[Vienna]

I'm starting my 2nd year of Physiotherapy at Uni this fall and I'm looking to increase my ability to learn and retain information. I have no trouble sitting in the library 8 hours a day and hustling through anatomy books, but the amounts of coffee I was drinking at the end of spring was ridiculous.

After a few days of researching I ordered a stack of nootropics yesterday, containing Noopept (20 mg/tab) and Citicoline (250 mg/tab). If customs is in a good mood it will reach me at the end of the week.

This thread will log my experience with Noopept.

My background:

22 y/o
180 pounds
No experience with illegal drugs (might make me a non-responder or light responder to Noopept, as the people reporting the biggest cognitive changes seem to be drug users)
No experience of other nootropics (-racetams etc)
Daily supplements: Zinc, Vitamin D, Magnesium

Info on the substance:

Developed in Russia, Noopept is marketed in Eastern Europe as a nootropic drug with neuroprotective abilities. It's reported to increase memory and learning ability (increase inital processing of information, consolidation and retrieval). In several studies, Noopept has been shown to increase cognitive function in individuals suffering brain injury from trauma, alcoholism and hypoxia. Its also believed to have anxiolytic effects (reduction of anxiety, emotional lability and social barriers in shy individuals). Noopept is a 1000 times more potent than the most popular nootropic piracetam, but is not a part of the Racetam family as it is a peptide.

I'm stacking Noopept with Citicoline since taking a nootropic by itself may cause fatigue and irritability without a choline source. Choline is kind of a fuel for the brain; cholinergic neurotransmission in the brain depends on it.

People who have tried Noopept and had positive effects report the following:

- Improved/stabilized mood
- Improved long term memory
- Improved verbal ability (interesting)
- Increased ability to focus
- Decreased mental fatigue
- A feeling of alertness even after a full day of studying/activity

Non-responders report a feeling of brain fog, irritability, fatigue and scatter-brain.

Have you had experience with Noopept? Please share if so.

[Acute Angle]

No experience, but I'll watch this thread with interest. Any reported effects on sleep architecture?

[Vienna]

(08-14-2013 05:47 AM)Acute Angle Wrote:  

No experience, but I'll watch this thread with interest. Any reported effects on sleep architecture?

Based on what I've read so far, Noopept doesn't seem to impact sleep in any major way. It does seem to increase dream recall and vividness, after longer use (1+ month), which might be due to improved memory. It isn't classified as a stimulant, but some of its effects are stimulant-like (hours of intense focus) without the jitters and crash that follow amphetamine and Adderall.

I plan on starting with a lower dose (10 mg) in the morning and see what happens. It seems that more is not better with Noopept; higher doses (40+ mg) lead to brain fog/sluggishness, while doses in the 8 -15 mg range seem to be the sweet spot for cognitive enhancement.

[Vienna]

I've been taking Noopept since Friday last week. The Noopept and citicoline were mixed in one tab, so I scrapped my idea of halving the dose and settled on 1 tab a day.

So, did I become Bradley Cooper in Limitless? Did I start shorting stocks for huge profits, write a novel in 4 hours and learn Spanish in a day?

Nah. However...

I've noticed a subtle effect on my energy levels; a slight increase in overall energy, coupled with a less pronounced dip towards bedtime. I don't get sleepy during the day, even if I lay down on the couch and close my eyes, which usually gets me drowsy.

My short term memory is a bit worse. This is a common side-effect during the first weeks on Noopept and usually disappears as your brain adjusts to it. For example: When I read a book, I catch myself going back a few sentences wondering what the heck I just read. It takes a bit longer than usual to really get into the rhythm of reading.

Long term memory seems to be improving. I sat down with an anatomy book and repeated the muscles in the forearm (name, point of origin, insertion points and function). I remembered 50-60 % of what I learned in the previous week, which is an increase for me (usually around 40 % the first time I repeat).

All in all, kind of what I expected noopept to be. The effects are there, but they're very subtle; I think you have to know yourself well if you're to notice anything, at least in the beginning. The people experiencing enhanced sensory input ("brighter world, stronger smells") are most likely having a wild placebo effect.

The full extent of Noopept's effects (as in eventual cognitive enhancement) are achieved in 2-3 months of chronic exposure to a low dosage (10-30 mg). As such, my experiment continues...

[the_conductor]

Thanks for the report man.

Did you notice any anxiolytic effects and is Noopept something you can use everyday long term?

[Vienna]

(08-20-2013 11:11 PM)the_conductor Wrote:  

Thanks for the report man.

Did you notice any anxiolytic effects and is Noopept something you can use everyday long term?

No noticeable anxiolytic effect from what I can tell yet. Will get back to you on that when school starts and it's time to start writing papers and worry about exams though. I always worry about my school performance, even though I'm a good student. Gotta improve my Inner Academia Game.

I haven't read anything that outright warns against everyday use. I think that if you stick to low doses you'll be fine if you decide to use it for, say, 3+ months. The "official" recommendation is to cycle Noopept 1 month on, 1 month off. This cycle is followed by many users in Russia and is believed to help the brain adjust to slightly changed neurotransmitter levels, as Noopept may have a long term/permanent neuroprotective effect on the brain. No long term studies have been carried out yet, however.

[Moma]

How is the updates on the Noopept, bro?

[Vienna]

I did not experience anything beyond what I've already mentioned; slightly better long-term memory, energy levels more balanced throughout the day... The short-term memory hit disappeared after 2 weeks. All in all, it had effects that increased my productivity in subtle but nice ways. I can recommend it to anyone that (like me) is interested in experimenting with Nootropics and want to start slow.

My batch of 30 pills ran out last week and I will probably not order another one for a while. Why? Because I've been taking 1000 mg of L-Theanine for 1 week and it's been way more potent for me. I've got a crazy schedule in school this term (pretty much study 14 hours a day to keep up, work out, eat, sleep, repeat) and I would probably be feeling way more stressed if not for L-Theanine. I take 500 mg in my coffee in the morning and 500 mg in green tea when I get home at 7-8 PM. I sleep like a baby, have minimal to no anxiety (about anything) and my focus is razor sharp during lectures and studying. A big plus is that it's a naturally occuring amino acid; virtually no negative side-effects. I can't recommend L-Theanine enough, check out the thread on it.

[Big Nilla]

I tried a bottle of Noopept... didn't do anything for me.

Still really haven't found anything better than my cheap, old faithful... NOW L-Tyrosine pills and Acetyl L-Tyrosine powder. ALCAR is good to go too.

[Pyre]

(09-18-2013 07:41 PM)Big Nilla Wrote:  

I tried a bottle of Noopept... didn't do anything for me.

Still really haven't found anything better than my cheap, old faithful... NOW L-Tyrosine pills and Acetyl L-Tyrosine powder. ALCAR is good to go too.

hmm, L-Tyrosine does nothing for me. 5HTP OTOH works great.

[Moma]

(09-18-2013 07:41 PM)Big Nilla Wrote:  

I tried a bottle of Noopept... didn't do anything for me.

Still really haven't found anything better than my cheap, old faithful... NOW L-Tyrosine pills and Acetyl L-Tyrosine powder. ALCAR is good to go too.

Did you order from Liftmode site?

[Big Nilla]

No, I ordered through some place in South Carolina. It's cheap stuff and everyone reacts differently to things so don't let my unresponsiveness to the stuff stop you from trying it out. Just like Pyre said... L-Tyrosine does nothing for him even though it works great for me.

NOTE to Pyre... if you're unresponsive to L-Tyrosine pills, try taking Acetyl L-Tyrosine powder. It's cheap. $13 on Amazon and lasts pretty long.

[Vienna]

How does L-Tyrosine work?

[Pyre]

(09-19-2013 12:14 AM)Big Nilla Wrote:  

No, I ordered through some place in South Carolina. It's cheap stuff and everyone reacts differently to things so don't let my unresponsiveness to the stuff stop you from trying it out. Just like Pyre said... L-Tyrosine does nothing for him even though it works great for me.

NOTE to Pyre... if you're unresponsive to L-Tyrosine pills, try taking Acetyl L-Tyrosine powder. It's cheap. $13 on Amazon and lasts pretty long.

cool, ill try that out

(09-19-2013 02:56 AM)DarianFrey Wrote:  

How does L-Tyrosine work?

precursor to dopamine. 5htp is a precursor to serotonin

[thoughtgypsy]

I'd be curious of other's experience on this.

I have tried L-Theanine (200mg) before with little noticeable effect. Perhaps I will up the dosage to 400 or 600mg and see if there's any change.

Has anyone else tried using Noopept (N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester)? I can't seem to find it on amazon. I'm also having trouble finding Piracetram. Does anyone have an alternative supplement website they like for nootropics?

Based on some quick research, it looks like it's best to stack it with Alpha GPC to replenish Choline, and a form of Magnesium (like magnesium citrate) for best results.

Alpha GPC: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RYKA3U/
Magnesium Citrate: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BV1O26/ ($13/250 tablets)

Vitamin D: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000A0LE6O/ ($5/180 capsules)

[Valentine]

+1 on noopept, powerful intelligence enhancer. It's comparable to pramiracetam in effectiveness.

It also increases BDNF, so you get long-term cognitive boosts even once you stop taking it.

/r/nootropics has many links to nootropics vendors.

[thoughtgypsy]

Powder City seems to have good prices, and free shipping on orders over $25. I'll try a stack with Alpha GPC and report if I notice any differences.

http://www.powdercity.com/

[highcardace]

Noopept is well known in the nootropic community, its effects are pretty subtle however.

For improving memory I would definitely recommend Huperzine A. Huperzine is a compound found in Huperziceae herbs. It is an extremely potent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, meaning it inhibits the enzyme which breaks down acetylcholine. Acetylcholine acts as a neuromodulator, which means it enhances sensory perception while we awake. While asleep, it promotes the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep.

Many studies show strong memory improvements in rats and improvements in patients with Alzheimers while supplemented with Huperzine A.

I find it works best when supplement with a source of choline, such as Alpha GPC.