[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.