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 David
What are the best nootropics to increase blood pressure?
Coco, try Ginseng (https://nootropicsexpert.com/ginseng/) and one I have not reviewed is get a licorice supplement: https://amzn.to/3nywNh3 (Amazon)
Hello there! Have you published a review or do you have any experience with Emoxypine Succinate as a Nootropic? I seem to get great benefits to cognition, mood, and sociability/verbal fluency with it but reliable sources of info on it are few and far between. Thanks!
Daniel, the only Russian ‘drugs’ I have reviewed are the racetams, Phenibut and Picamilon. Most of the others do not have nearly enough clinical studies in humans to warrant a review. That includes Emoxypine.
Dear David,
I trust you are well. I am seeking an experts advise and I was hoping if you could educate me if I am missing anything somehow.
I started using plenty of different things, Lions Mane, Zinc, B complex + Magnesium, Ashwagandha, Gotu Kola, L tryptophan, L phenylalanine, Choline Bitrate, DMAE, Acetyl l carnitine, vitamin D3.
I am afraid that I am doing things wrongly and that DMAE – Aceyl L carnitine, Gotu kola, Ashwagandha, L tryptophan and L phenylalanine are all increasing Serotonin and that over time I might face or create problems.
May I please ask that you shed some light and let me know should I be leaving something out?
Dar, L phenylalanine is a precursor to dopamine. And L-Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin. Dopamine and serotonin need to be in balance
Choline Bitartrate cannot cross the blood-brain barrier so is pretty much useless as a nootropic.
I describe the mechanism of action for each of the supplements you are using. You can look them up by scrolling down this list and clicking in the relevant link: https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropics-list/
Hi David
My wife has been diagnosed with MS in 2018. Lately I’ve been hearing more and more instability in her voice. This is very devastating for us, because she work as a vocalist.
I started to give her 300mg PS and 250mg CDP choline. Do you know any other nootropics to support speech?
Thank you David!
Krystian, see this article: https://nootropicsexpert.com/sex-hormones-and-your-brain/. Because supplemental estrogen has been shown to help reduce relapse rates.
Also, do a search using the field top right of the top menu and search for “sclerosis” and see what else turns up. But read the entire review that shows up because a couple of these supplements are contraindicated with MS.
David,
Which is better
Magnesium Bisglycinate
Magnesium (L-Threonate)
Robert, Magnesium (L-Threonate) is more bioavailable to your brain.
Hello and thank you in advance. I currently take a low dose of Zoloft for anxiety, the worry and intrusive thoughts type anxiety. My t3/t4 are lower end of normal. The Zoloft makes me dull emotion and physically. Will tyrosine help this? I know there is a (L) and a (N) type of it. Thank you again and thank you for sharing all of your knowledge with us.
John, the symptoms you are feeling may be caused by your hypothyroidism. L-Tyrosine with Iodine, selenium, magnesium and Vitamin C may help because they are needed to make thyroid hormone.
But it they do no no work I highly recommend finding a functional medicine doctor who understands hormones to work with you and start on natural desiccated thyroid.
Look up Stop the Thyroid Madness website and book to learn more.
I am taking shi;lajit, mucuna Rohiola and bacopa as ayurvedic nootropics. I am curious to know what yuor take on these herbs is. I would likwe to know if there is a better ayurvedic combination of herbs that can be used as nootropics. Thanks Dave.
Ivan, you will find most of the Ayurvedic nootropics by scrolling down this list: https://nootropicsexpert.com/nootropics-list/. And then clicking through to my full review for each. That’s what I “think” of them.
David,
Which is better
Magnesium Bisglycinate
Chelated Magnesium
Robert, Magnesium Bisglycinate is a chelated form of magnesium.
Hello David,
Which is a better nootropic supplement to take for someone that alzheimers, NADH or NAD+? I have read that there is to be a specific ratio in the body.
I recommended to a friend that she give her mother, who has stage 6 alzheimers, the supplements of PQQ and CoQ10(20mg of pqq and 100 of coQ10) daily and 90mg of NADH.
I also gave her a bottle of 300 mg of NAD+ and recommended that she give that to her mother after 2 days of receiving the NADH.
I told her to replace the NADH with the NAD+ after 2 days. I thought that NADH and NAD+ are the same thing basically. Are they the same in terms of the effect as a supplement to the body? If not, which is better that her mother takes, the NAD + or the NADH being that she is a stage 6 Alzheimers patient? Also, are those doses of NADH/NAD+too high? If so, what doses do you recommend? When is the best time of the day to take them? Thank you kindly.
Karen, it’s better to use NAD+ and nicotinamide riboside rather than NADH. But to explain why would take another 6 pages.
I also suggest you use the search function top right of the top menu and search for Alzheimer’s. You’ll get a few results just mentioning Alzheimer’s. But you’ll get others that are recommended supplements for this disease.
The biggest problem with this disease of loss of cerebral blood flow. You cannot regenerate the lost brain cells but you can increase blood flow with supplements like Vinpocetine and Maritime Pine Bark Extract.
I suffer from depression, anxiety, insomnia, binge eating and considered obese. I recently purchased Gaba, 5 htp, L theanine, L Tyrosine, Melatonin and valarian root. I’m also weaning off zopiclone 5 mg a night and I’m also on 20 mg of xarelto. What would be the best time to take these supplements for curbing appetite, anxiety/depression and for sleep is it safe to take 5 htp/valarian root/l theanine
and melatonin together? Your input is much appreciated!
Terry, I suggest you read each of my reviews for those supplements from top to bottom which include dosage recommendations.
I also highly recommend that you do a search for contraindications for each of the drugs you are using to find out what you can not take while using them. Use this page to check: https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html
Hello, I’m from Brazil and an admirer of your work.
sorry for the bad english
Do you have any suggestions for supplements that can simulate the effects of modafinil?
Thank you very much in advance. Success
Diego, L-Tyrosine, CDP-Choline and ALCAR support the use of drugs like Modafinil.
Hello Mr. Tomen I am preparing to study the LSAT for law school. Could you prescribe me some recommendations for nootropics. I have downloaded your book to optimize the brain and will use that for reference. I would like to improve my memory, focus, and motivation. I would also like to try something for confidence. I have watched many of your videos and I appreciate them greatly. I am young and rarely use caffeine. I was considering noopept with alpha GPC. What do you think? I only so far drink caffeine with L-theanine. Thank you!
Adison, this is he most basic nootropic stack you can put together for what you are looking for: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-studying/
The list for that stack is near the bottom of the article. The one that is missing that I forgot to add is ALCAR 500 mg 2 or 3-times per day. And keep in mind that a bioactive B-Complex is key to making that work well.
Hi, David!
So i spent all of my savings on radiola rosea,ashwagandha,, l tyrosine, l theanine,caffeine,panax ginseng,taurine,bacopa monnieri,magtein, chelated magnesium,lemon balm,vitamin B1,6,9,12, cdp-choline, choline bitaratrate, N-Acetyl-L-Carnitine, N-A-Cysteine, gotu cola,shilagit, pine bark,myo-inositol,berberine, phenylalanine,creatine,arginine, lions mane,Alpha Lipoic Acid,Vinpocetine,glycine, tryptophan
I am 19 years old, a pharmacy student and I have finals next month,So i need something to help me learn more efficiently, also i have a stuttering problem which makes me very anxious and depressed sometimes, but i think i know how to deal with it.Most of the time i feel unmotivated and unable to work on my goals. I have many goals but i find myself just lying on bed and wasting my time. I’m also following a healthy keto (low-carb) diet which i think will help me.
So my question is how would you suggest me take all of those supplements for example what to take in the morning,noon,afternoon, night, what can i combine for the learning sessions, should i cycle them, Excuse my poor English, it’s not my first language.
I really need your help, thanks in advance!
Dimitar, you only need either Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline. You don’t need both and choline bitartrate will not help you at all because it cannot easily get into your brain.
My review for each of those supplements includes dosage recommendations. I highly recommend you go through each one review one at a time and write down the recommended dosage.
Put together a little spreadsheet using Excel or some other way to make a table. Put the time of the day in the top row. Down the left column the name of the supplement. Then put the amount under the time of day in that row. Then tape it to your wall or fridge door for quick reference.
And get off of the Keto diet! Your system needs at least some carbohydrates for the synthesis of a bunch of stuff including testosterone.
my father is 96 and was very clear before 3 vaccines
then uti came and the uti is being blamed as the cause of the deterioration in his brain clarity
he cant hold on to thoughts and he is very confused
he is taking a medicine to help him but i wanted to try to add in natural substances to help the process .
i am finding out the name of the meds that he is taking
he has macular degeneration and his hearing is also not great at all .
Ray, if you mean urinary tract infection with you say UTI that usually only affects the urinary tract and sometimes the prostate in men. It should not affect brain function.
But at 96 there’s a ton of things that can go wrong or not function properly. Don’t forget his body has over 9 decades of wear and tear and it is unlikely that natural supplements at this stage are going to have much impact on memory and cognition problems.
The one thing that may help is high quality vision supplement like this one: https://bit.ly/2JNb70o
If I take Acetyl l carnitine
do I need to take L-Lysine.
Kathy, you do not need to take it with L-Lysine.
Is there a nootropic that will help repair part of brain responsible for smell and taste?
Bee, intranasal vitamin A (i.e., nose drops) at a dose of 10,000 IU per day for 2 months may be useful in the treatment of post-infectious olfactory loss (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28434127/).
And several studies including this one (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3315864/) showed supplemental Vitamin D help the return of smell. Try 5,000 IU per day to start.
And for restoring taste try zinc 30 mg per day with 15 mg copper (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23305423/). The copper is added because supplemental zinc suppresses copper.
Cholinergics are giving me brain fog, why is that?
ALCAR, piracetam, aniracetam, any choline source…
Coco because too much acetylcholine or too little acetylcholine can cause brain fog.
Really? I have been searching for the science behind this for a long time as my Son becomes confused and his speech becomes slurred-like when he takes any choline supplements. I have tried to give it to him for better speech articulation, intelligence and brain fog but it seems to do the opposite! I’d love to understand why.
Jen, some simply cannot use a choline supplement. My wife is a great example of this because when she using something like Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline she goes a little crazy. And she is one of the calmest people I’ve ever known. But I have no idea why some cannot use it. It’s likely genetic but I have not seen any proof that it is.
i have questions. 1. should i take choline before I take a racetam and if so
how much should i take and how much time before I take the racetam?
2. which racetams work well in a stack with noopept?
3. which racetams last the longest in your system.
4. is there a racetam or other Nootropic that helps with Spatial intelligence?
5 which Choline works best with racetams, Alpha GPC or CDP Choline and will adding hupperzine help with keeping more Acetylcholoine in my brain in order to avoid racetam headaches?
Larry, take either Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline each time you use your racetam and at the same time.
The racetams are detailed in this page: https://nootropicsexpert.com/the-top-7-racetams-which-one-is-best/. Any should work with Noopept. It just depends on what you are trying to achieve.
To double check the half-time of each racetam, do a search like this “what is the half-time of Piracetam?”
And “spatial intelligence” never came up for any of the racetams that I researched. So I suggest another search for “Aniracetam AND “spatial intelligence”“. And see if anything turns up. If anything does it will be a clinical research article posted on one of the online journals. And should show up on the first page of your search results if any of them does support it.
Hi David,
I’ve been taking quite a few of the drugs on your list including: phenylpiracetam, Alpha-GPC, Ubiquinone, Passionflower, Bacopa, Rhodiola Rosea, ALCAR, N-acetyl L-tyrosine, pine bark extract, Sulbutiamine, and all of the B vitamins at the recommended doses. I also take Wellbutrin 300mg/day, klonopin 2mg/day, and Adderall for anxiety, depression, and ADD.
For the last week and a half I’ve been experiencing anticholinergic effects such as difficulty urinating, blurry vision, dry eyes, dry mouth and constipation. Maybe I’m taking too many nootropics at once, but I’m trying to find a stack which works best for me and hopefully allow me to get off of my prescription medication (safely under the supervision of my doctor). My doctor doesn’t know much about nootropics though. From what I’ve read my acetylchloline should be higher than ever, so why am I experiencing what seems to me like anticholinergic effects? To the best of your knowledge have any of the drugs I’ve listed been known to have a paradoxical effect?
I’m also taking Lion’s mane, lithium, zinc, magnesium, L-theanine, Lemon Balm, Valerian, and Aniracetam (when I can find it)
And you should not be using Lemon Balm or Valerian with Klonopin.
Ken, you should not be using Passionflower with Klonopin because they are contraindicated. Both affect GABA and its receptors in your brain.
And excess acetylcholine has similar side effects to not enough acetylcholine. The only way to get to the bottom of this stop the nootropics you are currently using. Then add them back one-at-a-time for a day each. And see what happens. That way you should be able to tell which one is the culprit.
That’s what I did David. For future reference, both Passion Flower and Valerian root have anticholinergic effects even when taken without Klonopin or some other benzodiazepine
Ken, both supplements inhibit acetylcholinesterase to some degree.
When it comes to motivation, lethargy, depression, etc it would be helpful to have a questionnaire that defines terms as it asks questions.
For example:
Q: Are you highly motivated?
[ ] Do you wake up feeling excited about working on your task list?
[ ] Do you feel enthusiastic about reviewing your task list for the next day?
[ ] Do you celebrate checking items off you task list?
[ ] Does the prospect of making a task list make you want to lay down until the urge passes?
[ ] When you check off an item on your task list do you dread looking for the next thing to do?
.
By no means is that a comprehensive spectrum of questions for motivation but it illustrates the idea. In the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory they have (or had) a pretty thorough checklist that might be a starting point.
My question is this, do you know of a questionnaire that could help someone get a perspective on their condition?
Great question Bill and well said. I do not have access to that type of questionnaire. But let me know please if you are able to locate one.
Keep in mind that I’m not a doctor or licensed medical professional. So do not have access to the type of books to which you are referring.
A scientifically validated questionaire would be the BDI:
https://www.ismanet.org/doctoryourspirit/pdfs/Beck-Depression-Inventory-BDI.pdf
Hope that helps
Not sure how valid that questionnaire it but is looks like it was developed by the USA Navy.
It is a good inventory for depressive states and may be good to include in a comprehensive mental state inventory. I am confident that there exists a method for assessing depression, anxiety, lack of motivation, being over-motivated, etc. If someone spends a majority of their day unmotivated then supplementing to raise dopamine would be a first step. If brain fog was the next most indicated need then… Well you get the idea. The Pareto Principle observes that 80% of a benefit will come from 20% of our effort. An inventory could be retaken after a month of supplementing to see what has changed and supplement for the now most troublesome symptoms. I’ll ask around my counselling community about an inventory.