Nootropics for Mental Acuity

Alright, I will start off by stating that I watched Limitless today. Now, the reason I watched it was that I was already fascinated by the idea of improving mental acuity; I imagine that the highly motivated here can relate. I got a Kindle copy of Limitless (the book was originally titled The Dark Fields, but they retitled it to coincide with the movie release).

There are definitely some plot issues in the movie, but the underlying premise is what pulled me in.

With that being said, there is a growing demand for supplements and drugs to improve your capabilities. Some use dangerous amphetamines, others use prescription drugs aimed to treat ADHD (ritalin) and narcoleptsy (modafinil) with great and safe success. There is even adrafinil, a non-prescription precursor that your body metabolizes into modafinil.

Many believe that simply having dietary deficiencies can play a huge role in mental aptitude, so many standard supplements are also used. For instance, Choline is a big one that is a necessary neurotransmitter, and can be purchased at GNC.

I am looking to start a daily dosage of the following:

Piracetam (central nervous system stimulant that doesn't affect the heart or blood pressure and has no toxicity... safer that caffeine and is a derivative of an amino acid).
CDPCholine (previously mentioned)
Sulbutiamine (a variety of Thiamine that can cross the blood-brain barrier, improves mental endurance)

I used to have a near photographic memory, but it has began to slip lately. My kids lunch menu for school had a picture of Sandra Day O'Connor on it and it said to research who it was... I could not remember her name for two days... and it just popped into my head as I was about to do a Google search when I was typing this up. I used to be able to get myself to focus and read an entire tech textbook in one weekend... now I can barely do it in a month and have started using CBT Nuggets because my reading attention span is horrible.

Any feedback? Has anyone tried these sorts of remedies?

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Comments

IRONMONKUS

I too would like to indulge in some mental stimuli producing miracles.

I tried a drink called Zipfizz, which has a whole bunch of Vitamin B12 and some other so called body healing elements. It worked great for the first two weeks, but I feel my body getting use to the dose and I am now feeling drained and unable to concentrate again.

I believe that my lack of mental concentration comes from a lack of dietary nutrition to power the brain. I could be wrong, since I'm not a nutritionist, but it just feels that way.

mikedisd2

powerfool wrote: »

I used to have a near photographic memory, but it has began to slip lately. My kids lunch menu for school had a picture of Sandra Day O'Connor on it and it said to research who it was... I could not remember her name for two days... and it just popped into my head as I was about to do a Google search when I was typing this up. I used to be able to get myself to focus and read an entire tech textbook in one weekend... now I can barely do it in a month and have started using CBT Nuggets because my reading attention span is horrible.

Dare I say that getting older plays a part in this? Change in circumstances (wife, kids), lack of motivation, change of priorities. I used to be able to focus for hours on learning a song on the guitar, now I can't even be bothered picking up the guitar.

I'm always searching for better efficiency and would love to enhance my brain power. However, the awful truth may be just a case of genetics, good diet, exercise and sleep. Anything else is for the movies.

N2IT

mikedisd2 wrote: »

Dare I say that getting older plays a part in this? Change in circumstances (wife, kids), lack of motivation, change of priorities. I used to be able to focus for hours on learning a song on the guitar, now I can't even be bothered picking up the guitar.

I'm always searching for better efficiency and would love to enhance my brain power. However, the awful truth may be just a case of genetics, good diet, exercise and sleep. Anything else is for the movies.

Genetics plays a huge role in this.

Some people can play professional football, rugby, baseball, cricket whatever. Most cannot. On a less extreme, yet noticable scale, some people have higher level of aptitudes. The effort they give can translate into higher outputs than people with lower aptitudes who provide the same level of effort.

My analogy is this. You have a Ferrari and a Taurus. Both cars have to run at 100 MPH's to get to their destination. The Ferrari can spend 50-60% of it's capacity and achieve the goal, while the Taurus has to spend 80-90%.

Both can achieve the goal, however one has an easier time at it.

mikedisd2

Actually, I had more of a think about this and I recall an article I read a few months ago in a Mens Health magazine. It talked about how 30 minutes of medium intensity cardio, at least 3x times a week can increase your mental capacity. It sited greater attention span, better focus, improved memory, higher organisational skills, etc. Tests performed showed 30 minutes of cardio had the same effect on the brain as a dose of Zoloft. The article convinced me so much I started running every morning before work. But I then joined a gym and became lured by the weights and strength training. So I can't speak personally of the payoff however I believe this may be what you're after if you aren't already doing so.

EDIT: A quick google and I just happened to find the article I mentioned above: http://www.menshealth.com/run/how-running-improves-brain-power.php

mikedisd2

Six months ago I bought a bottle of Ginkgo Biloba pills to improve my memory. I can't confirm they work because I kept forgetting to take them (really, not just a lame joke).

powerfool

The exercise isn't a bad idea. Actually, I was a pretty regular lifter before I broke my wrist doing a shoulder press. My wrist has healed since then, but I haven't been into regular exercise since, and my waist makes it apparent.

I am short on time lately, as I have even tried paying people to dictate my readings to me, but I have realized that the Text-to-Speech feature on my Kindle is sufficient. Now, I pay my oldest daughter to convert files to the native format through copy/paste hand-jamming into Word and then converting them.

I have all of the motivation that I need, I just need back some of what I have lost. For Lent, I gave of soft drinks, and while it has only been over a week, I feel way better already. I ordered the first two items on my list and should have them by Tuesday. I am probably going to stop by GNC and pick up some Choline today, though, that way I can get a jump start on closing my deficiency gap. I just need to spend a lot less time doing the things that I need to do... then do a little more than I have been. Then, I can use some of that extra time to get back into exercising.

The first item that I listed showed neural improvement in patients with dementia and Alzheimer's.

dazl1212

powerfool wrote: »

The exercise isn't a bad idea. Actually, I was a pretty regular lifter before I broke my wrist doing a shoulder press. My wrist has healed since then, but I haven't been into regular exercise since, and my waist makes it apparent.

I am short on time lately, as I have even tried paying people to dictate my readings to me, but I have realized that the Text-to-Speech feature on my Kindle is sufficient. Now, I pay my oldest daughter to convert files to the native format through copy/paste hand-jamming into Word and then converting them.

I have all of the motivation that I need, I just need back some of what I have lost. For Lent, I gave of soft drinks, and while it has only been over a week, I feel way better already. I ordered the first two items on my list and should have them by Tuesday. I am probably going to stop by GNC and pick up some Choline today, though, that way I can get a jump start on closing my deficiency gap. I just need to spend a lot less time doing the things that I need to do... then do a little more than I have been. Then, I can use some of that extra time to get back into exercising.

The first item that I listed showed neural improvement in patients with dementia and Alzheimer's.

Sorry to bump an old thread.
How did you get on with the supplements?

Asif Dasl

I must look at that film out of interest. They only thing I would say is, this is mostly an invention of the consumer society for me - that you can take a pill and magically turn yourself in to a cerebral Rambo. Absolutely, some people with learning difficulties can take drugs and perform better.

But the thing I would add to the discussion is, the vast majority of millionaries are self-made, they were not given the money through inheritance (although that does happen). But if you look to the most gifted soccer/football players - Pele, Maradona, Rooney and last but certainly not least Messi - every one of them came from a poor background and used their skills and worked on them EVERY day.

There is not a single soccer/football player who came from a rich background who is noted for any talent - the vast majority of the best players in the game came from poor/normal backgrounds. And as far as I can see it is no different in the NFL/NBA. And that is the key, when you come from a poor background nothing lights a fire under your ass more.

And a pill is not going to give you that, working at whatever mental capacity you've got - but if you learn EVERY day that will do far more for your future success.