Nootropics, brain enhancement, self improvement and biohacking general

[Juan Brown]

In this thread we discuss various methods of self-improvement, with emphasis on objects closely related to biohacking and cyberphunking.
We welcome anybody, whether he is whining about not being able to find motivation necessary to learn programming, or whether he is an advanced worshipper of disobedient machines, with distinguished taste in reverse engineering, who wishes to move his cognition to even better performing levels. If you want to stay sane in front of a shell for 13 hours instead of 12 - start here.

>>>Nootropics
>The Guardian: Narcolepsy medication modafinil is world's first safe 'smart drug'
>theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/20/narcolepsy-medication-modafinil-worlds-first-safe-smart-drug

Nootropics are substances that in most cases improve your cognition, performance of your neurotransmitters, your brains RAM and SSD. Some make you remember better, some make you happier and more motivated by inhibiting dopamine, some make you think faster, some help depression. If you are a fan of the Limitless movie, well nootropics won't get you to that level, but you will probably like them.

Many of these substances are sold as Rx drugs. They are usually prescribed for ADHD or narcolepsy. There are many ways to obtain them in US or EU without breaking any law, but be sure to consult your doctor first.

>Keywords: modafinil, adrafinil, noopept, cdp-choline, nicotine, l-theanine, anhydrous caffeine, alpha GPC, piracetam, aniracetam and many more

>>Will they fuck me up?
They will impair your brains neuroplasticity so you won't be able to differentiate between a fork and a spoon at the age of 29. The trick here is to not be an idiot!
>Keywords: long-term safety, whitepapers

>>>Lifestyle
>meditation, cardio, lifting, sleeping, productivity
Easy mode: Hack your useless anime habits and replace them with reading SICP by using adrafinil or modafinil.

>>>Diet
>Omega 3, micro/macro nutrients, intermittent fasting, mycotoxins, mold, fuck gluten

[Nolan Ortiz]

Modafinil
>brand names: Modvigil, Modalert, Provigil
Bought cheap from India, best imported to EU through parcel forwarding services in UK
Requires a prescription if you want to buy it locally.
If you wan't to just try modafinil, it is easier to obtain adrafinil which does not require a prescription. Works almost the same way. Make sure to consult your doctor first.
>>Modafinil improves attentional performance [...]
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28774856
>>[...] Modafinil-Induced Wakefulness
jneurosci.org/content/29/9/2663
>>The neurobiology of modafinil as an enhancer of cognitive performance [...]
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23934211
>>Effects of modafinil on cognitive and meta-cognitive performance.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15252824
>>Cognitive enhancing effects of modafinil in healthy volunteers.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12417966

Who uses it
>Obama
thedailybeast.com/the-white-house-mystery-drug
>Dave Asprey
blog.bulletproof.com/q-a-why-i-use-modafinil-provigil/
>Many tech-savy guys like me

Recommended reading
>The First Real Smart Drug? Researchers Say Modafinil Works
motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/4x3z4n/the-first-real-smart-drug-researchers-say-modafinil-works

>MASTER MONK MODE WITH MODAFINIL
illimitablemen.com/2016/05/24/master-monk-mode-with-modafinil/

>Modafinil: The Rise of Smart Drugs
blog.bulletproof.com/why-you-are-suffering-from-a-modafinil-deficiency/

[Ian Carter]

Noopept
Easily ordered online, doesn't require prescription. Discovered with love in Russia.
>>The results have demonstrated that noopept, used in dose 20 mg daily during 2 months, improves cognitive functions in stroke patients and has a high level of safety.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22500312
>>Comparative studies of Noopept and piracetam in the treatment of patients with mild cognitive disorders in organic brain diseases of vascular and traumatic origin.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19234797

It is difficult to find nice papers on noopept & cognition, but it is generally used by people who want to improve their memory and learn faster. What is almost undeniable is that it works neuroprotectively.

>>Stacks well with
CDP-Choline (citicoline), Alpha GPC, Omega 3 and many more

[Caleb Martinez]

Fuck off big pharma shill.

[Nicholas Stewart]

As OP said, modafinil is generically produced in India. There's not much profit from that.

[Lincoln Morales]

Martial arts (preferably full contact) + Running + Lifting + Meditation will do the job just fine.

[Isaiah Ward]

how does one go about ordering and cycling modafinil?

[Elijah Rogers]

would you personally take this over modafinil?

[Joseph Green]

>memetropics
Enjoy all the side effects

[Grayson Wilson]

FYI
Most nootropics don't do shit. There aren't that many types of substances that enhance cognition, I think basically all of them might be stimulants.

Not all stimulants lead to enhanced performance, even if most really make you feel good:
- Caffeine and nicotine are mild stimulants, with a pretty modest practical potential because of the harsh side-effects. They're also ones of the few that don't target dopamine function, IIRC
- Several primarily dopamine-specific stimulants increase performance in a rather considerable manner compared to anything else. Check the wikipedia stimulants page for more
- Modafinil and any other possible atypical stimulants increase performance modestly.
- Some supplements that increase brain dopamine function might also be considered stimulants. Those are at least L-DOPA (which needs to be IV'd AFAIK, so not really useful), and tyrosine, which may somewhat increase brain dopamine levels for some people, or in some situations, at least when taken in good amounts preferably with other supplements. There are some other herbs and supplements that might also help with dopamine function directly or indirectly, but I can't recall any right now.

Then there's some non-stimulants that might, I repeat _might_ be beneficial, but might as well just only do harm:
- Piracetam and friends - I'm pretty sure there's not much scientific evidence supporting their use
- Ergoloids - These supposedly increase brain blood flow, but I'm skeptical
- All the other stuff - Yep, it all sounds fishy. I'm sure our brain has evolved to work on "max capacity" in its natural state when it's healthy, with some really rare exceptions (dopamine being the only one apparently, but high levels of increased dopamine aren't sustainable either)

[Thomas Williams]

I often take both 200mg modafinil and 30mg noopept. I am 63kg

If I am correct noopepts half life is 30 min as compared to modafinil 16 hours, and the effects are very different, so I just take both :')
It is actually hard to say but you should do
1. Whatever your doctor suggested
2. Whatever works for you
You should see which dosage is most beneficial, for some 100mg is enough and if they take 200mg they can't sleep.
As for cycling, well, Dave Asprey from Bulletproof claims to have been taking it for 20 years. He is a very flamboyant man by the way.

Keep in mind that the drugs half life is about 16 hours, so if you take it every day it may be storing and storing inside your organism. I would take 4 days off sometimes, as in medicine it is generally said that drug's effects are over after 5 half life periods.

Personally I take however I like, sometimes 20 days in a row. Usually 3 days a week mon wed fri, or 5 days mon-fri. Always 200mg, I mix it with lots of coffee as well

[Aiden Myers]

>I'm sure our brain has evolved to work on "max capacity"

That is somehow true as long as one keeps healthy lifestyle. However, most of todays civilization tends to break that "max capacity". For example, fluoride in drinking water or toothpaste lowers IQ dramatically.
That's where neuroprotective substances may come handy

>Fluoride and IQ research in China
fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/xiang.fan-conference.sept2014.pdf

>Impact of fluoride on neurological development in children
hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/
"Fluoride seems to fit in with lead, mercury, and other poisons that cause chemical brain drain,” Grandjean says. “The effect of each toxicant may seem small, but the combined damage on a population scale can be serious, especially because the brain power of the next generation is crucial to all of us.”

Thats one of the reasons I like nootropics and whatever seems to have neuroprotective potential.

As for
>Not all stimulants lead to enhanced performance, even if most really make you feel good:
Different things work on different people. Of course sometimes this is 50% substance 50% placebo or even 10% substance 90% placebo, but whatever works - works. I am not going to argue with you shitting white papers because we both know that scientists are sometimes idiots. Everyone needs to be his own lab rat...

[Luis Nguyen]

My stack:

Modafinil
Adderall
LSD
Shrooms
L-phenylalaline
Lucid dreaming
Meditation
Daily exercise
Coffee

[Jaxson Baker]

>LSD
I heard that people from Silicon Valley take micro doses of LSD in order to improve their creativity. Can you elaborate?

[Thomas Torres]

LSD in low doses is a pretty strong stimulant and also enhances your imagination.
Microdosing is nice but I usually just drop heavy doses every couple weeks for self exploration and understanding.

[David Evans]

I agree that environmental poisons are a worrying concern, but I kinda just hope for the best. All signs would say they can't be very harmful because we're all doing ok. And adding tons of other substances to the mix, I don't know, seems risky.

>Different things work on different people. Of course sometimes this is 50% substance 50% placebo or even 10% substance 90% placebo, but whatever works - works. I am not going to argue with you shitting white papers because we both know that scientists are sometimes idiots. Everyone needs to be his own lab rat...
That's very true, however apparently a huge portion of people are very bad at analyzing the aspects of their own cognition. I wouldn't trust most people going on about miracle cures on the internet, since they've most likely just been fooled by placebo

[Bentley Torres]

>I don't need drugs I get high on LIFE! ;) #DARE #GreenLyfestile
>*sips coffee and pops xan*

[Levi Young]

>I think basically all of them might be stimulants.
holy shit someone give this guy a doctorate right now dammmmm hem so smart how'd he figure that out

[Joshua Ross]

....... WTF is all that mumba-yumba? btw I'm on glycine right now lol

[Jaxson Cruz]

I need something that generates enthusiasm. I think burnout isn't so much exhaustion as losing interest and focus.

[Zachary Phillips]

just drink a cup of tea in the morning like a normal human being you fucking drug addict

[Lucas Nelson]

>adding tons of other substances to the mix, I don't know, seems risky.
Yeah, seems risky. Nootropics are still new and not yet researched. You can't just say that something that was there for 15 years is long-term safe.
On the other hand, there is already minor research that gives hope and points us in that direction, say conclusions about cognitive enhancement and short-term safety.
I am my own lab rat after all. And so far I haven't noticed worrying side effects nor found one paper that would prove harmfulness of any substances that I use.
In moderation, of course, caffeine can also fuck people up, but as long as I keep below 200 or 400 mg a day it may only provide benefits.
>I wouldn't trust most people going on about miracle cures on the internet, since they've most likely just been fooled by placebo
That's why we need to share information about trustworthy user reviews, and not just any users, but the extraordinary lab rats!

For example, this guy sure as fuck knows what he was doing
gwern.net/Nootropics

[Matthew Wood]

Have you ever realized that caffeine is also a drug?
acsh.org/news/2015/09/02/fdas-welcome-action-caffeine-is-a-drug
Do you drink beer sometimes?

In fact, using Citicoline + Alpha GPC + Piracetam + Aniracetam in the morning is not so different from your cup of tea.

Pretty much anything that was already mentioned here.
First of all, meditation.
Then you should get away from the computer when bored. You know the case of insomnia?
If a person can't sleep, he becomes scared of the bed. Because he knows that he will be wasting time lying on it, trying to fall asleep, and going through the process of "why the fuck can't I sleep again" every night for hours. Thats how they get scared of the bed.
It may be possibly the same with you & computer (or whatever). If you don't do what you wanted to do, get away from your desk. Come back only to do the work, and if you become dizzy or get brain fog, go for a walk. Step by step till you make it.
As for substances & lifestyle, I'd pretty much vouch for Intermittent Fasting (don't eat until 6PM), coffee + green tea in the morning.
You may want to read a little about racetams, that is piracetam, pehenylpiracetam, aniracetam. If you want to be a machine, maybe modafinil.
And see if meditation helps!

[Nicholas Carter]

Don't forget his 5g creatine!
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19773644

[Kevin Rivera]

fuck off

[Anthony Peterson]

i usually despise non tech related threads here but I'd say this belongs here

[Parker James]

I have a concern, I currently consider myself mentally capable, but I am considering modafilin to enhance that capability further. However, would I become a brainlet if I cease using modafilin after an extended period of time? Are there any reports on that?

[Camden Price]

Could you change the syntax to "some make you a fan of the Limitless movie" for the next general?

[Samuel Cox]

1. Ask your doctor,
2. If you didn't, then scholar.google.com,
3. If you didn't:

>Narcolepsy medication modafinil is world's first safe 'smart drug'
theguardian.com/science/2015/aug/20/narcolepsy-medication-modafinil-worlds-first-safe-smart-drug

>Is modafinil safe in the long term?
theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/may/31/is-modafinil-safe-in-long-term

>Modafinil: The Rise of Smart Drugs
blog.bulletproof.com/why-you-are-suffering-from-a-modafinil-deficiency/

>New Oxford and Harvard Study Confirms That Modafinil Is the World’s First Safe, Effective Cognitive Enhancing Drug
upriser.com/posts/new-oxford-and-harvard-study-finds-that-modafinil-is-the-worlds-first-safe-effective-cognitive-enhancing-drug

>Evaluation of the Safety of Modafinil for Treatment of Excessive Sleepiness
>Conclusions: Modafinil is well tolerated in the treatment of excessive sleepiness associated with disorders of sleep and wakefulness and does not affect cardiovascular or sleep parameters.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2045706/

[Jacob Gray]

choline
l-arginine
zinc
saw palmetto/pygeum
tantric meditation

the left hand path reaps dark rewards

[Eli Thomas]

Yeah sure. I will try to make a nice pastebin as well

[Julian James]

> modafinil is outlawed in my country
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[Sebastian Ward]

how do i get it?

[Mason Diaz]

>theguardian.com/education/mortarboard/2013/may/31/is-modafinil-safe-in-long-term

i have heard mention of reduction in neuorplasticity is that a valid concern?

[Chase Miller]

>modafinil
online
its like 10 dollars in india for 50 pills of the most expensive brand but its 10 times the price online

[Lincoln Stewart]

I take moda occasionally, only 50mg though. I think a lot of people ITT are overdoing it. Try a lower dose—sometimes it has the same effect without the side effects and tolerance.

[Josiah Cox]

I have money what nootropics should I buy?

[Henry Robinson]

modafinil if you want energy
micro-LSD if you are a silicon valley executive
noopept if you want a consistent, solid, reliable and effective nootropic which you do
anything else is a meme really

[Robert Brown]

What is micro-lsd? Is it lsd, or just another word for speed? Are all these safe to stack?

[Aaron Davis]

Great that stuff you listed literally just makes your dick Hard and you even forgot maca

[Jordan Wright]

>all this autism with scheduled drugs
>not just eating well, sleeping well and dropping a completely legal and safe phenylpiracetam in rare cases you need a mental boost
turboplebs

[Brayden Perez]

Micro-LSD is just LSD microdosed (usually 5-20 micrograms, 1/20th to 1/5th of a normal dose). So yeah it is illegal. However some darknet dealers sell strips of acid dosed really lightly, explicitly for the purpose of microdosing. The whole strip is like 1 normal tab. You can also buy legal research chemicals such as 1p-LSD which metabolizes into LSD, basically the same shit but it's legally grey because it's unscheduled. You can buy it online.

Microdosing is supposed to give you a little spring in your step and increase creativity, mental fluidity, abstract thinking, etc. It has nothing to do with speed. Modafinil, LSD, and noopept have no cross interactions, but LSD is slightly stimulating and I already know people who completely fuck up their sleep schedule with modafinil alone because it keeps you up a long-ass time, so the two together may present problems there, but if you dose only as soon as you wake up you'll probably not notice that.

[Charles Hughes]

first time I've seen a noots thread here, would love to see it more often because this is an area that interests me, been running a daily stack of the following for a few weeks:

Synapsa-branded Brahmi (320mg)
Sensoril-branded Ashwagandha (125mg)
Fish oil (220mg EPA 160mg DHA)
Caffeine (100mg) + L-Theanine (200mg)
Vitamin K2 (100mcg)
Vitamin D3 (5000IU)
Chelated Magnesium (200mg)

also use either 500mg or 1000mg of Phenibut, 100mg or 200mg of Phenylpiracetam with 300mg or 600mg of Alpha GPC twice a week

my mood has increased significantly over the past few weeks where previously I was consistently fighting suicidal thoughts and now I'm no longer depressed, but I have pretty bad focus issues (especially when it comes to doing admin stuff for work) and would love to pick up some more Modafinil, but Bitcoin vendors that aren't based in my country won't approve my ID as being valid and it's driving me nuts

how is Noopept compared to Moda? I really need to do some serious crunching on admin because it's piling up really badly and my work's income is based on me doing my admin (billing clients with IT support)

I wish I could sleep well, but my brain doesn't like to shut itself off that easily and that's been plaguing me my whole life, have to resort to dudeweedlmao and chamomile+passionflower tea to get decent sleep

[Connor Bennett]

>taking natural ayurvedic herbals AND dropping tranqs
>taking fuckton of supplements instead of having a decent diet
>taking supplemental metabolites without any underlying conditions
>switching uppers with downers and taking nootropics every week WHY CANT I SLEEP GUYS
you're a walking meme of drug forums

[Nathaniel Price]

drugs aren't technology you fucking retards

[Bentley Sullivan]

>go to a psychiatrist
>talk about my problems
>give me lexapro
>take for 1 month
>nothing happens
>go back
>he increases the dosage
>ask about some methylphenidate
>he denies
>go to other 3 psychiatrists
>they also deny

Go to the hell.
It's impossible get this things here in my country and in the deep web it's absolut overpriced.

[Nathan Edwards]

>unironically wanting the babby cocaine
>being retarded enough to directly ask someone to prescribe a certain scheduled substance

[Justin Jenkins]

what about ethylphenidate or isopropylphenidate or one of those guys? unscheduled most places and cheap

[Luis Reed]

>yfw tea is a nootropic
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine#Supplement_use

[Brandon Evans]

tech|nol¦ogy.
.

[tɛkˈnɒlədʒi]

NOUN

the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes

[Jace Lopez]

300mg of wellbutrin every day checking in
Not trying to add more drugs to my body, but what are the key foods I should be eating

[Carson Murphy]

Anything that doesn't contain mycotoxins

[Samuel Reed]

...

[Christopher Thompson]

age

[Josiah Nelson]

Bullshit® Upgraded© with Marketing Dicks™

[Jaxson Flores]

I did that, got it after 2 weeks as an adult. But never went back and they probably wrote some shit in my healtharchive that will fuck me up one time

[Jonathan Johnson]

grfo