Racetams do nothing for me, have tried most of them. I use Modafinal on days I need to stay alert, focused for long periods of time. It keeps you awake and alert without the jitters/ anxiety of Adderall or too much caffeine.
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This guy covers many Nootropics, but not familiar with him. Tim Ferris, Dave Aspery and Joe Rogan all have videos as well 
I don’t microdose due to a lack of solid evidence in the literature. Just one time per 2 months with psilocybin ~25 mg strictly for GAD indication. I avoid first-line SSRIs/SNRIs etc due to issues with drug interactions.
I don’t really take substances specifically for a primary nootropic effect because the brain is smarter than people think. It’s everything around it that I modify - neuroinflammation and hormones. I do take dexmethylphenidate extended release which at low doses may have a neuroprotective effect and indirect B-2 agonist but it’s for my medical condition.
My main nootropics are exercise, sleep, managing chronic stress, and optimized circadian rhythm. The bath of brain chemicals are guaranteed nootropics.
I also avoid a lot of signals at the right time like glucose/insulin signaling with CGM.
Here are some of my “indirect nootropics”: Creatine and magtein supplement. Tea, anthocyanin, apigenin, choline, phospholipid omega 3, GABA, PEA, glycine phosphatidylserine, theanine, etc strictly from diet. But you need to optimize your microbiome first because i.e. choline can become TMA metabolites.
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Have you tried Armodafinal - newer?.
Nopept is an off shoot of the racetams, but much stronger. Covered in Nootropic video ranking. Phenylpiracetam was the only one I noted any improvement in the racetam family.
There are some nootropics that some of the compounded pharmacy’s make, but it has been awhile since I have reviewed them and can be pricey.
No point to experiment when my brain has vastly different wiring than in the literature for dopamine, NR, serotonin, and acetylcholine, and my meds already working and titrated well (research shows extra 12 years of lifespan, due to an increase in adherence to lifestyle modifications). There is just too large of a pharmacogenetics problem.
I have considered the brain-selective prodrug to 17-alpha-estradiol/17-beta-estradiol DHED but too early for my tastes even though the effect size for increasing memory is huge in male rats.
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Yes - while I don’t follow this area of research very closely, it doesn’t seem like there is much good evidence for efficacy in the way of short term and longer term outcomes (just lots of anecdotal reports, which in my view are worth little).
I’m open to changing my mind if I see good studies on these compounds, but I haven’t seen them yet.
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I’ll gladly take some. I’ll PM my address. Lol
There is a great new documentary series on Netflix called HOW TO CHANGE YOUR MIND that covers much of this. Very well done.
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Unfortunately pretty much impossible to get 17AE for a lay person
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Well if you choose to take some, please keep us updated. I heard some people taking it on Twitter but no update.
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I should know this, but is 17-alpha-estradiol just the isomer of 17-beta-estradiol? If it is then taking testosterone may increase it through aromatization ?
I have not but I have heard that effects are very very similar to modafinal.
I like and respect Michael Pollan and his work related to diet, but have not yet read his book on “How to change your mind”, will check out the Netflix series:
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Enantiomer. Vastly different effects. Also has some inhibition of 5 alpha-reductase.
As an example, L-amphetamine and D-amphetamine has different effects. That’s why Adderall is mixed salts 3:1
Testosterone also converts to DHT. Can trigger hair loss at supraphysiological levels. Might accelerate BPH. The problem is getting the testosterone vs DHT vs estradiol levels right. How would one monitor tiny levels of estradiol levels in the brain specifically if it doesn’t go systemically with prodrug?
Even in TRT, oral testosterone is basically impossible to get right and gels are only relatively more accurate. We know low estrogen in men is bad for lifespan, fertility, and libido too.
Maybe I’ll try making it:
The prodrug DHED selectively delivers 17β-estradiol to the brain for treating estrogen-responsive disorders
The method used for the synthesis of DHED was based on a procedure adapted from the
literature (38) using E2 (Steraloids), m-chloroperbenzoic acid (Jansen Chimica) oxidant and
dibenzoyl peroxide (Aldrich) radical initiator in refluxing CH2Cl2 under nitrogen for 3 h,
while being irradiated with a 60-W tungsten lamp. Column chromatographic purification
(silicagel, CH2Cl2:ethyl acetate 7:3, v/v), and crystallization from toluene routinely afforded
~ 45% yield. [melting point: 215–217 °C; 1H-NMR resonances having diagnostic δ values
(in ppm), using CD3OD solvent: 7.1 (d, J = 10.4 Hz, 1H, H1), 6.0 (dd, J = 10.4 Hz, 2.1 Hz,
1H, H2), 5.9 (t, J = 2.2 Hz, 1H, H4), 3.3 (t, J = 8.1 Hz, 1H, 17α-H), and 0.9 (s, 18-CH3);
ESI-MS: m/z 289.3 (M+H)+].
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Testosterone coverts to DHT highest if applied transdermaly via the scrotal tissue, less through the dermis and less more through injection and or pellets. Oral micronized version don’t seem to help symptoms and older versions are hard the liver. Young males have fairly high testosterone levels, but also have premenopausal female levels of estradiol. One of the arguments of not blocking the testosterone conversion to estradiol is many of the benefits seen with estradiol in men. Body builders believe if they block the conversion it will help maintain and even higher testosterone levels. The estradiol helps lower LDL, has vasodilatory response in the brain and helps with sex drive for men.
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This is long, but can watch on faster speed. Dr. Rouzier is an ER trained doctor at UCLA, that has some interesting approaches to HRT in both men and women. He is not mainstream and is controversial - not unlike Dr. Green and Dr. B
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This is not to change anyones mind, but I think starts to lay a pathway for possible.
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“It may be possible to use 17α-estradiol, as well as lower doses, in hormone replacement therapies potentially circumventing some of the adverse effects associated with current therapies.”
I suspect hitting ER-alpha in the right dose via 17aE2 will lead to the prevention of dementia/stroke, osteoporosis, insulin resistance, CAD without feminizing features, and better memory if the much longer-living male mice with 17aE2 in ITP results are translatable. Longer-living male mice actually surpassed the female control group, so it seems it might be a male sex-specific pathway component.
See a 28-year-old male who was similar to the experimental ER-knockout animal models with osteopenia, obesity, insulin resistance, and premature coronary artery disease - I suspect if they observed him longer, he might have early signs of dementia (MCI) or maybe TIA/stroke.
Here are the other case reports:
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The study
Psilocybin induces rapid and persistent growth of dendritic spines in frontal cortex in vivo (2021)
https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2021.06.008
“Serotonergic psychedelics are compounds that produce an atypical state of consciousness characterized by altered perception, cognition, and mood. It has long been recognized that these compounds may have therapeutic potential for neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and addiction”
Is memory NOT a pathway for psilocybin?
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