I personally only have experience with Tyrosine, which I have found to be a good supplement for enhancing concentration and diminishing performance anxiety. I weigh 65.5 kg and a 5 gram dose has been successful for me. 3 grams was okay. 2 grams, 2 times a day didn’t do a whole lot.
What nootropics have you used, and how did you dose them? What were you using them to enhance? Was the experiment a success or failure?
Good call OP. Admittedly, the tyrosine thread has gone a bit off-topic amid Clen, Ephedrine and nootropic discussions, some of which I unintentionally gave rise to. So while people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, let’s hope we can all stick to the original subject.
My top 3 favourites:
Tyrosine. Enough said
Brain Candy. The caffeine/theanine/alcar/nalt seems to cover all the bases as far as the major neurotransmitter systems are concerned, perhaps with the exception of serotonin.
300-400mg modafinil. The long half-life (15 hours!) makes it very impractical though.
[quote]juverulez wrote:
Good call OP. Admittedly, the tyrosine thread has gone a bit off-topic amid Clen, Ephedrine and nootropic discussions, some of which I unintentionally gave rise to. So while people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, let’s hope we can all stick to the original subject.
My top 3 favourites:
Tyrosine. Enough said
Brain Candy. The caffeine/theanine/alcar/nalt seems to cover all the bases as far as the major neurotransmitter systems are concerned, perhaps with the exception of serotonin.
300-400mg modafinil. The long half-life (15 hours!) makes it very impractical though.
I kinda like Phenibut, as an addition to alcohol (I know it says on the bottle that it shoud be avoided) and it really makes the experience much better. It somehow cancels out (most) bad effects and enhances the good effects. BUT it should be used with caution because since it potentiates the effect one can get super drunk. In moderation in rocks though. And sober it is not bad either, but should not be used often due to tolerance development.
I rarely consume caffeine, but before tests (like college finals) I usually have some green tea, which really gives me a boost, but since it only lasts for a few hours and leaves me cranked and restless afterwards I don’t use it too often.
Tyrosine is nice too, if not used to often (otherwise the enzyme that converts dopamine to adrenaline might get ramped up and weaken the positive effects). I find to be more concentrated and verbal skills improve to some extent.
Interesting thread. I’ve tried theanine, rhodiola, holy basil, ashwaghanda, valerian, 5htp, and in various combinations. None work on me as far as reducing stress/anxiety, maybe I wasn’t taking enough? On some days I was probably up to 5-7grams of a combination. I’ve heard of phenibut, never tried it though. Everyone’s different for sure.
I’ll def be watching this thread. Nootropics fascinate me. I just started brain candy (caffeine free) and I am keeping a little log to record how it goes. So far I like it, but I’m not noticing huge improvements. I am noticing small ones throughout the day though. I imagine I would feel more if I took the caffeinated one but I have anxiety and caffeine really gets it going haha.
I have had great success using rhodiola to curb anxiety. Also seems to give me a bit more concentration and enhance mood as well. Nothing too crazy, but I used it mainly for anxiety and it works great. I use valerian as a sleep aid as well, and that in some sleepy time tea has me sleeping great every night. I’m not sure I would use valerian for anxiety though. It does seem to have anti anxiety properties but it is also a sedative and I don’t think it would help when taken in the morning.
I also have another sort of related question. I train in the morning cause the university gym is absolutely packed any time later than that and getting a squat rack is next to impossible. I don’t have time to eat before lifting, so I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for something I could take before training to give me a bit of energy. Caffeine is the obvious suggestion, but it really exacerbates my anxiety and throws me off for the rest of the day and makes me nauseas. Any input would be great, and once again very interesting thread topic.
[quote]bulkNcut wrote:
I have had great success using rhodiola to curb anxiety. Also seems to give me a bit more concentration and enhance mood as well. Nothing too crazy, but I used it mainly for anxiety and it works great. [/quote]
Could you share dose and timing information about this? Sounds really promising.
This is the kind of situation I think Biotest’s Power Drive was made for. You could also try just Tyrosine to start.
[quote]bulkNcut wrote:
I’ll def be watching this thread. Nootropics fascinate me. I just started brain candy (caffeine free) and I am keeping a little log to record how it goes. So far I like it, but I’m not noticing huge improvements. I am noticing small ones throughout the day though. I imagine I would feel more if I took the caffeinated one but I have anxiety and caffeine really gets it going haha.
I have had great success using rhodiola to curb anxiety. Also seems to give me a bit more concentration and enhance mood as well. Nothing too crazy, but I used it mainly for anxiety and it works great. I use valerian as a sleep aid as well, and that in some sleepy time tea has me sleeping great every night. I’m not sure I would use valerian for anxiety though. It does seem to have anti anxiety properties but it is also a sedative and I don’t think it would help when taken in the morning.
I also have another sort of related question. I train in the morning cause the university gym is absolutely packed any time later than that and getting a squat rack is next to impossible. I don’t have time to eat before lifting, so I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions for something I could take before training to give me a bit of energy. Caffeine is the obvious suggestion, but it really exacerbates my anxiety and throws me off for the rest of the day and makes me nauseas. Any input would be great, and once again very interesting thread topic. [/quote]
Poliquin (strength sensei) has posted about a pre-workout stack on Facebook. I want to say it includes alpha GPC, l-tyrosine, and acetyl-lcarnitine. No caffeine.
Link: - YouTube
It looks like Biotest sells all 3 I plan on trying that stack when my current pre-workout runs out.
Thanks a ton for the information guys. For the rhodiola I have been using a liquid extract from a company called herb pharm. The directions say to use up to 40 drops in 20z of water or juice 3-4 times per day between meals. Honesty, I get pretty bad anxiety that manifests itself in my stomach. ON a bad day I could feel like vomiting in the morning, and my nausea will keep me from eating almost anything all day.
However, I have found that along with some other techniques 15 drops of rhodiola in a cup of hot tea is enough to curb my anxiety considerably. I have not experimented with more than 15 drops, but it is something I plan on looking into. I take this immediately after waking up on an empty stomach and feel the effects within 20 minutes later. Hope this helps