Obligatory note: I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Internet. These are my experiences alone, and you must decide what is best for yourself. If that includes seeing a doctor before beginning any dietary or nootropic supplement regimen, that is probably for the best.
The readers of WSO self-select to high achievement. It is what it is. To that end, we're constantly on the lookout for anything that can give us an edge or make us a better version of ourselves. Discussions about performance enhancing drugs are popular, so I thought I'd tell you guys what I've found and what I use to kick the brain cells into high gear for awhile.
It's all over-the-counter and, while it isn't creatine and Woodford Reserve, it does the job.
Around 2010, I began to experience what I considered noteworthy cognitive decay. I was 42 years old, and I noticed my short term memory slipping. Like most things, it started small and amounted to nothing more than an annoyance, but for someone who prides himself on being mentally sharp I found it troubling.
The best way I can describe it is similar to the degradation of my eyesight. I had better than 20/20 vision my whole life but, once I started to lose it, it seemed to happen overnight. In the space of 18 months I went from perfect vision to wearing progressive lenses every day. The cognitive decay I’ve experienced isn’t nearly as dramatic as the deterioration of my vision, but you can understand why I’d be even more concerned about it.
Unfortunately for me, this cognitive decay is likely caused by a number of different factors. I’m now solidly middle aged, which is generally the time in life one begins to notice these things anyway. On top of that, however, is the combination of
- Genetics
- Western diet (I regularly indulged in the worst aspects of it)
- More than a decade as an amateur boxer sustaining head trauma at semi-regular intervals
- A lifelong relationship with alcohol which could reasonably be characterized as abusive
- Elevated levels of Cortisol brought about by fatigue and environmental stressors
Enter Nootropics
A year or so later I started getting interested in nootropics. Like many people, I watched the movie Limitless and wondered if there were any magic pills out there which helped one to achieve higher cognitive function. I soon encountered the renegade nation of amateur biohackers experimenting on themselves to find the answer.
For reasons I won’t go into here, prescription medications (like Modafinil) purchased online through Canadian or Chinese pharmacies are off limits to me. So I had to get by with what was commercially available over the counter. For me this meant the combination of forskolin and artichoke extract.
I’m going to come right out and admit that I’m no apothecary. To say the results of my experiments with my own formulations were mixed would be a charitable understatement. In a roundabout way, that's how I discovered CILTEP. Out of frustration I began searching for a ready-made formula, and thanks to Abelard Lindsay I found it.
CILTEP
CILTEP was the first widely available over-the-counter nootropic formula. It's a blend of forskolin and artichoke extract and if you're looking to improve your focus and concentration, look no further.
When forced to explain the effect to people with no background in cognitive enhancers or nootropics, I generally just explain that it adds three or four IQ points to you for a few hours. This isn't exactly true, of course, but that's the easiest explanation for what it feels like.
To put it in WSO terms, if you're facing a day of spreading comps, building DCFs, or other detail oriented (read:boring) tasks, CILTEP helps you bury your head to the point where you ignore the passage of time and just get shit done.
There's no such thing as a cognitive free lunch, however, and this is especially true of CILTEP. Your mileage may vary, but for me CILTEP demands sleep. I realize 8-10 hours sleep isn't realistic for a lot of you, but CILTEP really takes it out of you. If you can't budget a good night's sleep after taking it, it's probably best to give it a pass.
I've also found that it's not forgiving of alcohol consumption. It's probably the combination of exhaustion and ingesting a depressant, but even a couple drinks leave me feeling like I've been hit by a truck after taking CILTEP.
Despite the downsides, it was still the best thing on the market for a very long time, and I do still use it occasionally. But the nootropic I use more than anything else now is Nexus.
Nexus
Nexus has been around for about a year now, and it definitely smoothed out some of the jagged edges present in CILTEP. Where you definitely feel the onset of CILTEP, Nexus is more subtle.
I won't pretend to know how the formula works, but I will say that the Aniracetam plays a big role in the way you actually feel when you take Nexus. It's not jarring like other concentration drugs. It's mellow and leaves you with a feeling of well being, which is handy when you have to do hateful shit all day.
One important thing to note about Nexus is that you have to take it with fish oil of some kind. Something to do with oil solubility or something. Anyway, you can take a fish oil supplement with it or you can do what I do and wolf down a can of wild sardines before taking it. There's research to suggest that fish oil supplements can dramatically increase prostate cancer risk because they're highly concentrated, so that's why I opt for the sardines.
I find that the crash isn't as pronounced with Nexus either. That could be due to a number of different things (not the least of which is how militant I am these days about getting eight hours sleep every night), but CILTEP leaves me feeling exhausted at the end of the day and Nexus doesn't.
Nexus is made by Axon Labs, which is the product arm of the Smart Drug Smarts podcast. The podcast is extremely popular in the biohacker community, and if you're interested in the various things you can do to hack your brain you should check it out.
Obviously I'm not recommending anyone try this stuff, for the same reasons I wouldn't recommend vitamins or any other drugs. Nootropics (particularly these two) happen to work for me, and help me get through the 8-hour Excel sessions I sometimes have to put in. Nexus is also really good when I'm under deadline and need to be creative.
That said, they certainly seem safer than Adderall or Ritalin (which I think we've determined are just meth, right?).
I realize this isn't the stuff I typically write about, but this post really took off so I thought it might be useful to write about an over-the-counter option that I've actually used. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have about these stacks, so fire away.
ha I actually have that exact same Ciltep in my desk. was recommended it from a friend + reviews on Amazon were better than most other nootropics. take it from time to time when needed, gives me a nice all day light "buzz" of energy. would recommend.
I've found Alpha Brain to work best with my body. The Aniracetam in Nexus is definitely worth trying out solely for the well being effect you mentioned.
I've been meaning to try Alpha Brain and probably will before I reorder Nexus. Thanks for the reminder.
Would appreciate it a lot if you could post about Alpha Brain as well. I will be trying Mind Lab Pro this fall.
If you had to compare these to basic caffeine in terms of energy/wakefulness, how would you say all three rate on a 1-10 scale?
They're not a replacement for caffeine. In fact, I use both in conjunction with caffeine. CILTEP and Nexus are focusing agents (for want of a better term). They augment the energy boost from caffeine by forcing you to focus.
It's important to note that this can be a bad thing. I probably should have mentioned this in my post.
You need to decide what you want to focus on and what you want to get done before taking supplements like these. They force you to focus, and if you have no direction to point that focus you're going to focus on stupid shit (like disappearing into a YouTube k-hole for six hours).
"but even a couple drinks leave me feeling like I've been hit by a truck after taking CILTEP."
Sounds like more of a feature than a defect to me.
Modafinil is head and shoulders above everything else. I took it for a few years during college and it helped a ton.
It's fun to use when working out. Runners often have 'narcolepsy' so they can take modafinil because it increases your stamina. Be warned though. It definitely decreased my sex drive when I took it.
fuck me time to throw out the fish oil supps
Never used anything stronger than caffeine. Even a small amount (less than 100mg) is plenty to make me fully alert.
Is there some point, or age, at which this changes? It's inconceivable to me that a stimulant stronger than caffeine would ever be necessary to make one fully alert. Am I just being naive?
Eddie, look up adrafinil. You used to be able to buy it on Amazon, but I'm not sure if that's the case anymore. Modafinil is the metabolite of adrafinil- thus making it legal. It is a little more toxic to the liver but you get the same exact effects as modafinil legally without a perscription.
Wow, that shit sounds pretty gnarly on the liver:
http://peaknootropics.com/shop/adrafinil/
Probably not a great fit for me because I enjoy a wee dram on the regular.
I highly recommend Hydrafinil (aka 9-Flueronol). It has the lowest dosage of the 'finils with a standard dose around 50mg and a shorter half-life. Dosesize: Hydra --> Armoda --> Moda --> Arma). I personally might max out at 150mg if it's going to be a long day, which I take during mealtimes. While some claim it has a half-life of 4-6 hours, I'd say it's at the lower end of the range where I can still get to bed if I wished. AND I still have appetite, which is absolutely amazing for a bean pole such as myself.
I can't speak for the others as I had to choose the one most likely to get through my backwardass country's Stasi customs. But apparently it's more focus and less stimulation than Modafinil, which in turn is supposed to be more focus and less stimulation than Ritalin, and so for Adderall, cocaine, etc.
Note: It's only adrafinil that has that liver damage aura it. For the others there's not so much research backing that up, although for Armoda and (especially) Hydra, there's not much research anyway so...
Also anyone experimenting with focus meds who gets too jittery after a coffee I'd recommend Theanine. As for getting frustrated by random admin shit getting flung at you while you're elbow deep in excel, I'd recommend Ashwandagha. It literally turns me into a guru-level calm. Oh and if you're gonna choose a 'racetam, fuck with sublingual noopept. The Russians know...man
Long term side effects?
Modafinil is incredible. Must-try. Be sure to still go to sleep at a good time though. When I'm on it, I can still fall asleep relatively easily, it's just I don't feel like I need to. Also has some appetite suppressing qualities, though not as strong as Adderall.
Completely agree - Modafinil is amazing when you need to remain focused after many hours (although I still have a little trouble falling asleep if I take it too late).
Bronkaid (Ephedra) + Caffeine always has a terrific side effect of high productivity for me.
Good for focusing, cutting and hitting the gym. Hits the heart hard tho
Re Adderall & Ritalin.
What's surprising is the safest ADHD approved stimulant with the least side effects and the lowest required dose is Desoxyn, also known as straight up Methamphetamine Hydrochloride... Less surprising is the fact that it is also the least prescribed and most heavily controlled drug of the amphetamine family in the U.S.
Also Adderall is an awesome supplement if you want to kick ass on the field/in the ring, or if you just feel like rocking your girlfriend's world for a few hours.
i have noopept and this thread prompted me to get back on it. its been lying open for about a year in my drawer, think its lost some potency
i want to try adderall
Interesting topic. I was completely unfamiliar with Nootropics until this post. Am currently trying Nexus but have not seen any noticeable effects over the first couple days. I've been taking 2 once a day with a fish oil supplement in the morning/early afternoon. Is this something that takes time for the effects to become noticeable? Perhaps my body chemistry is just not conducive for Nexus.
Are you taking it with coffee? The coffee is critical for me.
I do drink a cup of coffee in the morning. It seems like the Nexus may be helping me maintain my energy better during the afternoon. That being said, the effect to me seems to be fairly minor. I'll try to keep track of it over the next couple weeks and see how it goes. If nothing else, I may try Alpha Brain next to see if a different blend has a better effect.
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