Have any of ye taken piracetam? I recently got a 700g bottle and have been making 00 gelcaps of it with a crumb of fungus in the bottom. I've noticed some mild stimulation and focus increase, but it's only my third day taking it. Does anybody have any positive/negative reports on this substance?
I'm taking DMAE along with it, also...
Hmm, it will be hard to tune in in the piracitam with all that other stuff going on at the same time. The fungus on the bottom might give you what you are noticing. I tried vinpocitine and could not tell the difference. It may do something but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Quote from: "Stonehenge"Hmm, it will be hard to tune in in the piracitam with all that other stuff going on at the same time. The fungus on the bottom might give you what you are noticing. I tried vinpocitine and could not tell the difference. It may do something but I couldn't put my finger on it.
I've been taking crumbs for several weeks now, I just put it into the gelcap to make it simpler for me :)
That stuff...I'm not going to say that it didn't do anything for me...I really think there is something there, but it sure is subtle.
Don't look for anything dramatic...cycle it...a few days on, a few days off.
Lj
Piracetam really adds something to a solid psychoactive fungus experience, much more visual without an increase in the challenge of a head trip those fungi can produce. Various reports out there about piracetam increasing certain aspects of the trip experienced from phens such as M and E, not to mention it's neuroprotective aspects in addition to any boosting effects. Look around and you can find this material very cheap. I think I got something like just under a pound for $15 of pure piracetam from one bulk nutrition vendor.
Patient: Doctor, these smart drugs you have been selling me don't do any thing. I am starting to think you are a quackl
Doctor: See they are starting to work!!
LOL, good one JRL. :D
Jacko, that is fantastic, an lb of the stuff for $15. Can you give us a clue where to look? The vinpocitine wasn't very expensive but I couldn't tell for sure if it worked or not. Placebo effects can be strong and you have to take something for a while before you get past that. I was taking 10mg 3x per day and all the docs say it helps your memory. My memory is still shot but it might have been a little better. I'm not getting any younger and I could use all the help I can get.
There are several other smart drugs out there but some of them are supposed to have side effects. I like reading "neuroprotective" among the effects, sounds good to me. I want to try things that have been around a long time, not some new thing that might make you mutate after a few years.
One fast 400 - hows that for a clue. For increase in focus and neuroprotective effect check out Rhodiola rosea root too (that root tea is fairly astrigent and a little hard to take) and extract (I'm going to try whipping up some of my own extract in the weeks ahead).
I don't know much about vinpocitine, but I've heard it's a rather effective in increasing blood/oxygen levels to the brain in a manner similar to Ginkgo b. extracts. Apparently it is also neuroprotective, here's a blurb from an article I saved a while back:
Vinpocetine is also neuroprotective in many other situations. It protects against excitotoxicity induced by glutamate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), and is equally as effective as nimodipine [7]. In rats subjected to radiation, it increases cerebral blood flow and improves central energy metabolism [8]. In cells treated with beta-amyloid, vinpocetine improved mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and other signs of toxicity [9].
7. Brain Res Bull. 2000 Oct;53(3):245-54. Role of sodium channel inhibition in neuroprotection: effect of vinpocetine. Bonoczk P, Gulyas B, Adam-Vizi V, Nemes A, Karpati E, Kiss B, Kapas M, Szantay C, Koncz I, Zelles T, Vas A.
8. Nucl Med Biol. 2002 Oct;29(7):753-9. Cerebral uptake of [ethyl-11C]vinpocetine and 1-[11C]ethanol in cynomolgous monkeys: a comparative preclinical PET study. Gulyas B, Vas A, Halldin C, Sovago J, Sandell J, Olsson H, Fredriksson A, Stone-Elander S, Farde L.
9. Ideggyogy Sz. 2003 May 20;56(5-6):166-72. Asymptomatic ischemic cerebrovascular disorders and neuroprotection with vinpocetine. Hadjiev D.
_______________________________________________________
As vinpocetin works in the same manner as Ginkgo extracts I'd imagine that the same cautions/warnings should be considered. There were some studies indicating Ginkgo extracts increased the risk of strokes in those with high blood pressure or who are otherwise prone to strokes. That alone, even without high blood pressure has made me somewhat wary of these two substances even though I felt that some very powerful (50:1) extracts I used to take in the month leading upto grad school finals did have a positive learning effect.
Piracetam didn't really create a pronounced nootropic effect that I could put my finger on during the time I took it regularly at about 600-1000mg. per day over the course of a couple months, though I do note a slight tingle.
DMAE is one nootropic that I used to notice a significant effect from, particularly when I was a heavy smoker. It boosts acetyl-choline levels in the brain (as do betel nut and nicotine, not to mention some toxic nerve agents ... I believe some datura alkaloids are the remedy of choice for acetylcholine overdose poisonings). I never noticed any aid in memory, though it would increase alertness and focus dramatically when I hadn't slept much and maybe toked up a bit too much the night before. I hadn't noticed an effect nearly as potent when I wasn't also smoking or keeping a regular intake of nicotine though. There are also some studies where pigeons and maybe some other small creatures died earlier than their counterparts when given DMAE supplementation in high doses over a prolonged time period.
All that said about acetylcholine, I've also run across some things that indicate that piracetam really needs to be supplemented with something that will boost/replinish your neural acetylcholine levels. You can get bulk choline and various forms of choline powder rather cheaply, there are also some other chems like Acetyl L-Carnitine that are supposed to do this as well as provide a nootropic/memory enhancing action of their own.
I'll see if'n I can't dig up some links for ya Stoney.
Thanks, Jacko. These things are really interesting. I take a lot of stuff that I can't always feel the effects from like vitamins and minerals. I had done some research on the net about vinpocitine which seemed like the most harmless of the nootropics. I read reviews from doctor after doctor saying it had been studied for decades and was not only harmless but helpful. Like I say, I couldn't really feel the effects but a test might have shown it. I should get back on that. I have stayed away from ginkgo even though it's been around even longer due to some side effects being noticed.
You can't wait for the medical establishment to come up and say, "take this, it's good for you" They are too conservative and they have reason$ to not mention certain things. Like for example glucosamine and chondroitin, which are super for joint pain or arthritis. I have yet to see a doctor mention it when a patient talks about problems that it could treat. If the patient brings up the subject himself, it turns out the doctor knows all about it. Why doesn't the doctor mention it? Maybe because it's over the counter and no need for a prescription. Maybe because the AMA does not push it but it works great. So do a lot of other things we don't hear much about in the press.
I write to report that I believe, potentially as a result of either a) placebo effect and b) the funny powder I've been eating, I am experiencing potentiation of the subjective sensation as a result of supplementing my cannabanoid systems from exogenous sources. At the same time this effect occurs, I am enjoying the complete failure of manifestation of this type of self-supplementation's usual side-effect, consisting primarily of the degeneration of neural patterns due to the damping effect of the aforementioned cannabinoids.
Yes, gentlemen, the weed gets me higher.
I feel like my brain has been coated with a high-perfomance lubricant.
That is potentially lugubrious and could lead to self dosing to a more elevated plane.
Was the funny powder piracetam?
Yes, the funny powder is contained in a capsule as described by myself in an earlier post, 1 per day.
Every day that goes by, I'm becoming more and more enamoured with my new love: Piracetam! Because rather than tolerance making the doses less effective, I am finding them to last longer and longer. At first I would start getting a bit of mental tiredness about one hour before the next dose (I admit stretching the doses over way too long a time period - 5-5.5 hours instead of 4). Now I don't even notice a drop in the clarity or awakeness before my next dose.
In other words, this stuff is making lasting, functional changes to my brain, which means I just don't get mentally tired like I used to.
Its been eight days, but not once have I felt tired, at any moment in my waking hours, even at the end of long days of work and after repeated 2.00am nights. Yes, this stuff is God in powdered form, truly. My life is now clear, sharp, alert. Before I would get so tired working on my PC in the afternoons, I would constantly be falling into microsleeps. It was terrible. Btw. I've never used any caffeine or alcohol or prescription stimulants.
Best, no matter how late the dose, I can work 'till whatever hour then flop into bed and go to sleep right away. It doesn't interfere in the least with sleep, in fact sleep is deeper and more refreshing than ever, with significantly more brilliant dreams.
I did have to start eating egg yolks, due to the appearance on day three of an extremely mild headache (barely noticeable). Within two hours after eating six egg yolks, it was gone, permanently. I'm currently eating six raw egg yolks per day, and will cut back to four shortly. They're delicious, too.
I take 3 teaspoons a day, at these times:
1. 9.00a (or whenever I get up)
2. 4.00p
3. 9.00p
I'm just so amazed how my brain can really perform. This stuff is the most truly magical compound. The closest to a total genetic re-engineering of the brain, without having to do so.
Even better, it potentiates cannabis significantly for me (2x) and decreases negative side-effects!
Since 05, I have become an addict to piracetam myself. It definitely gives you a mental boost. You have to take it with a choline source or it doesn't do much. That may have been why many people didn't notice much from it when they tried it. It takes usually a few days to a couple weeks to kick in. Some people may notice it the next day. Some people need a couple grams a day, I use about a 1/2 gm per day.
Yeah, that piracetam is the shit! I'd also reccomend checking out alpha lipoic acid.
Still having great success with piracetam. I've taken to only using it on my work days the last few years (big spoonefull in the morning... little more in the afternoon) and I can really tell the difference. Very little mental fatigue after a hard day making critical decisions for people... helps give me confidence that I'm making good choices. Convinced my father to start taking it a year or so back and he reports that he can read books again where as he started to have trouble retaining information before that. He thought he was going to have to give up reading he was so frustrated. He also notes more vivid dreams, but he takes it before he goes to bed.