Nootropics

Let's discuss the wonderful and mysterious world of nootropics here.

To start, what are your thoughts on using nootropics to give a "mental boost"?

Nothing to add. I googled it and till FDA approves it I do not trust it at all. Same thing goes with some conventional supplements with new firms they keep saying revolutionary but not proven by FDA etc. and has cancer labeling...

Nootropics does include stims like amphetamines and methylphenidate.

I have try ed a lot, here is what works for me : caffeine, fish oil, vinpocetine and bacopa(long term). I have tried others but those work best for me.

I take Concerta 54mg as well as EPA/DHA capsules in the mornings a couple of hours before work. I find it works a lot better than caffeine and when I combine the two, I tend to sweat and tweak out and then I experience a pretty hard Concerta/caffeine crash a few hours later along with a bitch of a headache and the need to frequently urinate and guzzle water like a Lamborghini guzzles gas.

I believe that eating a balanced, nutrient rich diet can greatly icrease the benefits of nootropics as the majority of them seem to work by simply improving the efficiency of synthesis and uptake of certain neurotransmitters, and without the right vitamins and minerals they really won't work to their full potential.
Before a person even considers taking nootropics for "remedial" purposes they sould take a good look at their diet or even see a nutritionist to try improve the foundation of what they're creating the grey matter from.

I tend to have a fairly regular ebb and flow to the health of my diet and I notice that when I'm not eating healthy I definitely need a lot more caffeine to stay on top of things at work. When I started a new job 3 months ago I was eating a plant rich paleo diet and taking 1.5g Aniracetam in the morning and drinking about 2 coffees throughout the day and I felt like I was more on the ball than I had been in years, even after a month of static unemployment. Recently though, I have been eating a lot of starch rich meals including pasta and pastries, not as much fruit and veg, and no nootropics and I often have trouble focussing on what I'm doing and have mild to moderate social anxiety (which I have had for as long as I can remember, apart from the month that I was dosing Aniracetam). I can't wait to be able to start eating healthy and dosing again, because it improved my entire outlook on life, not just at work.
I know that everybody is different psychologically and physically, but regardless of whether you are taking nootropics or not, diet plays a MASSIVE factor in perceived brainpower.