ExRx.net

Has anybody tried nootropics to improve brain function? I think I'd like to try using Piracetam for some time but it would be nice to hear some opinion/experience about this first!

Why would you experiment on yourself with untested drugs? There is 1 little study that says it could improve memory in healthy subjects. All other tests are on sick people. Why take such silly risks?

You can get the same effect through proper nutrition with no risk at all.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

Well, it's because that continuing thread on T-Nation that introduced my to this thing, lol. Also, apparently a lot of people have taken nootropics with little side effects (the drugs themselves are stated to be very mild).

I certainly can use "brain boosters" because I want to improve my ability in these areas: concentrating to a task, memory/memorization, and "alertness". Someone also said that it may improve the motoric learning process (which I had been wondering before) which will also benefit me.

Try eating more fish. Fresh air, sunshine and a good night's sleep would probably help too.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

I took low doses of Ginko Biloba for several months. At the time, I felt my concentration was poor, reasoning skills were waning,ability to juggle multiple task going down the tube. After a few weeks, I felt better. It was Fall of 2009, I was about to turn 41 and it as hitting me "Boy, I'm wasting my life away". Since then much has turned around. I was making major dietary changes and starting to get regular exercise. Soon I was taking Fish Oil supplements as well. Long story short, I ran out of Ginko sometime in mid 2010 and have not gone back. I sense a "old man can't leanr new tricks" to some extent for sure. Not as sharp as when I was 17. But, on th other hand, I have a wisdom, a sense of organization to avoid much of the careless errors of days gone by.

GB might have contributed to the intial gains I was having in enery and brain function, but as someone who had always shyed from putting foreign substances in my body, I decided to not open the next bottle and see if the diet and exercise and slepp - and Better Stress Management - would not be sufficient. And so far it is.


ps. I'm thinking there is some connection for nootropics and Ginko, so hopefully this was not for nought

I'm in the process of making myself to be able to sleep better and longer in the night because my sleep pattern isn't the best.

Anyway here's the T-Nation thread I talked about:
http://tnation.t-nation.com/free_online_forum/diet_performance_nutrition_supplements/brain_function_boosters_30


PS: I'm not sure, Oscar, if GB is classified as a nootropic. Perhaps it is.

I would classify GB as a placebo. Piracetam is safe. I took it for other reasons. It does give you a small boost in brainpower. It might work better in more average people though.
Strangely it improved my social skills. It was a very strange experience, because I got some of that stuff on an instinctual level. I actually learned that stuff by rote over many years. It's hard to explain. It would probably be like a blind person telling me what it's like to be blind and then have their vision restored. So I think maybe it helps the parts of your brain that don't work so well. There was a study showing that it regenerated brain tissue in rats. Headaches are a side effect. You can counteract that with choline.

on ginko
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/200 ... 0_ST_N.htm

one thing about the net, it's a whole lot easier to find "data" to support drugs. I was making so many changes at the time, like I said it was hard to tell. But now, a year without it, meh, I'd agree with the study anecdotedly

I'm kinda interested in this, does anyone know a good dealer to buy from, online? I don't think they sell Piracetam in Canada and I could use a little boost in school.

Amazon and tfsupplements are good places to get it.

I've been taking Piracetam at 2.4g/day for 1 week but haven't noticed anything so far....

I'd be interested to hear how you get on, you should report back every week or so if it's not too much bother

It wouldn't be a problem. Right now I'm taking a German course at Goethe Institut and have placed an order for many more Piracetam tabs, lol. They say Aniracetam is better because it's fat soluble but I can't find it here.

Perhaps one drawback of racetams is that they have a short half life (about 1-2 hours or so from what I've heard).

It's very weak, you will need more than that. I would take 2.4g at a time, three times a day minimum.

Thanks for the input. Actually I've been thinking about taking exactly that amount at a time just to see if there would be any effect.