Here at NootropicsExpert.com, we explore the universe of nootropics. You’ll find all the information you need to get the results you want.
If you’re overwhelmed by the fragmented information for nootropics spread across several websites, you can end your search.
How does one nootropic interact with another? Which one is safe? And which nootropics have side effects? We cover all that here.
Use our Nootropics Guide to get more familiar with the different types of cognitive enhancers and what they do. And you’ll be able to safely build your own stack.
Here you’ll find a comprehensive list of the latest nootropic compounds. We’ll review what each does along with their side effects. And mechanisms of action in your brain and body.
You’ll get nootropic dosing recommendations, and interactions with other nootropics and medications.
You’ll even learn the history of a nootropic compound. How and why it came into being. And how it’s used by the nootropic and medical community.
Some of the nootropics you’ll find on NootropicsExpert.com are prescription drugs in some parts of the world. These same nootropics are sold as OTC supplements in countries like the United States.
You should be able to find everything you need to know about nootropics on this site. No need to go anywhere else. Armed with this knowledge you can choose the best nootropics for you, and what you’re working to achieve. Verification
The Definitive Guide to Nootropics
A nootropic is a substance that enhances cognition and memory and facilitates learning.
Neuro-hacking and the research behind brain modulation, nootropics, and bio-hacking in general is a constantly evolving and improving science.
We cover all that in The Definitive Guide to Nootropics.
The Big List of Nootropics
Nootropics cover a broad category of compounds with cognitive boosting properties.
They have minimal side-effects and are appropriate for long-term use.
The Big List is a quick reference guide for nootropics. Learn what its for, how its used, side effects, interactions and dosing suggestions.
The Best Nootropics
Achieving brain optimization comes with a lot of trial and error. Experimenting to see what works best for you. But spend enough time in the nootropics community, and you begin to see patterns develop.
After you try the latest edition to the racetam-family of nootropics. Most biohackers settle into the nootropic that works best for each category of; cognition & focus, memory, energy & motivation, anxiety & depression, and brain repair & maintenance.
The “Best Nootropics” page is a distillation of what we’ve found to be the best nootropics for each category of brain optimization. You’ll find a list of the best nootropic compounds for each category. And links through to more detailed articles for each category.
Hi David, I have read a lot of articules of you and a lot videos. I use your information for create my stack. Please, what do you think about it. I have 28age, 81kg. Im pokerplayer and i need to be a FOCUS a LOT and CALM but at the same time wake up for take a lot of decisitions. This is my stack:
1.5g de L-Carnitina x3 split dose (0,5 per dose).
1.5g de L-Tyrosine x3 split dose (0,5 per dose).
1.5r de NALT x3 split dose (0,5 per dose).
1.gr de Theanine x3 split dose, (0,3 per dose)
0.5g de Rosavins x2 split
0.5g de Crenulata x2 split
0.5g de Ashghawanda x2
0.5g de Bacopa x1
0.5g de Shilajit x2
0.5g de Polygala x3
0.3g de Cafeina x2
—
RACETAMS
2,4 de Piracetam x3 split 0.8
1,5 de Pramiracetam x3 split 0.5
1,5 de Oxiracetam x3 split 0.5
50m de Noopept. x3 split 15mg
—
Aditionals… not all days.
75mg de Modafinil 1 time per week.
50mg de ArModafinil 2 times per week.
90mg de PhenylPirac 2 times per week.
2 days off of this.
Martin, is this stack working for you? You are using a LOT of racetams which I don’t recommend. One at a time is better. And your stack does not include Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline. So the racetams don’t have enough acetylcholine to work with.
Hi, thanks for your answer.
I feel that mix racetam give me more benefits, like 1+1 = 3 with racetams. I take 200 alpha gpc or cognizin + 700mg birtrato choline.
Can you advice what is the best mix to racetams? Good stack for high focus, motivation and relaxation.
Martin, you’ve already got a good stack for focus, motivation and relaxation. Only thing I’d suggest is deleting choline bitartrate and replacing it with higher doses of Alpha GPC or Cognizin. And possibly add Phosphatidylserine (PS) 100 mg 3-times per day.
what do you recommend as a vasodilator supplement?
Joe, depends on what you mean by “vasodilator”. Vinpocetine, Pine Bark Extract, Ginkgo Biloba among others helps increase blood flow in the brain.
Dear David,
I used DMAE 13 days ago and still feel noticeable effects of DMAE. When is DMAE fully degraded? How long does it take until its not in your mind anymore. I used 2 500 mg pills of DMAE orally. Do you know methods to speed up the process? I used Vitamin B12 and B5 and choline, and gingko biloba. Do you know other methods?
Tammo, the standard recommended dosage for DMAE is 100 – 200 mg per day. You certainly exceeded that by a huge amount.
The half-life of DMAE is around 3.5 hrs. as far as I know. It should completely leave your system within 7 hrs.
DMAE works by preventing choline uptake into cells. But using such a high dose may have had an effect on something else in your brain.
So DMAE is likely gone from your system. But who knows what you could have upset by using such a high dose.
Hi David
I am taking each day Mirtazapine 15 mg each day. I want to get off it slowly. to start with Adaptogenes. How do I taper off.Thanks
Juan, you need to know exactly what Mirtazapine does in your brain (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirtazapine#Pharmacology).
Notice that it works on norepinephrine and serotonin. That means you need to avoid any adaptogen to affect dopamine, norepinephrine or serotonin. Or you will put yourself in danger of Serotonin Syndrome or a heart attack.
As long as you are using that drug please be very, very careful on what you try.
Hi David,
Thank you for all the phenomenal information you provide. I purchased your book, “Head First”, what an excellent resource!
I must have some weird body chemistry: caffeine makes me tired, Mind Lab Pro, Qualia Mind Caffeine Free & Natural Stacks Neuro Fuel have no effect on me, no focus and no energy increase. Any thoughts?
Frederick, the stacks that you mentioned affect people differently. Some feel the results right away.
But many need to use it daily and consistently before experiencing the effects. These stacks are designed to work and must be effective since so many people use them.
But the effects can be subtle. Nothing like caffeine. Long-term use however can have some dramatic effects just like it says in their marketing. It just takes time.
Dear David,
I recently started adding new supplements to my stack (Citicoline 1x250mg, huperzine a 1x225ug, bacopa 1x500mg and Gotu Kola 1x950mg and NAC 2x600mg)
Some or most of them increase or inhibit the acetylcholine in the brain and i am a little bit worried that mixing them together would cause me to have cholinergic toxicity. Should i be worried or is it safe i take them together?
Greetings
Ralf
Ralf, I agree with you that you’re messing with acetylcholine too much with this stack. If you were going to continue using Huperzine-A make sure you use it only every 2nd or 3rd day because it has a 24 hour half-life.
Thanks David. I was on benzodiazepines for 10 years before i withdrew almost 2 years ago, I am 34 and my brain isn’t quite functioning yet like it once did. I am still dealing with some protracted withdrawal sympthoms such as, cognitive impairement,anxiety, brainfog, and desensitized GABA receptors.
I would like to know your opinion if it is true that i should avoid supplements that affect the GABA (like GABA,Passionflower,Magnesium,Lemonbalm,Ashwagandha.Taurine etc) in the brain, to give my GABA receptors the time they need to upregulate and heal themselves without any stimulus, OR if supplementing would speed up the healing process.
because there are controversial opinions on this subject between ex benzo users and in the Ashton Manual on benzoORG. Me personally i didn’t have any bad reactions but i am worried if i continue taking some supplements the healing of my GABA receptors would slow down.
Thank you.
Ralf
Ralf, I suggest you look closer at how benzos work in your brain. The do not directly influence GABA receptors. Instead, they increase the frequency with which the chlorine channel opens when GABA binds to its own site on this receptor. The resulting increase in the concentration of Cl- ions in the post-synaptic neuron immediately hyperpolarizes this neuron, thus making it less excitable (https://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_03/i_03_m/i_03_m_par/i_03_m_par_benzodiazepines.html).
The question should be ‘how do you normalize chlorine ion channels’? If you can find an answer to that question you’ll make a lot of ex-Benzo users very happy.
If you have been off of Benzos for 2 years you have no worries about contraindications. Your GABA receptors are very likely in good shape. It’s the ion channels that are screwed up. And the only thing I know of that is really good at modulating ion channels is magnesium.
So if any of the other nootropic supplements you mentioned helps you feel better I would not hesitate using them.
Thank you for the explanation David.
I don’t have such a deep understanding of all this like you, and by the time i would have, I’d be fully recovered anyways i guess:-)
so my humble plan is to support my brain doing what its good at (repairing itself) and hope for the best outcome.
Can you recommand me a good stack to increase BNDF and NGF? I already have omega3, curcuma, magnesium l-threonate, (PQQ,Co10 just ordered) and i’d like to expand a little more if there is anything i missed.
Also, any other Tips to boost the recovery process?
Thank you a lot!
Ralf
Ralf, Lion’s Mane Mushroom is one of the most effective ways to boost NGF.
Hi David. I’ve stumbled upon something new and wanted your input on it.
It is called NRF2 and appears to help with inflamation as well as other things.
I can’t find a lot of info on this but what I have seen it looks promising.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Ron
Ron, Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) looks like a transcription factor that plays a role in metabolic reprogramming, unfolded protein response, proteostasis, autophagy, mitochondrial biogenesis, inflammation, and immunity (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7369905/). But it also promotes cancer development after cancer is established.
So it looks like a Jekyll and Hyde type of thing if you were to play around with it as a nootropic. Some companies are trying to make a drug out of it. But I know I’ll be avoiding it.
Is it necessary to take breaks from turmeric, ashwagandha if take long term on a daily basis? I also take l theanine a few times a week w/caffeine.
Thank you
Heidi, it is not necessary to “take breaks” when using any of these supplements as long as you are using recommended dosages. And long-term use at recommended dosages is OK too. As long as they work for you and do not produce any side effects.
Hi David, i saw your reaction about SSRIs. Is it really that harmful compare to derivates of amphetamines like ADHD meds? Recently i start taking 5mg of Escitalopram (cipralex) once or twice a week. I think subactively ofc it’s help me with mi ADHD because i am not soo much stres about everything. But i don’t want hurt my brain…
Tarek, as far as I can tell from the clinical studies you need to use SSRIs long-term to really damage your brain. Because then you start messing with things like gene expression.
I have iih and currently taking diamox. Do you know if I can take these together? I know I should talk to my doctor, but truthfully I feel they don’t care. Just write a script and get me out of the office. I need to find a way to heal myself. I have extreme brain fog to the point I may have to stop driving. I will stop at red lights and within a few seconds get confused and forget what I’m doing and go through the red light. It terrifying! I don’t know if it’s because of iih or the diamox. I also have paplidima. If you know of any research please share. Thank you.
Deanna, if you are referring to idiopathic intracranial hypertension according to Cedars Sinai: (https://www.cedars-sinai.org/health-library/diseases-and-conditions/p/pseudotumor-cerebri.html#) some of the symptoms you are describing are the result of it. Not the drugs you are using to control it. This is a description of how Diamox works: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetazolamide#: and nothing in there points to those symptoms.
I am not aware of any supplement regimen that is used for treating intracranial hypertension either. I suggest you do some searches for foundations or associations devoted to this disease. Like https://ihrfoundation.org/hypertension/info/C35 and see if they have any suggestions.
Hello David,
I am suffering from major depression, chronic fatigue, and emotional/stress/binge eating disorder. I have decided to take Lion’s Mane, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola Rosea & Lithium Orotate. Do you suggest anything else? Also, is there any nootropic that can specifically help with my Binge eating / emotional eating disorder?
Thanks in advance.
Asif, there is no specific nootropic supplement that can solve your issues. The problem is you do not know what is causing these problems. It could be one or more neurotransmitters out of balance, or a leaky gut or blood-brain barrier, it could be inflammation, any number of things.
Have you read my article on depression? https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-depression/. That should help you at least begin to understand the challenges your are experiencing. And if you don’t know the cause it could help you choose one or two nootropics from each category to use as a test. Until you find something that works.
It looks like you are willing to experiment. Try the nootropics you have chosen and see if any of them help. Find out how that supplement works in your brain. And choose others that work in a similar way.
Hi Tom
I recently read the article on how fructose makes brain insulin resistant and also chokes it functionality.
I am a fitness enthusiast and a vegetarian too. So for my need of complete protein i mainly depend on Whey supplements which have either maltodextrin or sucralose as a substitute to sugar.
Can you share your thought on how maltodextrin and sucralose could affect the functioning of brain ?
Thank
Avi
Avi, Maltodextrin increases blood sugar levels and insulin release, which can cause insulin resistance. And Maltodextrin may trigger or worsen gut microbiome imbalance including promoting ‘bad bacteria’.
Your gut is connected to your brain. Do your gut harm and you are harming your brain.
And sucralose seems hijack the hunger center in your brain. Causing you to think you’re not getting enough. So you eat more. And gain weight. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/
Thanks for the quick response.
Is there any way to counter the insulin thing with maltodextrin
I do intake curd specifically to counter the negative impact on gut.
Can you help me with any nootropics to help learning new skills such as learning a new concept with numbers and few skills in IT like
programming.
Issues I face are lack of concentration, my mind always keeps talking to me even when I listen to something or even when engaged in any activity, moreover the drive to get things done also lacks. I dont have fear or anxiety. I dont have hard time understanding concepts but yes the drive to do things lacks most importantly.
Please take a few mins on this as I very deeply need a help regarding this, it’s matter of my career.
Will always be grateful.
Thanks
Avi
Avi, increasing learning and memory and different than increasing motivation. They are related and both involve dopamine. But they are two very different mechanisms in your brain.
This is how to increase motivation: https://nootropicsexpert.com/hacking-motivation-with-nootropics/
And this is how to increase concentration and memory: https://nootropicsexpert.com/how-to-improve-memory-and-concentration/. I have two premade nootropic stacks which include many of the nootropics detailed in this post near the end of the post which may help you. Either one should help you get started.
Thanks for your guidance and time.
I would begin the stack on a regular basis and see the results.
Avi
Hi David – Thank for you all the information. I am just learning of nootropics and am hoping for beginner’s advice on where to start. I am prescribed Vyvanse 2x daily (40mg in the morning and 20mg in the afternoon). After reading your notes and the comments, I ordered L-Tyrosine (500mg capsules), Magnesium Glycinate (500 mg capsules), and Lion’s Mane. Should I start with one capsule of L-Tyrosine with each Vyvance capsule with Magnesium before sleep and hold of on Lion’s Mane? Thanks!
Matt, 500 mg L-Tyrosine each time you dose Vyvanse. You can use Lion’s Mane twice a day as well. It doesn’t matter when. But I suggest using either a high quality Multi like the Performance Lab Multi for men (https://bit.ly/347dm5M) or a high quality B-Complex. Because some of the B-Vitamins are cofactors that work with L-Tyrosine to make dopamine.
And magnesium is great before bed because it helps you sleep. But your body also uses it during the day. So regular use will keep your magnesium levels up and consistent.
Excellent. Thanks so much, David. Excellent resource and incredibly prompt response!
David, Please consider doing a video on supplements that increase blood flow to the brain. You’ve suggested to me, pine bark extract, but it turns out I’m allergic. It caused pain in my hands. I already take niacin, which is great, but I’m losing the battle, due to things I don’t want to get into here, and so I need more help in this area. I’ve tried ginkgo and ginger but I do not notice any effect. Thank you for all you do for us.
Darcy, Pine Bark Extract and Vinpocetine are the most effective ways to increase blood flow in your brain. If you can’t use Pine Bark Extract and have trouble finding Vinpocetine, then you may need to use 2 or 3 other nootropics that have been shown to increase cerebral circulation. But used individually may not be enough for what you need.
Do a search of Nootropics Expert using the search function above the top menu, and search for the keyword phrase in quotes “blood flow”. You’ll get several pages you’ll need to scroll through. But you will find others including Ginkgo Biloba, Gotu Kola, Pramiracetam, etc.
Hello David, great blog – I appreciate your time and sharing!
Histamine, too, presents as “fatigue” and “brain fog”. Antihistamines’ side effects often outweigh their remedial
ones. Diets low in histamine are of low effectiveness, thus a subject of many blogs.
Histamine produces symptoms that the nootropic field seeks to overturn.
Is there any instruction on how nootropics can handle histamine levels?
Thank you,
Brian
Brain, the active components in medicinal nootropic mushrooms including beta-D-glucans, triterpenoids and ergosterol reduce histamine response.
Anything that reduces acetylcholine action including antihistamines can result in brain fog.
Black Seed Oil acts as an antihistamine. Saffron is a smooth muscle relaxant and helps lower blood pressure. Likely because of its inhibitory effect on histamine H1 receptors. Etc. etc.
I suggest you use the search function above the menu top right and search for the keyword “histamine”. And you’ll get several pages addressing histamine from every angle imaginable.
Hi David,
I am using Nutrivita Mucuna 100% L-Dopa 250 mg. in the morning for my PD symptoms. It helps my impaired gait and arm swing for about 4 hours. Afterward, when I come home for the day I am wondering if I should continue dosing this every four hours even though I don’t mind limping when I am home. I am wondering if it is important to keep the dopamine levels high even when the symptoms of PD don’t bother me so much in the house? Is it preferable to take as little L-Dopa as possible or better to keep levels high throughout the day? Thank you so much for your kind response.
Deborah, thank you! I’ve been looking for an extract like this and now I know where to look!
The only caution I’d offer is using this L-DOPA too late in the day will very likely cause insomnia. Because your body uses dopamine primarily during the day.
While I don’t need to deal with PD I am Adult ADD and do use Mucuna and L-Tyrosine. But never later than 4 PM.
Thank you so much David. Do you think it is important to take another dose or two (before 4 pm as you advise) even if I am just at home and don’t mind the impaired gait around the house? Would you advise that to keep dopamine level more steady throughout the day for some reason? I guess what I’m asking is – it is preferable to take as little as possible and as few doses as possible or is it better to have steady dosing? Sorry that i’m so confused! All the best, Deborah
Deborah, I’m not a doctor and certainly not an expert on Parkinson’s. But I do know that our body uses dopamine all day long. And the half-life of precursors to make dopamine is only a couple of hours.
Dopamine levels can’t be completely steady during the day. It depends on what demands we put on our body that require dopamine. But we can do our best to provide the tools our body requires to make dopamine so that it can be used as needed.
When our body does not have access to the dopamine it needs we suffer because of it. I’m Adult ADD and use L-Tyrosine and Mucuna Pruriens (30%) morning, noon and at 4 PM. And that keeps me steady during the day.
Seems to me that if you’re allowing an “impaired gait” that is not how your body prefers to function. And if we have the option of doing something about it then we should.
Hi David,
Also wondering do you take Mucuna and L-Tyrosine together? Thanks so much! Deborah
I do use L-Tyrosine and Mucuna together 3-times per day.
Again, thanks so much David for your kind reply. Which Mucuna 30% do you use? Perhaps it would be good for me to use it in addition to the Nutrivita 100% L-Dopa in order to get the other nutrients in the Mucuna plant? Thanks!
Deborah, I’ve been using mucuna pruriens from NusaPure: https://amzn.to/2GhmueS. But for you there is no benefit in combining a weaker extract with the one you are using now. It would be more beneficial to add some of the more fundamental nutrients to what you’re using now. Like a high quality multivitamin. The B-Vitamins, Vitamin C and magnesium in the multi would help your body use the L-DOPA extract more effectively. Like this one: https://bit.ly/2EIyhCA
hello david is Felipe again. Thanks for responding about the ssris. I wonder if antpsychotics like olanzapine, quetiapine, risperdal are nootropic. I take quetiapine and feel an improvement in cognition. Are they able to do that? Thank you very much and have a great weekend
Felipe, there are prescription pharmaceuticals that likely improve cognition. But it still doesn’t make them “nootropics” in my definition. Because they are not natural.
Hi David
Just was reading over your article >>https://nootropicsexpert.com/the-nootropic-benefits-of-medicinal-mushrooms/
And I learned something new:) I was not aware of the difference between mycellium and fruiting body. Great info. And I just learned that my Host Defense Lions Mane has mycellium in it and no mention of fruiting body.
Question…. On my Cordyceps bottle it list neither. It just says Cordyceps spp. 1040mg. Any idea what the spp. is or means?
Thanks
Ron, if the bottle does not specifically state that it is the fruiting body you can be sure it’s the mycelium.
I believe Cordyceps ssp. is a strain between Cordyceps militaris and Cordyceps cicadae: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10286020.2018.1451518?journalCode=ganp20
Hi David how are you?
David do ssris is a nootropic? This medication can improve cognition ?
Felipe, SSRIs are so far from a nootropic it’s downright terrifying. Because of the long-term damage they do to neurons, receptors, synapses, altered gene expression and messed up ion channels.
SSRIs harm cognition in so many ways that it’s criminal in my opinion. I realize that some people benefit from them. But most do not. Or there are often far better natural nootropic alternatives.
Hi, I am wondering what you could recommend for premature ejaculation. I have read that stimulating the 5-HT2c receptors and inhibiting the 5-HT1a receptors delays ejacultion. I have read somewhere else that you recommended Cat’s Claw, but didn’t see anything specific about those receptors, rather a 5-ht increase. Would Tryptophan then have a similar effect or would it help at all?
Also there are studies on PDE5 inhibitors being just as effective as SSRI for IELT, probably because they relax the smooth tissue involved in ejaculation. are there any nootropics that inhibit PDE5 just as well as the prescription drugs that you think could potentially work? There is the 90% Icariin extract, but I have not seen any studies on it. And there is also something like Rutin or Quercitin and potentially even Berberine which has shown PDE5 inhibition similar to Sildenafil in some studies, but I question whether it would give the same effect as Viagra. Is the supplemental Rutin that we can buy strong enough to inhibit PDE5 to a similar degree as Sildenafil? Or is there any thing else (non-prescription) that works as a PDE5 that you would recommend?
I have tried Phenibut as some has said it works, but it has not helped.
Thanks!
Cody, this is not my area of expertise. There are studies with Berberine and PDE5 in rats. But I haven’t seen any that worked in humans. Nothing like Sildenafil.
A couple of nootropics effect PDE1 or PDE4 but nothing like prescription drugs for ED or premature ejaculation.
L-Tryptophan definitely worked, but taking it caused a great amount of anxiety, higher heart rate, and insomnia. 5-HTP can increase cortisol, so that makes sense. Any tips for the increase in cortisol/anxious/restless effects from Tryptophan or 5-htp?
Cody, it sounds like L-Tryptophan is not for you. Because those are signs of excess serotonin. Only thing you can do is not use it.
Hi David, first, I want to thank you greatly for the resources you’ve published. They’ve been of inestimable value to me. If I ever have any money I would love to donate to you. Now I will try to succinctly get to the point: With the neurological issues caused by COVID-19, I have serious concerns of my family members getting it, especially my teenage brother and sister. I (and many others I’m sure) would find it extremely valuable if you could make some recommendations for nootropics that might be effective for recovering from the neurological impairments brought on by COVID and as well as what things from the aforementioned category are considered safe for children. I have specific concerns about the effects of psychotropic compounds on adolescent minds. Stimulants come to mind. Thanks so much for your time, and be well.
Caleb, the only thing that I’ve seen from the nootropics world that has some efficacy related to COVID-19 is Black Seed Oil. There was one study and you may find a link to it in the comments thread for Black Seed Oil.
Other than that we don’t know enough about what COVID-19 does to the human brain to be able to come up with something that would work to repair the damage. A very broad approach I suppose would be any anti-inflammatory and anything that could boost Nerve Growth Factor or Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. Use the search function above the top menu to search for either of those keyword phrases.
We like to think we’re on the cutting edge of neuroscience here at Nootropics Expert. But for this it’s just too new to have any real answers.
Hi, David! Are you by any chance familiar with BPC-157, and if so, would you mind sharing your thoughts on it? Some sources claim it’s one of the most effective compounds for healing intestines, tendons, bones and more, so I might try it considering I clearly have some unidentified connective tissue disorder. Again, I know that’s not your primary focus, but thought I’d ask in case you have any insights on the compound, which after all also purportedly has nootropic effects…
Oh, and I got the Maitake I was to report back on so late I’ve only been using it for a week so far, so can’t yet tell whether that is helping me.
Never heard of BPC-157 but it looks promising. It’s a combination of 15 amino acids with a number of clinical studies behind it. Including this one healing rats’ tendons: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21030672/
And for the Maitake, it may take awhile before you experience the benefits of this mushroom. As long as you got a quality supplement. Most mushroom supplements on the market are worthless because they use the cheap mycelium and not the fruiting body. The mycelium doesn’t contain much in the way of beta-glucans. And won’t provide any benefit. Make sure your Maitake is extracted from the fruiting body only.
Thanks. I think I’ll stick to my current stack for now, but might try BPC-157 next if I’m still chronically unsatisfied some month from now. I’ve only found one website that ships to my country that sells supposed BPC-157 in spray form, and that company has previously been exposed for selling FAKE p21 indicating they are not the most trustworthy company out there, but hey, if I end up trying their supposed BPC-157 and it kills me I technically can’t complain, can I? 😉
Hi David, thanks a lot for y work here 🙂 It’s pretty amazing what y doing.
I have one question about intermittent fasting and adrenal receptors. Context ADHD ofc.
My base line idea is: when i do intermittent fasting i don’t drink caffeine or other stimulants because it can sort of “damage” adrenal receptors and long term cause lower impact from stimulants and even energy dips during the day and hormonal imbalance over all. Im not sure how describe it precisely. Other words i must did caffeine and all stimulants detox-stop for over 1,5 month to heal my adrenal receptors when i do IF + caffein for long time.
I did IF + low carb beacouse it work great for my ADHD first half of year, but later it’s casuse cortisol ishue.
When i was fasting and taking Modafinil it was great, but after first meal at 12 come energy crash and after that i dont feel Modafinil at all and was all burn out and tired, even i take additional 100mg of Modafinil after 12.
Soo basicly my question is: Is it good idea do Fasting and take some stimulants with ADHD, or it’s more dangerous and can cause adrenal sensitivity badly and significantly increase cortisol?
And what do y think about Keto diet? it could help protect neurons and the brain in general, or it’s not so good for ADHD brain?
Btw. Sorry for my english, i can only speak, but my spelling is disaster. It’s not my native language.
Tomas, what you you mean by “intermittent fasting”? Because I consider anytime you go 12 hours without food as intermittent fasting. Is that what you mean? Or fasting for longer periods of time?
We have plenty of studies that show intermittent fasting benefits certain diseases or health problems. But not long-term. Unless you’re talking about fasting overnight as intermittent fasting.
I think the Mediterranean Diet is much better for overall cognition compared to the Keto Diet.
The Keto Diet is a great weight loss tool or treating specific diseases. But not for long-term use in my opinion.
Our body and brain loves to be “in balance” and not jerked around hour to hour. Especially when dealing with something like ADHD. This type of brain requires ongoing and hourly support to be more like “normal” people.
Hi David, What can you tell me about Monolaurin? It looks very interesting to me as it claims to help with inflamation. Is it a Nootropic?… if not should it be? I’m as always in a battle with inflamation and neuropathy. So far my best find has been Cats Claw. I stumbled upon monolaurin while reading about cats claw on a site and was wondering if they are related in any way and as always I value your opinion.
Thanks
Ron
Ron, I wouldn’t call it a nootropic. The lauric acid from coconut oil is converted into monolaurin but researchers are not sure how much coconut oil you’d need to ingest for a therapeutic amount. Apparently it had “profound antiviral and antibacterial activity”: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/act.2006.12.310
Other nootropics with anti-inflammatory activity include: Oyster Mushrooms, DHA, Vinpocetine, Black Seed Oil, Kratom, and Berberine. There are a few others as well. Use the search function top right for “anti-inflammatory” to find the rest of them. Likely the closest in activity for your use is Black Seed Oil and Kratom.
I was following a channel where the guy took 1g daily, took wellbutrin, plus adrafinil, a few more. I took bupropine for a few days, at a dose of 150 mg, even because I wanted to stop smoking, and trying to follow his protocol. After a few days I had toothache and had to come in with antibiotics and anti-inflammory, besides dipyrone. Then I had to abandon the bup and the phenibut, I started to feel my liver with fat, pancreas also gave signs, I interrupted, I finished taking the pro-tooth medicines, still taking care of the liver. I’m an alcoholic, I’ve had liver and pancreas problems before, but it’s been a while since I felt anything. My problem is depression, I took 25mg of desvenlafaxine every two days, social anxiety. The bup and the phenibut were making me more active, sociable, but also a little more agitated, I do not know if it is because I use the bupropion and not the wellbutrin xr. Anyway I’ve stopped nootropics and I’m using silymarin, boldo tea, propolis, and others for liver health. But already wondering if I can take phenibut, or what I can do for social anxiety that doesn’t harm the liver too much, I should start a job soon and needed to adjust until then. Thanks, I always follow the news here, great channel.
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Victor, Bupropion is a norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI). Did it work for you? Because if it did you likely have a problem with dopamine and/or norepinephrine. If that’s true then try raising dopamine with L-Tyrosine. It shouldn’t cause liver problems if you stay with a lower recommended dose. Like 500 mg once or twice per day.
And have you seen my latest post about anxiety? If L-Tyrosine doesn’t work this will give you some other ideas to try: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-anxiety/
Hi David,
Could you please recommend any safe and natural supplements for anhedonia (feeling of extreme boredom/apathy)? I have tried L-Tyrosine but it doesn’t help. For me, tyrosine seems to give a caffeine-like effect (makes me feel more awake), but nothing more than that. Choline doesn’t have any effect on me at all.
These are some of the supplements I’ve tried for my anhedonia:
Multi-vitamin, multi-mineral, vitamin D (high dose), fish oil (high EPA, high DHA, salmon oil, krill oil, cod liver oil, etc.), flaxseed oil, biotin, B-complex, probiotic, vitamin C, phenylalanine, SAMe, PS/CDP/GPC choline, methyl B12, methyl folate, DMG, DMAE, rhodiola, methionine, lion’s mane (oriveda, ND, host defence), NAC, milk thistle, vitamin E (broad spectrum), uridine (TAU, UMP, happy stack), St. John’s Wort, tryptophan, protein powders, melatonin, PSerine, DLPA, 5-HTP, L-Tyrosine, astaxanthin, lithium orotate, kelp, ALCAR, magnesium (citrate, oxide, glycinate), microzinc, vitamin K (MK-7), polygala tenuifolia.
As you can imagine, I’ve spent quite a lot of money on supplements, but surprisingly/unfortunately still nothing seems to help 🙁
I do know from rare experiences, that sometimes when I eat fish the previous day, I wake up the next day feeling pretty amazing. This has happened multiple times. I thought it might be omega 3, but I’ve tested lots of omega 3 supplements without any luck. I don’t go out in the sun very much, and almost never exercise, and do tend to be stressed out a lot, so I wonder if that might give you any clues as to what might be happening inside my brain?
I appreciate your help,
Alex.
Oh, and I forgot to also mention, along with the anhedonia (most of the time) I also have very severe fatigue (physical and mental). Sometimes the anhedonia and fatigue is so bad that even breathing feels like a chore. If I have orgasms (especially multiple in one day), that almost always makes the anhedonia and fatigue much much worse, and lasts maybe a week. But either way, I always seem to feel pretty crap. As you can imagine, my motivation is pretty much zero. I feel like I have to force myself to do any work, which ends up feeling like torture, where every 5 minutes feels like 30 minutes.
Alex, see my previous response. You don’t say your age. And don’t mention your testosterone levels. Which you likely don’t want to share here. But your symptoms could be a neurotransmitter imbalance (i.e. low dopamine), low hormones, nutrient deficiencies, mitochondrial dysfunction, or a leaky gut barrier.
Those are options and most are covered on Nootropics Expert. Only other option I can suggest is a consultation with me: https://nootropicsexpert.com/personal-consultations/
Alex, are you on my newsletter email list? Because I did a bit on anhedonia this year on July 07 I think it was. The only thing that’s been proven to help anhedonia is Ketamine. Which is a NMDA receptor antagonist.
If you do a search of Nootropics Expert for “NMDA receptor antagonist” you’ll get L-Theanine, Huperzine-A, Lithium Orotate, and Cat’s Claw as verified NMDA receptor antagonists. Will they work as well as Ketamine? It’s unlikely but it’s a more affordable option.
What dose of Vitamin D are you using? Because excess Vitamin D can have very negative consequences. A safe dose is 4000 IU per day. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests optimal Vitamin D status is achieved with a serum (blood) 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration >75 nmol/L. So I suggest getting your levels checked.
A clue is how you feel when you eat fish. And yet you’ve tried various Omega-3 supplement with little success. Please see my “Available Forms” section of https://nootropicsexpert.com/dha/ for good “Omega-3” options. I’ve only found 3 that are worth using.
David
My moms blood calcium level has raised to high. Im really worried. Shes now at 10.3. I had her on vitamin d3 supplementation 10,000 iu daily. But i stopped giveing her that because it enhances calcium absorbtion.
Im also thinking about putting her on magnesium to keep that excess calcium out her arteries. I also already have her on vitamin k2 mk7. Do you know of any nootropics or natural herbs that lower calcium in the blood. Or anything over the counter?
Cy, have you checked for a parathyroid tumor? These tumors are benign but almost always cause hypercalcemia. This page is a good source for an explanation of what it is and how to easily get it checked: https://www.parathyroid.com/high-calcium.htm
I havent checked yet for that but im positive she dont have that. Im pretty sure its from the vitamin D. Is there anything you know of that lowers calcium in the blood?
Cy, that was the predominant thing that came up in my research. There was nothing else other than someone supplementing with too much calcium.
I do have a question what supplements would you recommend for someone with adhd, severe anxiety, and memory problems? The problems I’m having is I’m a 2e student, but my disorder makes it extremely hard to show in a school setting because either I get to anxious and forget everything I learned, or I can’t pay attention, so most of my teachers can tell I’m very intelligent in person, but not on standardized tests which I usually have brain fog at the end, and which usually puts me at 10 points from being considered being above grade level. I take focalin, and prozac, but it doesn’t actually lower my symptoms enough to allow me to prove I’m gifted or to take standardized tests. I also take alpha gpc, citicoline, b complex, vitamin d, l-lysine, l-theanine, cherry extract, garlic, fish oil, but nothing seems to improve my memory, and anxiety enough. Is there any other things you would recommend to add that could really help with memory, stress, and adhd? It’s really hard to be gifted, but not being able to really prove it in school, it’s like people think your very intelligent, but I can’t really prove it in the forms of standardized tests and state tests because of my high anxiety, and which takes a hit on my memory. It also doesn’t help that I have adhd which makes everything even worse.
Matt, my protocol for ADD and ADHD which I’ve used for the last 12 years. And is now used by thousands around the world should help you. You’ll find that regimen here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-adhd-add/
BTW, Prozac is likely doing you more harm than good. I suggest you do some research on its side effects and compare those to the symptoms you are experiencing.
David,
What do you know about Oxaloacetate? I took it several years ago and it seemed to have a slight impact but not not enough justify continuing it, at that time.
Darcy, Oxaloacetate is a four carbon molecule that receives an acetyl group from acetyl CoA to form citrate, which enters the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) which I explain here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropics-glossary/#krebs-cycle
Hi David. Your work help me change my life and many others. God bless you.
Can you please study about Glycine. It’s something that I love but you don’t have any thing about it.
Renos, it’s on my list “to do”. But thanks for the reminder. 🙂
Hi, David, I like your channel. It is exciting. Please could you tell me why you don’t use ashwagandha in your supplements? Is Rhodiola Rosea better than ashwagandha?
Thank you.
Francesca, I don’t use Ashwagandha because my body doesn’t like it. But I’m OK with Rhodiola Rosea.
One is not “better” than the other. These are two very different nootropic supplements that work differently in your body and brain. And provide different benefits. Only you can figure out which one works best for you. And that’s by trying one and then the other. And see how you feel after each one.
Don’t forget that these adaptogens can take weeks of daily dosing to get their full benefit. The purpose of trying them one at a time first is to see if you have a negative reaction. Or not.
David, I’m not doing too good this last 7 days or so. I had to take 2 naps yesterday and am trying not to take one right now. I can’t drink anymore caffeine today, it’s 2:20 pm, it would mess up my sleep cycle. As such, is there any supplements that you think would be worth taking more than your usually prescribed amount, that might pull me out of this? Over the next few days?
Here’s my current list (probably missing a few and too lazy to get dose amounts)
NADH subligual
Performance Lab (PL) Energy
PL multi
NAC
NALT
Aniracetam
Sulbutiamine
Pregnenolone
Pterostlbene
L-Carnosine
B complex
D with K2
Lugol’s idodine
Ascorbyl palmitate
potassium
magnesium (at night)
the extras like
rodeola
ginseng
moringa
matcha
mucua
niacin 500 – 1000 mgs (at night)
beef liver
gotu kola and more, don’t seem to affect me
I’m hoping I can mega dose something(s) just for 3 days, to get out of
this extra fatigue phase. I know you constantly remind us that more is not often better, but I hate being the walking dead my whole life.
BTW PL Stim doesn’t do anything for me, and I’m out of it.
Darcy, if this is what you’re using and you’re still dealing with chronic fatigue there’s something else going on. I cannot provide any more guidance here without knowing more. And this comment thread is not the place to do it. Both for privacy sake and a disproportionate amount of my time while ignoring the rest of the community.
I suggest you set up a time on my calendar if you’d like to work together and get to the bottom of this. It looks like it’s going to take some digging to find the cause. But it’s the only way I know of to get you back into the land of the living.:-)
Hi David. Just thought I’d mention for Darcy to consider sam-e if not already tried. I also suffer from fatigue and found that 1000mg once or twice a day really gave me a lift.
Im making a new Stack and I was wondering how I would Optimize it. I would appreciate it if someone would want to tell me which ones I could pair together and when to take them and maybe what situation to take them in.
New Stack ( permanent additions, most likely) Iodine, Zinc, Vitamin D, Omega 3, Magnesium, Multivitamin, B Complex, ALCAR, Uridine, Lion’s Mane, Bacopa Monnieri, Citicoline, Aniracetam, Noopept, Lithium Orotate, CoQ10, and Ubiquinol Black Seed Oil
Things that seem good that I want to put in (would appreciate recommendations which ones to use or new ones I haven’t found)
Huperzine-A, SAM-e, PQQ, PS, PC, PEA, Pine Bark Extract, Rhodiola Rosea, Maca, Gotu Kola, CoQ10 and Ubiquinol Resveratrol Pterostilbene
I’m also using the mind diet 🙂 and may have ADHD (speculative going to check it out), if that contributes to anything.
Bernardo, each of the individual reviews for the nootropics you mention include dosage recommendations as well as the mechanism of action for each. You need to do the research and read through each of those reviews listed here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropics-list/
You can avoid any two or more nootropics that have a similar mechanism of action in your brain.
If you require more help I suggest scheduling a consultation with me and I’ll help you sort it out: https://nootropicsexpert.com/personal-consultations/. But I still highly recommend doing the reading so you understand exactly what you are taking and why.
Hi David,
I have been learning about lithium orolate , interesting !
Iam wondering what exactly is orolate ? Or oratic acid ?
Are they the same or …..
And what is lithium orolate vs
Elemental lithium ?
Al, the “orotate” is oracti acid and the rest is 5 mg elemental lithium.
Hi David,
I want to know, whether there are any nootropics which help to make antidepressant medication work better (SSRI in particular). I know about Inositol from your Videos, but are there any other nootropics?
Best regards,
Abdullah
Abdullah, Inositol is good choice to safely use with antidepressants. Keep in mind that since antidepressants usually affect serotonin, and sometimes dopamine and/or norepinephrine. Logic says they’ll work best if you have enough of those neurotransmitters available.
Since you can’t directly boost serotonin using something like L-Tryptophan, or boost dopamine using something like L-Tyrosine (depending if it’s a SSRI or SNRI). You can still support their synthesis by using cofactors. And those include the B-Vitamins and some of the minerals. SAM-e, while not usually in a high quality multi, is also involved in neurotransmitter synthesis.
I suggest getting a good Multi like the Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi for men because it’ll help antidepressants work better: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-multivitamin-for-men-to-buy-in-2020/
You can also support their use by making sure your brain cells are in good shape. And that means using DHA (https://nootropicsexpert.com/dha/) and maybe Phosphatidylserine (PS) (https://nootropicsexpert.com/phosphatidylserine-ps/).
Thanks a lot for the advice David
Best regards,
Abdullah
Hi David. I first heard of you on the Rebel Health Podcast and it was very informative. I am always searching for that “cure” or at least something to make quality of life as best possible. I have Myasthenia Gravis and although I’m told that it’s an uncurable disease I march on. Guess you could say ive been trying various combos of supplements since I was first diagnosed in 2013. My Doc’s pretty much have a no-comment when I bring up things I try. However they have never told me NO…. I guess cause they have no idea either. Ive been on all the various drugs and now im left with prednisone( (only 10mg/day) and occasionally mestinon when needed.
Have you ever heard of a stack for this condition? I currently use Hup-A 400mg every other day, ALC, ALA, samE, N-acetyl L-Tyrosine, lithium orotate, all the “B’s”, alpha gpc, benfotiamine, L-methylfolate….etc…etc all the major vitamines and minerals. I have to get my magnesium from very low dose chelated supps or food or topical chloride. For some reason my body does not like mag and that has put me in hospital a few times.
With that said my problem is supplement exhaustion…so many. What helps, what combo does what!?! I gets confusing and expensive. Do you or anyone reading this Know of a good stack for MG? …or am I the only one?… It gets lonely out here.
Thanks Sir.
Ron, from the research I’ve done into MG, it appears that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are the most used and effective option (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25310725/).
Huperzine-A is one acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. But there are other options available. Although maybe not as effective as Hup-A. They include Black Seed Oil, Berberine, Holy Basil, Saffron, Lemon Balk and Ashwagandha extract.
Each of these other nootropics are worth looking into because of the other benefits they offer. But if you’re already having success with Huperzine-A I’d be careful about adding more AChE inhibitors to your stack.
Of course, there’s more to a healthy life than taking care of Myasthenia Gravis symptoms. And it’s why most experienced biohackers have several nootropic supplements in their stack.
Ron, please change your mind about “supplement exhaustion”. There is no such thing as a “one pill” solution as we’ve been conditioned to believe by mainstream medicine. You use what it takes to feel good. It’s no different than having a variety of food on your plate for a well-rounded and healthy meal.
Thanks David. One more question and I’m not sure it’s related. I have had tinnitus for some time and lately it ha became worse. Any supplements that you know of that would cause this or perhaps help the condition?
Ron, my covered tinnitus in my July 2019 email newsletter which you’ll find archived here: https://mailchi.mp/38c358b3560e/try-these-nootropics-for-tinnitus
Hey Ron, & David,
I’m sure you both are already aware of it, but I just recently learned of a new form of oral magnesium called ‘ozonated magnesium'(not ozonated magnesium oil, although I am sure something like that exists, because that is just magnesium chloride & water that obviously would be ozonated)..nope; anyway, this is possibly a laxative? Also, I’m assuming you’re balancing your magnesium with calcium? You didn’t mention it, but you’ve likely covered that.
One more thing, regarding tinnitus..
I used to take a lot of NSAIDs, or aspirin if out of Aleve or Ibuprofen. I would invariably get the fiercest tinnitus during this time, but was unaware that taking excessive amounts of these medications causes hella bad tinnitus.
So, hopefully there’s something of value in that. I wish you well, Ron, & thank you, David, for this phenomenal site & for all your work & dedication.
Muchlove, suki
Suki, if you can come up with another way to present magnesium then you too can make a lot of money. This is just another way to make it easier for you to be “regular”.
Dude! I had a consultation on Dec 6th ’19. I have lifelong debilitating fatigue. I was already taking a lot of the supplements you suggested but about half and so you suggested additional ones. I didn’t follow all of your suggestions due to being housebound and also cost (couldn’t get tests taken). However, I did increase supplements based on your consultation and I am also taking a few other things not mentioned. Three days ago I had my first noticeably productive day. I hate journaling and gave up on that last month, but what I do remember is; I cooked, washed some dishes and took a shower. I still needed to nap but I’m trying not to focus on that. Yesterday I stayed focused (I have ADHD as well) enough to do a lot of computer work that I normally can’t do. Today, I feel less of my malaise, and I washed dishes, twice(!), and make compound garlic butter and garlic cream cheese, and it’s not even Noon yet. I know this is unimpressive to those who don’t understand, but I’d wash some dishes about twice a month. I’d cook, maybe, three to five times a month and I wouldn’t be able do to extra stuff, like compound butter. I’d just dump some ground beef or whatever in a slow cooker or skillet, add salt and cook until done because doing any more was too much.
Also, somehow you boosted my hope that kept me going, kept me trying. I’ve been fighting this all my life, and I’m old, and I was just trying to slow my decent. I took nearly six months, keeping in mind I didn’t follow your protocol to a T, and there were really bad days where I couldn’t even manage to take supplements at all.
Whatever is wrong with me, the current medical culture could care less. I’m sure there are test that exist that would help with information but no one would refer me to a specialist because they couldn’t see anything wrong… which is why I needed a specialist.
I know enough to not expect every day to be good but now I have hope and energy to keep at this. Rambling sorry. I’m just trying to say you helped me, and thank you so much.
Darcy, thank you for reporting in. And your comments are the reason why I offer consultations. Nootropics helped save my life several years ago. But stories like yours will hopefully encourage someone else reading this to not give up hope. And give nootropics a try.
Hi David,
Thank you for sharing all of this amazing information. I just bought your book, and will be printing it out and binding for reference and note taking. I initially was seeking help with anxiety, and I have been experimenting with a few supplements, AND recently got my neotransmitter levels tested which was very interesting.
But now I am wondering, for fun, if nootropics can be used as appetite suppressant. Is there a link to any nootropics to aid in weight loss?
~ Natalie
Natalie, so a search of Nootropics Expert for the keyword “weight loss” and see what turns up. I just tried and got two pages of results.
David thank you so much for all of your work and as support i just ordered your book, cant wait to arrive.
i came across PEA and i am really interested in trying it but i have a question:
i fell in love with empathogens like mdma and 2cb and i know that they can have a bad effect if used frequently so i am looking for an alternative, would PEA do it for me?
any advice is appreciated
thank you
Zack, the book you are referring to is “Secrets of the Optimized Brain” and it will arrive in your email inbox as a digital download.
But you may need to go looking for your download link. Because all Microsoft-owned email services including msn.com have this bad habit of sending Nootropics Expert emails and newsletters to folders other than your inbox. So if it did’t land in your regular inbox when you subscribed May 21 please check your other folders including Spam.
Some neurohackers love PEA for its stimulant and mood enhancing qualities. The PEA class of compounds include amphetamines, empathogens, stimulants, psychedelics, appetite suppressants, bronchodilators, nasal decongestants, and antidepressants. And one of the most famous of course is MDMA.
But you will not experience the same effect as you do with MDMA. Please read the entire review carefully from top to bottom including how to use it for best results. https://nootropicsexpert.com/phenylethylamine/
Hi David, I came across your site today and it seems to be a treasure trove of info. I’m studying for my year 12 exams and am looking for something to help with concentration, focus, and memory. Any suggestions?
Elijah, check out this post https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics/ and look at the table in the first section. There is a section called, “Learning & Memory”. Make a stack out of those nootropics and it should help. But follow dosage recommendations for each supplement.
On the L-Theanine page, section “Available Forms”, you write “A great side benefit for neurohackers is green tea also contains caffeine. A cup of good quality green tea has less caffeine than a cup of coffee. About 10 mg less.”.
This is the first time I’ve seen such a high number for caffeine content in green tea. And unsourced, I find it highly doubtful.
And the few long-term studies on caffeine are not positive. Performance enhancing only when forcing the participants to stop caffeine, or to start from nothing. It’s cheap as hell, and does help in the short term, and probably much better with theanine, but I’d not be recommending stimulants with only short-term studies behind them.
Just some problems — otherwise this site is excellent and well-sourced!
John, thanks for your input but I absolutely disagree with you on a couple of points. Caffeine content in green tea can vary considerably. I have one type in my kitchen that is 70 mg caffeine per cup. But most of course can be lower. Some more than others. And how you steep your tea can affect it as well.
I also disagree with you on caffeine. We have plenty of studies showing its effectiveness and safety including used long-term. IF you know how to use it. We also have several thousand of years proving its effectiveness. Have you read my review on caffeine here? https://nootropicsexpert.com/caffeine/
Hi David! the information on your site is great and complete! I have been struggling with low blood pressure for a long time which destroys all my attempts with nootropics, I would appreciate your recommendation for my problem. Low blood pressure is inherited by genes. thank you in advance..
Bob, many nootropics tend to lower blood pressure. So it’s always good to read the “side effects” section of each of my nootropic reviews. Those you likely want to avoid until you get your blood pressure to normal. Here’s a list of all the nootropics I’ve reviewed so far: https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropics-list/
Increases in dopamine and norepinephrine can raise blood pressure. And you raise those with L-Tyrosine. Holy Basil also increases the release of dopamine and acts as an MAOI. So it may help. And last one to check out is DHEA which is a steroid hormone produced by your adrenals. And can be taken as a supplement.
David,
In your video on Phenibut, you cautioned against using it with diazepam and related drugs.
Would it be safe to take a small dose diazepam 24 hrs. after taking a small dose of Phenibut?
Thanks,
John
John, highly doubtful because it takes Phenibut so long to kick in. I’d be real careful about trying this.
Hi David,
Thanks for all your content, what do you think of the current stack i am taking once a day.
300mg Alpha GPC
1g lions mane
150mg Ginkgo Biloba
100mg caffeine
200mg L-theanine
1g creatine monohydrate
This stack focuses on stimulation from caffeine, increasing acetylcholine, increasing ATP for brain energy, improving blood flow and increasing NGF BDNF. I was thinking about swapping ginkgo biloba for pine seed or grape seed extract.
I get good focus, attention and concentration from this stack which lasts for about 5 hours, however, it’s not as intense comparing to 50mg of modafinil.
Can you identify any obvious weak points or opportunities for improvement? Your critique and thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks David
Kevin, you need to add a high quality B-Complex to this stack to ensure that nootropics like Alpha GPC can actually make acetylcholine. And replenish the B-Vitamins lost by using caffeine.
I think Pine Bark Extract or Vinpocetine is a better way to increase blood flow than Ginkgo. And add 500 mg L-Tyrosine.
But use this stack twice during the day for lasting benefit. Once in the morning and next at noon.
If all you’re looking for is an energy boost however, I suggest trying Performance Lab Stim. It provides a nice, clean energy boost for about 3 hours. https://nootropicsexpert.com/performance-lab-stim-review/
I love your YouTube channel. The video about picamilon convinced me that would be helpful for me, but I couldn’t find it for sale. Is it true that the FDA has prohibited this potentially helpful substance? Thank you.
Irene, the FDA went are several companies selling Picamilon after one of the US Senators complained (and who is supported by Big Pharma). https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplement-products-ingredients/picamilon-dietary-supplements
It’s now nearly impossible to buy it from a reputable US vendor. But you can import it from Russia for personal use as far as I know.
David, there does seem to be a reliable US vendor for picamilon. It is a place I’ve ordered from in the past on a monthly subscription basis. I had canceled the subscription as my supply began to pile up and there wasn’t a way to just pause it. Anytime that was done, you had to create a new subscription instead of being able to just restart the old one, which by the way, still remained in the “history” of the account. When searching for pic on the site, the results are : “There are no products or content pages that match your search criteria.” However, when clicking on the canceled subscription, an option to “place order now” is available. I have successfully received an order 8 times since last July. For obvious reasons, I don’t think it’s a good idea to mention the site publicly, but perhaps by email if you are curious. Thanks again for the time you devote to keep us informed.
Larry, please send me the name of that vendor. You can use contact form here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/contact
Hi David,
I just bought your book online, and look forward to reading it.
I was using Valium (for anxiety-associated insomnia)occasionally for about a month — sometimes with several days off between, but a couple of weeks ago began every other day. It stopped working, so I stopped taking it, and was off it completely (for a week, with no apparaent withdrawal symptoms), until two days ago, I tried it again because of a severe insomnia episode. I used it two days in a row (last time, early this morning).
My question: I just received Aniracetam in the mail today, and was thinking of beginning. Would it be a bad idea to begin with the Valium still in my system from about (6-7 hours ago)? My goal is to get off the Valium, and I’m hoping the Aniracetam with help with my effort.
Thank you kindly in advance for your reply.
Best Wishes,
John
John, I don’t believe there is any contraindication. But if you do decide to try Aniracetam please see dosage recommendations because you need to take a choline supplement with it. And keep your dosage on the low end of recommended doses until you see how it affects you.
Thanks, David; I’ll give it a try today with the choline.
Hi David,
I just wanted to ask whether it is okay or not to take Ashwagandha or Rhodiola Rosea together with the antidepressant/ sleep aid Remeron. I take the lowest dose of Remeron that is possible. I asked my Psychiatrist already but she said that she does not know anything about Adaptogens. Thanks!
David, my apologies for the late reply. See my earlier response to your question.
Hi David, first I wanna thank you for the amount of work you put in this website and for the great information input you provide. I have a question about combining Adaptogens like Ashwaghanda and Rhodiola Rosea with the antidepressant/ sleep medication Remeron. I take the lowest dose possible. My psychiatrist didnt know these adaptogens, so he could not help me with that. Best regards
David, the only way to know is learn the mechanism of action or “pharmacology” of Remeron. Wikipedia is a good source for this information.
And learn the mechanism of action for each adaptogen or nootropic you are considering which is included in the review for each on Nootropics Expert. You need to avoid using any nootropic that has the same action on a neurotransmitter as does Remeron or any other drug you’re using.
For example, if both affect serotonin then you must avoid them. Because Serotonin Syndrome can be deadly. Same thing with both acting as an MAOI. Which raises dopamine and norepinephrine and if too high can cause heart problems.
Thank you for your answer David,
as far as I know, Remeron does not affect Seretonin Reuptake at all. Also Noradrenaline and Dopamine Reuptake is very mild. Thats also said by Wikipedia. I dont understand the exact processes though. My go-to Nootropic has been Rhodiola Rosea, I just wonder if I can take it together with the Remeron. I already did this with no side effects, but only short term.
David, I think you answered your own question. As long as you are aware of how each of these work. The bottom line is how you ‘feel’, isn’t it?
Hey do you know if you can mix mind lab pro, or any nootropic, with abilify?
Robert, first it’s best to understand the mechanism of action or “Pharmacology” of abilify: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aripiprazole#Pharmacology.
Any nootropic or stack to increases dopamine including Mind Lab Pro which contains NALT may mask the negative symptoms of the drug in the short term. But over time the nootropic may worsen an underlying chemical imbalance. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898838/). And this can have serious consequences including heart problems and worst case a heart attack.
Hey Robert Here,
David Tomen, do you have any idea of how to make this Abilify drug work better ? I mean I guess that Adding Inositol would be great since is a 5HT1A partial agonist. Burn regarding the dopamine neurotransmission , the processing speed is there any way to add something to it? Maybe thru acetylcholine pathways ? Thank You .
Roberto, first you need to look at the mechanism of action for Abilify which is really complicated (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aripiprazole#Pharmacology). After reading all the receptors it influences where do you start? That’s the problem.
If you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar or bipolar-spectrum disorder you really need to check with your pharmacist or doctor before you try anything including Inositol. Or you could get yourself into real trouble.
Hi David,
I had a question about taking Nootropics with Strattera for ADHD. I am just starting Strattera and been doing a lot of research on your site but don’t really see a mention of it. Would the stack you take be advisable? Or just curious what your opinion on this would be?
BTW. I’m a 41 year old man that was just diagnosed with ADHD. Def had my whole life and didn’t know – And it has gotten worse with age. Currently going through a separation with my wife and I def attribute some of the problems unfortunately to this. Moving forward in life, whatever happens, I would like to really come at this ADHD thing head on with the most informed and proactive plan I can.
Thank you so much for your help!
Todd
Todd, this is the protocol I recommend for anyone using prescription stimulants (including Strattera): https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-adhd-add/.
Thousands are successfully using that stack including myself. But you need to follow the dosage recommendations including timing during the day to make it work.
Thank you so much! One question.. Is it NALT and ALCAR in addition to the Performance Lab Energy? Or either or? Because you talk about how those are contained in it. How much does that all run monthly? Around $500? Thank you so much!
Todd, ALCAR 750 mg is in each dose of Performance Lab Energy. N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT) is needed to make dopamine. So it would be the cost of PL Energy + the cost a month’s supply of NALT. You could substitute L-Tyrosine instead which is usually less expensive.
Thank you! I’m just slightly confused by the wording. If I take the Performance Lab Pro do I need to add the additional NALT and ALCAR or is it either or? Have everything ready to be bought just unclear about that. Very excited to see what this does for me!
Oh and disregard the $500 comment. Didn’t think that went through haha… I know it’s much less than that 🙂
Todd, read the ingredients list for Performance Lab Energy which includes exactly what’s in it including amounts of each ingredient. The ingredients in PL Energy are designed to supply mitochondria with what they need to produce ATP for energy.
NALT is a precursor to the synthesis of dopamine. I suggest you read my review of NALT to see exactly how it works including dosage recommendations: https://nootropicsexpert.com/n-acetyl-l-tyrosine/
Hey David, I was wondering if you knew if kratom is an MAOI?
I recently purchased NeuroPeak and it says to not take with any MAO inhibitors. I wanted to know if kratom would be considered an MAOI, thanks
Zac, MAO inhibitors boost levels of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Kratom affects serotonin and norepinephrine pathways in your brain. And affects dopamine D1 receptors as well. When you combine an MAOI with Kratom you can put yourself in danger of heart attacks and possibly Serotonin Syndrome.
Thanks David. The product I want to take says to not take with MAO inhibitors so I was trying to find out if kratom itself is considered a MAO inhibitor.
Zac, Kratom (https://nootropicsexpert.com/kratom/) does not act as an MAOI.
Hi,
I am a nurse practitioner that has tried to avoid prescription medications including SSRIs for my anxiety and mood swings. I take Phenibut (I know the dangers) without any issues of habit forming every other day and I notice a boost in my mood but like all good things it goes away after a few days and I refuse to increase my dose to avoid habit forming issues and side effects. I noticed after reading your blog that I may have cyclothymic disorder since I’ve had the same mood swings in a blink of an eye since I was about 10. I chalked it up to anxiety but I may also have this. I read about Lithium Orotate and was wondering at what dose to try? 10mg daily? And where to purchase from valid source. I love Lift Mode but they do not sell this. I’ve tried 5-htp and it does nothing. I’ve tried hydroxyzine and nothing. Phenibut is the only nootropic that helps my mood but short lived.
Melissa, Lithium Orotate is certainly worth trying. It only comes in 5 mg doses even though the capsule or tablet says it’s 120 mg. The rest is filler and orotic acid. I recommend and use the one by Advanced Research here: https://amzn.to/35mZgMB
Hi David,
Is it true that most nootropics don’t work for people taking anti-psychotic meds due to those medications blocking serotonin and dopamine receptors? I read aniracetam didn’t work for someone on olanzapine… and he tried several other racetams to no effect.
Do you know of any nootropics that still work (calming + cognitive enhancing) for people on olanzapine?
Thanks!
Matt, the problem is Olanzapine like many of these types of meds affect dopamine and serotonin receptors. And may also affect acetylcholine receptors. It’s an antagonist which means that it boosts all three of these major neurotransmitters.
When you start mixing drugs like this with natural nootropics that also increase these neurotransmitters you have trouble. And put yourself in danger of Serotonin Syndrome, heart attacks and other nasty outcomes.
I do not recommend trying any nootropic supplement when on these types of meds because of the very real and life threatening dangers involved.
Hi David,
I emailed my psychiatrist around the same time I put my original question on here to you. My psychiatrist (who also teaches at Harvard) said I could try Aniracetam and thought the only downside is that it might not work.
I’ve been using ALCAR for over a week and it has had good effect. Also, marijuana with CBD has been very calm/mood enhancing for me and has been shown safe for people who take antipsychotics.
Best,
Matt
Hi David,
I’m very glad that you’re Ok and thank God it wasn’t COVID that got you to the hospital.
Thanks to you and to your site I’m not using benzodiazepines for my anxiety for a couple of years now. Doing God’s work with you humble recommendations you’ve helped so many people over the years. Me, my girlfriend and my family wish you all the best.
Good on you David!
Thank you Mick.
Do you know anything about SmartyPants Vitamins? Seems like an interesting new company, but would love your perspective on them vs. your preferred multivitamin stack.
Brent, without going into a full review of their ingredient list my take is dosages are too low of many of the vitamins and minerals, several are missing and several are synthetic, and the extra ingredients are useless. For example, I noticed something like 50 mg of choline bitartrate in one of the Men’s multis which is useless.
You mentioned in your talk on Iodine that the form, Losol, was not recommended. Can you supply me with a study or studies that come to the same conclusion?
David, I’m not aware of a form of Iodine called “Lusol”. You may be referring to various forms of nascent iodine which comes to doses that are too low to be effective based on the opinion of several respected naturopathic medicine docs. This is based on opinion and practical experience rather clinical studies.
Where does this book get saved on my computer? I can’t find it & I’m not able to get another one.
K. Nystrom
K. not sure about Apple. But on Windows the default is your “Downloads” folder. Check that folder and see if it’s there. Next option is unsubscribe to the list and re-subscribe with a different email address if you have one to re-download it.
After lots of research I am certain that ,your website, your story, and your approach to health and wellness in general is the future of psychiatry as well as psychology.
I would like to consult with you regarding my non-profit coaching business that will change the way the world solves health issues that are more than just plumbing problems.
Please send me an email.
Solomon, please use my contact form and send me an email. You’l find a link to it at the very bottom in the footer of this page.
Dear David,
Thank you for your reaction.
I have read your “aging brain” extensively, and very impressed by your extensive research and available knowledge today.
Because there is such a great variety, making a choice is difficult, consuming too much dangerous and financially too costly.
So I will buy one or more bottles of Mind Lab Pro, starting with it and observing what will happen. Gotu Kola will also be on my buying list.
Perhaps it is a good idea to start with other Multi supplements like Mind Lab pro, for different needs and categories, like Anxiety, social Phobia, Creativity, Stress Reduction, etc., making choices simpler and more effective.
Hopefully it will be used more widely by doctors avoiding the Pharmaceuticals which have very often a lot (bad) side effects
Again thank you very much,
Regards,
Maurice van Mourik
Dear David,
When I read your first chapter in your book “Head First”, about experiences with your own brain, not functioning optimally, , I had a strong recognition about my own situation and very happy, you write so clearly about it. I am very thankful about your openess in your private situation, because you are a experienced expert not only theoritically, but also physically .
I am also happy, to know there is a way out with a messy brain, not functioning optimally, like having brain fog, less focus, forgetfulness,et . and hoping to change this for the better at an age of 72.
I believe that all my difficulties and handicaps have its origin in my amalgam fillings, loading my body with a lot of heavy metals and other toxins. This caused a lot of brain fog, less focus and motivation and being able to atract a woman for marriage. For me it is o.k. for now, because a divorce could be a devasting life experience.
Another problem is also the industialized farming in the Netherlands, with vegetables in the grocery store lacking minerals and vitamins.
The Amalgam fillings have been removed for more than 40 years ago, but the question is, if there are still some mecury deposits or other toxins left in my brain or damaged parts of it and the rest of my body ?
I believe, starting with Nooptropics I should first and foremost detoxify as much as possible, before building up. Otherwise the therapy could be less succesful
In the past I did already a detoxification therapy wiht Ala, Alfa Lipon Acid, but I do not know if it was enough. Also breating exercises like Kundalini Yoga were very helpful and contributed much to the detoxification of my body, which were in some occasions very hefty.
My questions are :
– Which supplements should you recommend for detoxiying my brain optimally, cleansing out the last deposits ?
– What is your opinion about minerals, because I have the idea, that the lack of minerals is also a fundamental issue, “thanks” to your industrialised farming practices.
– Can you show me which steps to take in the right order for an effective detoxifaction and building up my body and mind and suitable for an elder person ? (72 years of age)
I will be very grateful, if you would advise me with some guidelines which I can use as a roadmap for a better, healthier and fulfilling life.
Hoping to receive your reaction very soon,
Regards,
Maurice van Mourik
(the Netherlands)
–
Maurice, it is true that heavy metals can cause real problems in your body and brain. And a few nootropics have been found to either chelate heavy metals, or protect your brain from them. An example of a heavy metal chelator is Iodine. An example of something that protects your brain from heavy metal toxicity is Gotu Kola. Please use the search function of this website and type in “heavy metals” and see what turns up.
But at 72 you’ve got other issues that need to be dealt with that are a consequence of aging. And here’s an article that will help walk you through it and what to do about it: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-the-aging-brain/
David,
I am a 37yr old man with over 16 yrs in the military as an Army Officer.
As a medical administrator, I have access to the best nutritional resources our military has to offer but have never found a more scientific, comprehensive and user-friendly database. I share your site with all my health-focused colleagues and want to thank you for your service to our well-being.
After studying your database, I’ve begun experimenting with different combinations of nootropics and have had some positive and some not so positive experiences (mostly due to trial and error experimenting).
I’ve learned the hypoglycemic, sugar regulating properties of certain adaptogens ( Holy Basil, Ginseng) can have significant negative effects on my emotional well-being by dropping sugar levels too drastically.
Conversely, I’ve built a nootropic stack that has allowed me, with medical supervision, to transition off of prescription Anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, and sleeping medications while enhancing my quality of life!
If you don’t mind, please take a look at the regimen I have built and give your opinion on whether it’s overkill (wasteful), too much specificity in a specific area or recommendations for usage schedule.
DAILY INTAKE
*Garden of life Multi Vit. food based
*CBD (15.6mg; CBG .8mg) .50ml
*Virgin MCT Oil 1.5ml (in a 000 capsule)
*Omega 3 (fish oil 2,000mg; epa 800mg; dha 600mg)
*ALCAR 600mg
*PQQ 20mg
*Choline (alpha 150mg; citi 125mg; DMAE l bit 125mg)
*D3 5,000 IU
*Phosphatidyl (serine 100,000mg; choline 25,000mg; ethanolamine 2,250mg; inositol 1,150mg)
MY PERSONAL DAILY BLEND 3X’s a day
*Ashwaghanda (15:1 10% withanolides)0.13mg; Total =0.4mg
*Holy Basil(.4%/2.5% Urs 2 mg; 1.5 mg Olea acid)0.10mg; Total =0.3mg
*Bacopa (28:1 50% Bacosides)0.10mg; Total =0.3mg
*Rhodiola (3% sali; 5% ros std)0.03mg;Total =0.1mg
*Lions Mane (>25% beta-d-glucans; <5% starch)0.13mg;Total =0.4mg
*Tumeric ( 95% cum; 75mg ginger; 5mg piperine)0.17 mg;Total =0.5mg
ADDERAL BLEND (As needed, usually 1-2X's daily)
*Adderal XR (long acting)0.11mg
*Tumeric ( 95% cum; 75mg ginger; 5mg piperine)0.5mg
*NALT0.4mg
*Ginseng (60% ginoside extract)0.05mg
*Oat Straw (20:1)0.02mg
SLEEP BLEND
*5-HTP (50mg)
*Magnesium (glycinate 600mg; L-threonate 1000mg; taurate 600mg)
* Adding Tart Cherry this week
Again, thank you for your work and I will continue to share your site with any who seek more natural health supplementation. Your research has made a positive impact on my personal life.
Allen, am I reading this right? Some of your doses are .5 mg, .02 mg, etc. Are you talking about 1/2 mg of turmeric for example? I cannot comment until I’m sure I’m getting this right.
Ah, my mistake, I have created a formulated spreadsheet that I use to measure weights to figure the MG percent of the substance used. Unfortunately, I copied the actual weights per serving versus the MG per serving! Below are the actual MG per serving.
MY PERSONAL DAILY BLEND 3X’s a day
*Ashwaghanda (15:1 10% withanolides)200mg Total=600mg
*Holy Basil (.4%/2.5% Urs 2 mg; 1.5 mg Olea acid) 154mg Total=463mg
*Bacopa (28:1 50% Bacosides)115mgTotal=346mg
*Rhodiola (3% sali; 5% ros std)50mgTotal=150mg
*Lions Mane (>25% beta-d-glucans; <5% starch)200mg Total=600mg
*Tumeric ( 95% cum; 75mg ginger; 5mg piperine) 335mgTotal=1004mg
ADDERAL BLEND
*Adderal XR (long acting)10mg
*Tumeric (95% cum; 75mg ginger; 5mg piperine) 670mg
*NALT 400mg
*Ginseng (60% ginoside extract)50mg
*Oat Straw (20:1)20mg
Thank you for the follow-up.
Allen, thanks for the clarification. You may want to consider directly supporting dopamine and acetylcholine more than you do. Either Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline for ACh. And if you find you’re losing steam later in the afternoon consider another dose of NALT and whichever choline supplement you use.
Also, your brain requires 1,000 mg DHA per day and a high quality B-Complex to support a ton of stuff going on up there: https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-vitamins-essential-for-the-optimized-brain/
Hello, First let me say thank you for all the informative videos.
One quick question for you:
I take Men’s gummie MultiVites and wanted to know if it’s safe to keep taking them when taking nootropics? Thanks much.
James, a multivitamin used with nootropics should only support what you are trying to do with your stack. But is the multivitamin you are using safe and pure and the best you can get?
I’m NOT challenging you but asking you to do some research and find out exactly what’s in that gummie. This post may help answer that: https://nootropicsexpert.com/how-to-select-the-best-multivitamin-for-brain-function/
Hi Everyone, As a adult in my earlier 50 old, I’m all the time in contact with young people, mostly at work. What I have always noticed with the young generation, is they forget a lot, lack of focus and motivation, much more than my generation in the 80’s and 90’s. Even the most recent study showed that some parts of our brain still not fully developed until the age of 30. For my experience I thnk the main reason of all those changes of memory, focus … have much to do with foods and new technology devices (cellphones, computers, video games…) and social media (facebook…)
I grew up and still with Mediterranean diet and I added some habits from east and west culture like eating a lot exotic spices, seed, grains, herbs, teas…that are not in Mediterranean diet. As take away advice, from this website I send a message to mostly parents and anybody else, to learn and teach ourselves and children to eat healthy and clean. Vary your foods intake and experience other culinary culture by adding healthy spices, organic teas, seed and grains… To stay away from high saturated fats, deep frying, ultra proceed foods, packaging foods, junk foods, sugar, sodas, alcohol… and finally use technology with moderation and to spend the time active and moving.
Michel, I believe you are correct on how human brain development has been hijacked. But good luck on convincing parents on getting kids to change their eating and technology habits.
Hi sir,
Is it recommended to use nootropics like mind lab pro for people under 25? I read that the brain is stil developping and that this would effect the brain chemistry.
Thank you
Armando, my research shows that the human brain is fully developed by around age 21 for most people. So I’m confident Mind Lab Pro will be safe for ‘most’ at 21 years and up.
Anyone under the age of 21 needs to reduce the dose to 1 or 1/2 of a capsule. But only on the advice or OK of their doctor.
Mind Lab Pro does support ongoing neuron repair and growth. But nothing potent enough to disrupt the natural progress of human brain development.
I always caution people to read the label and become familiar with the mechanism of action of each ingredient in this supplement stack. And understand the potential side effects and drug contraindications for each ingredient.
Thank you very much!
Hi David
I have bought a lot of nootropics and did some research but only on the effects and what they help for cause i did not think nootropics uses neurotransmitters or increase them so now i have a problem.
I take 50mg sertraline(serotonin) in the morning and 50mg Dosulepin(norepinephrine) at night before i go to sleep. To me these are low doses.
I am a little worried and hope you could help me.
Could you tell me what of these nootropics i could use as i already bought and opened them. Don’t want to waist all my money. I know you are not a doctor but which of these could i try and which are very dangerous in your opinion.
Bacopa Monnieri
Aniracetam
Cat’s Claw
CBD Oil
Coluracetam
Gotu Kola
Kratom
Lion’s Mane
Mucuna Pruriens
Lemon Balm
L-Theanine
Melatonin
Noopept
Oxiracetam
Phenibut
Phenylpiracetam
Picamilon
Rhodiola Rosea
Phosphatidylserine (PS)
Sulbutiamine
Taurine
Valerian
Uridine Monophosphate
Tyrosine
Vinpocetine
Sorry for the long post
Thanks in advance for your time
Anthony, what you need to avoid is boosting serotonin or norepinephrine to much. Because if you do you’ve got problems. The ones that I’d put a warning flag beside are Mucuna Pruriens (norepinephrine), Phenibut (serotonin), and Picamilon (serotonin).
There are others in your list the affect both neurotransmitters but have a lesser effect or it’s not as direct. I highly recommend that you learn the “mechanism of action” or “how it works in your brain” for every single nootropic on your list.
My attitude is I want to know exactly what I’m putting in my body and why. Unfortunately, many thing that because you can easily buy these supplements without a prescription that it’s like candy or something. And this is a very dangerous place to be when trying any nootropic.
Thanks David.
I have respect for nootropics and i am trying everything to see what helps for my debilitating anxiety and social phobia and am willing to try anything in line of reason of course. Did not buy the all at ones.
One last question is Phenylpiracetam safe?
Thank you
Anthony
Anthony, Phenylpiracetam (https://nootropicsexpert.com/phenylpiracetam/) is non-toxic. So is considered well-tolerated and safe. Just make sure you follow dosage instructions including using it with a choline supplement. And tolerance can be a problem so you’ll likely want to cycle it.
Thank you David.
I really appreciate your info 🙂
Hi David,
You said on the Berberine video that it should be consumed with organic unrefined coconut oil for better absorption but the thing is i have high cholestrol and coconut oil doesn’t suit me. My question is: do you know of any other substances that i can take to improve berberine absorption without raising my blood cholesterol levels.
Thanks a lot.
Mahmoud, Berberine is fat-soluble. So for it to be effective and able to cross cell walls it must be consumed with fat. So any healthy oil will work. Including the fat contained in a meal. If you do not take Berberine with fat it will not provide any benefit.
But I suggest double checking your research because I do not believe that a tablespoon of coconut oil or MCT Oil will influence your cholesterol levels.
David
I have been dealing with anxiety and started taking Gaia Herbs Ashwaganda extract 1x per day the last 20 of 30 days. I only take 1/4 of the capsule. at first it seemed to relax me and really work, but over time it seems to have stimulated me. I am short of breath, like I cant take a deep breath, occasional tingling in arms, anxious and stimulated, my sleep has gotten worse, as these symptoms are all day long. I have stopped today. If the ash did stimulate my nervous system or even ramp up thyriod hormone,( I almost feel like a hypothyriod state) will my body regulate back to normal and of so how long do you think?
I am 5 months off of klonopin after 5 years so I feel my nervous system is a bit fragile right now
I hope to be feeling better soon
Paul
Paul, Ashwagandha is a powerful herbal nootropic. But not everyone can use it. If you’ve stopped using it your system should get back to normal fairly quickly.
Hi Paul, try to practice a favorite sport, It helps a lot. Meanwhile try to take mild herbs like Tulsi, lemon balm, passion flower, chamomile as tea, sometimes you can find them combined together as tea. Try Tryptophan or Valerian root to help you sleep. But I would say intensive sport will help a lot, it make me tired and I find sleep and is very good for the brain.
David,
I would like some help with my 21 year old son and his various concentration, memory, planning/organisational skills, sudden low mood. He has no motivation and is dyslexic, possibly with ADHD too.
He is at university in Edinburgh studying engineering. He is very logical, finds maths and physics easy, but his writing skills are poor. Yet he is very good at say analysing your golf swing and explaining clearly what you are doing wrong and how to correct it. He could not write that same explanation down.
Most of the time he is the life and soul of a party in company with friends. He’s outgoing, loves talking to everyone about anything. He’s a good runner, hockey, tennis and golf player. He’s very fit and into boxing and fitness at the moment. His downfall is not getting up in the morning to go to lectures (although he does catch up on video recordings). He cannot focus on a goal in life and drifts through a day ignoring his main purpose at university. Reading that back to myself, it doesn’t sound as if he has a problem, but he does.
Can you email me an address to get him to contact you for an appointment?
Sam, best to schedule a time using the link on this page: https://nootropicsexpert.com/personal-consultations/
would you know of anything that could help fight off the coronavirus, if anyone would know I know you would know thank you so much sue
Sue, timely question. Let’s see if anyone has any ideas.
Google Iodine the forgotten weapon against influenza viruses. The answer is IODINE IOIDE. I found this out searching for other help. Low and behold its potassium iodide.
Just google that and many will have a pdf file to download
Taking in Vitamin C helps fight the Coronavirus !!
Either drink a lot of Orange Juice or take the vitamin C supplement..
Zinc is an important mineral in fighting infection with the corona virus. And zinc, particularly as a throat lozenge is absorbed by the same ACE2 cell receptors that the virus uses to invade, usually in the throat. Also the zinc as a defense not only by occupying those receptors but also by supposedly blocking the virus’ interaction with DNA in those cells.
Most infection occurs in the throat so a lozenge is a worthy way to block that type of invasion. I take a lozenge shortly before I enter a store for example.
Dave, good morning, just a quick question – I’m preparing to purchase from nootropics (dot) com, are they offering qualify products? Thanks, Patrick
Patrick, I don’t know anything about them and don’t know anyone who is a fan of theirs. I question the quality of their product because he claims that he gets his product tested by Ceretropic. Problem is they closed their doors July 2018.
What exactly is it you are looking to purchase? I may be able to point you in the direction of a more reliable and trustworthy vendor.
Hi David, and thanks for the information offered, to answer my question (if) nootropics (dot) com was a good place to buy from. Since July 2019, I’ve been following everything from your “Secrets of the Optimized Brain,” checking what is suggested in the bottles at the store, first, then – if you have explained it, I would buy and add to my stack.
I’m planning to order the following from Hard Rhino: Alpha GPC 600mg (TPD) taking per day 2; Noopept 10mg (TPD) 1; Phenylpiracetam 100 mg (TPD) 1; Lion’s Mane 500mg (TPD) 4.
My current stack morning time consists of Mind Lab Pro 2 capsules; Vitamin B3 750mg; Ginkgo 240mg Lecithin 1200mg’ Lion’s Mane 1100mg; Choline 950mg Turmeric 900mg; Methylene Blue 80 drops Weekend; (India – modafinilxl)-Modafinil 200mg Weekdays.
Current stack evening bedtime consists of: CoQ-10 1500mg; Melatonin 5mg; Magnesium 1500mg.
For what it’s worth, since starting this lifestyle change last July, I can only share the following, I’ve stopped drinking alcohol after just a couple of weeks. My workflow at university has increased tremendously, as a senior lecturer teaching MBA and PhD students, this is delightful. My mental energy levels throughout the day are high, I’ve even lost several lbs in weight. I now get a great nights sleep and wake up very early starting my day around 4am, working until 8pm before dinner, then bed for about 9.30pm.
In all sense of purpose, a changed man, thanks to you, David, for your help and guidance throughout.
Patrick, I think you’ll be amazed with how good Noopept works. I never had much luck with Phenylpiracetam. Try it and if it doesn’t work for you then try Aniracetam.
David, as always – your speed in replying is excellent, thanks for the advice my order is placed with hrsupplements dot com – but, they don’t ship to Myanmar although their dropdown address suggests they do. I’ve sent them an email to please use DHL – as FedEx and UPS don’t deliver to Myanmar since you recommended them as a place to purchase from – could you please send them a quick message to ship my order using DHL, please. It’s a big ask and I am grateful for your help, regards Patrick
Patrick, I’ll try but I’ve been dealing with a different department than who you’re trying to talk to. Keep on trying to get their customer service to respond. I’ll try but can’t promise any joy.
I believe there are services available who will forward things to you. Don’t know any names of companies but I think this is their specialty. Try searching for “freight forwarders” and see if you can find some other way to get this done. If HR Supplements don’t want to take the time to do it. They’ve been in business for over 25 years so you’re not dealing with a newbie vendor.
Hi David
Im a 45yr old healthy male, I have been suffering with panic and fear for 2.5 years, things have gotten a bit better, I am 5 mo free of taking .25 klonopin for 5 yrs, I think I am still in withdrawal, I have been struggling
2 days ago I tried 5mg of rascoracitam, I felt a bit strange that night I could not sleep, very activated racy mind could not close my eyes, I usually have no problem sleeping, the next day racy thoughts all over the place, I took a .25 xanax rescue dose and it helped a bit and slept, the next day horrible racy thoughts and BP and pulse is slightly elevated from normal, I have horrible anxiety and feel on edge, spaced out and even had a panic attack at 3am which I never have
I dont know what to do, could this compound induce this? Will this go away? I am scared and cannot work or really function, can you share your thoughts with me? I am on the edge
Thank you
Paul
Paul, I’ll try to help. But first you’ll need explain what rascoracitam is because I’m not familiar with it.
Im sorry
fasoracetam is what I meant
I think my anxiety was getting the best of me
Paul
Paul, Fasoracetam was developed by a Japanese company as a drug who took it through to Phase 3 clinical trials. And then abandoned the drug due to “lack of efficacy”.
According to Springer, it’s mechanism of action: Cholinergic receptor agonists; GABA B receptor antagonists; Metabotropic glutamate receptor modulators
This is the type of thing that I’d not likely ever write a review for because 1. don’t know anyone who uses it 2. lack of research 3. can’t figure out any reason why someone would want to include it in their stack.
Not sure why it would cause the symptoms you described because there’s not enough information available on how it works. But it is messing with three different systems in your brain. So there are any number of things that could go wrong while using it.
Can safely combine Piracetam, noopept, lions mane stack at noon with nootropics depot sleep support stack at night?
Brandon, yes you can but please make sure to follow recommended dosages for the first 3 in your list. Including a choline supplement with Piracetam and Noopept. Each of my reviews on these nootropics tells you how if you’re not already doing it.
Good evening,
Thank you for your very interesting site. I looked but I couldn’t find answers to my questions. If you could answer that, I’d be delighted.
I take to sleep: tryptophan, a bit of St John’s wort, theanine and melatonin.
I’m very anxious, a little depressed (I’m tired of a solar plexus ball).
I wanted to know if I could add: Selank, et noopept in addition to the nootropics I already take ?
Thank you very much for your answer.
Marie, I’m not familiar with Selank because it’s a drug developed in Russia. And there’s hardly any research available for it. Not sure why it would help you sleep however. Because it is non-sedating. Neither is Noopept sedating.
For sleep, I suggest you re-visit the dosages of each of the nootropics you are using. And replace melatonin with Tart Cherry Juice because it’s a natural source of melatonin. Just this change may improve your mood.
Try:
L-Tryptophan 500 mg
L-Theanine 200 mg
Magnesium (chelate) 400 mg
Tart Cherry Juice concentrate 6 ounces
All taken about 60 minutes before bed.
THANK YOU very much for taking the time to answer me. In fact it was more for the anguish the selank and the noopept.
I also take GABA for my anxieties, but that’s not enough.
Thanks again for your advice, you are super and indispensable for us who are a little lost by all these nootropics, especially since I am French and do not understand English well.
An excellent day to you.
Marie
Would be available, for hire, to research specific nutrients, or conditions, that do not fall in nootropic area?
Darcy, I do some consulting for dietary supplement manufacturers as time permits. But I’m booked solid for the next few months at least.
Hey David, I used to take a lot of opioids for a neck injury, for about 2 years. After quitting them in June of 2019. Now 8 months later I still feel a lack of energy and motivation. I also feel like I’m never getting that good euphoric feeling anymore for just things that used to excite me. I worried that I messed up my dopamine levels and processing. Most of the time everything seems bland. Don’t get me wrong I’m not depressed I just cant seem to feel the genuine excitement over certain events or experiences like I use to. When I drink an energy drink I feel just a jittery alertness but not a clean motivation. I also this past month have been eating 100% vegan diet and also working out; resulting in a 22 lbs weight loss which has been great. I’m just looking to see if you can suggest a few supplements that may help me with motivation and just feeling happier when I’m experiencing events that I should feel happy with. I watched your YouTube video titled “Hacking motivation with nootropics” which you list a lot of supplements. Is there any nootropics that have most of those supplements in one pill? Thanks again for taking the time to respond and read my questions. I now follow and subscribed to your YouTube channel…
Zac, this is the transcript for that video you mentioned: https://nootropicsexpert.com/hacking-motivation-with-nootropics/.
I suggest going back through the transcript that show you how supporting AMPA receptors activates the dopamine/motivation pathway. Just taking precursors to boost dopamine by itself misses the whole point. And will not work.
Go through the list of nootropics suggested later in that post and select one racetam to try. And as many of the ‘natural’ nootropics in the rest of that list as you can afford.
If one racetam doesn’t help you try the next one. And go through the list until you find something that works. Aniracetam which I’ve included at the top of the list is one my favorite nootropics and I use every day. Hopefully, it’ll work for you too.
Final note: do not look for a nootropic to mimic or take the place of the opiates you were using. Opiates work on opioid receptors. Which are completely different than every other receptor in your system. And will only respond to opiates. The only thing that comes close but will NOT provide the euphoric feeling is Kratom.
Thank you David for the response. I’m definitely not trying to mimic the same effects as opiates as I know only opiates can provide the constant euphoric feeling; along with a bunch of other terrible side effects. Kratom is actually what allowed me to finally stop using the opiates, which was a life saver. Just like I was saying I just don’t seem to ever get a feeling of joy even when I do things that I know I should enjoy. I’m very glad to have stopped taking opiates and kratom works for me now as a as-needed basis for pain as I have two herniated disks that will give me pain from time to time. I ran into problems with the opiates when my doctor prescribed me an extended release opiate…..
I really appreciate the advise. I will try the different racetams one at a time as you suggest. As you mentioned the others I will try taking aside from the racetam will be:
1…Lions mane
2…5-htp
3…Magnesium
4…dopa mucuna
5… Vitamin d3
Do these 5 seem like a good start in addition to a single racetam? I don’t want to take too many supplements I’d really like to keep to a minimum. If there are maybe one or two that you could suggest over the large list of natural nootropics that I can try with the different racetams that would be great. Thanks again David for the suggestions and time you’ve taken in responding. I really value your time and opinion.
Zac, first as I know you are familiar with Kratom that must know there are different strains. Have you tried any other strains that work more on mood than on pain?
For the racetams I suggest trying Aniracetam first with a good choline supplement and a healthy fat like unrefined coconut oil or MCT Oil. Because you need the fat to get some of these nootropics past cell walls. Some people call it “absorption”. You may also want to add Sulbutiamine to this and see if that helps. The combo of these two nootropics is the best antidepressant I’ve ever tried and still use today.
I recommend trying L-Tyrosine or NALT before Mucuna to raise dopamine because it’s safer and it works when recommended dosages are used. You can always add Mucuna on top of that if you need to.
Get yourself a good multi and B-Complex to go with your D3 and magnesium because there’s a near perfect chance that you are deficient in at lest some of these nutrients.
And we may have talked about this already. But please be careful with 5-HTP. Because L-Tryptophan is a safer way to boost serotonin.
Hey David, Thanks again for all the info. To answer your question; I have tried all types of different strains of kratom 30+ and found that the variants of a green strain works the best for me when it comes to pain. I have tried red which is more for sleep and white more like coffee. I have found great pain relief with kratom and it was a life saver when trying to get out of the strangle of opiates. Its terrible too because doctors will prescribe them to you then when your ready to come off, the tapers they give are extremely hard on your body and mind. I even had my doctor suggest to me to go to a rehab to help with a taper and it was an ongoing circle that he kept prescribing me. I got fed up with my quality of life and began a holistic taper with kratom which again was a lifesaver. I’ve never had any bad side effects with kratom. I 100% recommend it to anyone with pain that doesn’t want to take pharmaceuticals. Please don’t hesitate to contact me through email if you would like any testimonials on my personal experiences with Kratom and I’d be glad to tell you. I would imagine you get quite a few questions about it as you have a lot of YouTube videos pertaining to restoring dopamine.
I will x the 5-htp.
For now I will be moving forward with a stack of
Aniracetam
Choline
MCT Oil
Sulbutiamine
L-tyrosine
D3
Magnesium
Multi-vitamin
B Complex
THANKS AGAIN David! You have provided a very valuable resource and your YouTube videos are the most informative videos I have found on all of YouTube regarding nootropics.
Hello, my Grandad has been diagnosed with Parkinsonism, I read that Lions Mane might be beneficial but I’m not sure which brand/type I should go for (I’m looking for capsules not powder). Could you please advise me?
Thanks in advance.
Best wishes,
Lisa
Lisa, the purest Lion’s Mane that I’m aware of other than what is in Mind Lab Pro is used by Akua Life in California in their Neuro-Stack supplement. Their dose is much much higher than Mind Lab Pro. So if that’s what you are looking for then go here: https://akualife.com/?aff=15
Hi!
I went to doctor a few weeks ago and the doctor said I have a lack of serotonin and a compulsive obsessive disorder. in fact I feel anxiety and a bit depressed.
I tried st John worth and l-theanine but I didn’t work so I was wondering what could I try next. I tried also Rhodiola Rosea but is not for me.
i have good experiences with kratom for social anxiety and general fears and I really liked it but It gives me too much nausea and I can’t take it anymore.
how can I level up the serotonin in my brain naturally?
Gabriele, the easiest and safest way to boost serotonin is with its precursor L-Tryptophan.
Kratom affects both serotonin and norepinephrine. So look for nootropics that boost serotonin and norepinephrine (which is made from dopamine). Also, use the search function top right for “SNRI” and see what turns up. SNRI = serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.
Also, use the search function for “OCD” and see what else turns up.
I am currently taking SLO-Niacin 1,000 mg per day, the pink tablet. I take it twice daily in 500mg doses.
Wondering based on a video you did if this is the type of niacin that can cause liver issues. Thanks for your help and good work.
SLO-Niacin is simply nicotinic acid in some type of gel to slow down delivery to prevent flushing. Doses of this version of niacin above 1500 mg per day can be toxic to your liver. So you are OK at 1,000 mg per day.
Thanks. So that means I can assume that the brand of Niacin I am using is just as effective as immediately release Niacin. Right?
yes, it should be
Hi David im seriously thinking of starting phenibut for my generalised anxiety which has got much worse over past 5 years due to personal issue. I currently am prescribed venlafaxine 225mg daily lamictal 200mg daily (I am not epileptic it is being used more as a mood stabilizer) witg little effect I must say. I also take zopiclone 7.5mg at night but it is no Longer effective. My morning anxiety is worst and i feel so afraid of getting out of bed . When I don’t have to get up for something I stay in bed where I feel safer then I kick myself at the end of the day for having given into my anxiety and not having achieved any. Anyway my main question David is it safe to take phenibut with these medications. I want to stop the zopiclone anyway
Eileen, I’m not familiar with the drugs you are using. But be aware that you must NOT use Phenibut if you are using any type of benzodiazepine or drug that acts like a benzo. Combining this nootropic with the wrong drug will likely put you in a coma that you will not wake from.
Hello David
My daughter has severe depression, and is 20+ weeks pregnant. Her doctors are suggesting she have ECT, but she and we are most reluctant. You mention on YouTube not to use lithium orotate during pregnancy, but is this more a blanket safety statement? She gets suicidal and immobilised, and so I wonder if lithium orotate’s potential benefits outweigh its risks in her circumstances?
Allan, I would think most anything would be safer than electroconvulsive therapy. But I’m not a doctor so please keep that in mind while you’re reading my reply.
Everything that I consulted when researching Lithium Orotate suggested that pregnant and breastfeeding women should not use Lithium Orotate. But this is something you need to talk to a doctor about. Preferably a naturopath who understands this stuff.
A regular doctor has no idea what Lithium Orotate is and will likely associate it with high-dose lithium carbonate that is prescribed for mania. Not the same thing.
David, I appreciate your speedy response to my question. We will look into other possibilities, and if she still has depression issues after breastfeeding is finished, we may revisit the lithium orotate option.
CBD oil may be an alternative, although a bit costly.
I have been surprised by the amazing benefits of Nicotinamide Riboside on anxiety and depression. I use Thorne’s products for this. It used to be Niacel 250 but the formulation has changed as is called Resveracel. Take two capsules on waking and then again 12 hours later for a week and then half the dose and continue for at least a month. Change should be noticeable well before this time. Let me know if it works for you. Check on safety in pregnancy with your doctor. It is a natural co-enzyme that is easily depleted by the ageing process (even by mid-20’S), alcohol and stress.
Hi David.
I would like to learn how to make my own capsules. I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know much about it. Can you please recommend a site or some other place where I can learn all about it.
Thank you.
Mick, I’ve been meaning to do a video on this very subject. But until then, I recommend getting a 100 capsule machine like this one that I use: https://amzn.to/37YHsaE.
And get separated Empty ’00’ capsules like this one that I use: https://amzn.to/387dAct
But make sure you get the “separated” capsules or you’ll extend the time necessary to make 100 capsules from 15 minutes to 45 – 60 mins. Because if they are not separated, you need to separate them one by one by hand before dumping them into the machine.
Then search YouTube for a video on how to use one of these capsule machines until I get around to producing one. And good luck. It’s easy once you learn how, you get pure supplements with no additives and it’s cheaper.
Thank you David for your advice, I really appreciate it.
David, in conection with my last comment, I must say that in the last 2 months i been also use tianeptine (4, 3, or 2 times a week), but not anymore, maybe ocasionally will be ok (It has been said wonders about a combination of tianeptine with fasoracetam or aniracetam); is not my plan tu put tianeptine in the basic list, becouse it doesnt help with the production of serotonine, and it has the strong problem of tolerance and adiction, becouse i need more dosage to feel the same good effect, …also im not sure about the libido, i dont know, maybe afects that. By the way, i want to enhance my libido or sexual potency, and now without sertraline i feel so early ejaculation. When i was on sertraline i felt delayed ejaculation. What can be good to add (please David see my list of supplements in the past comment); what about Maca? Or Ginkgo Biloba? No bad interaction with my actual supplement list? Thanks a lot for your opinión and help David.
Francisco, I’m not sure where the list is you are referring to. Here’s what you do …
Each nootropic reviewed on Nootropics Expert has a section called “Side Effects” which often includes warnings about interactions with other drugs and/or supplements. So I suggest you check at least that section for every nootropic you are using.
I’m sure there is something on Nootropics Expert that helps with delayed ejaculation. But I don’t know what they are because my focus here is on brain health and optimization. And not sexual health unless it is directly influenced by or related to what is going on in your brain.
If you require further help I suggest scheduling a consultation with me here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/personal-consultations/
thanks a lot Mr. Tomen
Hi,
New to nootropics and have a question.
I have the following nootropics, St John’s Wort, L-Theanine, SAM-e, Bacopa Monnieri, Ashwagandha and Co-Q10.
Are there any contraindications with these? I haven’t received most yet so haven’t started tracking them (except St. John’s wort). I suffer from depression stress, fatigue and low cognitive function.
Many thanks
Peter
Peter, check the “Side Effects” section of each review for each nootropic. Use the Nootropics List in the top menu to find them easily. Contraindications if applicable are usually listed in the Side Effects section.
If you had to choose between pine bark extract or berberine for alzheimers and dementia treatment which one would you choose between the two? As first choice? Why?
Cy, if I was dealing with Alzheimer’s and/or dementia I’d be using both of them. Because there is nothing scarier than getting either of those two diseases.
I would love to begin using NAC can you say what makes the supplement
https://nootropicsexpert.com/n-acetyl-l-cysteine/
you have not addressed taking Lion’s Mane if on Blood Pressure Meds
Ernest, I’m not aware of any contraindication with blood pressure meds. Which is the reason why I didn’t address it. Lion’s Mane is considered non-toxic even at doses up 5 grms.
Hello there, thank you so much for your website. It has helped me a massive amount with informing myself on what I need to do to supplement my way off of some medications. I’m down one, and one more to go. And feeling so much better. Your website is so informative it’s the first place I go now before I look anything up on google.
I was just curious if you know anything about the Vitex agnus-castus (Chasteberry). I’ve very intrigued about it mostly as progesterone booster and I am a bit confused on whether it is a nootropic or not because I have read both ways.
I have previously been on progesterone and found it helped massively all round for me and I was just curious about Vitex and what you may know.
Thanks so much
Denise, I’ve not reviewed Chasteberry because I believed it to be only for sex hormones. Turns out that it may be potent dopamine booster as well. But then again, the sex hormones are active in the human brain. I just haven’t gotten around to researching and writing that blog post yet.
No worries, I’ll keep my eye out. Thanks for the fast reply
Hello Mr. Tomen,
Thanks for the great content!
What do you think for the following stack?
Do you think there is a risk of desynthesizing dopamine receptors, would you add/remove anything and what dosages would you recommend.
L tyrosine(I cant find NALT in my country), L theanine, Coffeine
Regards
Martin, this stack also requires the B-Vitamins as they will get depleted by using caffeine. And are required for the synthesis of dopamine. This stack should not desensitize dopamine receptors if you use recommended dosages. In fact, this is the same formulation created by Opti Nutra for their new Performance Lab Stim: https://nootropicsexpert.com/performance-lab-stim-review/
Hello David,
Can you specify your top 3 Nootropics for Peripheral Neuropathy ?(not diabetic neuropathy). Trying to help someone who has just started getting those symptoms.
Thanks and regards,
John
John, it entirely depends on the cause of this disease. And according to the Mayo Clinic it can be any number of things: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20352061. The B-Vitamins are critical for nerve health. And anything else to assist myelin synthesis. Do a search of Nootropics Expert for “myelin” and see what else turns up.
David,
Thanks for the feedback. Will do as suggested.
Happy Holidays! and Best Wishes for the New Year !!
Hi David
On L-theanine…everybody recommends 200mg 2-3 times a day…You recommend 600mg 2´3 times a day…for anxiety…..not too much?
I trust you…but will that make more calm or could you get too anxious possibly ?
Regards
Michael
Michael, I’ve found over the years that “everybody” is one person puts a dosage on their blog and a dozen other sites copy it.
Recommended dosage of L-Theanine is 200 – 400 mg once or twice per day. With a maximum of 1,200 mg per day according to the Cleveland Clinic (which is no longer available on their website).
Those dosages are based on user experience and clinical studies.
Hi David,
question, do you take all these daily? I saw these in your video on “best nootropics 2019”
Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR)
Aniracetam
Bacopa Monnieri
CDP-Choline
DHA
Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Lithium Orotate
N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine (NALT)
Noopept
Phosphatidylserine (PS)
Pine Bark Extract
Rhodiola Rosea
Sulbutiamine
L-Theanine
Vinpocetine
Vitamin B Complex
also, I have been taking
L theanine
sulbutamine
uridine
bacoba extract
alpha GPC
lions mane
cordyceps sinesis
reishi
and occasionally like 3 days a week i will take adrafinil and maybe once a week phenylpiracetam. what do you think of my stack?
Brian, yes I use everything on that list daily with the exception of Noopept. When I have it I use it.
The way your stack is now it’ll boost BDNF, acetylcholine and some brain waves. It would be more balanced if you addressed some of the other things going on in your brain including the other major neurotransmitters.
I suggest taking a look at this post for other ideas: https://nootropicsexpert.com/how-to-create-the-best-nootropic-stack/
Hello David!
I am wondering what you know about vitamin A as a nootropic!
I have been taking around 10mg pure retinyl acetate daily for the last 2 weeks and have noticed an incredible boost to attention and memory.
Can you tell me more about this powerful vitamin?
Thank you!
John, see the Vitamin A section of “13 Vitamins Essential for the Optimized Brain” here > https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-vitamins-essential-for-the-optimized-brain/#vitamin-a
Hello David,
I wanted to hear what’s your thought on Pregnenolone.
Studies show that it’s a powerful neurosteroid for brain so it can function at its best. I notice that many places don’t include it as a nootropics regime.
I know just like Dhea it should be cycle on and off.
Jim, haven’t done the research on Pregnenolone yet. And a full post on how ‘sex’ hormones affect the brain is at the top of my “to-do” list for Nootropics Expert.
I know that each of them are involved in brain function but don’t know the details yet. So please standby and watch your email!
David, can training to become ambidextrous improve brain function? I didn’t find a conclusive answer.
Jean, likely because there is no clear way to answer your question.
The type of training you reference would need to “rewire” sections of the brain for it to be effective. Which includes neurogenesis, strengthening of synaptic connections, and increasing long-term potentiation for encoding the type of memory needed to recall the moves.
So is that considered improving brain function? I suppose it would be considered that by those interested in becoming ambidextrous.
I am taking 10 mg of cipralex daily and on the occasion a .5 mg of clonazepam, and would like to start taking a nootropic (namely mind lab or something similar). Will this have any negative effects for mixing the two? I know to stay clear of 5-htp. Any advice would be great! Thanks
Josh, cipralex works by increasing serotonin levels in your brain. And clonazepam works by increasing GABA. So you want to avoid any nootropic that increases either serotonin or GABA.
Mind Lab Pro contains L-Theanine which increases both serotonin and GABA. So not a good idea to use MLP when using either of those drugs.
I suggest you learn the mechanism of action of both drugs (Wikipedia is a good source). Then read and compare the ingredients of every nootropic you are considering. To see if there could be a problem.
hello, i have a question. I am taking an antidepressant (citalopram 40mg) and i am also taking bupropion 300 mg xl. Plus i am taking levothyroxine for my thyroid, and lisiniprol for my blood pressure. Now i want to wean myself off of the anti”s, i know i need to speak to my doctor, and i have, and she just keeps pushing for me to stay on them. So i am taking my health and doing what i want to do and what i feel is best, and that is to get off of these antidepressants. In your opinion, what nootropics would you recommend to do this? i am not asking for medical information, just an opinion. thank you.
Angela, this is a loaded question but here’s how I’d start if I were in your shoes.
If the antidepressants you are using are beneficial then find out how they work in your brain. Wikipedia or medscape are good sources for this. Locate the drug, then look for the section called “Pharmacology” (i.e. https://reference.medscape.com/drug/celexa-citalopram-342958#10). For this drug it looks like it increases serotonin in your brain (i.e. Inhibits the reuptake of serotonin in presynaptic neurons).
So if this drug works for you then raising serotonin is your goal when searching for a nootropic. The easiest way to increase serotonin is with its precursor L-Tryptophan.
But you must be very careful about mixing nootropics with things like antidepressants. Because in this case increasing serotonin too much can easily cause Serotonin Syndrome. Which can be lethal. And I’m deadly serious about this. Don’t mess with this unless you are 100% confident in what you are doing. Please.
That said, it’s possible to wean yourself off of certain meds and replace them with natural nootropic supplements. But it takes time, patience, and a lot of research and reading. And trial and error.
Saint David you should be called, all the information on your website has gave me the tools to really optimize not just my brain, but my life. I work in the food and drink industry,so as you can imagine dealing with people all the time , one has to put on a happy face. this stack listed below really keeps me in the game.
My current stack is:
Lemon balm (5% rosmarinic acid)
Rhodiola rosea (1% rosavins 3% salidroside
Gaba 100mg
l theanie 100mg
b complex (bulk powders brand)
tryptophan 100mg
What ye reckon David? safe and effective or somethings needs to be cut.
Lar, the stack you are using looks safe. And if it’s working for you then it’s effective. Keep on doing what you’re doing if it’s working.
Cheers David, keep up the great work, I also have your book on my xmas list. I look forward to reading it, all the best 🙂
I got my mother on several supplement powders. If i mix all these together does it take away from the benefit or digestion of each other? Versus if i gave her each one individually? Does it limit each ones effectiveness when mixed together?
CY, you need to be more specific about which “supplement powders” you are referring to. We ‘stack’ supplements all the time and when done correctly the synergy often helps some ingredients work better than on their own. And sometimes smaller doses of each supplement.
Hi David, I read that the brain develops until you are 20 years old. I’m 16 years old. I would like to know some nootropics that can help me develop my brain long term and bring lasting benefits.
Jean, probably at least 75% of the nootropics reviewed on Nootropics Expert would help the young brain with lasting benefits.
But the thing is for lasting benefit, once you find what works for you you’ll need to use them daily for years. Because many of these supplements are naturally used by your brain every single day.
The only caution is for the young, developing brain, stay away from powerful nootropics that can alter the natural development of your brain. Don’t unnaturally throw neurotransmitters out of balance. And don’t mess with pushing nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) too much.
Balance is key and doing the most basic things will provide the most benefit. Like this: https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-vitamins-essential-for-the-optimized-brain/.
And this: https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-minerals-essential-for-the-optimized-brain/
Thank you!
David, my son has behavioral issues (overly competitive, perfectionism) related to high histamine. SAM-e helps some and recently we’ve added Iodine and Boron and seen some improvement. Are you familiar with other supplements that may help breakdown his histamine? We’ve tried the mainstream supplements (B2, C, etc.)
Secondly, when he doesn’t meet his standards of perfection, he can have bouts of anxiety. His norepi seems to be at higher levels. Other than SAM-e, Magnesium, and Zinc are there supplements that may work?
Thanks for insights and expertise.
Dave, Vitamins B1, B6, B12, folate, copper, magnesium, maganese, zinc, and calcium all have some effect on diamine oxidase (DAO). You can find full reviews of each either here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropics-list/ or here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-minerals-essential-for-the-optimized-brain/
You can also try N-Acetyl L-Cysteine: https://nootropicsexpert.com/n-acetyl-l-cysteine/ (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7519083) and Saffron: https://nootropicsexpert.com/saffron/ (look under “Saffron to the rescue”.
Ginseng is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor: https://nootropicsexpert.com/ginseng
And for other options for anxiety and a better understanding of the underlying cause: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-social-anxiety/
Hi David,
Thoughts on or review of Adrafinil? I believe it’s the non-prescription version of Modafinil.
Thank you.
Monte
Monte, I consider Adrafinil and Modafinil to be “smart drugs” and not natural nootropics which is what I’m committed to researching and writing about. So it is unlikely that I’ll be reviewing Adrafinil.
Hi David, Have you had a chance to do a deep dive into peptides? Obviously as these are defined as chains of amino acids this would include proteins, but I am interested in those that enhance sleep and during the day augment alertness and retention of new knowledge.
Walter, highly unlikely I’d do extensive research into something as general as ‘peptides’. It would be like trying to write something about ‘proteins’ and tailor it to optimizing cognition.
I do review individual nootropics that are peptides. For example, L-Carnosine (https://nootropicsexpert.com/l-carnosine/) is a dipeptide of the amino acids beta-alanine and histidine. And Noopept (https://nootropicsexpert.com/noopept/) is a peptide analogue of the original nootropic Piracetam.
I suggest an easier approach for you is some research into nootropic supplements for sleep and nootropic supplements for memory. That way you’d get options to use for both issues. Which would include absolutely necessary for sleep and memory but don’t fall under the ‘peptide’ category.
These will get you started:
https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-sleep/
https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-learning-and-memory/
Do you have an opinion on MitoForte?
I’m too tired to schedule, or rather trust, that I can be awake and functioning, for an appointment. What might be helpful for others like me, is a questionnaire. Send a way to pay for the appointment, for the hour and once paid, send the questionnaire and then spend the hour creating a email or pdf response to the questionnaire answers.
Darcy, MitoForte is an unknown brand of a preformulated nootropic stack whom I know nothing about. They use a “proprietary formula” which I despise because you don’t know how much of each ingredient you’re getting. And it contains Huperzine-A (unknown dosage) which cannot be used daily. See my Huperzine-A review for more: https://nootropicsexpert.com/huperzine-a
You can book a personal consultation with me which can be done by email instead of on the phone or Skype. I did one with a client in Greece last weekend by email. And she was very happy with my report and suggestions.
Thank you for the information on that supplement stack, for responding, for doing all that you do.
FYI, We do not get email notifications for responses to our comments.
Darcy, I didn’t realize you did not get email notifications for responses. I’ll ask my developer about that. And see if it can be changed because I think it’s important to our community.
Hi, David,
RE: Electronic Mental Health Device
I have a question which is off-subject —since it refers to an electronic DEVICE –however, it is supposed to alleviate “depression, anxiety & insomnia.”
Do you know anything about this machine? I put a lot of stock on Dr. Joseph Mercola’s opinion, but he has not covered this device at all.
I am sleeping OK now, but, in the past 20 years, new supplements work for a while, then, stop working. I am trying to hedge my chances for continued “OK” sleep.
It it wasn’t so pricey, I would get it without recommendation, since I also know about “Grounding” [also called “earthing”]—and I do it for 30-60 minutes at least, everyday. The Grounding helps me to sleep. (related to electricity)
Do you have any info on this device? Any comment would be appreciated.
Fisher Wallace Stimulator
Galyaa, I’ve never used a device like this but apparently it boosts Alpha brain waves which in turn is supposed to increase your brain’s ability to produce serotonin.
And serotonin is the precursor to the production of melatonin.
The problem I think is they’re assuming that your brain has all of the enzymes, amino acids and cofactors in place to produce serotonin. If any of those are lacking then you can stimulate your brain all night long and still not produce serotonin.
It seems to me that you could use L-Theanine to boost Alpha brain waves, 500 mg L-Tryptophan, 400 mg magnesium and 50 mg Vitamin B6 (P-5-P) to produce serotonin. And maybe give it a little boost by adding 6 oz. of Tart Cherry Juice which is a natural source of melatonin. For less than $25 you can do the same thing as a $200 brain wave machine.
Thank you for your input, David.
I appreciate it.
Hello Mr Tomen. If there is a possibility i would love to hear your opinion. I recently read an aniracetam guide and learned some useful information. I have some questions about the use of nootropics.
First of all some info about me
I am 48 years old and perimenopause (rage, tears, no energy, brain fog, anxiety, no happiness) and (go) vegan. I work as a grief counselor. I describe my self as an introvert but I need to be with people as part of my work. (e.g workshops).
I often feel without energy, with memory issues and i experience brain fog. I have tried numerous supplements like T3 AND T4 for Hashimoto GABA + 5http + B1, B6, B1, iron, natural progesterone + inositol + lemon balm + st. johns, agnus castus, etc
I also found Ciltep that works for me (Better concentration, stamina, energy) BUT I found some info about aniracetam and I need to know if I can combine these two supplements and how to do that.
If you have any other ideas for me it would be great. If you feel that we need some personal contact please let me know.
Thank you very much for your time, Really looking forward to your feedback. I not only suffer from symptoms of perimenopause and hashimoto but my husband and my son as well and i feel extremely guity
Nancy, it’s all part of life and no need to feel guilty. But I know exactly what you mean.
Aniracetam is worth trying but needs to dosed correctly including using Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline to provide the acetylcholine this racetam affects. And it is fat-soluble so must be taken with a meal containing healthy fats or something like a tablespoon of unrefined coconut oil.
I’ve personally helped quite a few women who were dealing with issues similar to yours. A personal consultation would likely be best but I’ll leave that up to you. More on that here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/personal-consultations/
Thank you very much Mr Tomen!
Hello David,
i would like to try Lithium Orotate in order to reduce several anxiety issues. For some years i take Beta Blockers (Bisoprolol 2.5 mg at lunchtime) to lower heart rate.
Is it safe to take the Lithium Orotate with this medication?
Thanks
Dennis
Dennis the combination of Lithium with Bisoprolol may result in blood pressure lower than it’s supposed to be. Side effects potentially could include headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, and/or changes in pulse or heart rate.
But this is for high dose Lithium and generally not the case for Lithium Orotate which only has 5 mg elemental lithium. As long as you don’t take any more than 1 – 2 tablets per day you should be OK. Just keep an eye on your blood pressure to be sure.
Hello David,
Thank you so much for your helpful informative videos.
I am 72 years old and I have noticed a decline in short term memory. I began taking Piracetam, Coluracetam and Phenylpiracetam after watching some videos on your site. I cycle them in order to avoid tolerance. I just finished watching your video on Lithium Orotate, and it sounds like something that might help with my bouts of depression. But I am not sure how it might interact with the Racetams. Is it advisable to take both at the same time, or should I stop the racetams before trying the Lithium Orotate?
Harold, first, are you following dosage recommendations for the racetams? Including a healthy fat like olive or coconut oil for the last two racetams on your list. As well as a choline supplement?
Lithium Orotate is not contraindicated with anything including the racetams. But may not be all you need to take care of depression. I suggest you check out this post for other ideas on dealing with depression: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-depression/
And more on memory here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/how-to-improve-memory-and-concentration/
I purchased your new book, however, the page numbers do not match up with your advertisement page numbers. I am trying to find the specific recommendations in your advertisement but cant seem to figure out why the pages are different?
Scott, I know and I don’t know how to fix it. Because I used the page numbers from one format of Head First when I wrote that sales letter. And those page numbers change depending on the format of book you are viewing. So I can redo them for one format but it wouldn’t be accurate for a different format or different size viewing screen.
I can get this question once every 3 or 4 months. So I can going to re-visit this issue and see if there’s a way that I can make everyone happy. If I do I’ll send a email to all Head First owners and let you know.
Ok. Thank you.
Hi David,
I have a couple of questions:
1. Is it safe to use 250mg of phenibut once a week for long term (a year or more) without building up a tolerance and experiencing withdrawal?
2. I am considering using Kratom for insomnia, but I would like to approach with caution as I know this is a powerful nootropic. Would I build up a tolerance if I take kratom (enough for sleep. Maybe 5-8 grams) twice a week for long term?
3. I know you don’t recommend 5htp alone, but do you think a combo with l-tyrosine at a 1:10 ratio would be safe for long term?
Just to give you some background info: I am 34, 5′ 5″, 145 pounds with a tendency for situational anxiety and mild depression. The biggest factor in my mental health though is insomnia. I am assuming my body type might play a role in kratom and phenibut use.
Thank you,
Joe
Joe, let’s do this in order:
1. All I can do is caution you strongly about the dangers of Phenibut especially if there is even a hint of addiction tendencies. I cannot honestly tell you if you’ll build a tolerance to once weekly Phenibut dosage. I suppose the only thing you can to is try. But if you find that 250 mg once per week no longer works for you, what will you do? If your answer is to increase the dosage then I’d drop it like hot iron. It’s not worth the risk.
2. The right strain of Kratom works well for insomnia. But tolerance is an issue. It’s longer to build a tolerance to Kratom than something like Phenibut. But at least it’s not dangerous as long as you are using pure Kratom. And it has not been tampered with.
3. I’d forget about ‘ratios’ if I were you. And instead of using 5-HTP to create melatonin in your brain use something like Tart Cherry Juice. It’s a natural source of low dose melatonin. You won’t build a tolerance. And it works.
For sleep I’d suggest; 6 – 8 oz. tart cherry juice from concentrate (no mixed juices!), 500 mg L-Tyrosine, 750 mg GABA, and 500 mg magnesium chelate.
It would be nice if you could make a list of “natural” and/or safe alternatives to NSAIDs which are known to cause heart attacks. Pain management is a sort of NOOTROPIC in my opinion cause it positively influences the mood and the brain.
Dave, pain is managed in the brain and I think this is a great idea. I’ll put it my list of things to write this year.
Hi Dave…sorry for taking your time, and thanks for the great job and information provided on your website!!
I built my own nootropic stack, and would be so thankful to see your comments about it, if I’m messing up with something, etc, because here in Brazil we don’t have experts on this field yet
My stack is as follows:
– Escitalopram 5mg
– Piracetam 1600mg/day: 800mg morning/ 400mg at lunch/ 400mg at 18pm
-180mg EPA/ 120mg DHA
– Multivitamin
– Rhodiola Rosea: 200mg
– Bacopa Monnieri:200mg
– Gingko Biloba: 120mg
– Coenzyme Q10: 100mg
– 5HTP: 50mg
– L Tyrosine: 300mg
– Choline Bitartrate: 300mg
– Huperzine A: 100mcg
– Phosphatidylserine: 100mg
-Melatonin 1mg at night
Plus coffee and natural tobacco smoking during the day
I do all this religiously everyday without cycling…do you think I’m on the safe side doing this?
I recent switched from modafinil to piracetam, because modafinil was a little overwhelming my brain and I think its just overhyped, with consistent usage actually impairs memory…so far great results with piracetam, a lot better and safer than modafinil…
Any adjusts should be made on the stack above or its nice?
Best wishes; thank you very much for your attention
Marcus, your stack is OK. But I suggest checking each individual nootropic for dosage recommendations. You can scroll through and click each link here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropics-list/.
You’ll find suggestions like increasing your choline dosage while using Piracetam. And I suggest using a better choline supplement like Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline. And you’ll also notice that Huperzine-A has a 24 hour half-life. So should only be used every 2nd or 3rd day. And your brain needs 1,000 mg DHA per day.
Thank you very much for your reply and advice Dave…unfortunately I’m still a student and Alpha GPC or CDP Choline are way too expensive yet in my country and I dont have enough budget to afford it…gonna add some boiled eggs to my diet to cover a little more choline…but until now piracetam didnt caused any side effects to me indicating choline deficiency like headache, etc..is it normal? By the way I take Nootropil from UCB Pharma..Thanks again
If you’re getting all the benefit from Piracetam and using it as you are then keep on doing it. One less expensive choline supplement option is using choline bitartrate or choline citrate. You just need to use a lot more of it.
Dave, combined with my stack described above piracetam is giving me great mental clarity, mood, energy and motivation boost, facilitates learning and memory (kind of photographic memory)..after 15 days of continuous dosing i have noticed long lost memories like 10 years back ago flushing again so vivid in my head…but at night i’m getting terrible insomnia like my brain just doesnt shut off and i dont merge into a profound sleep… should I take it twice a day like 800mg morning and 800mg afternoon instead of dosing it at 800mg 7 am, 400mg 12am, and 400mg 18pm?
Marcus, if it’s interrupting your sleep I’d not do anything past 4 PM. If that still doesn’t help then nothing past noon.
Thank you very much for your altruism and sharing your knowledge about this beautiful world of nootropics Dave…please if you don’t mind, one last question: is there a need to cycle the nootropic stacks described above? I pretend to take it consistently everyday until the last day in my life…do you too? Haha love you man, sorry again for too much questions…God bless you!! And keep this awesome informative job going..thanks!!
Marcus, the the majority of nootropics on my entire list of nootropics do not need to be “cycled” if you are using them at recommended dosages. And especially within those parameters, the dosages that are right for you.
Hello David,
I hope you are doing fine. Since last two months, I’m following you on YouTube and learnt a lot from your experiences. I do have a query on an issue. Last year, after working for long hours continuously for weeks in office, I don’t have any energy left in me (mental task, everything on computer). I don’t have then motivation left to do the job (mind saturated) because I don’t have mental energy and when I think about work to be done at office then comes too much work-stress due to it’s difficult to fall asleep.
Therefore, last year I started just with Krill oil which helps me, and I have energy and mind doesn’t get saturated like before and I was efficient. Since, taking krill oil endanger these species, I tried to shift on Algae oil for omega 3. After learning much from you, I started with Cdp choline with omega 3 and b12. First days, I notice the effects of cdp-choline (250mg). I can enjoy it, I was productive. But after 10 days, I develop tolerance to it, and I don’t feel any effect. Then, I bought uridine monophosphate (150mg) and B-complex to enlarge my stack but still the same, I can’t feel anything. Then, I bought ALCAR (500mg), it was too good, I can feel such energy. My brain was like floating but after 2-3 times of use, I don’t feel anything. I was taking all these supplements with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, every morning empty stomach. Then, I thought to buy Ubiquinol(100mg) + PQQ (10mg) + Shilajit (100mg) but I don’t notice anything. Only when I bought MCT oil, I can feel again the mental energy and I found it is potent for me.
I wanted to ask, why I am building so fast tolerance even I take gap of 1 week but now I don’t notice anything except MCT oil.
What do you recommend me?
Shivansh, it just sounds like your body is depleted of what it requires to work. With this type of reaction, or lack of benefit you have a lot of work and repair to do. A good place to start is with this but doing it every day for a few months and see how you feel. And not expect to turn things around overnight. Or even in a couple of days.
If you have read my story you know that about 6 years ago I felt like dying I felt so bad. It took me 2 1/2 years of dedicated, consistent work before I felt good again.
Go to this Menu link and scroll through the posts. https://nootropicsexpert.com/category/guides/ Find something that resonates with you and start doing it. Every single day until it works.
Thank you so much for fantastic replying and understanding the issue. I was thinking to stop using it as they are not helping me. I thought, if acetylcholine level in my brain is high then cdp-choline will not help me and I should concentrate myself to optimize my dopamine level.
(Yes, I know cdp-choline also helps dopamine too, maybe NALT will be better choice for Dopamine, anyways it is just an example)
You changed my thinking on that.
Alright, I will go one by one through all your posts and try to find what suits me.
I think you might also have some suggestion, which nootropics should i use based on your several years of experience, can you suggest me one or two for now.
Yes, I have never been through your life story. I just know about it, little from your videos in which you dicussed it shortly. I will read about it.
Thanks again, David
Shivansh, I cannot honestly suggest one or two nootropics without knowing much, much more. And why I suggested you do some research by reading through some of my posts.
what nootropic substance would you recommend for rehabilitation from
methamphetamines?
Mel, it depends on what kind of damage was caused by methamphetamines. if it’s damage to dopamine or serotonin neurons do a search of Nootropics Expert top right for “neurogenesis” and see what turns up.
If it’s a problem with damaged blood vessels, do a search to right for “cerebral blood flow” or “cerebral circulation” and see what turns up.
in the past our patient received L-Dopa and SSRIs and had no positive effects, instead the side effects made us to stop this treatment.
Next our patient received aniracetam and GABA and we noticed an improvement.
What other substance could we try?
Mel, The main metabolite of Aniracetam (70-80%) is N-anisoyl-GABA. Check the mechanism of action here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/aniracetam/
And GABA is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter. Check out its mechanism of action here and note that it also boosts Human Growth Hormone: https://nootropicsexpert.com/gaba/.
If L-DOPA and SSRIs don’t help it seems to me you can eliminate dopamine and serotonin for now. And start exploring anything that boosts GABA, keeps glutamate in check, and increases Human Growth Hormone.
Dr. Tomen, thanks for your reply,
is it a good idea to add a little L-Glutamine too?
and
to replace Aniracetam with Piracetam because I read this in the links you provided above:
“Aniracetam works faster in the brain after taking it than Piracetam because of its superior bioavailability to the brain. But its effects don’t last as long as Piracetam.
The potency of Aniracetam seems almost counter-intuitive. Because most of an Aniracetam dose is lost in the liver during digestion. Only 0.2% or the original dose is available to the brain.[vi] Piracetam is nearly 100% bioavailable.[vii]”
thank you.
Mel, L-Glutamine may be a good idea because it increases GABA levels in the brain. But the choice between Aniracetam and Piracetam really depends on the individual. I find Aniracetam works better for me. But it could be different for you. Only way to find out is to try.
Hi David.
I’m always insecure if I should take my nootropics with food or sober.Cause i know that it makes a difference in absorption depending on their solubility in water or fat.Would I be on the right side if I just take them with “Bulletprooff-Coffee” .I am intermittet fasting and at the moment I take them all in the morning what means about 7 hours before next meal.It would be a great help to have a list of your nootropics that shows how they should be taken for highest absorption. .
Esthy, the fat in Bullet Proof coffee will help the absorption of fat-soluble nootropics. Water soluble nootropics will be delivered by the water in the coffee.
Hello David, I think I have something unique and problem is in the last year I have been having vivid dreams every night without fail which is cause to have palpitations and unconsciously holding my breath waking me up 2, 3 times in the night. Is there anyway I can stop dreaming? I it putting a lot of stress on my heart and can not recover from my excise having poor sleep? Do I need a brain scan or hypnosis? It’s going to kill me if don’t do something about it. Thanks Jude UK
Jude, there our biohackers among us who would envy your vivid dreams. First thing to ask yourself is do you remember anything changing a year ago? Something in your diet? Or something in your environment? Anything radically change the last time you did blood tests?
Stress or a sudden traumatic event can cause vivid dreams. A bad breakup, death of someone close to you, whack on the head, change of sleep schedule, sex abuse, moving to a new place, etc.
If it’s an underlying mental or physical issue we could tackle it with nootropics or even some pharmaceuticals. But first we need to get to the root cause.
Thanks David, well 2 years ago I got drugged on an night out which I believe wipe out some of my good bacteria which left me with gut and brain issues leave me with mental and physical problems leading me thinking about taking my own life. With the help of research and probiotics I manage to over come that and now 2 years down the line I am not out of the woods yet
Jude, if you’re still thinking about suicide please seek out some pro help. There’s a LOT of good folk trained to help you deal with some of the issues you are dealing with. Nootropics can certainly help but only in support of getting the professional help you need.
Hi David,
I am having racing angry thoughts in my mind from time to time, several times a day. Sometimes I react to them, unknowingly. Specially when driving, and I unknowingly speedup the vehicle in a fit of anger, but soon I realize that and cool down. The thoughts immediately disappear when I am aware of them. They can come only unknowingly. They come for a very short time 2-3 minutes max. Will go off as soon as I am aware of them.
Entire situations is internal, except when I myself show a reaction. Externally, I am a very cool person. Working perfectly as a software engineer, and having a nice family.
After a lot of treatment like SSRIs and anti-psychotics, with no help. I resorted to therapy and some nootropics: L-theanine (100+100mg) and Glutamine (3+3+3 gms). Feeling much better, say 50%.
Can you please give me your expert advice, what else can I take for this scenario.
Satya, I think you’re onto something here without even knowing it. Sounds like a temporary spike in certain brain waves that L-Theanine and Glutamine has helped calm. If this is true, then these may help as well:
https://nootropicsexpert.com/phosphatidylserine-ps/
https://nootropicsexpert.com/gaba/
https://nootropicsexpert.com/noopept/
Thanks David,
I tried GABA before (Now Foods), did not help much. I will try the other two.
What do you think about L-Glycine? Will this go along with these?
My condition was diagnosed as “episodic anger”, a few months of treatment with SSRIs and anti-psychotics did not work much, and I had to come off because of side effects. This is two years back. Supplements are helping me much.
Satya, L-Gycine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. But if things like SSRIs didn’t help it doesn’t sound like a neurotransmitter problem. It sounds more like a brain wave issue.
Hi David,
I’ve been hearing a lot about inositol being an effective treatment for a few disorders. I suffer from anxiety, OCD, and most recently severe and frequent panic attacks. I tried ashwaghanda with a LITTLE success. b6 has been one of the vitamins that has truly helped with my energy and mood. I know inositol is a sugar basically, but can you take too much? also, is it kind of like an adaptogen because it’s explained that it will help elevate seratonin production but also help with TOO much seratonin. I have anxiety, so basically I’m afraid of trying anything new. LOL. I’m afraid I’ll mess with my brain chemistry or something.
Alexis, this should help you understand inositol: https://nootropicsexpert.com/vitamin-b8-inositol/. Look under “Overview” for a bullet list of what it’s used for.
Dear David,
I suffer from cyclothymia and go through mild depression and mild mania. During my depressive episodes I find it difficult to look up words in my mind and my speech is impaired, I get brain fog, my concentration is poor especially in the morning, my sexual drive is poor, I experience self doubt etc. During my manic episode I experience the complete opposite. Both states I can live with in terms of keeping my job and somehow functioning (better or worse), however, I’d like to function normally (especially eliminate self doubt, improve my memory/concentration and get rid of the brain fog). For lack of energy I found out B-complex vitamin is the cure. For lack of focus, difficulty in understanding what I read and brain fog I found nothing yet. I want to try nootropics. Should I go with nootropics or get my gut tested or do something else? I doubt I am genetically programmed to have cyclothymia. I had no such thing before I was 20 years old although I was a quite heavy introvert. Tips much appreciated!
Michael, try Lithium Orotate and report back please: https://nootropicsexpert.com/lithium-orotate/
Many thanks for your quick reply! I tried lithium orotate approx. half a year ago (Swanson’s product) for approx. 1 month and I experienced absolutely no aid to my condition whatsoever. Only thing that works great is the B-complex for energy levels and vitamin D during winter – makes me feel more positive but at the end of winter I wear out anyhow and feel depleted. Any other tips, Sir?
Michael, it’s difficult to suggest ways to help you without knowing the root cause of your issues. For example, see this post on “brain fog” and its causes: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-supplements-for-brain-fog/
It could be any number of causes and will take trial and error with different nootropics until you find what works. Chances are that it will be several nootropics used together to take care of whatever the problem is.
You’ve already experienced some success by finding out the you were low in certain Vitamins. Now you need to figure out if it’s a problem with neurotransmitters, inflammation, hormone imbalance, growth factors, etc. And the only way to narrow this down is trying different nootropics.
Start with that brain fog post for some ideas. Then scroll through more posts to see what resonates here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/category/guides/
Dear David
I suffered from extreme anxiety after an accumulation of stressful events. I stopped sleeping and effectively shut down. I had Electro Convulsive Therapy and am taking Sertraline and Olanzapine (not so easy to discontinue due to withdrawal effects). My aim is to take some nootropics to help repair my brain (memory/cognitive ability, noticeably affected) and also to reduce anxiety and insomnia while I taper off my meds.
I have dabbled (on and off) with Taurine (500mg -1000mg, 1-2 times a day) over a period of 2 weeks. I got cold feet, wondering if I would become dependant on it and thinking that perhaps my body would lose its ability to synthesise it if I took it long term. Would Taurine be of benefit and are my concerns unfounded? Can taking Taurine on and off throw my system out of sync? I also took one tablet of Bacopa (Synapsa) (320 mg, 55% Bacosides) and didn’t sleep well at all that night, so have not continued. Perhaps there is an interaction between Bacopa and one of the meds? Are there other nootropics you would recommend given my medication? Would it be safer to take vitamins/minerals/amino acids as opposed to herbals? If I slept better and my anxiety is under control, I could slowly taper off my meds.
I would really appreciate your views given your knowledge and experience.
Thanks
Jakes
Jakes, start with this post: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-sleep/. But make sure that you pay close attention to the “side effects” section of each review that is linked in that post. If in doubt, use the drug interaction checker here: https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html
For amino acids like Taurine you don’t need to worry about dependency. I can count the number of nootropics on one had that could be a candidate for “physical dependency”.
Every review on Nootropics Expert provides clear side effects and other concerns, if any. It will take some reading and research but all the information you are seeking is on this site.
Thanks David
I see Taurine isn’t included in the best nootropics for sleep, also not in the best nootropics list and you don’t personally seem to take it. Is there any reason for this as it does seem to have a number of benefits?
Regards
Jakes
Jakes, Taurine is included in my Nootropics List and here’s my review: https://nootropicsexpert.com/taurine/.
It likely should be in my stack. But I use so many supplements already that … And it could be in my sleep stack because it is also an alternative to prescription sleep meds.
No particular reason why it’s not in my “Best” list except if I kept adding the my Best list it wouldn’t be a Best list anymore. It would just be a long list of nootropics.
Hello David
I asked you about some nootropics I tried not working 2 weeks ago.
The recommendation that you provided which was to take B vitamins with the nootropics didn’t work.
I tried taking all the nootropics that I said with B-Vitamins on several occasion. I changed the dose of the B Complex and Nootropic source on each attempt, and still felt no effect.
I did feel effect from the B-Vitamin complex. I tried taking the B-Vitamins in the same dose on 2 occasions. On One occasion with CDP-Choline and one occasion without CDP-Choline. I recieved basically equal benefit on both occasions. CDP-Choline provided no additional cognitive benefit still.
I still believe the cause of the nootropics not working is elevated enzyme levels, either in the liver or elsewhere.
Please provide me with the names of any supplements or methods or lowering liver enzymes or that lower more specifically the enzymes that metabolise the nootropics if you know of any
The nootropics I took that didn’t work were:
-CDP-Choline (Highest dosage taken is 1500mg)
-Alpha-GPC (Highest dosage take is 600mg
-L-Tyrosine (Highest dosage taken in 500mg)
and since my previous comment
-300mg Uridine Monophosphate
Thank you
Harvey
Harvey, Piperine inhibits the drug transporter P-glycoprotein, and the major drug-metabolizing enzyme CYP3A4 active primarily in your liver. You could try Piperine or the patented version called BioPerine and see if that helps any. https://nootropicsexpert.com/piperine/
Hi David
I wanted to ask you about Microdosing Mushrroms or other Psychedelics.
A lot of people say that it is helpful in many aspects for the brain.
It would be great if you could write about it,cause I do trust your opinion very much.And your videos and writings have helped me a lot in the last years.Thank You for that.
Sorry for the bad english its not my native language
Esthy, researching and writing a post on micro-dosing would be a major project. I’ll put it on my list but likely won’t get to it for awhile. Thanks for the suggestion!
Dear David Tomen,
I started giving my girlfriend alpha GPC for her cfs like u proposed to me. A miracle happened. She had so much energy after the second day she was very happy and thankful she felt herself cured only after 3 days it stopped working. Right now she is very sad i feel bad for her . Maybe u know why it stopped working?
Kind regards,
Haider
Haider, Alpha GPC increases acetylcholine AND boosts dopamine. So it could be that she’s low in dopamine as well. You could try L-Tyrosine which is a precursor to the synthesis of dopamine.
But the thing is that the only way to find out the cause of what is contributing to her issues is trying different nootropics until you find something that works.
Please read this post so you have a clearer understanding of what needs to be done: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-depression/
Hi David,
1. What can I stack with MLP to kill anxiety and social problems?
2. Is cycling for MLP needed or can I take it every day for very long period?
Yazan, I use Mind Lab Pro daily without any problem. Some prefer to cycle two days off per week.
For social anxiety, you can try some of the supplements suggested in this post: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-social-anxiety/
Hi David,
I’ve been on an antipsychotic, paliperidone, for around 2 years, currently on the lowest dose, am hoping to get off it soon, but am wondering what I can take now that might help the brain recover from it, or to counteract it (one feels zombification, and there’s mention of cognitive impairment, metabolic issues, and even brain shrinkage).
The obvious thing was to reach for a product like Qualia Mind, but it seemed it could be a brain stimulant and I came across a study online (“The Dopamine Dilemma, Using Stimulants and Antipsychotics Concurrently” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2898838/) that said that there were concerns about the combination of stimulant (dopamine agonist) and antipsychotic (dopamine antagonist). It would seem an issue one might want to be careful about while still on the antipsychotic. The product you recommend “Mind Lab Pro” would seem to be less stimulant oriented, which may then be a better alternative to Qualia. In response to another who previously took paliperidone, you suggested Aniracetam and BDNF.
At this point, I’m considering Mind Lab Pro and a Curcumin supplement. Would that be reasonable to take in your opinion, while still on the paliperidone? Or do you think it would be better to wait until the drug is stopped. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Joshua
Josh, you could run into problems because paliperidone is a dopamine and serotonin antagonist. And the L-Tyrosine in Mind Lab Pro and Qualia Mind as I recall is a dopamine agonist. You could end up with too much dopamine if taken together. Which can cause problems like irritability and if it affects your heart, then death.
Aniracetam does not directly boost dopamine but does affect dopamine receptors. Which too could cause problems. It’s hard to tell because we don’t have any clinical studies to verify this.
That’s the problem with combining very potent pharmaceuticals with nootropics. It is potentially dangerous and worst case deadly. If I were you I would wait for a couple of weeks at least after your last dose of paliperidone.
Hi David,
I have been taking aniracetam for the past two days and it has just made me sleepy. On top of that, I take SNRI, Anticonvulsant, magnesium, turmeric, fish oil, B12. What racetam and supplements do you recommend I have OCD and ADHD.
David, this is the stack I recommend for ADHD: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-adhd-add/.
The only reason I can think of that Aniracetam would make you sleepy is you are not using a choline supplement with it. You need Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline with it because it is forcing the use of more acetylcholine in your brain.
David, pl review for tianeptine.
Ayush, I will not be doing a review of tianeptine because I classify this as a “smart drug” and not a natural nootropic. Tianeptine is a controlled substance in many countries and at least on state here in the USA. And there is some concern that it can be abused as well. Not something to be messing with unless it’s prescribed by your doctor for a specific ailment.
I suffered a brain stem stroke back in January of this year, I have diabetes, I have heart problems, I Suffer from MDD(Major Depressive Disorder) what can you recommend for me, if anything besides a bullet to the brain.
Mike, is the MDD as result of the brain stem stroke? Or were you dealing with depression before? What you are dealing with is far more complex than my area of expertise. Best I can offer you for now is read this post for the causes of depression. And natural ways to deal with depression. https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-depression/
Is it safe to mix Resveratrol, NMN and either Aniracetam or Noopept?
i am after optimizing genetic repair, mood, focus, flow and creativity.
Nader, it’s safe to stack all of those nootropics as long as you used recommended dosages including using the latter two nootropics with a choline supplement. I highly recommend reading dosage instructions for each of these in the relevant review here on Nootropics Expert.
For flow read this: https://nootropicsexpert.com/how-to-hack-your-flow-state-with-nootropics/
For repair read this: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-traumatic-brain-injury/
For mood read this: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-depression/
Do you plan to give out translations of your book(German)? Is it available in Switzerland?
Could you please make a review about Kratom.That would be great.
Esthy, Kratom is on my list of nootropics to review before the end of the year. I’ve had several requests so I think I’ll need to move it up my list. And it’s up to my publisher if they want to put Head First out in other languages. Not sure about that one because it’s not my decision.
Great I am looking foreward to it.I love your reviews they are always packet full of all the information needed and anyway very easy to understand(Even for me whos native language is not english)Thank you so much for all the time and work you put in:
Love Esthy
Ps: About your Berberin review:You have been right. Berberine alleviates ischemic arrhythmias via recovering depressed I(to) and I(Ca) currents in diabetic rats.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22188769
Hi David,
When was ‘Head First’ book published? Has it gone through any new updates as of 2019?
Thank you
Arj, Head First was published early in 2018. I’m working on a 2nd edition but it’ll take another few months before it’s ready. No major changes except more nootropic reviews.
Hello, how are you?
forgive my english
I suffer from chronic fatigue and hypersomnia since 2015. I am 19 years old, and it has conditioned my life. I suffer from memory problems, I find it hard to learn, and I always feel a mental fog, as if my mind were at rest and I did not wake up
I have gone to the doctor, without effect. I have read from your blogs, and I wanted to start with the nootropics. I do not know where to start, to treat my problem. Take modafinil, but it gives me anxiety and even then I feel weak. Citalopram is the only medicine that has helped me, which, however, has not done it at all. I thought to take a stack of Aniracetam 750 mg in the morning, 300 mg of alpha gpc, 500mg of lion’s mane and a good vitamin.
Do you think it will help?
I have other symptoms, like I have trouble getting out of bed, muscle weakness and I always feel confused.
I admire your work, and I’ve always been aware of thanks!
Samuel, start here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/beginners-guide-to-nootropic-stacks/
My son is 30 years old and a recovering alcoholic, He suffers from PTSD, mild depression, social anxiety and some energy and sleep issues. He functions and works. I want to start him off with a basic stack. I’m thinking a quality multivitamin, Rhodiola, Bacopa Monnieri, Ashwagandha and Ginseng. I won’t get him to take over five items. Thoughts on this? Thanks so much for your work!
Paul, you’ll get some ideas here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/beginners-guide-to-nootropic-stacks/. Spend some time on the rest of this site because you’ll find hundreds of pages of suggestions the deeper you get into this. But that page will get you started.
Hi David, first I would like to apreciate you for your great job and information provided by this website!
Sorry for taking your time, but if you don’t mind losing 1 minute in helping me, its gonna be a great help for my brain because here in Brazil we don’t have any medical experts on nootropics.
Short story, I’m a 25 old student, with crazy Tourette tics and some degree of Bipolar Disorder comorbid with Anxiety and ADHD.. actually in a straight 12hour-a-day studying session aiming to pass into a Medical School entrance exam
I have really messed up with my neurochemistry during teenage years, with heavy duty LSD and MDMA usage every weekends for 10 years, plus hashish and marijuana consistent daily usage…before that I had always great school notes
Now that I’m totally free from illicit drug abuse (thank’s god), I’m trying to fix my poor fucked up brain with nootropics… my religious daily stack (no cycling) consists of:
– Modafinil 100mg
– Desvenlafaxine 50mg
– EPA/DHA 300mg
– Tadalafil 5mg ( to increase cAMP) and improve overall blood flow
– FDC ALL 26 Geriatric Multivitamin and Multiminerals
———-NOOTROPIC STACK————–
– Bacopa Monnieri 150mg
– Rhodiola Rosea 150mg
– Ashwagandha 200mg
– L Theanine 150mg
– Gingko Biloba 60mg
– 5HTP 100mg
– L Tyrosine 200mg
– Choline Bitartrate 300mg
– Huperzine A 50mcg
– Melatonin 1mg at night to induce a peaceful sleep
This natural nootropic stack is divided into 3 capsules a dose, and I take 1 capsule at morning with the pharmaceutical meds, another capsule after lunch, and the other capsule around 18pm
Do you think this stack is properly balanced or I’m messing with something?
Is there anything I should adjust like the 5htp and Tyrosine doses?
Please leave your comment, sorry for the relatively long text and thank you! Best wishes…
Mattheus, I’d increase L-Tyrosine dosage according to dosage recommendations in the review here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/tyrosine/.
Check other dosages by scrolling through the list here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropics-list/
And Huperzine-A should only be used every 2nd or 3rd day because of a long half-life.
Thank you very much for replying Dave…yeah, gonna make some adjusts into my self-made stack…I’ll change L Theanine for CoQ10 100mg, increase Tyrosine to 300mg, HupA to 100mcg and reduce 5HTP to 50mg…Theanine is great for calmness and relaxation but I’m feeling kinda spacey and zoned out with it (maybe some kind of interaction with the adaptogens or the pharma meds)…ashwa, bacopa and rhodiola already does the trick for anxiety ;P…
Do you think I should take the entire dose (3caps) at morning or spreading them on 1 at morning/ 1 at lunch/ 1 at evenning is ok?
Mattheus, I’ve found it best to split dosages when possible and taken 2 or 3 times during the day. Just make sure you are not using something Tyrosine too late in the day or you’ll interfere with sleep.
I’ve been following along here on your site and found some cool info about NAC.
In the past 3 weeks, after having a dental visit, I’ve been noticing a lot of mental changes with me, like vertigo, zoning out, feeling as if my brain is detached or disassociated from my body, brain fog to the extreme, and lack of concentration.. I also notice I feel waves of pulsating vibrations in my brain… I haven’t been the same ever since. Before that dental visit, I was actually normal, and I’m not sure if it was the drilling or the 2-3 hours of me laying down or anesthesia that got to my brain for me to feel this way, it’s an uncomfortable feeling. I was wondering what brain supplements would you recommend for me to be able to concentrate better and for me to get rid of this brain fogginess that I’ve been feeling for 3 weeks? I have actually tried to work out, eat right but still the brain fog is still there.. what supplements would you recommend?
Blade, you need to find out what kind of meds the dentist used that may have caused your symptoms. Otherwise, it’s purely speculation.
This is how to get rid of brain fog: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-supplements-for-brain-fog/
Can i take piperine with:
-Symbiotics
-Omega 3
-Vit E
-Phosphatidylserine
-All B vitamins
-PQQ
-CoQ10
-Lion’s mane
-Green tea extract
-NAC
-Alcar
-Vit D
-Lithium orotate
-Gotu Kola
-GABA
-Magnesium
Yes
Thanks a lot. I’m asking because i’ve heard that it can block some enzymes and i was worried that some of supplements that i’ve chose won’t work.
Just keep this in mind. Ask yourself how each supplement will interact with another. If they’re amino acids will the compete for amino acid transporters? Including amino acids as supplements as well as amino acids in food.
i m big fan of your website certainly best nootropic info site on whole internet.could you please please send me few nootropics names other then piracetam and vinpocetine that have anticonvulant properties. i shall be very thankful to you for this act of kindness…
Gohar, that depends on what the cause is of what you are describing. I have seen reports that some CBD Oil is great for preventing seizures. Is that what you are talking about?
My mom has severe dementia. This current routine im experimenting on her right now seems to be working at the moment. She is starting to come around alittle bit better.. More responsive, less screaming. Memory alittle improved.
Morning
1. Oxyspark = one scoop mixed with one to 3 scoops of microingredients brand organic beetroot powder. Also 300+ mg of pine bark extract from bulk supplements.. 500 mg of vitamin c from bulk supplements. All mixed in together
2. Charles schwabb tebonin/ginko bioboa special extract egb 761= 120 mg
3. Dr Steve Blakes brain and body food.= 3 pills
4. Astaxathin by biotin = 20 mg
5. Solgar natural d alpha tocopherol vitamin E = 800 iu
6. All solar manufacturing ultimate gamma E = 500 mg
7. Memnivia/ sage stemcells = 600 mg
8. Iron= 65mg
9. Huperzine A by double wood= 400 mcg
10. Mushroom wisdom amyloban = 900 mg
11. Berberine advanced nutrition = 500 mg
Mid afternoon
12. Pqq = 20 mg
13. Berberdine = 500 mg
14. Pine bark extract = 300 mg
Evening
15. Tebonin = 120 mg
16. Oxyspark mixed with beetroot and pine bark extract
17. Brain and body food = 3 pills
18. 98% curcumin 1000 mg
19. Berberine = 500 mg
20.pine bark extract 300 mg
21. Huperzine A = 40p mcg
22. Vitmain E 400 to 800 iu d alpha tocopherol
23. Panax notoginseng = 400 mg by healthsmart
24. Mct oil ketones one teaspoon
25. Blue green algae= 500 mg
26. Amyloban= 900 mg
Hi David
Have you delve into herbs like Kratom? What do you think of it?
John, I use Kratom for pain and have for years. It’s on my list of supplements to review this year.
David
Thanks for your response. I’m a recovering from a long addiction from Kratom. Its somewhat messed up my body and my mood. Do you use it all the time? What are your thoughts on this?
John, I do use Kratom sometimes daily. And do not experience any side effects or strong withdrawal symptoms when I stop using it. But a few others claim otherwise. I’m nor sure why that is except that there seems to be a lot of adulterated Kratom on the market. Are you absolutely confident the Kratom you’ve been using is pure Kratom and not mixed with anything else?
Hi David
I’ve been getting my Kratom from the same online supplier for 3-4 years, so its really hard to know. I’m pretty sure kratom suppliers are sometimes not sure what they are getting, sometimes. It also really depends on how much and long you’ve been doing it. I originally used it to get off pain killers, because it binds to the same receptors. Because it does that, you’d expect some WD with longterm use. I’m on a quittingkratom subreddit, and i hear all the withdrawal stories, some worse than painkiller WD. Some folks are taking 1-3oz daily. I took a (~17 grams per day) tablespoon 3x daily for 3-4 years, and was able to feel significant WD. I’ve recently encountered some neuropathy from longterm usage, which i see that folks have reported very similar symptoms on the boards. That had prompted me to quit. Just wandering what your experience on it was.
John, hasn’t been my experience. Of course the most I ever use for pain is about 8 grams. But I know the vendor I use has their own 3rd party testing lab that verifies each batch they sell. They ended up doing that because of a problem with potential contamination.
I have this, not quite a phobia, about phone calls and skype. Is it possible to do a consultation via email? Possibly send me the questions you need answered and I send you the information I think is relevant. Once you spend 1/2 hour reading and typing, then the consultation would be over as that’s the time I paid for. I know it’s weird, but I’m really weird and I’m really bad off right now and have gotten to the point that I’m here, typing this. I’ve already deleted it once before posting. If there’s a place for a private text chat, that would work too, I guess.
Darcy, schedule a regular consultation with me and put in the notes section that you’d like me to correspond by email rather than Skype or phone. You’ll need to schedule a specific time but as long as you put this in your notes I’ll recognize that it’s you and respond accordingly.
David
Would a supplement that produces millions of stems cells from youre own bone marrow help with cell death in alzheimers? Make a patient recover from loss of brain cells?
No idea. Let me know what you find out.
Ok. I will. Its also called stem cell factor or SCF. It goes hand in hand with NGF. By the way Moms already talking alittle better with the berberdine you use and pine bark extract. Thank you David
What do you think would work better for cerebral blood flow in alzheimers panax notoginseng or tebonin egb 761?
For blood flow I suggest Pine Bark Extract or Vinpocetine.
David have you ever heard of dragons blood or sangre de grado? Its supposedly the most powerful antioxidant on earth with the highest orac score value! Its slightly ahead of astaxathin. Im just wondering because i didnt see any articles on youre website?
Never heard of them.
Hello David,
first of all, congratulations for your blog.
I have just started my nootropics journey. I have soaked up information all over Internet but it’s still not clear to me HOW SHOULD I CYCLE concrete stacks like this one. My daily stack consists of:
MORNING
– 650mg Lion’s Mane
– 1000mg fish oil
– 100mg Pine bark extract
– 500mg Bacopa Monnieri (20% bacosides)
– 200 mg Rhodiola Rosea 3% Rosavine 1% Salidroside
MID-AFTERNOON
– 650mg Lion’s Mane
– 100mg Pine Bark extract
AFTERNOON (OPTIONAL)
– 100mg Pine Bark extract
My dosage is based on the dosage recommendations found on your blog.
So, how should I cycle this? It seems that I could be taking Lion’s Mane uninterruptedly untill the day I die because its effects are cumulative but what about the others?
Would it be just enough with 3 months dosage/ 1 off? 1 month/2 weeks? Week/weekend?
I don’t have any problems like depression, brain damage or drug abuse and I just want to take nootropics as cognitive enhancers mostly because I have to deal with a lot of information each day. I’m just gonna stick to the natural ones.
I would appreciate your input. I trust you way more than any random guy on any internet forum.
Greetings from Paris.
Pablo, there is no need to cycle with the stack you have designed with your dosages and timing. You should find it will work better as time goes on and within 3 – 4 weeks you’ll be getting the full benefit of your stack.
But expect to progress to a “new normal”. In other words it may not ‘feel’ like anything. But your brain will be working better. And the only way you’ll know differently is if you stopped taking this stack abruptly. Then you’ll likely regress to your “old normal”.
Hello David,
Please add my name to your many appreciative readers. I have come to rely on your accumulated knowledge and wisdom concerning Nootropics.
After retirement as a medical instrument developer, I volunteered as a part-time caregiver for patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. The obvious lack of any meaningful pharmaceuticals for neurological disorders has caused me to actively seek out natural treatments. Most of what is available, natural or chemical, seem to address memory-related symptoms rather than root causes.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts and suggestions for treating the causes of dementia. Thanks again for your sharing.
Hugh Busey
Hugh, do a search of this site for the keyword “dementia” and then for “Alzheimer’s”. You’ll get some fall-positives but I recall several nootropics have studies that showed they were effective in preventing dementia. See this post as well: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-the-aging-brain/
David whats the best nootropic or vitamin or supplement at protecting brain cells from free radicals and oxidative stress? I know theres alot. Vitamin E, Astaxathin, vitamin C ect.
David
Is pqq a good treatment for alzheimers?
Cy, check my PQQ review to see if it helps Alzheimer’s. And do a search of Nootropics Expert to find others that treat this disease.
Pine Bark Extract
Do they both inhibit and reduce tau?
yes they do
David
To youre knowledge what is the best nootropic at reduceing tau tangles ? And also To youre knowledge what is the best nootropic at inhibiting tau buildup in alzheimers?
Berberine and Methylene Blue.
Hello David
I experience no cognitive change or improvement at all when I supplement with either:
≤900mg of CDP Choline
300mg Alpha gpc
300mg cdp choline and 300mg Alpha GPC
500mg l tyrosine
500mg l tyrosine and 200mg green tea extract
This seems to be an unusual occurance. I don’t know anyone who has had a similar experience.
I tried to figure out why I didn’t respond to any of these combinations and realised that either
the substances in the nootropics are either being prevented from entering my brain somehow
Or
I am deficient in some of the enzymes that convert the nootropics into either ACH or Dopamine
Or
The nootropics are being metabolized into other substances elsewhere in the body before the can be metabolized into the intended neurotransmitters
Incase it turns out that the nootropics are being metabolized into unwanted substances Please provide me with as much as you can of the list below
1) The names of the enzymes that are probably metabolizing the nootropics
2) The names of any supplement or drug that inhibits or decreases these enzymes
If you aren’t aware of any of those the also:
3) A source where I can find that information
I would also appreciate any of information you think may be useful to me
Thank You
Harvey
Harvey, they’re likely not working for you because they need cofactors to produce acetylcholine and dopamine and all the other major neurotransmitters. Especially the B-Vitamins. But you also need a couple minerals to do the job as well.
Please see these posts on critical nutrients:
https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-vitamins-essential-for-the-optimized-brain/
https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-minerals-essential-for-the-optimized-brain/
Also, click through to each of the vitamins and minerals that have separate reviews to find out ideal dosage.
Hi! I have a 6 year old son. He has a complete lack of impulse controll. He takes what he wants and does what he wants, hit other kids, without thinking about consequenses. He has problems relating to more than one kid at a time. It’s like he always acts before he thinks. If he wants something, he just takes it or steals it.
He is often in a very good mood. But at the same time often gets very angry for minor things, having frequent “meltdowns” (then after a little while everything as fine again, as if nothing happened). He is absolutely not able to speak about his feelings, not to anyone. Total silence! He has no problems with sleep. He is extremely strong and fit for his age (much stronger than kids at his age), has a huge appetite and a huge amount of energy. And very good fine and gross motor skills. He is “extreme” in many ways.
At the same time, he is able to concentrate. I don’t think he has ADHD. I’ve suspected aspergers, but I’m not sure. He has humor, understands ironi, has good eye contact (expect when he is mad!) and is very strong and physical (not usual traits for those with aspergers!).
Anyway, I suspect he has problems with the balance between glutamate and GABA. And maybe low levels of serotonin. The more I learn about glutamate and GABA the more sure I am that he must have some serious imbalance here. I also suspect he has “too much” testosterone, and therefore maybe a testosterone/estrogen imbalance. His ringfinger is much longer than his forefinger, a clear indication of high prenatal testosterone exposure. This may also explain his impulsive, aggressive behavior and superior physics.
A month ago, I started giving him rather high doses of vitamin D (5000-10000 IU a day). Among others to improve serotonin levels. But no visible effect so far. I’m now considering giving him a stack of taurine, zink, vitamin B6 and maybe NAC, to improve the imbalance I think he has with glutamate/GABA.
What do you think! I appreciate any thoughts from you.
Eivind, the easiest way to safely raise serotonin (in adults) is L-Tryptophan.
I’m not a doctor and not professionally trained in the neuroscience of children. But must caution you about dosages of any supplement for children. The human brain is developing until the early 20’s and anything you do to disrupt this natural growth can easily cause problems.
I highly suggest you find a good naturopathic or integrative medical doctor who works with kids. This does sound like ADHD or Asperger’s but you really need to find a professional who understands how to safely deal with this.
Hello. I’m sure you may have already covered it, but with my attention span (haha) I just scrolled on down to ask you directly. I have been told and consider myself to be rather intelligent (maybe not genius, but above average), but I ALWAYS find myself lacking motivation and/or the patience to see almost anything through, whether it’s my own idea or that of someone else I intend to help. I find myself looking for things I want to learn, but always put it aside and procrastinate, both with educating myself and with actually getting anything done in real life, such as unpacking when I move, or developing a website for my mother or for a friend who owns a business. It’s not that helping my mother isn’t enough of a motivation, because, after her 30 years of disability, I would love nothing more than to help her to finally become self sufficient. I just, can’t seem to push myself to achieve what I KNOW I’m quite capable of doing. I find myself wanting to take a nap whenever possible (I DO work 6 days a week, sometimes 10.5 hours a day), and that leaves so many important things put aside that I truly should just GET IT DONE and be as progressive and productive as possible. Do you have any recommendations for me? When I was a young child I was diagnosed with ADHD, but as a young teen, I was told that I did NOT have ADHD, and therefore didn’t need my medication (i progressed from Ritalin to Adderal over the course of perhaps 8-10 years). Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Having said that, what I did manage to force myself to slow down and read was quite informative, which is what led me to reach out to you for (perhaps) some one on one advice. Thank you in advance.
Matthew, if you’re really working 6-days a week and 10 1/2 hours per day it sounds like you’re being too hard on yourself. But if you really want help with motivation then this info may help: https://nootropicsexpert.com/hacking-motivation-with-nootropics/
Hello,
Thank you for your YouTube presentations. I am just learning about nootropics and appreciate your teachings. I tried to obtain your free book
Secrets of the Optimized Brain by typing in my email, but never received it.
Perhaps it went to my junk mail by mistake and I may have deleted it. At any rate, is there a way I can obtain this book? Thank you, Pat
Pat, I’ll email you a copy today.
Hello,
I’m 61 and have gone most of my life with ADD. My doc put me on Adderall and my blood pressure went through the roof but for the first time ever I felt I could concentrate. I’ve read a bit about nootropics but I’ve got burned the past 2 times. I read an article on Brain Pill. Now my question is that a brand you would recommend or not? I really thought it might be good because it has Ginkgo Biloba, and my buddy ordered it from you after reading https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropics-list/#ginkgo-biloba. Also, how do you know if a brand is reliable?
John, you know something is reliable by reading legit reviews on that nootropic supplement. And then read the user reviews.
If you are using Adderall and found that it helped then follow the protocol in this post to support its use: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-adhd-add/
I am not an expert on blood pressure. But if you do your research and find natural alternatives and try them. But then don’t seem to help bring it down then talk to your doctor about a safe blood pressure med.
Hello, love your videos on YouTube, was wondering if you could please open up your YouTube comments for discussion, would be great thank you.
Sebastian, I’ve chosen not to enable YouTube comments because I haven’t the time or resources to monitor that and everything else I am doing. This is a ‘one man band’ and I’m covering everything by myself.
That is why I encourage viewers at the end of each video to use the relevant comments section on Nootropics Expert.
Hi Dave,
Thanks to your review on Mind Lab Pro, Whole-Food Multi Men,Vision and Energy you made me a believer. And I made my first purchase back in January 2019 and I’m very happy with the product you recommended. I’m a 82-year-old senior that has to watch my pennies. You provided me with a 10% discount code NE10 which was huge for me back in January. I need a refill and wondering if you may have any more discount codes in the near future.
Thanks for your knowledge, book and help.
Roger
Roger, thanks for the report. I wish I did have a discount code for you but Opti Nutra has not offered me one since that promo.
Hi sir.
i hope i wont waste your precious time. i have a very long story to tell but long story short, i get injected a antipsychotic called paliperidone. it blocks 4 main receptors. dopamine, serotonine, histamine and cholinerjic. i cant not believe that its a cure. i went other doctors have prof titles and turns out i m not psychotic but its too late for me. that was my worst mistake to accept that injection. it was pure hell. i didnt almost feel anything first months. just lay down and pray. after 3-5 months, my feeling came back slowly. passed 8.5 months and its getting better but very slowly. there are so many people suffering from this drug not just me but companies producing 3 months dose level injection. it has very long half time period. maybe its too detail but my hypothesis is this matter can stick body fat. how can it separate body fat and brain fat? when i do workout hard (esspacially more burn fat work) after 3 days, i feel the damn matter effects and lasts 10 15 days. im sorry i write too much maybe. do you give me advice about this situation? i mean what kind of supplements can fix my dopamine and serotonine receptors? i watched almost all of your videos. i took some notes but if you give your personal advices, i would be happy. sorry for my grammar.
thank you for your time, god bless and have a nice day.
Kadir, Aniracetam helps activate Dopamine D2 & D3 receptors: https://nootropicsexpert.com/aniracetam/.
And brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) help with neurogenesis and repair of receptors and synapses. Please see this post for boosting BDNF: https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-nootropics-to-boost-bdnf/
I do offer personal consultations as well. You’ll find the link to my calendar for scheduling on this page: https://nootropicsexpert.com/personal-consultations/
thank you so much for your response. i wish i had enough budget for this but i m from Turkey and 1 dollar=5.5 turkish lira and also i m a student. i hope we will meet in future. thanks again.
Hi David!
I am 50, and I’ve Sjogren’s Syndrome for 3 years. My biggest problems – extreme fatigue and brain fog – are almost solved with the help of nootropics. My stack includes the following: Modafinil 100mg, Piracetam 1600 mg, Coenzym CoQ 10 (Ubiquinol) 200mg, Rhodiola Rosea 500mg, Acetyl L Carnitine 500mg; vitamins D 5000 IJ and B5 5000mg, Magnesium 250mg, Lecithin 1200mg (as a source of choline). I tried to add Bacopa, so after taking for several times, I was feeling very bad. But, current state is not my best fit. I have attacks of fatigue and brain fog after a busy day or when the weather changes. Now, I am employed and try to finish my PhD at the same time. I need more energy, and stable/optimal mental condition – focus, concentration, motivation, organizing ideas … Do you have any suggestions for optimizing my brain? Thank you in advance.
Marina, If you are using Modafinil I highly recommend following the protocol I designed for ADD/ADHD here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-adhd-add/.
If you are using Piracetam, you should be stacking it with an acetylcholine precursor like Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline. Piracetam boosts the use of acetylcholine in your brain. And if you don’t supply it with enough to work with you will experience brain fog, headaches, etc.
I think you’ll feel a huge difference following just those two suggestions.
Any ideas on the best labs to buy pharmaceutical grade Methylene Blue?
Patricia, Sigma Aldrich in the US still manufactures pharmaceutical-grade MB as far as I know.
Hi David love your work. I was hoping you could help answer a perplexing email I got from a certain well known nootropics company. I recently got into nootropics because my aunt was diagnosed with early onset dementia , her doctors of course told her that there was nothing she could do. She was given antidepressants and a acetolocholine inhibtor drug , both “treatmenst” where admitted would only help symptoms but do nothing to fight the disease. I am a second year neuroscience major and don’t claim to know much but , I certainty know upon looking at the research there is alot more you can do. NGF and BDNF have been extensively researched for not only being neuroprotective but perhaps even being implicated in stimulating neurogenisus. Long story short , I went and bought Lions mane and Noopet since both appear to be the safest and most effective NGF and BDNF boosters. The nootropics company I was going to buy from said that stacking Noopept with anything was bad , because quote “ Noopept is a stimulant drug that will potentially turn you into a vegatble in the long run” I replied to them that I have read as far as I am aware , all the research on Noopet and if anything it will help stave off becoming a vegetable because it like Lions mane stimulates NGF and BDNF. They did not respond lol. Where are they getting this information from I am confused hahah.
Sam, it’s amazing how much false information is out there and how uninformed many people are. Even those you’d think should know what they are talking about.
And is the reason I started Nootropics Expert. To make unbiased, researched information available and easily understandable on what can help the human brain.
I haven’t seen anything yet on Noopept turning you into a vegetable. Let me know if you do find something along those lines.
Hello,
I have chronic insomnia. Trying to find the right combination of sleep supplements. Doctors told me to play with dossge of theanine and lithium orotate at bedtime for sleep. I tried them together before bed and did not sleep at all. Felt like I was half awake half sleep all night. I like ashwagandha but I do take 5mcg of liothyronine. My nurse said her daughter sleeps well with 60 mg of li orotate. I cannot imagine taking that much. Should I take lithium orotate at bedtime? The 5mg with NAC by Pure during the day works well for me. I am concerned that seroyonin and dopamine are low.
Thank you…Nadine
Nadine, the best nootropic supplements I’ve found for sleep are Tart Cherry Juice, magnesium and L-Tryptophan. I explain why it works in this post: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-sleep/
David,
Thank you so much for all the content you put out there.
I recently watched your video on ADHD. Is there is a preformulated stack you would recommend instead of buying all of the nootropics separately?
Thank you.
Patrick, I use Mind Lab Pro as my ‘base’ and build from there. I’ve found that my brain is starved of dopamine and acetylcholine. That’s why ‘staples’ in my stack include more NALT or L-Tyrosine, ALCAR and lately I’ve added Alpha GPC. But for ADHD I’d say the minimum is Mind Lab Pro, ALCAR and NALT. Dosage of the last two depends on your unique issues.
Hi David,
I have a son at university in Edinburgh studying engineering, who is struggling with focus, concentration, motivation and organizing ideas in to any sense of priority. He is easily distracted into doing things of little importance to avoid worrying about these problems. I think he is exactly as I have been all my 64 years. I have moments when things are clear, but just like a zoom lens loosing focus this organization of ideas and thoughts can suddenly melt away. Passion helps us to form goals in life and overcome the obstacles in the way. I think we both lack that emotional drive. Are these elements inherited? We are both dyslexic – I had myself tested after he was diagnosed at school. With the support he had at school he gained very good A level grades in Maths and physics, but not so well in his third choice, economics, which requires more organized written ideas.
He is a good runner, hockey and tennis player and loves the gym. He is also very sociable and well liked and is generous to others. He has an addictive trait and we have had issues with on line gambling, sugar and alcohol. The last two are highly disruptive to his intestinal barrier, which exacerbates his mental abilities. I am considering both of us having a session of IV NAD+. What do you think about this?
I am a UK crop farmer who has had a lot of contact with glyphosate and in recent years, I also trained as an advanced nutritional therapist to help myself and family. I have had problems in organizing myself to make this latter thing into a business. I focus on mitochondrial health, function and communications.
What would you suggest for my son and myself as helpful neutropics or other interventions? Thanks,
Sam
May I just add that I do not sleep well, waking around 3am each night for maybe an hour, and when trying to read long and complex documents during the day, I simply find my mental energy fades and my eyes close. I jolt back to concentration and continue or start again.
I do use DigiPill’s 15 min power nap app to give me a quick re-charge in the afternoons.
Sam, the symptoms sound very much like a dopamine issue for both of you. I suggest you look up the symptoms of ADD and ADHD. And also see if any thing in this post resonates with you: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-adhd-add/.
This is NOT a “one pill” solution contrary to how mainstream medicine has us conditioned to think. For example, motivation is not solely a dopamine issue as many thought until recently. It also involved AMPA receptors. I realize this sounds like Greek to you but read through the following post and you’ll see what I mean: https://nootropicsexpert.com/hacking-motivation-with-nootropics/. This also applies to your question about fading while reading complex documents.
For sleep, please study this: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-sleep/