nootropics / smart drugs

[Avery L. Breath]

Anybody have any success incorporating these into daily diets?  Was talking to a friend who takes piratacem supliments........ sais it works.  He also mentioned a new one coming around derived from geraniums or some such.  

I consider coffee to be a good mental stimulant, but nootropics are a field of medicine I have little knowledge of.

[JRL]

so I went to my Doctor, and said "man I don't know about these smart drugs you prescribed,  I'm starting to think you're a quack."

He said. "See, they're working already!"

[Avery L. Breath]

shiggety, shiggety, shiggety, bang!

[Stonehenge]

Piracetam is great stuff. Some of those smart drugs are good, some are not so good. It depends on the person, I think, but piracetam is gold. It makes everything better.

[Avery L. Breath]

Well I broke down and bought a tub of this piracetam.  (700grams/$20)..... any suggestions on a dosage strategy?

[Mok]

I have read somewhere that people see effects around 2400mg/day in three spaced doses, and that the potency of piracetam can be increased dramatically with huperizine, which is expensive and prescription, I believe.  An individual referenced in the article I read reported that 1/4mg huperizine with 300mg piracetam was sufficient for his needs.

http://www.ceri.com/noot.htm

I take piracetam, bacopa, and DMAE (not to mention bee pollen and spirulina) daily and find it quite satisfying.

That's bacopa monnieri, btw.

[Stonehenge]

The dosage of pir is variable. Some people take up to 5gm a day. Others like myself use about 1.25gm a day and that's plenty. It's great stuff, you appreciate music more, your memory is better and you are able to think of words and things more easily. It helps the left and right hemispheres of the brain communicate.

I also take brahmi (bacopa) and some other things. It takes a couple weeks to get the full effect of pir but I noticed it after a few days. It's sort of like being stoned all the time except you are more alert and capable instead of less. The stoned feeling wears off after a few months but you still feel the benefit. If you use other drugs you will find you need less of them to get the same effect. I've been told this is true of alcohol, pot and a few other things.

[RifeHeretic]

Im still not sure what Nootropics are. Are they good for you?

Rife

[Avery L. Breath]

It has recently been suggested to me to add fish oil supliments to my list of dailys.......... though, I think I've prolly got enough mercury in my diet as it is.

Fish oil bennefits Quote:
Heralded for its heart-healthy actions, fish oils offer high concentrations of polyunsaturated fats called omega-3-fatty acids. While all fish contain these fats, cold-water fish--salmon, sea bass, tuna, trout, mackerel--are particularly rich sources because of their diet: plankton packed with omega-3s. Interestingly, the colder the water, the more omega-3s in the plankton. Cold-water fish also boast the most potent forms of omega-3s: the essential fatty acids known as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). Consumed as part of a fish-filled diet or in supplement form, omega-3s have myriad healing powers.

Health Benefits

Scientists are constantly discovering new health benefits for fish oils and their essential fatty acids (EFAs, including omega-3s). In addition to their more notable properties as heart-healing substances, there's evidence that these fatty acids ease menstrual cramps and the pain and heavy bleeding of endometriosis. Omega-3s may even aid mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Preliminary findings in people with manic depression (bipolar disorder) link fish oil supplementation to fewer mood swings. Some experts even contend that the rising tide of depression in the United States can be traced to the increasingly fish-poor diet people tend to follow.

Specifically, fish oils may help to:


Prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, including complications of high blood pressure. Several years ago scientists discovered why Greenland Eskimos suffer little heart disease despite their high-fat diets: They eat a lot of cold water fish. Closer examination revealed that it was the omega-3s in the fish that were protecting the hearts of these far-north inhabitants. Subsequent research revealed that the omega-3s discourage platelets in the blood from clumping together, reducing the risk that blood will clot and cause a heart attack. The omega-3s also ease strain on the heart and reduce the risk for angina (chest pain) by, among other things, reducing high blood pressure, keeping arteries flexible (they control inflammation within artery walls), lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats), and possibly even raising HDL ("good") cholesterol. Now there's evidence that omega-3s can prevent heart-rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias). In a large, recently published Lancet study, fish oil supplements (1 gram a day) significantly reduced the incidence of arrhythmias in heart attack survivors. There were many fewer deaths (and deaths from heart problems specifically) as a result.

Prevent certain cancers. Anticancer actions have been identified in omega-3s, with some recent studies reporting that even small amounts of fish (as part of the diet) can reduce the risk for colon, breast, prostate, and other cancers.

Treat rheumatoid arthritis. Joint stiffness and swelling caused by this painful condition may lessen because of the inflammation-fighting actions of omega-3s. Some sufferers find that they can even get by with lower doses of conventional medications. In one recent study, participants taking fish oil supplements daily for 12 weeks or more noticed that they were experiencing less morning stiffness and had fewer tender joints. Improvements increased even more after 18 to 24 weeks of taking fish oil supplements, with the benefit lingering for up to 8 weeks after the supplements were stopped.

Control diabetes. Nerve problems and heart disease are complications of this chronic condition. Fish oils may help by preventing nerve damage and possibly raising HDL ("good") cholesterol. On a basic, cellular level they may also improve the body's metabolic use of its own insulin.

Ease symptoms of lupus, psoriasis and eczema. In people with lupus, omega-3s appear to control inflammation in the joints, skin, kidneys, and other body tissues. Those suffering from psoriasis or eczema may find that the angry, itchy patches common to these ailments respond to treatment with fish oils after about a month. Interestingly, research indicates that psoriasis sufferers tend to have low levels of omega-3s.

Minimize Crohn's disease symptoms. This often painful bowel condition tends to flare up and then subside in cycles over time. When taken long term for preventive purposes, the essential fatty acids in fish oils will keep inflammation in the digestive tract under control. In a recent Italian study, fish oil supplements (about 3 grams in enteric-coated form a day) significantly reduced the number of flare-ups in Crohn's disease sufferers. All of the study participants were initially in remission but had signs of inflammation. By the end of the study, nearly 70% of the participants given a placebo had a relapse while only about 30% of those taking the fish oils capsules did.

Delay the onset of Raynaud's disease symptoms. Omega-3s inhibit inflammation within vessels, making fish oils potentially useful in stalling the numbness, tingling, and other symptoms resulting from exposure to cold air. One placebo-controlled study of 32 Raynaud's sufferers found that fish oil supplements slowed the appearance of such bothersome symptoms by an average of 15 minutes (often enough time to allow sufferers to avoid painful symptoms by getting to a warm place).
Note: Fish oils have also been found to be useful for a number of other disorders. For information on these additional ailments, see our Dosage Recommendations Chart for Fish Oils

[RifeHeretic]

Very interesting Avery! I will be sure to eat some more of my little water friends.

[Stonehenge]

Fish oil is very good for you. Nootropics are also good for you. They have health benefits as well as improving your memory, concentration, energy and so on. In order to be classified as a nootropic, a substance has to be totally non toxic and also be neuroprotective. That means it protects the brain and nervous system. That's just for starters and then it has to show a benefit. Other very good nootropics are

acetyl l carnosine
vinpocetine
alpha lipoic acid

The acetyl l carnosine (alcar) gives me energy. It improves the action of the mitochondria which are the energy factories in the cells. Doctors are beginning to find that mitochondria function is directly related to aging and loss of function makes us older. There are other factors as well such as cross linking, shortening of telomeres and so on but many nootropics are antiaging drugs as well and make you live longer.

[winder]

I think you meant acetyl carnitine.

I am taking alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl carnitine now.

We'll know in 20 years how it did for the anti-aging.

Certainly the MSM, chodroitin, and glucosamine are making a difference in how my hands feel.

[Stonehenge]

Winder wrote:

>I think you meant acetyl carnitine.

No, I meant acetyl L carnitine, hence the short name alcar. Do a search on google for it. Not a biggie, I believe you will only find the "l" form.

>I am taking alpha-lipoic acid and acetyl carnitine now.

How much of each do you take, what effects have you noticed?

>Certainly the MSM, chodroitin, and glucosamine are making a difference in how my hands feel.

Those are great for arthritis, best there is especially the glu/chon

[Avery L. Breath]

Man that piracetam tastes nasty.

Giche!  Gonna have to start mixing this with cranberry juice or something.

That alpha-lipoic looks promising.  Obviously I've still got alot of research to do.

Am personally not currently really interested in lengthening my life with anti-aging drugs or anything like that.  I truly dislike having to even take pills on a daily basis, but it sure is appealing to have a healthy and vibrant brain carried through to my old age.  Is my single greatest asset.

[Avery L. Breath]

Well, I've been taking this piracetam for a week now, five grams twice a day to build up an initial concentration of it.  Have definitely noticed a difference in cognition, kinda like what caffeine does for me without the excessive physical stimulation.  Don't know how to describe it otherwise.  I mean, I don't feal smarter or anything, I feal as if I can concentrate a little better perhaps.  And I haven't really felt any of the usual mental fatigue I normally might experience sometime in the day, like if I have too much sugar.  Or any negative side effects other than the nasty taste.  

Their deffinitely appears to be something to it anyways........ though I suppose it all could just be in my head too.  Ha!  Will prolly be able to tell better the effects after a month or so.