Brain Function Boosters

Nutrition
1680

[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:

Nice info, thanks. Have you pondered bacopa monnieri (1.5g) and aniracetam (600-2400mg) for their anxiolytic, yet cognitive boosting abilities.

BBB[/quote]

Thanks for the response & feedback BBB. I have thought about adding aniracetam to my stack. Years ago when I was a teenager, I read a review of Smart Drugs & Nutrients and ordered the book. The book made piracetam seem like a quick acting drug which it was not for me and being a teenager…it is all about instant gratification.

Now that I am older, I have put some thought into adding aniracetam back in and giving it a try. But I would love to hear feedback from other people’s experiences in regards to motivation. What drugs/nutrients people in this forum thread take to improve their motivation.
Thanxs
freeBSD

1681

[quote]Wise Guy wrote:
Affliction wrote:
Hey guys… finally got through this damn thread, LOL. Bar none one of the most interesting and informative here on T-Nation.

So, here’s what I can add, let’s talk sleep stacks:

-Melatonin
-GABA
-Inositol
-L-Theanine
-5-HTP
-Magnesium
-PEA
-Phenibut
-Glycine

Anyone have doses, protocols they’ve found effective?

For me, it’s usually:

2-5g GABA
3g Melatonin
600mg Magnesium Citrate (Look up a product called “Natural Calm”)

And then, if needed:

5-HTP 200mg (I don’t notice any of the aforementioned side effects?)
L-Theanine 200-600mg
Inositol
Glycine 5-10g

Thoughts, any and all? And goodnight, as I’ve just taken my regular stack about 15 minutes ago… =]

Bushy is right about keeping 5 HTP at 50mg.

I would NOT start just dumping those products down my gullet. Start with a couple at a time.

For sleep, the absolute safest/most natural ones with zero side effects, is L-Theanine and Inositol all the way.

Next, you might want to add phGaba. Just remember it needs cycled. Maybe 5/2 or 4/3, or 3 weeks on, 1 off.

Im of the opinion if your younger you probably don’t need melatonin.

5 HTP is very person specific. Some it works great, some not.
[/quote]

I agree with everyone’s analysis of 5 HTP, I love the stuff and have a very high tolerance to basically everything. Whenever I need it, I take 200mg at a time but 50 mg of it bothers my girlfriend.

1682

From what I’ve been reading recntly, 5-HTP is almost always 100 mg to 300 mg in one dose. More if you split it up through the day.

Also, 5-HTP converts to seratonin, some of which goes to melatonin.

So it would probably be advisable to lower the dose of each if you are using both together.

1683

If anyone has experience with ashwagandha I would appreciate the help. What is a good dosing protocol? Can it be taken with rhodiola rosea? They are both adaptogens. Thanks for any help on the subject!

1684

I’m becoming less enthused with phenibut for sleeping for me personally.

I’m using it on the days when I want to get to sleep earlier or have an extra restful or extra long sleep, and it seems like it’s hindering rather than helping my sleep. I’m just not able to stop thinking, which is something that I normally have no problem with.

But again, it might be just that I’m using it on the days where I’m going to bed particularly early.

1685

[quote]duddy wrote:
Anybody have any troubles combining Power Drive with caffeine? I’ve tried adding in some caffeine, but I feel dull and not all there. Is there an interaction with the DMAE? Or the choline? I tried googling both, but nothing came up. Any ideas on possible interactions between the two?[/quote]

Duddy

I think caffeine is sorta crap on the cognitive scale of boosting things.

There are much better compounds out there.

Every time I try and add caffeine in, I grow a tolerance to it faster than super glue dries, and it isn’t long before Im needing multiple doses of 300mg a day.

I’ve just found to leave it out altogether is the best bet for the most part.

I get a small amount in with my daily brain drink, which is 1 serving of Power Drive, 1 serving of superfood, all mixed in with 4 cups of low caffeine blueberry tea, all tossed into a blender bottle and I sip on that all day

1686

[quote]T Ham wrote:
From what I’ve been reading recntly, 5-HTP is almost always 100 mg to 300 mg in one dose. More if you split it up through the day.

Also, 5-HTP converts to seratonin, some of which goes to melatonin.

So it would probably be advisable to lower the dose of each if you are using both together.[/quote]

NOW sells 5 HTP at 50mg, you can pick it up at i herb.

I take it, along with 1mg double release melatonin and L theanine before bed.

Does the trick for the time being until I get my Growth Hormone Boosting Peptides, which should be later in the summer

1687

[quote]B rocK wrote:
Right about the end of 2008 I got pretty drunk with my cousin. I’d say a 10/10 as far as how drunk I’ve ever been. (I spent the night puking for the 2nd time ever). I woke up at noon still wasted, hung over all day, sick as shit all night and STILL feeling horrible the next day.

Fast forward to last weekend (3mo later) to a point where I had been using DMAE for 1.5mo and using Paracetem & Vinpo for 1.5wks and that’s where I was last weekend. I went out to the Cask with some friends and got pretty torn up (first time since the end of '08); probably 8/10.

So you would think that if a 10 landed me in the puke bin and all the wonderful after-effects that happened you would think that an 8 wouldn’t put me in the best place the next day(s). Wrong. Aside from feeling a bit tired for a few hours after waking; I was 100% fine. And I blame it on my Brain Function Booster. 100%

Both nights were full of drinking hard liquor and eating and then late night eating again. I weighed about the same as well…

Just thought I’d share my thoughts on some things that BFBs are doing for me. Not that I’m going to drink much more…but interesting nonetheless.

[/quote]

I’d say all that Choline is a big reason why

1688

Note: I’m not so sure about my previous post about phenibut. I don’t think the phenibut did or did not help anymore, as I switched to melatonin for 2 nights and I’m only marginally better.

[quote]Wise Guy wrote:
T Ham wrote:
From what I’ve been reading recntly, 5-HTP is almost always 100 mg to 300 mg in one dose. More if you split it up through the day.

Also, 5-HTP converts to seratonin, some of which goes to melatonin.

So it would probably be advisable to lower the dose of each if you are using both together.

NOW sells 5 HTP at 50mg, you can pick it up at i herb.

I take it, along with 1mg double release melatonin and L theanine before bed.

Does the trick for the time being until I get my Growth Hormone Boosting Peptides, which should be later in the summer[/quote]

Yep, I just got some in bulk powders. Maybe I should have gone for caps, but oh well.

1689

i just picked up some aniracetam from bulk nutrition and i’ve been taking about 600mg 3 times daily and my only question is that i’ve noticed a distinct bitter/sour taste and i was wondering if thats normal. also should it be mixed in water alone or can it be mixed with a protein shake or something different altogether. thanks for the help

1690

[quote]duddy wrote:
If anyone has experience with ashwagandha I would appreciate the help. What is a good dosing protocol? Can it be taken with rhodiola rosea? They are both adaptogens. Thanks for any help on the subject![/quote]

I LOVE ashwagandha; one of my favorite supplements. I would start with 500mg bid and see how that goes. There is a ton of variance between brands due to extract concentration and withanolide content. Paradise Herbs is actually one of the better ones I have tried. I took 500mg in the morning and 500mg immediately post workout - it worked perfectly for a calming affect without making me tired or negatively affecting mental focus. It does lose it’s effect pretty quick, though, so I like to rotate it every couple weeks with rhodiola or another adaptogen.

1691

fantastic thread. i’m making my way through the wealth of information as i’ve wanted to explore the use of brain function boosters for myself.

however, i was hoping i could get some advice on the following. my brother is in his final year of uni, with exams fast approaching. i would really like to help him by putting together a stack which he could use whilst revising and during his exams.

so far i’m thinking of buying him some Vinpocetine to use during revision and his exams, and Piracetam for use during revision. haven’t made my way through all of the posts yet but would like to order something soon, so he can start using and tweaking the necessary doses.

any comments on a revision/exam stack would be much appreciated, as well as a reliable source to deliver in the uk (i’ve tried qhi.co.uk, but the site seems to be down).

many thanks.

1692

[quote]indian340 wrote:
i just picked up some aniracetam from bulk nutrition and i’ve been taking about 600mg 3 times daily and my only question is that i’ve noticed a distinct bitter/sour taste and i was wondering if thats normal. also should it be mixed in water alone or can it be mixed with a protein shake or something different altogether. thanks for the help[/quote]

don’t know about aniracetam but I know piracetam tastes like what you described (probably worse). A gram of it will ruin any shake so I drink it with a lot of water.

and here’s a review so I can contribute to this thread.

I’ve been using piracetam for over 2 months now and added DMAE 2 weeks after that. Right now I’m taking around 2 grams of piracetam and 500mg of DMAE. Lately I’ve not been taking them as regularly as I should but for the most part I did 5 days on 2 days off. Will get back on track with that again.

After probably around a month, I definitely noticed increased memory/recall ability on stuff like words and numbers - especially new words I learned etc. I’ve been waiting for almost a month to report and I’ve had too many anectodes already. I like it. I’ll probably not buy DMAE again and just go with piracetam to see how that works by itself. I might report here again.

What I haven’t noticed are general awareness, mood elevation, focus or anything immediate, really. Maybe they are there but I could not tell you 100% like the memory thing.

FWIW

1693

[quote]T Ham wrote:
Note: I’m not so sure about my previous post about phenibut. I don’t think the phenibut did or did not help anymore, as I switched to melatonin for 2 nights and I’m only marginally better.

Wise Guy wrote:
T Ham wrote:
From what I’ve been reading recntly, 5-HTP is almost always 100 mg to 300 mg in one dose. More if you split it up through the day.

Also, 5-HTP converts to seratonin, some of which goes to melatonin.

So it would probably be advisable to lower the dose of each if you are using both together.

NOW sells 5 HTP at 50mg, you can pick it up at i herb.

I take it, along with 1mg double release melatonin and L theanine before bed.

Does the trick for the time being until I get my Growth Hormone Boosting Peptides, which should be later in the summer

Yep, I just got some in bulk powders. Maybe I should have gone for caps, but oh well.

[/quote]

T HAM

Make sure your melatonin is timed release. You can double cap it w/ an empty cap to extend the release as well.

To be honest, once the usual maladies are ruled out, such as sleep apnea/prescription drugs and such, the usual problem with sleep all point to GH.

So for me, supplements are a short term fix for the point being. The long term solution to improve sleep and facilitate rest/recovery, is boosting GH levels.

I.E., if your above the age of 25, and not sleeping as well as you used to, its probably a GH issue. And yes, GH levels can, and usually are, a significant portion lower by the age of 25 than they were at 18.

1694

[quote]theceka wrote:
indian340 wrote:
i just picked up some aniracetam from bulk nutrition and i’ve been taking about 600mg 3 times daily and my only question is that i’ve noticed a distinct bitter/sour taste and i was wondering if thats normal.[/quote]

Many guys after awhile have found that buying a capping machine and empty caps to be invaluable. A small little investment worth its weight in gold.

Its much easier to simply cap your own stuff and toss em back everyday. No fuss no mess.

1696

aside from bulk nutrition, is there any reliable source when delivering to the uk?

1697

[quote]Wise Guy wrote:
T HAM

Make sure your melatonin is timed release. You can double cap it w/ an empty cap to extend the release as well.

To be honest, once the usual maladies are ruled out, such as sleep apnea/prescription drugs and such, the usual problem with sleep all point to GH.

So for me, supplements are a short term fix for the point being. The long term solution to improve sleep and facilitate rest/recovery, is boosting GH levels.

I.E., if your above the age of 25, and not sleeping as well as you used to, its probably a GH issue. And yes, GH levels can, and usually are, a significant portion lower by the age of 25 than they were at 18. [/quote]

Yea, I think it was something else. My sleep schedule was really messed up (lack of discipline) and the melatonin might have helped me get back on track because I didn’t need it the last night.
We shall see what happens this night.

Some melatonin is sublingual, you still think double capping is better? I guess a the fall asleep vs stay asleep problem.

1698

How do you make sure you get the right amount of material in the caps?

Do you measure out one cap first and then bulk it up with a filler or other substances to get the right percentage in a cap for a given mass?
Any common ratios, formulas, mixtures or other tips?

Do you mix only like powders with like powders? For example, creatine is a fine white powder, bacopia is fine but a bit grainer, piracetam & beta alanine are grainy crystals, and ALCAR is similar to those but seems to stick together with static or something. Does this present any problems if you wanted to mix them?

1699

Does anyone have any experience of the more mainstream supplements that contain huperzine, DMAE, vinpocetine, rhodiola such as www.titanIQ.com and www.brainquicken.com?

I’ve tried ritalin, modafinil, hydergine and deprenyl but found each of them had unwanted side effects (not severe, just detrimental to my performing better, which was the whole point).

Similarly I’ve had good results with Spike although I can’t take it for too many days before crashing though - similar to modafinil imo.

I work well on stimulants but only for a very short time, I was looking for a product that sustains that increased focus, motivation etc without burning me out, but then I suppose there has to be a physiological cost.