DescentBB

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic

Nootropics, popularly referred to as \"smart drugs\", \"smart nutrients\", \"cognitive enhancers\" and \"brain enhancers\", are a class of drugs that improve impaired human cognitive abilities (the functions and capacities of the brain).[1] This article covers all substances, including drugs, nutrients, and herbs that have purported cognitive enhancing effects.

The word nootropic was coined in 1964 by the Romanian Dr. Corneliu E. Giurgea, derived from the Greek words noos, or \"mind,\" and tropein meaning \"to bend/turn\". Typically, nootropics are alleged to work by altering the availability of the brain's supply of neurochemicals (neurotransmitters, enzymes, and hormones), by improving the brain's oxygen supply, or by stimulating nerve growth. However the efficacy of alleged nootropic substances in most cases has not been conclusively determined. This is complicated by the difficulty of defining and quantifying cognition and intelligence.

Anyone on any?

My brain just discovered Piracetam a few days ago, and i can say it's awesome. I've been very productive the past few days, i'm able to focus a lot better and my mind feels clearer - my posts here have been effected, anyone notice? hehe. Lately I tend to been increasingly getting bored and distracted while i'm trying to read something, but now i read things MUCH more easily.
But it's not a stimulent. I don't feel buzzed or hyperactive or anything. It doesn't feel like i'm have a bunch of Coffee.
(Technically coffee is a Nootropic anyway, just not a very good one)

You can get Piracetam easily in USA, but in Australia (where i am) it's recently been made \"prescription only\" and you can't import it. However - i just imported a huge 500gram tub of it from USA (ebay lol), it arrived 2 days ago. Australian customs opened it and were fine with it, so i dunno what's up with that.

Anyway - so! Nootropics. YEAH!

this guy made some videos documenting his experience with Piracetam, and i was inspired enough to check it out myself. I'm glad i did.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... arch_type=
It's in part 1 - 11, and then a conclusion (which isn't numbered).

I have always been very worried when it comes that seems to alter the state of the mind. However reading this article, and doing a little more research, The drug you refered piracatem, seems to be quite trustworthy. ANd it has a fairly simple mechanism, very vaguely, increasing the blood supply to certain parts of the brain, which makes sense, allowing some areas to become slightly more active than others.
it all looks very nice, but i always think its too good to be true.
however i could be pursuaded to try something like this one time, especially with exmas coming up!

I'm very wary of pills as well. The only ones I've ever taken were those one-a-day things, and ginseng.

Have any studies been conducted for long-term use?

ack!

Wikipedia wrote:# Nicotine - Improves working memory and learning[25]

Wheeze87 wrote: however i could be pursuaded to try something like this one time, especially with exmas coming up!

Christmas is like... 7 months away!

I tend to stay away from all non-commonplace drugs (sugar, caffiene, etc) except when they're needed medically. I just don't trust that they don't have a hidden side-effect.

We know and use so little of our brains and how they work its pathetic. Many of our drugs are developed through serendipity, a mistake is made in the process of developing another drug or an unknown side-effect of that drug, and we end up finding a new thing to study, another pill, and another set of side effects.

I think we have become an, I want it now and I want it all society, and I also see allot of people on some form of \"Mother's little Helper\" to help them cope, many of them needlessly. There are so many ads for these \"feel good drugs\" that I cant keep up with the names but now all my potential dates will be asked, \"Are you on some form of medication?\" because dating a whack job on meds isn't fun. As for dong pills, hair pills, pills for pooping, pills for peeing, etc., I don't use them ever. Usually aspirin is all the pill I need and works better than Codeine for me.

Some pills make you blindly follow orders calmly... these were developed in the 50's and were widely used during the Vietnam war and were commonly given to helicopter pilots that refused to fly, usually from being in shock from the horrors of the previous mission. They needed these pilots to fly the next rescue missions ASAP, so little blue pills for everyone.

These drugs are also given to prisoners on death row before their last walk. At the time they had no idea how these drugs worked, I think it took until the late 80's early 90's before they started getting things dialed in and hence the burst of all the serotonin controllers; (Lol feel good drugs for the whole family according to last link! )
http://www.biopsychiatry.com/serotonin.htm

Drugs and herbs affect us because we are living sacks of water and electro-chemical/hormone machines that process what is fed to them. I'm trying more and more to stick with the items that got us here through thousands and thousands of years because to me its a sign that hey... it works and is good for us.

We don't have access or believe in a large Natural Drug source because the Pharmaceutical Companies cant patent natural drugs. Many herbs and Old Wives Tails have been proven to work, very effectively in some cases. Cold-FX is clinically proven to boost your immune system and is all natural;
http://coldfx.com/

I have taken it and it works very well for me, it reduced my cold symptoms and allowed me to work that week. However I don't take it everyday like Don Cherry because the pills are expensive and I don't get paid like he does, and only when I feel the first tinge of a cold.

As for these concentration drugs, meh... I never had that problem. Puff puff - pass.

Glad to hear it Roid.

Hey Roid, we'll let you be the beta tester for us on this one. Let us know how it goes.

Roid wrote:Anyone on any?

I try to keep a little caffeine in the blood stream at all times. It helps with concentration and critical thinking. Also, there's a very mild euphoria, which at the very least can't hurt.

Dakatsu wrote:

Wheeze87 wrote: however i could be pursuaded to try something like this one time, especially with exmas coming up!

Christmas is like... 7 months away!

Whoops! sorry, meant EXAMS!!!!!!

tunnelcat wrote:Hey Roid, we'll let you be the beta tester for us on this one. Let us know how it goes.

it only takes about 30mins to have an effect. You dose about 2-4 times a day, this is my 4th day on it. So, i'm tellin ya it works quite well, and i could have told you that after only the first few hours of taking my first dose

i think one of the first things i did on it was research Woodchip's Pikesville flash-bang mystery viewtopic.php?t=13897
I was watching multiple youtube videos at once, while overlaying maps onto google earth so i could find the exact location. i told u i was hardcore.
i used to do this stuff all the time years ago, but i've been rather fucked up as of late. I now feel cured.

If i were to explain this to my psychiatrist, i'd say it has increased my ability to process and categorize incomming information, thus i am dealing better with my low latent inhibition instead of being overwhelmed. I find i'm using my earplugs less.
Those who know about this latent inhibition stuff will probably know why my decreasing ability to process was a very serious concern to me.

Hmm interesting, any side effects like loss of sleep?
Weird dreams? Sounds like it beats nicotine but I do like my caffeine.

over the past few years i have been seriously weighing up the pros and cons of perhaps starting to smoke tobacco myself - because i know it helps focus and concentration. But i think this stuff is probably better in that regard anyway (not to mention the lack of health problems).
Caffeine sends me spaz, then i have a bad comedown.

nope, no weird dreams, no loss of sleep (although, the last daily dose i've been giving myself is generally about 6 hours before i goto bed). I was kinda surprised about that, as my normal sleep time comes around i feel tired and i sleep fine - maybe even better: After a few days of taking it, i've noticed when i wake up i feel more refreshed. It might just be because of generally better wellbeing: the relief from that \"concern\" i mentioned earlier is a weight off my mind, which inturn helps me think more positively, and thus sleep better.

However, from the video (day 2?) you'll see how H8UALL66 had trouble sleeping the first night because he just kept thinking about stuff all night. So he decided to both lower his dosage and take his last dose at only 1pm.
I dunno if maybe he's just not used to that (i've always been like that even as a kid), but it's not a problem for me.

Well, as a diabetic I have to say that I would worry about the effects of the drugs wearing off over time and the need to take more as time goes on. The eventual dependence on them, and the possible withdraw symptoms.

Not to mention the possibility of losing the natural ability do do what the drug is enhancing.

All excellent points Spidey, also interactions with prescription drugs is a very distinct possibility.

I'm glad you found something that helps you roid but be careful. When I take herbal supplements I do a cycle of 3 months on 3 months off so that my liver has other things to process, and my body doesn't get dependent on the substances or their effects.

Also I purchase Pharmacist recommended substances and I consult Doctors with practices in both modern and herb based medicines. These people know their stuff and what products actually contain the proper ingredients and what they do as well as the possible interactions.

The herbal industry is not regulated and there are some really awful people out there that are selling heart victims pills that are nothing but 30 mg of Sodium and the rest filler. Many products don't even contain what they advertise, so consult a professional Physician is my advice.

i do my research

it's safe stuff

Thats what they all say.

Roid, does this stuff do anything for headaches by any chance?

i dunno about headaches, unless they are caused by stress (i can see how it would likely help headaches caused by stress).
Guys if you want to know more about it i suggest you look it up yourselves. That's why i gave you links in the OP. Rather than trust me on it - i'd rather you trusted the doctors and scientists.
You can ask me stuff, but i'm not an expert, i don't want to be the middleman possibly biasing the scientific data i feed you. Bias is bad, science is good!

That's not to say i don't want you to ask me stuff and talk and blahblah - just... i'm not a Doctor, i'm just a hobby transhumanist. Don't take my word as doctrine.


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i have noticed an interesting effect:

Because i'm able to concentrate so much easier now - i find i am pushing myself harder to stay up later and later. Don't get me wrong - i'm still tired and fully capable of going to bed - but being tired doesn't effect my ability to concentrate as badly as it used to.

This is something i'm going to have to keep my eye on. Whereas in the past i would goto bed in a \"i give up, i just can't concentrate anymore\" situation. Now i'm going to have to make an effort to walk away from my work and goto bed, even though i can still concentrate fine.

The past 2 days i've gone to bed late and missed some sleep, and i'm starting to feel it building up. I think i'll have an early night tonight to catchup. I won't skip my piracetum dosage though as it doesn't directly effect my sleep, i sleep fine if i let myself.

i'm kinda interested how this one turns out.

Thanks Roid. I get vascular headaches, not stress caused ones. Effing hormones! Caffeine is my savior in this aspect, at least until my body settles down.

Since you are using this stuff, you will be a good source of information on how your body reacts to it over time. Sooooooo, since you're the first one here to try it, you're our official guinea pig.

I'm curious, are you younger or older? This stuff might help older brains keep their focus.

from what i hear - Paracetam is prescribed to people with Alzheimer's
It improves the oxygen supply / metabolism of the brain or somesuch.

Vascular headaches are migraines yes? ie: blood vessels in the brain dilate - causing a migraine. Caffeine causes the blood vessels to constrict thus alleviating the problem.
I don't think Paracetam does that.

I'm 26, i'm tempted to try it out on my parents and grandparents but i'm worried about my own supply. And i dunno if i'd bother trying to argue the morals of chemically augmented existance anyway - uphill battle, let bygones ROT

AFter reading up on this, I decided to try it myself. Ordered it the other day. Should be here soon. I will let you know how it goes. Maybe it will help to think more clearly during a race when blood is moving to muscles and oxygen is in short supply.