benststst
benst
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2026
- Posts
- 65
- Reputation
- 49
cognition is important, and can be part of your perceived attractiveness. nootropics are literally smart pills. i’m surprised more people don’t take them. here i’ll be talking about the nootropics that are worth knowing. please be careful with the synthetic options
let’s start with the readily available and natural (basic) stuff. remember, medicine/synthetic compounds will always outperform supplements
i’ll include some tips and stacks at the end
NATURAL
caffeine + l-theanine
not much explanation needed. caffeine helps wakefulness (in most people). you will build a tolerance relatively quickly
l-theanine is an amino acid that pairs well with caffeine because of its ‘soothing’ effect. caffeine improves wakefulness and energy, l-theanine calms the jitters and anxiety that come with caffeine
use: focus, wakefulness
fun fact: l-theanine lowers reaction time by ~10-15ms in people with high anxiety
lions mane
lions mane is a functional/medicinal mushroom used for focus and cognition. it has real benefits, but like most mushrooms, has side effects; irritability, fatigue, etc. also must be used quite consistently. personal experience: definitely improves my focus but makes me so sleepy it’s not worth it
use: focus
cdp choline / citicoline / alpha-gpc
choline is essential for brain health, but does not work acutely like the other nootropics, though, alpha-gpc does work acutely despite being working with choline. ~300mg cdp choline seems to be the sweet spot as more worsens the effects and less is not as potent. these are good to take, but don’t expect an immediate noticeable boost in cognition like the synthetic options. too much choline could cause irritability in some people
use: neuroprotection, focus
bacopa monnieri
this is great for long term memory, but must be used consistently for some time (2 months or so) to get past the initial side effects like brain fog. because of this, it’s probably not worth it, but has very interesting studies. some people report having lower motivation. personal experience: greatly improves my long term memory but gives me fatigue and lower motivation
use: memory
ginkgo biloba
increases cerebral blood flow and improves memory, also has antioxidant properties. might do something with anxiety. may mix weirdly with certain medicines, including blood pressure medicine. personal experience: i find it may help my memory, but makes me quite sleepy
use: neuroprotection, memory, mood
l-tyrosine
this amino acid is a precursor to dopamine. helps with mental resilience and focus. theres not much to say for this
use: attention, motivation
creatine
not much explanation needed. take 10-15g and get improved cognition, better strength output, faster muscle gain, sometimes improved energy - there’s literally no reason to not take it. if your stomach hurts or you feel bloated after taking it, split the dose
use: general cognition improvement
most other supplements
tiktok marketing slop that either doesn’t work or works against you. ashwagandha isn’t going to ascend your cognition, it’s just going to make you depressed. shilajit and sea moss won’t change your life. shilajit will just give you insomnia. if someone is promoting a new supplement every week, they have a financial incentive
now let’s get onto the part that will actually move the needle. most of these are strictly research (unapproved globally) so do your own research and please be careful
SYNTHETIC
nefiracetam
this has very little studies done on it but is approved for alzheimer’s and dementia in italy and greece. greatly improves memory consolidation and improves focus quite a bit. often used in studying stacks because of its memory benefits. take with choline - it increases acetylcholine production. you will get a headache if you don’t. personal experience: i absolutely notice that i retain more information and can focus slightly better
use: focus, memory
works with: acetylcholine, gaba, calcium, serotonin
dosing: ~10-20mg, ~100mg, 300mg+ (very weird bell-shaped dosing curves)
aniracetam
works great for temporarily taking the edge off anxiety or being more social. improves cognition as well because of acetylcholine production increase. take with choline. personal experience: it works. i take it before meeting someone or going out and i definitely feel less anxious
use: focus, mood
works with: gaba, acetylcholine, ampa, dopamine, glutamate
dosing: 500-1000mg
other racetams
racetams are a family of medicines developed for cognitive enhancement. other racetams (piracetam, oxiracetam, coluracetam, etc.) are worth looking into but have drawbacks, such as price (because of high dosage), availability, tolerance, etc
works with: acetylcholine
fun fact: some people report better visual fidelity and vibrance on coluracetam
tak-653
can act as a mild stimulant or increase stimulant effects from other medicine - take away from stimulants at first. currently in phase 2 trials for depression, though not approved anywhere. improves cognition through alleviating depressive symptoms and improving recall speed and verbal fluency. also improves reaction time. personal experience: this absolutely works. i feel much more motivated and generally just more content. makes my tourette’s worse though. also makes me (and a lot of people) better at gaming?
use: focus, mood, motivation, memory
works with: ampa, glutamate
dosing: 1-6mg
semax + selank
both are very popular but relatively weak. they are taken nasally and work acutely but can be expensive and just not worth it for most people. adamax and adalank might be worth looking into, though, as they are developed to last longer and be more potent. approved only in russia
use: focus, memory, mood
works with: bdnf, gaba
dosing: 100-1000mcg
prescription stimulants (adderall, methylphenidate, etc)
these work great for people with adhd severe enough that they have to take medicine for it. if you don’t fit into this category, you probably won’t benefit from it. modafinil belongs here, but helps more with wakefulness than cognition
use: focus
works with: dopamine, norepinephrine
dosing: adderall 5-40mg, methylphendiate 5-72mg
fun fact: methylphenidate and adderall increase iq according to the israel institute of medicine science
bromantane
this is becoming more popular, especially for studying, because of how it works with dopamine. basically dopamine synthesis in a bottle, taken nasally or orally (sublingual). good for attention and mental resilience, but overstated on tiktok. probably take with l-tyrosine
use: attention, mood
works with: dopamine, gaba, tyrosine
dosing: 20-70mg
‘niche’ - but still very cool compounds
tropisetron
approved for reducing chemotherapy-induced vomiting, but can be used as a nootropic. improves memory and mood. helps with neuroprotection and brain inflammation. be careful taking this with antidepressants because of how it works with serotonin. also causes constipation LOL
use: focus, neuroprotection, mood, memory
works with: serotinin, acetylcholine
dosing: 2-10mg
prl-8-53
greatly improves memory and recall speed, but must be taken occasionally because of the fast tolerance build up. may act as a stimulant because of how it works with dopamine. no real human data exists
use: focus, memory
works with: dopamine, serotonin
dosing: ~10-60mg (maybe)
fun fact: this has the greatest iq increase in the israel institute of medicine science nootropic study
9-me-bc
this is a stimulant nootropic. improves memory and mood and could also help with neuroprotection. may interact weirdly with antidepressants or other stimulants
use: focus, mood, memory, neuroprotection
works with: dopamine, maoa, maob, tyrosine
dosing: 10-40mg (maybe)
nsi-189
studied for depression but unapproved. heavily promotes neurogenesis and some effects stay weeks after stopping it. it’s frequently reported that the second or third cycle is no where near as good as the first. may interact with stimulants
use: focus, mood
works with: serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, mtor
dosing: 10-60mg
dihexa
taken for neuroprotection, memory and mood. this is capable of forming new brain paths and synapses, and people report better sleep quality, but may cause mood swings or disturbances in some people. some people online love this, but they probably just want your money
use: focus, neuroprotection, mood
works with: met, hgf, irap
dosing: 10-30mg (maybe)
STACKS
studying
nefiracetam + bromantane + tak-653 + tropisetron
everyday
nefiracetam + tak-653 + creatine
day of test
nefiractam + tak-653 + prl-8-53 + tropisetron
going out
aniracetam + l-theanine + tak-653 (may interact with aniracetam)
my personal stack
20mg nefiracetam + 2mg tak-653 + 20mg adderall xr
tips
always start low with synthetic compounds. these are medicines
your source matters. ask around before buying anything
buy in bulk (usually from china) to get cheaper prices
do not ever take advice from tiktok unless they show studies and don’t have a financial incentive (no affiliate code/nootropics sponsorship)
don’t try a bunch of these at once. you won’t be able to tell what’s working
end
please remember that these are medicines and research chemicals. by taking research chemicals, you effectively volunteer to be the research. please be careful and buy from a good source
thank you all !! you are loved
let’s start with the readily available and natural (basic) stuff. remember, medicine/synthetic compounds will always outperform supplements
i’ll include some tips and stacks at the end
NATURAL
caffeine + l-theanine
not much explanation needed. caffeine helps wakefulness (in most people). you will build a tolerance relatively quickly
l-theanine is an amino acid that pairs well with caffeine because of its ‘soothing’ effect. caffeine improves wakefulness and energy, l-theanine calms the jitters and anxiety that come with caffeine
use: focus, wakefulness
fun fact: l-theanine lowers reaction time by ~10-15ms in people with high anxiety
lions mane
lions mane is a functional/medicinal mushroom used for focus and cognition. it has real benefits, but like most mushrooms, has side effects; irritability, fatigue, etc. also must be used quite consistently. personal experience: definitely improves my focus but makes me so sleepy it’s not worth it
use: focus
cdp choline / citicoline / alpha-gpc
choline is essential for brain health, but does not work acutely like the other nootropics, though, alpha-gpc does work acutely despite being working with choline. ~300mg cdp choline seems to be the sweet spot as more worsens the effects and less is not as potent. these are good to take, but don’t expect an immediate noticeable boost in cognition like the synthetic options. too much choline could cause irritability in some people
use: neuroprotection, focus
bacopa monnieri
this is great for long term memory, but must be used consistently for some time (2 months or so) to get past the initial side effects like brain fog. because of this, it’s probably not worth it, but has very interesting studies. some people report having lower motivation. personal experience: greatly improves my long term memory but gives me fatigue and lower motivation
use: memory
ginkgo biloba
increases cerebral blood flow and improves memory, also has antioxidant properties. might do something with anxiety. may mix weirdly with certain medicines, including blood pressure medicine. personal experience: i find it may help my memory, but makes me quite sleepy
use: neuroprotection, memory, mood
l-tyrosine
this amino acid is a precursor to dopamine. helps with mental resilience and focus. theres not much to say for this
use: attention, motivation
creatine
not much explanation needed. take 10-15g and get improved cognition, better strength output, faster muscle gain, sometimes improved energy - there’s literally no reason to not take it. if your stomach hurts or you feel bloated after taking it, split the dose
use: general cognition improvement
most other supplements
tiktok marketing slop that either doesn’t work or works against you. ashwagandha isn’t going to ascend your cognition, it’s just going to make you depressed. shilajit and sea moss won’t change your life. shilajit will just give you insomnia. if someone is promoting a new supplement every week, they have a financial incentive
now let’s get onto the part that will actually move the needle. most of these are strictly research (unapproved globally) so do your own research and please be careful
SYNTHETIC
nefiracetam
this has very little studies done on it but is approved for alzheimer’s and dementia in italy and greece. greatly improves memory consolidation and improves focus quite a bit. often used in studying stacks because of its memory benefits. take with choline - it increases acetylcholine production. you will get a headache if you don’t. personal experience: i absolutely notice that i retain more information and can focus slightly better
use: focus, memory
works with: acetylcholine, gaba, calcium, serotonin
dosing: ~10-20mg, ~100mg, 300mg+ (very weird bell-shaped dosing curves)
aniracetam
works great for temporarily taking the edge off anxiety or being more social. improves cognition as well because of acetylcholine production increase. take with choline. personal experience: it works. i take it before meeting someone or going out and i definitely feel less anxious
use: focus, mood
works with: gaba, acetylcholine, ampa, dopamine, glutamate
dosing: 500-1000mg
other racetams
racetams are a family of medicines developed for cognitive enhancement. other racetams (piracetam, oxiracetam, coluracetam, etc.) are worth looking into but have drawbacks, such as price (because of high dosage), availability, tolerance, etc
works with: acetylcholine
fun fact: some people report better visual fidelity and vibrance on coluracetam
tak-653
can act as a mild stimulant or increase stimulant effects from other medicine - take away from stimulants at first. currently in phase 2 trials for depression, though not approved anywhere. improves cognition through alleviating depressive symptoms and improving recall speed and verbal fluency. also improves reaction time. personal experience: this absolutely works. i feel much more motivated and generally just more content. makes my tourette’s worse though. also makes me (and a lot of people) better at gaming?
use: focus, mood, motivation, memory
works with: ampa, glutamate
dosing: 1-6mg
semax + selank
both are very popular but relatively weak. they are taken nasally and work acutely but can be expensive and just not worth it for most people. adamax and adalank might be worth looking into, though, as they are developed to last longer and be more potent. approved only in russia
use: focus, memory, mood
works with: bdnf, gaba
dosing: 100-1000mcg
prescription stimulants (adderall, methylphenidate, etc)
these work great for people with adhd severe enough that they have to take medicine for it. if you don’t fit into this category, you probably won’t benefit from it. modafinil belongs here, but helps more with wakefulness than cognition
use: focus
works with: dopamine, norepinephrine
dosing: adderall 5-40mg, methylphendiate 5-72mg
fun fact: methylphenidate and adderall increase iq according to the israel institute of medicine science
bromantane
this is becoming more popular, especially for studying, because of how it works with dopamine. basically dopamine synthesis in a bottle, taken nasally or orally (sublingual). good for attention and mental resilience, but overstated on tiktok. probably take with l-tyrosine
use: attention, mood
works with: dopamine, gaba, tyrosine
dosing: 20-70mg
‘niche’ - but still very cool compounds
tropisetron
approved for reducing chemotherapy-induced vomiting, but can be used as a nootropic. improves memory and mood. helps with neuroprotection and brain inflammation. be careful taking this with antidepressants because of how it works with serotonin. also causes constipation LOL
use: focus, neuroprotection, mood, memory
works with: serotinin, acetylcholine
dosing: 2-10mg
prl-8-53
greatly improves memory and recall speed, but must be taken occasionally because of the fast tolerance build up. may act as a stimulant because of how it works with dopamine. no real human data exists
use: focus, memory
works with: dopamine, serotonin
dosing: ~10-60mg (maybe)
fun fact: this has the greatest iq increase in the israel institute of medicine science nootropic study
9-me-bc
this is a stimulant nootropic. improves memory and mood and could also help with neuroprotection. may interact weirdly with antidepressants or other stimulants
use: focus, mood, memory, neuroprotection
works with: dopamine, maoa, maob, tyrosine
dosing: 10-40mg (maybe)
nsi-189
studied for depression but unapproved. heavily promotes neurogenesis and some effects stay weeks after stopping it. it’s frequently reported that the second or third cycle is no where near as good as the first. may interact with stimulants
use: focus, mood
works with: serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, mtor
dosing: 10-60mg
dihexa
taken for neuroprotection, memory and mood. this is capable of forming new brain paths and synapses, and people report better sleep quality, but may cause mood swings or disturbances in some people. some people online love this, but they probably just want your money
use: focus, neuroprotection, mood
works with: met, hgf, irap
dosing: 10-30mg (maybe)
STACKS
studying
nefiracetam + bromantane + tak-653 + tropisetron
everyday
nefiracetam + tak-653 + creatine
day of test
nefiractam + tak-653 + prl-8-53 + tropisetron
going out
aniracetam + l-theanine + tak-653 (may interact with aniracetam)
my personal stack
20mg nefiracetam + 2mg tak-653 + 20mg adderall xr
tips
always start low with synthetic compounds. these are medicines
your source matters. ask around before buying anything
buy in bulk (usually from china) to get cheaper prices
do not ever take advice from tiktok unless they show studies and don’t have a financial incentive (no affiliate code/nootropics sponsorship)
don’t try a bunch of these at once. you won’t be able to tell what’s working
end
please remember that these are medicines and research chemicals. by taking research chemicals, you effectively volunteer to be the research. please be careful and buy from a good source
thank you all !! you are loved
Last edited:
