Troof on Nootropics

The "energy" factor and "making you feel good" factor might be it.

> people might simply be alleviating their own anxiety

Dexedrine and Adderall exacerbate anxiety if anything.

Adderall compared to smoking meth is like drinking green tea vs chewing up a handful of caffeine pills.

It has changed my life in a pretty beneficial way, but totally agree about having days off. I take 3 days off a week and refuse to let my doctor bump up the pill size.

In regards to the difference in effect between Adderall and illegal street meth, Scott thinks the biggest difference is the dosage size, effectively around 50x higher for street meth: https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/drug-users-use-a-lot-o...

Dosis sola facit venenum.

> I think the trap is that over time it doesn't work exactly like it did before, and if you take it every single day you can get burned out.

After many years of 7d/wk use, it still works as expected for me. Diff bodies and all that.

> I think the trap is that over time it doesn't work exactly like it did before, and if you take it every single day you can get burned out.

You may have a magnesium deficiency. Tolerance to Adderall definitely isn’t guaranteed.

NAC can also help in some people.

(both of these recommended by my psych not just /r/nootropics)

For better or worse, the modern colloquial usage of nootropic is nowhere near the original definition. Caffeine is considered "the most widely used nootropic", but it doesn't even fit the original usage.

> If there was something that greatly increased performance

I'll add "and doesn't have major side effects". Amphetamines could probably fit your definition otherwise.

Ah, the efficient market hypothesis applied to the most inefficient sector of the economy: health. What could go wrong?

Back in 2011 you could spend less than $20CAD and get enough noopept powder for months and months. Tastes like shit though (imagine the most bitter thing you’ve ever had x10) so I’d recommend shelling out more for gelcaps, or make them yourself.

I think any kind of vigorous excercise does this.

yes it is a long acting nootropic altough the effect while real is not acutely perceivable much.

Although I didn't read the article, from my personal experience, weightlifting during the week helps me focus, and in a way that cardio does not. In weeks in which I lift 2-3 days, at the moderate level that I do (say 45 min of using free weights and body weight lifts at a medium pace, nothing extreme), I'm much less fidgety than weeks where I'm not able to lift, but my brain is still sharp.

This is in contrast to biking or rowing at a moderate pace (pusing myself and getting pretty sweaty but not collapsing or wanting to barf) for an hour once or twice a week. If I do this, I am still less fidgety but I feel more mentally fatigued later on the day, and sometimes the morning after, I exercise. I attribute this to nutrition/glucose levels and hydration, but even drinking a ton of water and snacking won't fully ameliorate the issues. The same thing happens after a weekend of playing hard, like kayaking one day and hiking with my daughter in my backpack the next day. I'm often pretty unproductive on Monday (oh well... ;)

What works best for me is moderate weight lifting followed by like 30 min of moderate rowing or biking, twice during the work week. Although I might feel a bit more depleted after rowing than not, my overall energy level is higher than if I skip the cardio, and I recover more quickly from my weekend activities.

"Works on my machine!"

So can you on third day of methamphetamine fast, but I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone.

It's the "must hunt" instinct cutting in on that third day. I loved day 3 of the fast! I fasted 3 days a week for months, loved it.

I reflexively cut people who interrupt my focus on any fast longer than a few hours... okay maybe not cut, but the hangry is way too intense to interact with humanity.

What do you do to end the fast?

I think of it less as being dependent on a substance and more as being able to cleanly segment my life. Especially with something like Adderall XR which has a 6-8 hour duration, it is pretty straightforward to turn on and off. Then on days off or after work it is easier to feel no particular obligation to do anything work related. Another bonus is getting so much done when 'on' that your time off is free from any anxiety around work achievements.

That said I had a similar relationship to caffeine, it was more intense than adderall/ritalin to me but the afternoon drop off and affects on sleep/mood were too much and I have cut way back.

The definition is super blurry now, and far from the original definition. Some people even consider microdosing shrooms or LSD as included.

Maybe we're all sick. Maybe our society is sick. Maybe if we were actually well-adjusted to reality, people would say we are sick.

At any rate, people seek out nootropics because their brain isn't working like they want it to.

Humm… I knew a few people that managed to destroy their life by taking amphetamines. Sometimes there is a reason for some substances to be controlled. But of course ultimately it's up to you and each case is a case. I just wanted to offer some deterrent because I know anecdotal reports on the internet tend to be quite positive since the people that wrote them probably just started.

I used Dexedrine some years ago because I was dealing with a lack of focus, tiredness, and brain fog.

For the month or so that it worked, it was pretty awesome. My mind felt like it was hammering away and as sharp as I was in my twenties.

Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last more than maybe six weeks. I was advised by some to just increase the dosage, but my heart was already fluttering in my chest at the dosage I was at. Also, my sleep was odd, with weird dreams that would wake me up, preventing me from falling back asleep for hours. Added to that, my blood pressure got stuck over 140 and wouldn't come down.

If I could get a prescription that would give me the benefits of those first weeks of use, without destroying my health, I'd be all over it.

Eventually, my GP noticed that I had a thyroid deficiency that I'm not treating with thyroid hormone. That's helped a great deal with the tiredness and brain fog.

Aka "speed". Of course it works, it is a hard drug! You can also try MDMA, meth, cocaine, etc... they all work, until they kill you.

Ok, I am exaggerating, these drugs are not that bad, even if you include their "fun" applications, as long as you follow the harm reduction principles. And these anti-ADHD tablets are not dubious street drugs, they are well dosed, pure and slowly released.

But still, I would avoid these in the long run, caffeine is where I draw the line for regular use (and I'd rather not depend on it). Also keep in mind that ADHD treatment is meant for people with ADHD, basically giving them the stimulation their brain can't provide on its own, this way they can calm down instead of being in constant search for excitement. If you don't have ADHD you don't need any of that and it will just make you a bit high, an almost opposite effect.