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 my 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. You’ll quickly learn what each does along with their side effects. And the ‘mechanism of action‘ or how each supplement works in your brain and body.
You’ll get nootropic dosing recommendations, and interactions with other nootropics and medications. Including what to avoid!
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.
I”m happy you’re here. Because 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 finally start experiencing the benefits 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 biohacking 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 it’s for, how it’s 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 I have 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, I feel I have got ADHD. But I want to ask why I could be reading something but not understand it? It’s like my brain is not processing the info properly? Maybe because my brain is thinking too fast? ADHD? What do you think the reason might be?
And would you advise B complex vitamins for that? If so? Which brand I am in the UK.
Arik, before you decide that you are ADHD I suggest you read this article top to bottom: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-adhd-add/. It includes a section you can use to help you figure out if you are ADHD.
There is no “one pill” solution if you are ADHD. It’s going to take a lot more than a simple B-Complex to fix whatever is causing your symptoms.
You’re on the first page of Nootropics Expert. And you’ve got hundreds of pages to choose from to help you figure this out. But start with that article first.
Welcome back! You did a lot, for yourself and for those who can not take care of themselves, and who don’t find an appropriate doctor.
It is amazing! …it is a real lesson for me! My own health forced me to do almost the same. I try not to be a victim of the same horrible illness my mother had.
I tried to download the book generously offered by you…I made a mistake and I failed.
I will go on you inspired me, have a wonderful life and enjoy your renewed life!
Thank you, so much!
Adriana, if you tried to download Secrets of the Optimized Brain and something went wrong please let me know and I’ll email you a copy.
Hello David, I currently take Effexor, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, and trazadone. Are there any combinations of nootropics that would be safe and effective for me? My main symptoms I want to fix are anhedonia, depression, brain fog, memory loss, and irregular sleep patterns. I also have mild hypothyroidism, amenorrhea, and pre-diabetes which might be related to my mood also. I am new to this but I have taken phosphatidylcholine, multivitamin, fish oil, L-Tyrosine, and NAC. Are those safe to take with my medicine? And are there any better alternatives?
Frieda, you have a lot going on and are using several very potent medications. So please be careful. You can use this Drug Interaction checker to find out which drugs and supplements interact or are contraindicated with each of your prescription meds: https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html.
I’ve written articles for each of the issues you mention. Find out how to deal with:
Brain fog: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-supplements-for-brain-fog/
Depression: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-depression/
Memory: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-learning-and-memory/
Sleep: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-sleep-supplements-to-buy/
Anhedonia is a little more complicated and needs to be saved for another time after you’ve done your homework. If this all seems a little overwhelming to you I do offer personal consultations. But please do your reading first before you decide to schedule a consultation.
Hi Donna, I just checked my calendar for Jan. 30th and do not see anything from you. Please try again. You’ll get an email confirmation if it goes through successfully.
Hello. I suffer from brain fog from non-restorative sleep. There are secondary issues like IBS and arthritis but the brain fog is so pronounced along the lines of chronic fatigue syndrome. Are there any stacks or is there a way to find a nootropic expert who might help me find something to pick my energy up from a “2” on a scale of 1-10( with 10 most energized)? It’s like narcolepsy. Thanks in advance for any help.
Stan, please see my article on “brain fog” here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-supplements-for-brain-fog/.
Brain fog is a very common problem. But is manifests in different ways in each of us. I encourage you to carefully go through that article so you get an understanding on what may be the cause of your brain fog. And what to do about it. Sleep is covered in that article along with diet and gut health.
I’m also available for personal consultations. You’ll find links to my calendar on this page: https://nootropicsexpert.com/personal-consultations/
Hello David! At the moment I have started to take 50mg of Trazodone to help with sleeping. Just going through a rough patch and hope to stop the med as soon as I can re-establish my circadian rhythm.
I was wondering if by also taking a supplementation of 500 mgs of Tryptophan in the morning would be a cause for concern since I will not be mixing the two.
Just checking to see if there is some sort of interaction between these two things when they are distanced apart by a good seven to eight hours?
Thank you!
Eddie, L-Tryptophan is contraindicated with Trazodone and I highly advise you NOT to use it. Because of the dangers of Serotonin Syndrome. Here is a list of drugs and supplements you cannot use with Trazodone: https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/trazodone-index.html
Sounds good…I think what I’ll do is take the Tryptophan on a day when I won’t be using the Trazodone at all, just to see if it helps. I haven’t experimented with L-Tryptophan yet.
I was just thinking that taking the Tryptophan in the morning and Trazodone at night would just give me an extra boost of Melatonin come night time, but if you feel that there is a bad interaction even at a distanced number of hours between taking them, then I won’t chance it.
Thank you!
It’s not worth the risk Eddie. Serotonin Syndrome can kill. Literally.
COVID-19 | blood brain barrier integrity (loss of taste and smell)
| nootropics
Good Day David
I had Covid in March 2020 and lost my taste and smell. I’m currently still feeling symptoms of brain fog, finding the right words to use, dizziness, a few months ago it was all of the above and depression. It doesn’t help being in national lockdown and looking after very young kids.
The WSJ posted a video recently on how COVID-19 affects the blood brain barrier of which causes Immune cells to affect the neurones. I got an MRI (without the ink) and nothing major seen other than a benign growth. I will be getting another MRI with the ink to determine the interfaith of the blood brain barrier.
I’ve seen your video on YouTube on how to heal a leaky blood brain barrier of which (with the way I’m feeling) will be acting upon what you advised the caffeine (black tea), curcumin, omega-3 etc. And I will be getting the blood test to see if elevated antibodies are affecting the okklutein and zhaan yulin.
So the reason for this comment is to say thank you and
to ask you if the methodology into seeing why I still feel the effects of Long COVId, is a good method?
Do you recommend other tests I do other than blood test and MRI?
And can I possibly ask if have or could post a video on COVID-19 and the blood brain barrier and nootropics.
Much appreciated
Deji
Deji, I’ve been getting frequent requests for best nootropics for recovering from COVID-19. It’s at the top of my ‘to-do’ list of things to write. So thank you for your question.
I have not completed the research. So for now I suggest following the directions for healing a leaky brain. And one supplement that needs to be added to that list is Quercetin (https://nootropicsexpert.com/quercetin/). Because not only does it help alleviate the respiratory issues that come with COVID. It also has the unique ability to heal Tight Junctions that when compromised cause a leaky brain.
And follow the suggestions for reducing inflammation that you’ll find in this article on brain fog: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-supplements-for-brain-fog/
Thank you very much David. Much appreciated!
can i increase serotonin using tryptophan but without eating carbs? im on keto diet, im taking mucuna/ tyrosine to increase dopamine and im decreasing serotonin a lot
Lou, L-Tryptophan is a direct precursor to the synthesis of serotonin. It does need cofactors like the B-Vitamins. But it should definitely increase serotonin.
Dear David,
I have been wanting to buy your book Head First, but I could not find a purchase link anywhere on the Internet. Could it possibly be that u do not longer sell it? Also, this time I post my question here, but where should I ask questions to u on nootropics?
Sincerely,
William
William, I’m having problems with my shopping cart software. And the mysteriously disappearing buy buttons. One day they’re there and the next day they’re gone.
I just checked all pages that had the buy buttons on them and once again they have vanished.
Please give me a day and I’ll do my best to get this fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience.
I recently got prescribed for Venlafaxine, an SNRI. Do you know of any note worthy interactions between this and Qualia mind caffeine free, and are they safe to be taken together?
Mark, it could be a problem because Qualia Mind contains DL-Phenylalanine and NALT which both boost dopamine. Boosting dopamine with an SNRI could cause a “hypertensive crisis”. I.E. a heart attack.
Once you’re off the snri by your docter, and won’t be taking any other mediations, how long will you need until you can safely take qualia mind without the interactions?
Brain, great question and my research tells me at least a month.
Take tryptophan in the morning can supress dopamine and make me anxious and sad?
Anthony, unless you are using excess L-Tryptophan it shouldn’t suppress dopamine. But it does make serotonin which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. And goes on to make melatonin. Which you use for sleep.
David,
My husband has struggled with drug addiction, particularly opiates but also many other drugs, on and off for about 15 years. Things got really bad this year (starting using IV heroin) and he finally entered rehab. He has been on suboxone for 4 months. I was already worried about the long-term brain damage from years of poly-drug abuse and now I’m reading about how suboxone could further potentiate this problem via
“chronic blockade of opiate receptors, blocking dopaminergic activity inducing anti-reward and potentially result in relapse.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3706486/. It’s a catch 22 – suboxone is needed to stay clean off heroin during rehab, but is extremely hard to wean off of and could actually contribute to drug relapse. He is already very withdrawn, moody, appears to be suffering from general anhedonia.
My question is: do you have any experience providing personal consultations with patients as they wean off suboxone to help them re-equilibrate brain chemistry following cessation of all opiates? (which of course would be done in conjunction with medical advice from his doctor – although many docs are clueless and just write “bandaid” scripts without addressing the underlying problem!)
Your website and posts have already helped me tremendously (I’m about a month into my own nootropics journey). I just worry my husband will be trapped in an indefinite cycle of relapse if he doesn’t start his own brain healing process.
Thanks in advance.
Ann, I feel your pain and know exactly what it’s like to live in this type of situation.
Unfortunately, there is no ‘magic pill’ for addiction. There are a couple of nootropics that help alleviate cravings for things like alcohol. But there is no nootropic stack to completely or easily correct this problem.
Honestly, the best way I’ve found to beat addiction is through the right 12-step program. And if you’re really fortunate a good rehab house. This has been my experience with family members and it works. But it’s hard and takes time.
I have personally found that correcting neurotransmitter imbalance, and repairing brain receptors and synapses goes a long way to feeling better. Which contributes to alleviating cravings. But that is coupled with the personal work needed to support it all.
I’m likely not the best person to help someone through this because I’m not qualified in this area.
But the same information you have discovered here on Nootropics Expert can help you to put together a stack that will help heal your husband’s brain.
David,
Thanks for the reply. It’s awful watching someone you care about go through this. He has been in a 12-step program since starting the suboxone, in early September. Like you said, I think he would need to focus on neurotransmitter/receptor support to decrease likelihood of relapse. Over the past 4 years, he has used inappropriately high doses of 5-HTP, Kratom and Phenibut, which likely contributed to the imbalance. Hopefully I can inspire him to build a more well-rounded stack.
Ann, 5-HTP and Phenibut should not be used by someone with addiction problems. Because Phenibut has abuse potential. And 5-HTP because if it is misused it will increase serotonin to the point that it depresses dopamine.
And at least part of the problem with addiction is dopamine dysfunction. As for Kratom, I’m a bit biased because I’ve never been able to get “high” off it and only use it for pain control. It’s very difficult to abuse Kratom and even then it’s not deadly as long as you get pure, unadulterated Kratom.
I think his stack should include L-Tyrosine to increase dopamine, Alpha GPC and ALCAR to increase acetylcholine, and magnesium and Lion’s Mane Mushroom extract for brain repair. I’d also add Phosphatidylserine (PS) which will help repair damaged brain cells. Along with a high quality multivitamin. Those are the basics.
I love when I take cacao, I feel amazing, I want to talk with everybody and the problems go away, what exactly is happening to make me feel so good?
And the best substitute? I cant take to much because cacao has a lot of oxalates and I have issues with my kidneys
Rob, Cacao (https://nootropicsexpert.com/cacao/) stimulates the release of anandamide (the “bliss” molecule).
Something for personality disorder?
Mary, it depends on what symptom of personality disorder you want to treat. For depression you could try St. John’s wort. And for anxiety see my article on best adaptogens for anxiety: https://nootropicsexpert.com/top-7-nootropic-adaptogens-to-conquer-anxiety-and-stress/
Can you recommend the safest or high quality St. John’s wort supplement? I read in your book hipericin may cause blindness..
Abra, you want a St. John’s wort supplement that uses hyperforin. A patented version of this is called Perika and Nature’s Way is one of the few companies who make it: https://amzn.to/3nu2N34
Hi David
I’ve started to supplement with L Tryptophan at 500mg at night and thinking of going up to 1g; is it necessary to supplement with Tyrosine re Dopamine balance, or should I be fine?
I also take magnesium, I-theanine, ashwaghanda, thus I don’t want to spend money on more supps that I don’t need 🙂
Don, great question but only you can answer it because each of us is different in how we respond to these supplements. You may need to add 500 mg L-Tyrosine the next day after using 1,000 mg L-Tryptophan. But maybe not. Only way to find out is try it. See the “Side Effects” section for L-Tryptophan and/or do a Google search for “excess Tryptophan” and see what people say about using too much. So you’ll have something to compare it to.
Hi David, after researching, I’m considering to start the following stack.
Background, I’m starting a challenging 2 year medical program this week. I’m seeking to improve my memory, learning, and motivation/energy. I’ve been adjusting my sleep schedule slowly but surely to a more normal rhythm in the last month after leaving a 3yr contingent/part time night position at the hospital. I’m a 22y/o female, 115lbs. This is what I currently take supplement-wise daily/morning (for the last approx 3 years on/off):
vit c 1000mg
vit d 15,000 iu and vit k 100mcg
trans-resveratrol 490mg
omega 3 1600mg (DHA 600mg)
alpha lipoid acid 300mg
vit e 140 iu (with gamma tocopherol 400 mg) w/ selenium 200mcg
B-complex
magnesium 400mg (at night)
curcumin c complex 1102mg
milk thistle 140mg
This is the stack I’m considering to add starting out once in the morning and once at noon between classes:
Mind Lab Pro x 2 daily
Piracetam 2400mg x 2 daily
CDP Choline (additional) 250mg x 2 daily
Noopept 10mg x 2 daily
Do you think this is a safe stack to start out with for my age? Too much choline? Even though MLP has CDP Choline, could I use Alpha GPC as the additional choline?
I immensely appreciate your feedback. Hope this was straight enough to the point!
Emma, sounds like an effective stack. But you are correct that I’d recommend Alpha GPC instead of CDP-Choline since you are already getting that in MLP. That much Piracetam along with Noopept will likely demand at least 300 mg each time you use them.
I also recommend changing you Vitamin E supplement to one that contains all 8 isomers. And cutting back your Vitamin D to 5,000 IU per day.
Safest nootropic similiar to an ssri?
Pablo, there is no nootropic that is “similar” to a ‘selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor’ (SSRI). But if you are simply trying to increase serotonin you need a direct precursor like L-Tryptophan: https://nootropicsexpert.com/tryptophan/
Nootropics or stack similar to benzos?
When I take benzos I feel REALLY good and axiety and depression disappears
MooD, use the search function top right of the main menu above. And search for the keyword “benzodiazepine” and see what turns up.
There have been several nootropic supplements that have been tested in clinical settings that were compared to benzos in efficacy.
In the morning at 7:00 I take my bulletproof coffee, theanine, tyrosine and aniracetam, I dont have any anxiety and I am very focused, but at 15:00 I get very anxious and depressed until the night even if I take more aniracetam, can it be serotonin deficiency caused by stimulating dopamine or what could it be?
Luna, you are doing plenty so support dopamine. But when you raise dopamine you depress serotonin. And vice versa.
I suggest a couple of things. Add 300 mg Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline to your morning stack. Repeat your stack at noon. And then again late afternoon if needed (but without Aniracetam).
Then take 500 mg L-Tryptophan before bed to increase serotonin.
I just wanted to add that I was experiencing the same issue. I started splitting my L-tryptophan dose into two doses – 250mg in the early evening (b/w 6-7), second 250mg dose an hour before bed (b/w 10-11). It smooths out my mood later in the day without making me sleepy to early.