This is a continuation of my previous article, "How Training, Nutrition, And Eating Frequency Affect Overall Health And Body Composition." Click here to read part 1.
Let's dive into the supplements.
Creatine
Creatine is an amino acid. Not a steroid, not a drug. It's one of the most heavily studied supplements on the market and extremely safe.
There's a ton of scientific literature on creatine. Here are some of the most interesting benefits to people interested in fitness:
- Helps muscle cells produce more energy
- Supports many other functions in muscles
- Improves high-intensity exercise performance
- Speeds up muscle growth
- May help with Parkinson's disease
- May fight other neurological diseases
- May lower blood sugar levels and fight diabetes
- Can improve brain function
- May reduce fatigue and tiredness
- Safe and easy to use
Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-creatine
Practically speaking, I've found creatine incredibly useful for virtually every single type of workout I've ever done. Weight training, cardio, Muay Thai - they have all been improved with creatine.
Some people will recommend a "loading" phase of 25g a day, but I've never done that. I get enough of a kick from 5g, I can only imagine what 25g would do.
Creatine will give you a "puffy" look because it makes your muscles retain water. But in my experience the performance and cognitive benefits are worth it.
It also makes you 2-3x thirstier, so keep that in mind if you're fasting, doing cardio and sweating a lot, or spending a lot of time in hot weather.
Also, make sure you get micronized creatine instead of creatine monohydrate. It's known to cause "digestion issues," meaning it'll make you shit like an elephant if you take too much.
Micronized creatine seems to minimize this effect.
Noopept (and other racetams)
Supplements and nootropics have become somewhat of a hobby to me.
For 35 year old boomers like me who don't have the stomach for Adderal-induced hangovers and the potential legal repurcussions that come with most narcotics, yet still want something that will give us an extra boost, nootropics are the way to go.
Defined as substances that improve cognition, nootropics have evolved into a somewhat popular subculture, complete with various gray area marketplaces that operate somewhere between the dark web and the clearnet.
Most of these substances fall under the "unregulated" category of scheduling in the United States. They're not scheduled substances like marijuana and cocaine, but they're also not supplements like whey protein and creatine.
While a lot of these nootropics ("noots" for short) are sold openly on the internet, they have limitations on how they can be marketed because of legal concerns.
Despite the fact that noopept is a prescribed medication in Russia for some cognitive disorders, it hasn't been submitted to the FDA for any medical or dietary use.
With its patent long since expired, it's unlikely that any one company is going to do so either. Why would they spend billions on studies just to open up the market to anyone enterprising enough to order mass quantities from Chinese labs?
Anyway, noopept is one of current favorite nootropics. Not only does it have an extremely effective minimum dose (only 10 mg), but its effects on cognition and energy are incredible.
Here are some of the anecdotally reported effects of noopept:
- Increased memory (good for studying)
- Increased energy
- Increased verbal fluency (helpful for social situations and writing long articles)
- Offers the benefits of piracetam without having to swallow 4g of disgusting powder
- Helps recover faster from alcohol-induced hangovers
So what does noopept actually do? Here's the facts according to Nootropedia:
Considered vastly more potent than piracetam and other memory enhancing smart drugs, noopept is currently used as a potent prescription drug for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other age related cognitive decline in countries like Russia and the former Soviet Union.
Although derived in 1996, noopept has much evidence to suggest efficacy for improving cognitive abilities and memory. According to one study, noopept is 1000 times more potent than piracetam, which is why the recommended dosage is so small. Noopept improves memory by increasing brain chemicals called BDNF and through other means.
Despite noopept’s purpose to improve memory and prevent cognitive decline, one of the main benefits of noopept is anti-anxiety and mood enhancement. A study concluded that noopept was more effective than piracetam as an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and helped with feelings of irritability. Even further, noopept has been implicated in reducing depression, which might make it a useful (and safer) option than other currently prescribed options. This hasn’t been thoroughly tested, however.
Beyond mood enhancement, there are many benefits of noopept. Primary among these is memory enhancement through brain chemicals called NGF and BDNF. These brain chemicals help act as fertilizer for the brain to create new connections and memories.
Many of these same properties make noopept beneficial for preventing cognitive decline. In countries like Russia, the drug is used as a prescription to treat Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and age related cognitive decline. One of the primary mechanisms (beyond NGF and BDNF) are benefits for acetylcholine processes.
Another benefit of noopept is how well-tolerated the drug is despite high potency. You can take a strong and impactful smart drug while still feeling safe.
Finally, this drug can be a powerful psychostimulant (concentration / focus enhancer) as well. There is some evidence noopept excites neurons, but more research is needed to confirm this as a main benefit of noopept.
Source: Noopept - Ridiculously Powerful Drug 1000x Stronger Than Piracetam
In my experience, I also have much better workouts when taking noopept.
The first time I took it, I remember going to a nearby park to run some sprints and I legit felt like I was flying. Not only did it take me longer to get winded, but I felt like my movements were more fluid. Almost like there were strings attached to my body and moving me like a marionette.
I'm currently taking it 3-4 times a day (only lasts a few hours) for productivity. This entire article was written on a combination of Wellbutrin (coming up next), noopept, agmatine, and phenibut.
Wellbutrin
Wellbutrin - the brand name of the generic Bupropion - is a drug commonly prescribed as a smoking-cessation aid.
It was also prescribed for depression back in the day, although it seems to have fallen out of favor in the past 10 years in favor of newer drugs.
I was prescribed Wellbutrin when I was an angsty 20 year old and didn't want to do anything. I was young and angry at the world for not providing me with any appealing challenges other than "get a degree" and "get a job."
After failing every class during my first semester at the University of Arizona (I never went to class), I moved back in with my parents. They took me to see a shrink and he diagnosed me with depression.
Our session went something like this:
Shrink: "How are you?"
Me: "I'm fine."
Shrink: "Really? You seem depressed."
Me: "No. I'm not."
Shrink: "Hmmmm. I'm writing you a prescription for Wellbutrin. It should help with your depression.
Me: "But I'm not dep-"
Shrink: "Thanks. That'll be $250. NEXT!"
Even though I resisted it every step of the way, but eventually started taking the pills.
I had just enrolled in a local community college and started back at the gym. With the introduction of the new drug, I noticed a few interesting changes in these environments.
I had always hated school and found it boring as shit. I could never understand why I had to learn about obscure topics that didn't seem to have anything to do with real life.
I never took notes, turned in low-effort projects, and only sometimes did my homework - somehow managing to skate by with passing grades just because I was (and still am) a good test-taker.
But with Wellbutrin, I would walk into class, sit in the front row and obediently write down everything the teacher said like I was getting paid by the word. I took an interest in what they were saying, even raising my hand to ask questions and participate in class.
It was all completely effortless.
In fact now that I think about it, it was like the marionette effect of noopept but even stronger. It was almost like I was being guided by the drug itself.
I even felt stronger at the gym, but it was a disassociated kind of strength. It wasn't that my muscles were stronger per se, but almost like I had more control over them. I remember watching myself do bicep curls (I was into bodybuilding back then), watching my arms in awe and thinking, I don't even feel like I'm lifting this. How is this happening?
I eventually stopped taking it when I got into raving and taking ecstasy every weekend because I read that it would interfere with serotonin release and dampen the effects. Not the brightest idea in hindsight, but 35 year old me is bad enough. Try telling that to 20 year old me.
I ended up taking a break from the drug until I was going through some shit back in LA. I had stopped working with my friend at the PPC agency and was feeling some of the same despondency that I had felt back then. I decided to try Wellbutrin again, thinking maybe it would help.
It did. A lot.
It made the Uber driving less unbearable. I had transitioned from Crossfit to yoga at this point and it helped there as well. That combined with the appetite suppressant effects meant that I dropped about 15 lbs.
When I was driving for Uber, I remember upping my dose from 150 mg a day to 300 and noticing that my verbal banter with passengers was instantly improved. The right words would just come out of my mouth without me even having to think about them.
I still take 300 mg a day and am kind of scared to think what life would be without it.
I don't think I can outright recommend it to you without breaking some law, but for me it is #1 when it comes to mental health.
Cerebrolysin and Cortexin
Cerebrowhat? Cortex-who?
Two drugs I doubt you've heard of unless you're deep in the nootropics game with way too much expendable income to spend on experimental drugs. But if you're looking to improve your cognitive ability, these two are the GOAT.
That said, you probably aren't ever going to take them for a few reasons:
- Cerebrolysin and Cortexin are substances extracted from the brains of pigs and cows, respectively
- Cerebrolysin needs to be administered via intramuscular injections
- They're both expensive (CRB is $400/month and Cortexin is a bit less)
Back when I was living in LA, just before my Uber-driving-loser phase, I was making bank running a PPC agency with a friend of mine.
It was more money that I knew what to do with, so I did what any nouveau riche nootropics enthusiast would: I placed an order with a Chinese chemical producer that I found off Alibaba and placed a $1500 order.
The idea was that I was going to start a nootropics website and start selling the powders to turn a profit.
This idea quickly fell apart as I realized that my 1 bedroom apartment wasn't exactly the type of place you want to be running a nootropics company out of. Sanitary considerations aside, it's probably not a good idea to have literal kilos of white powder in unmarked plastic bags... just in case.
I ended up sending 2/3 of it back (the Chinese company actually refunded me the money) and kept the rest.
I had always been interested in Cerebrolysin because in the nootropics community it's generally hailed as the king of cognitive enhancers. It's prescribed in other countries for stroke victims and Alzheimer's patients and I figured if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.
The general recommendation is to do a "cycle" of 5 days on and 2 days off and do 2-3 cycles before taking a few months off.
So naturally I decided to just order the max dose and take it every day indefinitely. I even ordered some massive 23 gauge 1.5 inch needles to perform the injections. Cerebrolysin comes in little glass containers called ampules which need to be broken open in order for the liquid to be pulled into the syringe.
I was nervous about injecting something as I always associated injections with junkies. But the more I learned about it, the more I realized that injections are just another delivery method - just like swallowing a pill. Some substances can't cross the blood-brain barrier, which means that a pill just won't work.
I did a ton of research before my first injection. I won't bore you with the details now, but suffice to say that my nervousness evaporated after the first time I pinned myself. I remember thinking... that's it?
Some people can't get over the stigma of needles. I completely understand. But if you've actually made it this far then you can probably tell that I don't let silly things like stigma and groupthink get in the way of trying new things like injecting pig brains into my ass.
The effects of CRB and CXN are very subtle at first and build over time. At first I didn't notice anything and felt very disappointed.
But as the days went on, I started to feel more and more effects. More energy, more hunger, and verbal fluency up the wazoo.
I remember one day after working out I came home and made some oatmeal and eggs to eat. I would normally have around a half cup of oatmeal and two eggs as a recovery meal and then eat a big meal at night (one of the brief periods where I wasn't doing OMAD).
Ten minutes after finishing it I was hungry again so I made another bowl. And another. And another. And then another. An hour later I had finished an entire carton of eggs and way too much oatmeal and was still kind of hungry. I couldn't even figure out why until it hit me - it was the Cerebro.
There are some reports of professional athletes "doping" with it (which I could totally believe), but for an extra $400 and the inconvenience of sticking a 1.5 inch needle into your leg or assmeat every day for the rest of your life... is it really worth it?
Agmatine
Right after creatine started getting popular, there was a supplement that came out called NO2. This was just before online shopping was a thing, so most of us still got our supplements from places like GNC.
The big thing about N02 was that anyone who spent $70 for a bottle of the stuff would get a 50 page book that explained how to use it. It had workout routines, dosage recommendations, and scientific explanations that went into gory detail on why No2 worked as well as it did.
The basic premise was that it would expand your blood vessels and increase the amount of nitric oxide in your blood. The idea was that the more nitric oxide (written as NO2) you had in your blood, the longer your blood vessels would stay dilated and the longer your "pump" would last after the gym.
In fact that was one of their main selling points: a "permanent pump."
The pills themselves looked like horse pills - massive things that I wouldn't have been able to swallow if I wasn't already an expert pill popper from my years of volunteering as a Vicodin tester.
But I followed the protocol and I'll be damned if my muscles didn't get bigger, harder, and stay that way.
Eventually people identified the main active ingredient as AAKG - arginine-alpha-ketoglutarate - which is now available for a fraction of the price as bulk powder. Thank you internet.
But this "nitric oxide" thing stayed with me until a few years later when I discovered L-arginine and later agmatine.
L-arginine is an amino acid that - you guessed it - is responsible for increasing levels of nitric oxide in the blood. I took this briefly when I lived in Israel as it was somewhat effective at giving a pump, but nothing like agmatine.
Agmatine is a metabolite of arginine, meaning that it's one of the substances that's released when your body breaks down arginine. Different metabolites are responsible for different actions in the body, and apparently agmatine is responsible for this effect and the illustrious nitric oxide working its magic.
Not only does it give you a sick pump that stays all day, but it also has an anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) when you take it.
Studies have also shown that it helps to increase pain tolerance similar to much stronger drugs like Oxycontin.
Anecdotally speaking, when I take agmatine I notice that I have much more strength in the gym. Aesthetically, the pump doesn't hurt either. But the main improvement would be how it seems to improve the effectiveness of other drugs.
If you'll allow me to get a little bro-sciencey on you for a moment, I would say that the dilation of the blood vessels improves your circulation well enough that whatever drugs you have in your blood get transported to your brain more efficiently, giving a greater effect overall.
Is that really what happens? No idea. But it works and that's good enough for me.
Agmatine also has lots of studies on it. Refer to Examine.com for more details.
Buckyballs
One of the things I ordered and decided to keep from my shady Chinese chemical factory was a virtually unheard-of substance called C60 Fullerene. Also known as Buckminster Fullerene or "Buckyballs," this is a type of carbon that is often used in nanotechnology.
Back in 1993, French scientists wanted to test the toxicity of Buckyballs, believing them to be toxic. They created a study with 3 groups of rats.
- One group was given nothing (control)
- A second group was given olive oil (variable)
- The third group was given C60 dissolved into olive oil
They assumed that the ra