[mikeappell]

Only tangentially related, but: has anyone found a drug/supplement/etc which aids them in memory retention, cognition, alertness etc?

The only thing I've found effective is modafinil for alertness and some general mental sharpness. Especially after a night of poor sleep, the mental alertness it provides is a god-send.

[PragmaticPulp]

The "nootropics" communities have been trying to find magic combinations for decades. Most of the compounds that provide results are variations of stimulants, such as modafinil. The cognitive boost is not without downsides, however. Modafinil is uniquely problematic because it was glorified as being a non-stimulant and free of side effects when it became popular. Some of this was driven by overseas vendors who made a lot of money shipping Modafinil into the United States without prescriptions.

Modafinil has a long half-life of 13-15 hours, which means that if you take a dose at 9AM, half of it is still in your bloodstream at midnight. This can have a negative effect on sleep quality the following night, which tends to prompt users to want to take yet another dose the following morning, and so on.

Modafinil is also notorious for reducing verbal fluency in some (though not all) users. There are also plenty of reports of abused and dependence online, though not to the same degree as other stimulants. From what I can gather, most people who use it regularly for non-prescription purposes eventually give up due to escalating tolerance.

Most other nootropics compounds follow similar stories: Initial glorification, widespread uptake, steady loss of momentum as people realize the compound is not without tradeoffs and downsides, and eventually being relegated to an every once-in-a-while tool for those who have it.

In some cases, the negative side effects of a substance are so subtle that people don't make the connection at first. For example, cholinergic supplements are frequently touted as memory enhancers and miracle supplements. Unfortunately, cholinergic supplements also have a tendency to induce or worsen depressive symptoms over time. The Nootropics communities are full of people complaining about unexplained depressive symptoms while taking various choline supplements that they hoped would improve their cognition or memory.

It's interesting to watch from the sidelines, but at this point I've decided that nothing beats good sleep, exercise, social exposure, and good diet. Caffeine is an okay band-aid on difficult days when used in moderation, but any attempts to use powerful compounds to override sleepiness seem doomed to backfire with rebound effects later.

[ablekh]

Hmm ... This is an interesting comment. Without intending to debate with you on the topic (I'm not an expert on this), I can say that, so far, I have only a positive impression from the only nootropics substance that I have personal and quite lengthy - several decades - experience with: Nootropil aka Piracetam. I have started using it periodically back in high school - following advice of a very good doctor neurologist whom I and my family have known for years - to improve my memory, attention span, resilience to stress etc. I have never experienced any side effects (including sleep problems and depression). I have continued using it periodically while studying at university (usually, close to and/or during exams and other stressful times). That was in Europe several decades ago. After immigrating to US some 20 years ago, I have used Nootropil and Piracetam several times over the years (for several weeks at a time), but I had to resort to asking friends traveling from Europe to US to get it for me, since it is not yet widely available here (fortunately, people are allowed to import it for personal use, which was the case). I feel that I would significantly benefit now from taking Nootropil, as my mental sharpness, attention span and memory are not what they used to be (not to mention a lot of stress and sleepless nights that I have gone through over the recent years due to some extremely challenging family circumstances). I've been exploring some buying options (including relevant info on Reddit), but various things have distracted me from getting Nootropil and, hopefully, improving my shape and life. Of course, I realize the importance of "good sleep, exercise, social exposure, and good diet" and I'm doing my best in this regard, though, for various reasons, definitely not enough. In any case, there is always some room for improvement. Having said that, I believe that Nootropil can help me further enhance various aspects of my health and life to complement the positive effect of the above-mentioned best practices.

[copperx]

I agree that Nootropil has amazing effects on cognition. However, it stimulates erythropoiesis, and I’m not comfortable with that. That’s why I prefer modafinil.

[ablekh]

I've never heard about - and experienced myself - such erythropoiesis stimulation side effect of Nootropil. Is it documented in multiple solid studies somewhere? I'm wondering about whether it might be a potential side effect of a very limited scope (i.e., affecting only a small subset of people).

I have never tried modafinil (or any other nootropics) - will read more about it. However, based on my very brief review, it appears to be much less safe than Nootropil along with a questionable effectiveness as a "cognitive enhancer". Plus, unlike Nootropil, it is considered a controlled substance in the United States.

[rakhodorkovsky]

Salmon roe at 50g per dose thrice a week works nicely for me. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5596017/ and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6399499/. I take it in conjunction with a source of choline and uridine.

I also take 2g of magnesium l-threonate per day. As a stimulant I take phenylpiracetam at 100mg per dose on a per need basis. Semax and selank I take on occasion.

Ice baths have also been very helpful. I'll leave it at that; pm me for further info.

[mikeappell]

Huh, fascinating. Re: the salmon roe, do you take a supplement which contains the lysophosphatidylcholine, or do you just down the eggs?

Ice baths: that's for mental acuity, or overall physical health? I know it's used frequently in high-level sports for recuperation purposes.

[rakhodorkovsky]

I just down the eggs; I've even come to like the taste.

It's for the mental acuity, but I'm happy for any benefits I can get, such as a higher white blood cell count and more brown adipose tissue, the loss of which is associated with aging.

[01100011]

The only thing that got me out of a recent glut was infrequent nicotine vaping. I find it works better than the gum, which tends to give me too much no matter how fast I spit it out. I've tried all sorts of supplements and nootropics in my quest to regain what I lost when I got sleep apnea a couple years ago.

Strangely enough, one thing that I find is also helping is a balaclava. I'm standing here like an idiot with a balaclava on because I find it helps me stay focused. I got it a few days ago to use when hiking. I just happened to notice while trying it on that I felt a little calmer. I used it last night while working and finally managed to get some shit done.

I'm also using spaced repetition to try to remember things. No apps or programs yet, just manual note taking and repetition.

[mikeappell]

I actually decided to try vaping nicotine to test whether it indeed was a cognition enhancer, and here I am months later addicted like it's nobody's business. Turns out trying this with an addictive personality isn't the greatest idea – appreciate the suggestion though!

Also, the balaclava is interesting: I can imagine the benefit is almost similar to that people get from using a gravity blanket. The weight and "hugging" effect might be very comforting.

Really sorry to hear about the sleep apnea; that's an awful problem to deal with. Hope you're able to find a treatment which works for you.

[hnick]

I wonder if that balaclava thing is similar to why I sometimes like sitting here in my home office with my hoodie pulled up like a hollywood hacker.

[JamesBarney]

Bacopa is the only supplement I've seen with a pretty strong track record of memory improvement.

It takes 4-8 weeks to kick in and the two most common side effects people complain about are stomach issues and lack of motivation.

[mikeappell]

Fascinating. I'll do some research; appreciate the input.

[YeGoblynQueenne]

>> Only tangentially related, but: has anyone found a drug/supplement/etc which aids them in memory retention, cognition, alertness etc?

For me it's a good night's sleep. I need 8 to 10 hours for best effects. Complemented by a 20-30 min. siesta after lunch, when possible, particularly in the summer. The feeling of being fresh and sharp in the morning is almost physical.

[nathanasmith]

I chew a 2mg stick of nicotine gum occasionally which gets me a small but noticeable boost in alertness for an hour or so. Studies indicate it temporarily increases working memory as well. I don't consume any nicotine otherwise.

[rakhodorkovsky]

Nicotine is also protective against Parkinson's.

[copperx]

Same as you, the only safe one that has worked for me is modafinil. Piracetam also works, but only the pharmaceutical version by UCB Pharma. But I consider it unsafe, because it it stimulates erythropoiesis.

[nicoburns]

I've found Dihydrogen Monoxide quite effective. It generally works best after a good night's sleep though.