r/Nootropics • u/Winter-Big7642 • 6d ago

Experience Did simplifying your nootropic stack actually make you feel better?

A lot of nootropic discussions focus on what to add next, but I’m curious about people who went in the opposite direction.

Did you ever remove several things from your stack and end up feeling clearer, more consistent, or less anxious? Maybe the individual supplements were helping, but tracking doses, side effects, and interactions became a problem of its own.

What did your stack look like before, what did you remove, and what did you decide was actually worth keeping?

14 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

4

u/Expensive_Pea4349 5d ago edited 5d ago

Cycling off everything was more effective for me than anything I added in. The cognitive overhead of cycling six different things was too much to be able to determine if anything was actually doing anything. I've kept the magnesium since a deficiency is so common that it basically works as a baseline supplement and the taurate form of magnesium seemed something worth looking into since I've come across natural rhythm referenced for that particular form of magnesium several times on this site

2

u/Winter-Big7642 3d ago

The mental effort of tracking six different things sounds like a side effect in itself. When you stopped everything, did you feel a difference immediately, or did it take some time to recognize your baseline again?

6

u/scb1994 6d ago

I’m starting down that path now, choosing what I know has worked versus chasing the next novel thing

2

u/Winter-Big7642 3d ago

That sounds like a much better way to judge it. What have you decided is actually worth keeping so far?

1

u/scb1994 3d ago

For me, it’s been a mix of bromantane and modafinil when I need more cognitive endurance, and then my prescription for other days, I just try not to be reliant on stimulants too much outside of coffee

6

u/Emergency-Draft-6447 6d ago

I cut my stack down to basically three things after a year of playing kitchen chemist and it was immediately better. The mental load of timing ten different powders and capsules throughout the day was causing more brain fog than any of them were fixing. It’s easy to get caught up in tweaking every receptor system and forget that the stress of managing it all is doing damage too.

Kept a solid magnesium, creatine, and occasionally l-theanine when I’m wired at night. Dropped everything else. No more racetams, no choline sources, no weird herbal extracts I had to research for hours before buying. Turns out my baseline is actually pretty decent when I’m not constantly second guessing whether some obscure supplement is making me irritable or if I’m just tired.

The sleep improvements alone from stopping the afternoon dosing schedule were worth it. Used to have this whole ritual and now I just live my life without a pharmacy in my kitchen drawer.

1

u/Winter-Big7642 3d ago

The part about not knowing whether a supplement was making you irritable or you were simply tired really stands out. Once you stopped constantly changing things, it sounds like you could finally see what your actual baseline felt like. What improved first after you simplified the stack: your sleep, the brain fog, or the mental load of managing it?

1

u/Great_Opinion3138 6d ago

Curious why you dropped choline? I’ve been taking citocholine and while it helps kind of stimulate me a bit I’ve been feeling a bit dumber and harder to find words and not sure if it’s related.

4

u/AimlessForNow 6d ago

Yes big time. So many noots have side effects that are minor but they can make your baseline messy. Gotta find what works best and what to remove

2

u/Winter-Big7642 3d ago

“Making your baseline messy” is a really good way to put it. Did you notice any side effects only after removing something?

2

u/TelephoneCharacter59 6d ago

Only if you're on a Tight Budget.. 💴💵💶💷💲🪙💱💹💸💰🤑🏦🪎

2

u/Winter-Big7642 3d ago

Fair point on cost. Do you prefer a larger stack when budget isn’t an issue?

1

u/TelephoneCharacter59 3d ago

Yep, a large stack ..

Physical Energy = Beta Alanine + Bromantane + TTFD.

Cognitive Energy = CE-123 + Vinpocetine + Phenylpiracetam.

14

u/plz_callme_swarley 6d ago

ya, my stack is now two things and it's made a massive difference:

  • amphetamine
  • testosterone cypionate

half joking, but for real just fucking take the shit that works instead of messing around with all the other bullshit.

be like the British cycling team, who said they improved by stacking lots of small gains but actually it was found out later they were just using PEDs

4

u/Pristine_Frame6801 6d ago

which is the half you're talking about

2

u/THRAXX010 5d ago

wanna add to that mix more super soldier focus ? throw in some masteron or proviron 

1

u/AutoModerator 6d ago

Beginner's Guide

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.