[quote]InTheZone wrote:
Hey gang, as a guy in his early forties, I need some help with memory retention and focus for my Anatomy class which starts in about three weeks.
This class is pretty hard, and I have on hand some supps for help with retaining of information and concentration and such,…
I have Vinpocetine, and there’s Spike which helps too…
What would someone recommend for taking supps for this, as far as supp timing/scheduled dosing etc…
Classes are on Tues/Thurs nights from 5:30-10:30 I believe…so I don’t want to “overstim” before class, but I am a geezer so wtf? lol…
Seriously any help would be appreciated.
p.s. there was a period of moderate/heavy pot smoking in the earlier years which isn’t helping the short term memory banks at all…can you relate??
thanks,ToneBone[/quote]
How’s your anatomy class going so far? I’m taking anatomy and physiology at my college this semester and it’s by far one of the hardest classes I’ve taken. The first lab exam I had to remember 400 terms and how to spell correctly with a lecture exam immediately 1 week after.
I take fish oil and would recommend taking Power Drive prior to studying to increase focus. Are your labs the same day as lecture?
I have some great sites for studying for anatomy (with practice tests and powerpoints), let me know if you need them.
Bushy, please follow up with your experiences of the new stack.
Oh yeah, in my previous experience post, I forgot to mention Sulbutamine. I purchased some straight powder from CNW after trying Spike. The powder did nothing for me. Spike was awesome (The original Spike)
Since that original bottle, I’ve had very hit and miss experience with Spike.
Also, Pramiracetam. Good stuff. I was a studying/ reading machine. Very logic based thinking. No emotions. lol.
I’ve recently just started trying Adrafinil, which the sister drug to Modafinil. Modafinil is scheduled, very expensive and I doubt an order would get through customs, so I decided to get some Adrafinil instead.
So far my experience with Adrafinil has been good! It does give a feeling of more awareness and brain stimulation, helps overcome fatigue, and I feel more “there” and “in the moment” when it is in effect. I just pulled through two 12 hour shifts at work and the Adra actually made me more aware of how angry and pissed off I am, especially when I’m at my job.
Usually those emotions are tucked away in the background and I try to gloss them over with some kind of pseudo-happiness, but the Adrafinil brought this part of my psyche to the foreground with awareness and some inner analysis, while still allowing me to be present in the moment.
It does this without the jittery feeling of caffeine, or the full power trip of the amphetamines.
Other nootropic substances I’ve tried include Piracetam, Aniracetam, Centrophenoxine (Lucidril), Deprenyl, Tianeptine, Phenibut, 5-HTP, Picamilone, and Choline.
The centrophenoxine (Lucidril) was one of the better ones for me as an intellect booster.
If you read about it, there is some crud that accumulates in the brain as it ages, which a waste material called lipofuscin. Centrophenoxine cleans out these deposits in the brain and thus enhances its function. It’s kinda like cleaning the crap out of an old engine - afterwards it will breathe better and fire more efficiently. This nootropic does not give an instant effect, but after a couple of weeks you will notice a sense of increased capacity to deal with new information.
For example, when I was studying at university, I taught myself how to use the program 3D Studio Max in one weekend, including how to create an animated biped model and get it to move and talk in sync to an audio recording. My classmates were amazed when I told them because they said there are whole subjects dedicated to teaching this advanced modelling software, and it takes 6 months or more to learn how to use it to that level. I basically went crazy, sucking in knowledge by downloading tutorials & software, researching how to achieve certain effects, and applying it at a mad pace.
I just heard about the Sulbutiamine from Bushy while reading this thread, and WOW! It sounds like the shit!
Gotta get my hands on some now…lol. Can’t wait till payday - looks like my VISA debit card is going to take another hit.
I used to post regularly on Imminst(.org) about nootropics…pretty interesting stuff.
BTW, ToneBone, did you end up trying Adrafinil? It’s much cheaper than Moda and I’ve found it works quite well too for a boost, without feeling too wired.
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
entheogens wrote:
Here’s a question I have in regards to all of this. Are there any of these drugs/supplements that do not risk interfering with one’s sleep? Everybody has their weak link and mine is my sleep. If there is stress going on in my life, my sleep is the first thing to suffer. If a drug/supplement can provoke insomnia, it definitely will provoke it in me.
So, I am looking for nootropics that definitely DO NOT have that effect. In other words, if you tell me nootropic “X” only causes insomnia in 1 percent of cases, believe me, I would be a member of that one percent.
Absolutely no sleep interference with vinpocetine that I know of.
It is in no way a stimulant.
Bushy[/quote]
Bushy, thanks for the advice. Been taking the vinpocetine for three days now. The first day I only took 5mgs, the other two days I took 10 mgs/day. Today, I will take 15 mgs. So far, no side effects. I will build up to 30 mgs/day.
Slightly off-topic, I have been looking for an adaptogen, an overall tonic. The usual one people take is some sort of ginseng. Again, this gives me insomnia. I have found an ayurvedic herb that is purported to be a tonic on the order of ginseng without the side-effects. It’s ashwagandha.
I’m presently taking 225 mgs of the stuff. Only been taking it since yesterday, so too little time to report. Anybody else here had any experience with this herb?
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
One other adaptogen that I know of is Rodiola rosea. A few of my friends and coursemates use it however I have yet to try it myself.
[/quote]
Yes, Bushy, I have used that one. Unfortunately, it has one bad side effect in my case and that is it negatively impacts my sleep, even when I take it very early in the morning. As stated beforehand, my sleep is very sensitive, so most people could probably take this without consequence. I have read from several sources that it is very good.