Welcome! My name is David Tomen, and I am the author of NootropicsExpert.com, my books Head First 2nd Edition – The Complete Guide to Healing & Optimizing Your Brain with Nootropic Supplements and (FREE!) Secrets of the Optimized Brain, and my Nootropics Expert YouTube channel.
I started Nootropics Expert® in January 2016. You can learn more about my story and why I started Nootropics Expert over on my About Page.
You can quickly see the nootropic supplements that I personally use every day on this page: What I Take
And if you’re in a hurry, go to this page to Buy Nootropics.
I also do Personal Consultations if you could use some help choosing the best nootropic supplements for you. You’ll find my calendar here: Nootropics Expert Consultations
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How Nootropics Can Help You
You can end your search now. Because here on Nootropics Expert you’ll find the help you have been searching for. No matter the brain health problem that is making your life miserable.
Here you’ll find information on this List of Nootropics which has dozens and dozens of links to nootropic supplement reviews that I’ve written, and update as soon as new science becomes available. In a language that is easy to understand.
You’ll learn where each supplement comes from, how it works, the benefits you can expect, how much you should use and how often, possible side effects, and how to select from dozens of options – which one to buy.
NOTE: Every single word on Nootropics Expert is written by me. It’s not an AI or a contract copywriter.
You will also discover that everything I write about a supplement is supported by peer-reviewed clinical studies. You will not find links to other websites or blogs.
Instead, you will find dozens of clickable links in each supplement review and article to supporting and relevant clinical studies.
So you have the option of reading the same research I found and used to write my reviews and articles.
My hope is that if you’re overwhelmed by the fragmented information for nootropics spread across several websites, you can end your search on what has become the best nootropics website.
Quickly find out how one nootropic may interact with another. Which ones are safe. And which nootropic supplements have side effects. I will cover all that here.
Use my Nootropics Guide to get more familiar with the top nootropics and different types of cognitive enhancers and what they do. Soon you’ll be able to safely build your own nootropic stack.
I’m happy you’re here. Because you should be able to find everything you need to know about nootropics on Nootropics Expert. 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.
Where to Buy Nootropics
Once you’ve decided which nootropic supplements you’d like to try, how do you know which is the best supplement to buy?
I’ve done the homework for you and put together a list of nootropic brands and supplements. Most of which I personally use and highly recommend.
You’ll find the highest quality, purest nootropic supplements on this page.
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.
Join The Discussion - 1,761 comments
Nilsa I. Alonso-Torres
September 1, 2018
I have a small benign tumor on my right side of the brain the lobule that is near de ear; can you comment about nootropics for it. Thank you for the attention you can give to this message and your generosity on sharing.
David Tomen
September 2, 2018
Nilsa, Curcumin is one of the most potent natural anti-tumor remedies available: https://nootropicsexpert.com/turmeric/. Just make sure you choose the right supplement that includes BioPerine to improve bioavailability and you dose it high enough.
Mari
September 1, 2018
David, I have a serious question. My boyfriend is 24, and he has a very strange kind of panic attack. It’s not really like any panic attack I’ve seen, it gets triggered by stress or too high emotion, and his body almost goes into seizure, he twitches all over and sort of ‘locks’ into a state where his mind just goes black. But there isn’t panic. His muscles lock until they’re incredibly painful. They’re ruining his life. He smokes a lot of weed to deal with it but can’t during work. It breaks my heart to see him like this. He had a very traumatic childhood, as well.
Anti anxiety/mood stabiliser meds DO NOT WORK. I’ve exhaustively researched anxiety, bipolar and depression on every topic except for fast acting nootropics. Which would you recommend to calm him, maybe raise pain relieving endorphins? Anything, from ones that can act very fast in the moment to calm him and relax his muscles or ones that work on a longer basis.
Money is incredibly tight right now and I need something fast. Which do you think would be most likely to work?
Your site is amazing. Absolutely amazing. It goes beyond nootropics and is a wider study of how the brain works on a neurotransmitter level, and I’m reading as much of it as I can, but this is an emergency so just wanted to ask what you would do if you were him!
Thank you so much.
David Tomen
September 2, 2018
Mari, try Lithium Orotate: https://nootropicsexpert.com/lithium-orotate/. You may need to use 2 tablets at a time. It works fast.
Francisco
August 29, 2018
Hello David (Congratulations and thanks; this is a very informative web site that you have). Im a 46 male from Sonora México (near to Arizona), a very hot desert place (“weather its like hell literally”). My situation: 20 years (two decades) of 50 mg sertraline (SSRIs) constant use, and also alprazolam tablets (very low dosis) from time to time to help my sleep; very adictive substances as you should know, and with bad consequences in my brain health i think, afther two decades. I dont feel any benefit from this treatment-adiction régimen, just: brain fog, zombie, numb, letargy, lack of mental and physical energy, lack of motivation, lack of inteligence and social abilities, lack of adaptation to the world and lack of happiness, just adicction to something that doesnt do good job in my brain; just constant disthimia. Afther all these years i thing it seems evidently that there is a deterioration in my brain capacities, in my synaptic conections, neurons, or neurotransmiters (and of course becouse of that: mood, memory, motivation, pleasure in life, clear make of desitions, etc.). I want something that help with this brain condition and i need NOT to take any more this SSRI (Sertraline), but how to do it without have a bad time with the withdrawl effects in my brain?, becouse i need to function properly from day to day in my work, or activities. What are my options? I been reading that 5htp triptofan or St. Johns Worth are two of the most popular natural remedies for SSRI substitution, or eficcient alternatives for the withdrawl situation. Do i have precisely to take one of those? Or maybe better some nootropic stuff (aminoacid, herbs, adaptogens, syntetic nootropics, vitamins or minerals, etc.) will do the job? For example David, im planing to use the following suplements like posible tools (and im not saying that i will take it all those regularly or a the same time in a stack, but some of theme maybe yes).
Omegas fish Oils (DHA-DEPA)
B Complex
Choline (with inositol)
Lecitine
Magnesium Citrate
multimineral
L-theanine
l-tironsine
L-carnitine
Caffeine
Hierba mate (ocasionally)
curcumine
Lions Mane
Aniracetam, noopept, piracetam, phenibut (ocasionally or regularly?, i dont know, phenibut not regularly for sure),
Acetyl cisteine
Teacrine
Ginkgo biloba
Melatonin (ocasionally sleep aid)
Pasiflora (ocasionally sleep aid )
Can you tell me David, Wich of these ones do you believe i need to put out of the list? What else i will need preferently that im not consider here?, What other important advice you have for me and my case-situation? In advance thanks for your answer David. God bless you.
David Tomen
August 30, 2018
Francisco, it’s a good start but I’d skip the lecithin. But to make this work you need to follow dosage recommendations for each. You’ll find those dosages in each of the reviews here on Nootropics Expert.
I am not a doctor and do not even play one on TV! So work with your doctor and very, very slowly wean yourself off of SSRI’s if that’ what you want to do. You MUST NOT combine anything that directly boosts serotonin with a SSRI. Including 5-HTP and St. John’s wort. If you do you’ll cause Serotonin Syndrome and it could kill you.
And you need to start repairing the brain damage caused by SSRI’s. I suggest studying the posts I’ve written on nootropics for traumatic brain injury, treating PTSD and boosting BDNF. You’ll find those posts here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/blog/. And you’ll notice many of these same nootropics across these posts because certain supplements are excellent for boosting nerve growth factor, BDNF, neurons, axons, dendrites and synapses.
Francisco
August 30, 2018
Very good. Thanks a lot for your recomendation and help David.
Betti
July 31, 2018
Hi David,
My husband has Parkinson’s with dementia and I recently had to put him in an assisted living facility since I’m no longer able to take care of him and work a full time job. He’s on carbidopa-levodopa and mucuna puriens and Exelon. Just today they put him on Seroquel-50mg during the day and 150 mg at night for anxiety. I’m opposed to so much medicine and these days they prescribe everything like its candy. I’ve been reading that many of the diseases have a root cause of too little glutathione. I’ve been giving him a spray glutathione and it seems to help. Then he gets anxious and they’ve been giving him Ativan, a cream on his wrist or now Seroquel. I’ve read on this site that there are several natural remedies for anxiety. Do you think the MindLab nootropic would work for him or would there be something else he would benefit from? When he starts to get anxious his face gets red and sometimes it turns into a rash like hives. The meds he’s on seem at times to make him very lethargic and other days he can talk in sentences. I would prefer getting him off all the meds; using only natural remedies but I don’t know if that’s possible. Thank you in advance for your help. It seems we’ve had so many advancements in many areas but we’re having difficulty finding cures for hundreds of diseases. It’s become such a big business to prescribe meds…I wonder if they want the cures??
David Tomen
August 2, 2018
Betti, some clinical studies have shown that Mucuna Pruriens to be a safer option than levadopa. Please see my review of Mucuna here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/l-dopa/
And you can use N-Acetyl L-Cysteine (NAC) to support glutathione: https://nootropicsexpert.com/n-acetyl-l-cysteine/
Mind Lab Pro may be able to help some but when dealing with disease that is so advanced the only way to tell is to try it.
Several nootropic supplements have been shown to work for taming anxiety. But a strong word of caution here …
Do your research before trying anything that may be contraindicated with the meds your husband is using. Some are downright dangerous and could be life threatening.
A good site to check for drug interactions is here: https://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html. For example, Seroquel affects nearly ALL the major neurotransmitters in your brain. So if it boosts serotonin and you use something like St. John’s wort you could cause Serotonin Syndrome. Which can be deadly.
So be very, very careful about what you try and do your research first.
Jenna
July 23, 2018
Hi! I’m 37 years old and have recently been diagnosed with ADD after meeting with my counselor for what I originally thought was anxiety andocd. My doctor didn’t believe I had ADD still and prescribed Sertraline which made me depressed and numb, and then later tried me on Venlaflaxine which also made me very depressed and more anxious. Knowing my symptoms discussed with my counselor line up as classic ADD, I decided to try the more natural approach and treat the ADD which seems to be causing the anxiety.
I use a combination of essential oils which does wonders (Vetiver, peppermint and cedarwood) and eating healthy (vegetarian diet) and exercise are very helpful.
In looking at supplements/ vitamins/ amino acids , I am a bit overwhelmed with which to try. I don’t want to just take anything and everything but am lost with which ones I can and should take together ? Or are ther any essential ones that I’m missing? Here’s what I have on my list that I’ve researched and have questions on :
* L- phenylalanine or DL phenylalanine? If so, one is best for ADD? What dosage?
* Tyrosine- heard it works with phenylalanine ? Should I take one or the other? Or both? If so, what dosage of this?
* I read L-Theanine is good to take for focus but also for sleep. That seems like an opposite effect. For L-theanine , is the supplement best to take or just have it in green tea or matcha? How much should I drink a day? Again with the sleep vs focus, doesn’t green tea have caffeine? I feel that would counter act the calming aspect for good sleep?
* 5-HPT was recommended too- does this go with any or all of the above?
*Lastly I read other important vitamins to take are D,B, magnesium and zinc. If so, how much is recommended for each ? And which Bs ? I have B 12 but someone said other Bs are important to go with that.
Lastly Fish oil – someone recommended Krill? Is that the best or does it matter which fish oil? Assuming this is good for ADD?
–
Again, I’m not sure if I should pick one of these supplements from this list or combine them all as one big cocktail lol. It seems like a lot to add together, But I want the combination that’s best for my ADD/OCD brain. I have suffered from anxiety and some minor depression too that is less about something specific and really just that feeling like my brain won’t kick start and gets sluggish and unfocused.
Would you be able to help sort this out with me or recommend how I can find these answers. Feeling so lost.
Thanks so much!
David Tomen
July 23, 2018
Jenna, the best protocol for treating ADD with nootropic supplements is here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-adhd-add/.
The post has links through to each nootropic supplement which includes dosage recommendations.
Tom
July 13, 2018
Hi David, thank you for all the helpful information you provide. Im currently on Lexapro for depression, but I also suffer from anxiety, especially social anxiety. Im going to a sales job and was wondering what might be a decent nootropic stack for me. Im already taking aniracetam, Sulbutiamine, and Mind Lab Pro. So two questions, should I change or add to these? Also, should any of them be cycled and how often? Thank you in advance.
David Tomen
July 13, 2018
Tom, I use Aniracetam, Sulbutiamine and Mind Lab Pro twice per day, 7-days a week and do not cycle. Some say you should cycle the first two but that has not been my experience.
Please see this post: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-social-anxiety/. I would add DHA and magnesium to your stack to start with, along with a high quality, high-potency B-Complex supplement. Then choose a couple of nootropics from the second list on that page to try. But be very careful about NOT choosing something that will directly boost serotonin while you’re on Lexapro.
Felipe Tosello
July 4, 2018
HI David how are you? Can lithium carbonate benefits the brain like lithium orotate? Thanks
David Tomen
July 5, 2018
Difficult question to answer because they are both lithium and provide lithium’s benefits. The big difference is Lithium Orotate is dosed 5 mg while Lithium Carbonate is dosed 800 – 1,000 mg. And comes with side effects.
Stevie
June 26, 2018
Hi David,
I am fairly new to the world of nootropica but I got pushed into it by a friend, after he heard that I take a lot of anti depressants to cure my anxiety attacks.
I have inhalated a lot of your articles and wanted to thank you, for your work!
Trough my readings I have stumbled across L-Theanin as a substitute for my anti depressants, because it causes alpha waves in the brain, what is associated with stressrelief (if I got that right).
Do you think that it is worth a try to fully substitute my medicine with something like that? Do you maybe have a nootropica stack ready that could deal with my problems?
David Tomen
June 26, 2018
Stevie, L-Theanine may help with your anxiety issues. And several other nootropics may help as well. Please see this post I wrote on social anxiety which applies to any type of anxiety issues: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-social-anxiety/
To find the right nootropics for you, first determine what is likely causing the problem. A good place to start is the medications you use that you find helpful. Then find out exactly how they work in your brain. A good place for research on prescription drugs is Wikipedia. Find the drug and scroll down to “pharmacology”.
The next step is finding out what nootropics work in a similar manner. But a BIG note of caution here … Some of these nootropic supplements are extremely powerful. And cannot be used with antianxiety drugs like SSRIs, MAOIs, or beta blockers. Because you could cause Serotonin Syndrome or a hypertensive crisis depending on the neurotransmitters involved.
Stevie
June 27, 2018
I am really impressed on how much time you take to answer every question. So first of all: Thank you David!
I am going to read your suggestion and try to find what I need to substitute. If I need help, I hope that I can ask you again.
Right now I take Fluoxetin, which is a SSRI, if I read that correctly. I will take all the steps you mentioned and I hope I can find a way to substitute that.
Thanks to you and the massive effort you take I have hope again.