Btw…another theoretical safety risk is microdosing for say many years is it might cause valvular heart disease from 5HT2B. Nothing that really says for sure last I checked. But it seems plausible.
We find valvular disease in people who use MDMA frequently at higher doses over a long time even at a young age, but not much evidence for someone doing it very occasionally. I don’t recall a single clinical trial reporting that but I suspect they accounted for this.
I have watched most of his Youtube videos. He likes everything he tries and has no real credentials. He seems like a nice man but, just like me, it’s his personal opinion. And, he obviously spends too much time in the sun or uses fake tanning.
My own experience with nootropics has been very neutral. They do nothing subjectively when taken at the recommended doses. Unless you up the dosages beyond what is safely recommended you are unlikely to feel anything. Noopept was great for the first few times I took it but in spite of cycling, etc, etc., it never worked again.
My very favorite and most effective nootropic is phenibut. But alas, because people tend to abuse almost everything, it is no longer available at least from any of the suppliers I use. I may see if l can get some from India. In my opinion, phenibut is more effective than valium for calming the nerves and reducing social anxiety. It is addictive if you take large doses for an extended period.
Nice compilation of estrogen in males!!
I am not familiar with him, but he was covering the big hitters and wanted to give some quick options for @MAC to have for research.
I agree about the dosing and your experience is similar to mine - some notable changes, but either not long lasting and or some side effect issues that outweighed its pros.
I never got a chance to use phenibut, but did read all of the warnings about potential for abuse.
It would make sense that Psilocybin would help with memory, but I am not aware of it directly related with most trying to see if there is a direct pathway for a depression, PTSD and other mental illness challenges CURE??.
There are some boutique style “clinics” that have started to pop up in Mexico and other countries that give “guide therapies” on psilocybin. I believe Colorado is considering leagalization?
Sorry, way out of my wheel house, but very interested since the typical SSRI seem to be a dead end except for profits for the Pharma.
Microbiome is supper promising with potential to balance and improve gut signaling to the brain.
I agree with this though I’ve had good experiences with L theanine and caffeine. The research supporting cognitive benefit exists but not in the most prestigious journals.
Not discounting the efficacy for these transient and/or precipitous mood/mental health challenges, but for most people, the idea would be for a nootropic to support continued good cognitive (executive function, memory) as part of the longevity matrix.
It appears psilocybin acts and potentially activates serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor, one of the brain’s receivers of serotonin, a substance that affects mood.
That’s not good enough for me to take a pharma dive, would want to see some clinical and/or many model studies.
The acute effects of classic psychedelics on memory in humans (2021)
https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-020-05756-w
Conclusions
Classic psychedelics dose-dependently impair memory task performance but may enhance autobiographical memory*
Scanning across recent literature (1-2 yrs), not seeing much re memory, but mood alteration.
One clinical trial, with memory as one of the secondary endpoints:
Mood and Cognitive Effects of Low Doses of Psilocybin Observed in Healthy Subjects (“MELO”): A Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Dose-Finding Study
20 participants, 1mg, up to 10mg dose.
Secondary Outcome Measures :
Use of validated questionnaires to assess drug-effects on mood, sleep, memory, cognition, anxiety and depression
Another trial on dementia/MCI:
Out of the 110 clinical trials for Psilocybin, they are mainly for mood disorders.
Bottom line: given my age, and cognitive health, will wait some more for better clinical data
Would you micro-dose LSD as it is widely touted to be greatly beneficial for the mind?
Many highly educated individuals including doctors swear by it.
Hi Charles,
This isn’t a direct answer to your question but hopefully will contribute to the conversation.
To answer your question, I would consider the following:
Are there any regulatory prohibitions on using the compound at my location? If so, how severe are the penalties, and how likely is it that I would face those penalties?
How confident am I that what I buy is actually the compound I intend to buy (isn’t inert or harmful but is the compound)? I ponder this for all non-prescription supplements (and now, based on information from Rapadmin, will start pondering for generic medications)
Are there any harms that the compound could cause me (is it contradicted by a pre-existing condition or medication)?
What am I trying to accomplish with the compound? What evidence do I have that the compound will help me achieve my goal? Can I measure the achievement objectively?
Best,
Joel
@joelklee I totally agree with your assessments and comments. Many of the options discussed in this thread are interesting, but not ready for prime time debuts, especially the illegal ones. That does not mean they are without value, but your last comment is the best and should be used in most of our approach
Blockquote
Thank you for views from your vantage point.
Well here are a few things I am looking for: I want the two sides of my brain to talk to each other. I am a retired engineer and a left-brain kind of person without any artistic, musical, or literary talents.
(No evidence from brain scans that people are ‘right-brained’ versus ‘left-brained’.
" 
This popular notion was debunked in 2013 by University of Utah neuroscientists who used brain imaging to show there is NO evidence that people are ‘right-brained’ or ‘left-brained’."
Well crap, there is that.
Well just say the creative mind expansion so many users brag about.
I am not willing to try it outside of a clinically controlled study
I am hoping some of these antiquated laws will be revoked so scientific studies can be more readily carried out.
If my local university called for volunteers to try it out, I would be first in line. Because I have already beat the age the grim reaper assigned to me at birth, I am certainly willing to take more chances than I would ever recommend to young people.
As for measuring the achievement objectively: In this case, only subjectivity matters to me. I don’t care if an MRI says, hey Chuck you have some new brain cells.
I totally agree with this. The current processes limit us all due to cost of 'Evidence based medicine" - which only big Pharma can pay for. Insurance feels that unless there has been adequate studies to support findings that they are not responsibile to pay for it - nicely convenient for them. FDA is in charge of weighing safety and therapeutic value - but again process is a snail pace on a good day. Rapamycin, luckily is already FDA approved for other, so we can use ‘off label’, but still an issue with physicians brave enough to Rx it in a swamp of medical malpractice equivalent to the wild west. A middle of the road option would be nice that allow common sense standards to let patients and doctors to make best decisions for each situation.
Good to see some possible progress.
I was around when many of these laws were first passed. No one says this, and it’s my observational opinion, but Dr. Timothy Leary, a lecturer in psychology at Harvard University went off the rails with his promotion of LSD and scared the hell out of “regular folks.” That, and the hippy culture of the time, had the politicians of the time running like hell to pass laws against everything they didn’t like about the hippy culture. It’s really too bad. Fortunately, many states are revoking some of those old laws.
You might want to check out the first episode of the new documentary How To Change Your Mind on Netflix. It goes through everything you’re talking about, and more, with the early days of LSD.
A new research paper:
The Research Paper:
Aside from the demographic shift, most of these pathways are cardio centric, like obesity ad hypertension, and have been so since they started epidemiological AD research. It’s long been argued AD is largely a cardio implicated disease.
I’ve also heard Alz described as Type 3 diabetes…
and today on twitter:
In the July 6 JAMA Open, researchers led by Mark Lee, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, attributed 41 percent of dementia cases to 12 modifiable lifestyle factors. Obesity, high blood pressure, and lack of exercise accounted for the lion’s share. The percentage of preventable dementia cases was higher among black and Hispanic than among Caucasian and Asian Americans. “These findings can guide prevention efforts by highlighting the risk factors most consequential for U.S. dementia cases,” Lee wrote to Alzforum.
This estimate is on par with a Lancet Commission report linking 40 percent of dementia cases worldwide to the same 12 risk factors: physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, obesity, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, depression, traumatic brain injury, hearing loss, few years of education, social isolation, and air pollution. However, the report pegged hearing loss, education, and smoking as the three largest ones (Aug 2020 conference news
https://www.alzforum.org/news/research-news/us-40-percent-all-cause-dementia-preventable
