on its own are mild and probably placebo.
L-tyrosine- Absolutely nothing alone. Moderate stimulant effect when taken with the others. The stimulant effect is better than caffeine, and more focused. Kinda like what I would expect a low dose adderall would be like, but without really any improvements to working memory or attention.
Others
[I am mostly trying these and figuring out their exact effects and if they are worth it. It takes some time to do this, because it could very well be coincidence that I take something one day and I feel bad or feel like it helps, but maybe it was just coincidence]
Lemon balm and L-theanine- Still trying to find the right doses for this. It defiantly reduces some parts of anxiety, but it doesn't really help with socializing. It helps with panic types of stuff, it seems, but it doesn't change my thought process, so I still have the same fears, but I don't really have as much of the pure fear emotion. It actually kinda makes me feel dumb, so I don't like it too much. It is a strange thing, but it makes me feel too calm, almost, and it makes me less creative, I feel like. It feels like it makes me less alert of something. I am still trying to find its exact effects, though.
Aniracetam- Previously it has coincided with my stomach being upset, but I took it today and it did not happen. In fact, I feel like it increased motivation and clearheadedness, but it is too soon to tell.
Rhodiola rosea- I haven't taken this without the CILTEP yet, so I am unsure of its effects.
The whole thing is a lot of experimentation that I feel helps my symptoms, and is interesting at the same time. However, without CILTEP, there are still times of very low mood, and none of the combinations cure the base of the problem, they just help to cope with peripheral effects. I think they are worth taking because they make me more productive, and I feel like I have more potential to be better on them. The mood effects of the racetams at least let me enjoy things even though my mood may be lower than normal people's. I feel like they are a good supplement, but certainly not medicine. They don't really solve the problems, they just make them manageable so that I can continue to function. Maybe a lot of it is placebo, but it is a very, very good placebo if that is the case. I hope I have explained enough. There is more information, more in depth, but I think this provides a pretty good idea.
There is also still one cognitive effect that I would like to improve that none of the substances have so far been able to really improve. That is mixing things up in my mind. I make a lot of careless mistakes. While it isn't as bad as it was pre-nootropics (things like -5+1=8 happened often in the bad weeks, and I was failing math tests because of it, actually), it is still pretty bad (things like leaving off negative signs, reading words as a completely wrong word, frequent misspellings [thank the computer gods for spellchecker] and writing a wrong word even though I am thinking of the right word in my mind).
I actually chose my user name (brainslug) partially so that it would not be traceable due to the fact that google searches show things from futurama, but also partially because, before the nootropics(when I made the account), I felt like one of characters from the show who had a brainslug leeching from them.
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no problem. I like to talk about it, ha ha.