Concentration....medical remedies

[MG1962]

The media seems loaded with various potions and pills that will improve your concentration, memory etc etc etc

As I have gotten older I have found my concentration slipping a bit....yeah I know it is natural lol But I wanted to know does anyone know of any suppliments additives etc that can help beyond the obvious good diet and exercise.

Thanks

[HansMustermann]

Well, there is stuff like ephedrine, which actually works. A lot of the herbal supplements which actually work at all are really ephedrine based.

But, like any medicine, you may have to deal with side-effects and/or physiological addiction. In the long term ephedrine depletes dopamine in the brain, though a lot less so than amphetamines, so if you take it long enough you'll eventually have a worse mood without it.

[GodMark2]

Ethanol is my preferred remedy for concentration. Gets rid of it right quick.

[Zeuzzz]

Piracetam I found worked quite well in high dosages (1250mg three times a day), though unless you buy the bulk powder form and weigh it up yourself it can be quite expensive. I get the 1fast400 tubs of powder from amazon. Although I found other racetams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racetam) to have definately noticeable effects (aniracetam, oxiracetam and pramiracetam, which require less dosage) they were not as good for working aids I found, possibly with the exception of aniracetam which seemed good for focussing in exams, but not long term for essays, etc. Some of them were slightly stimulating, but this is not their primary mode of action.

If your going down the stimulant route I found that small dosages of MDPV (1-3mg) taken either sublingually, rectally or insufflated work a charm for essays when I used to be really lacking in motivation. Wrote a 10,000 page essay in a day whilst using that one as a work aid. But it does give mild stimulant paranoia when it wears off, but only really if you start to use it in recreational dosages (3-8mg). Or if you want to stick to more clinically studied and approved stimulants then I would recommend eugeroics like modafinil or adrafinil (work really well for needing less sleep too, modafinil made me need 2 hours less a night, from 8 hours to 6) or xanthines like paraxanthine or caffeine if its more tiredness thats an issue when you try to concentrate. Then there also Ritalin, etc.

But of course, the best advice I can give is: Go and ask your doc :)

[Zeuzzz]

This is quite a comprehensive review of cognitive enhacers and nootropics I posted a while ago By Prof Nutt et al:

These should be less sensationalized than most stuff on the net. Though many of the most popular nootropics are not approved for use, and so some of them get left out for this reason. First ones by David Nutt, and he's quite respected and will be impartial. The list of the main nootropics starts on page 13 and each are discussed afterwards with relevant references to publications. Also covers many natural dietary supplements like Ginkgo biloba and ginseng, which are technically nootropics according to research done on their effects on cognition.

http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Brain%20Science/Cognition%20Enhancers.pdf

Cognition Enhancers
Roy Jones
The Research Institute for the Care of the Elderly, Bath
Kelly Morris
University of Bristol
David Nutt
University of Bristol

[Deneb]

Wrote a 10,000 page essay in a day whilst using that one as a work aid.

You wrote a 10,000 page essay in a day? That must've been something.

Anyway, I'm no MD, but stimulants/nootropics/etc. can have nasty side-effects that someone who is "getting older" may want to avoid. I may be stating the obvious, but you're far better off trying to find ways to work with what you have than straining yourself by taking drugs to give your mind a slight boost. If anyone can suggest something that can help without potentially causing any harm, feel free to do so, but that's my 2 cents.

[Dancing David]

Get enough sleep.

[Zeuzzz]

You wrote a 10,000 page essay in a day? That must've been something.

It is. Extremely potent. This was a 24 hour awake-a-thon though, the day before the deadline. MDPV is notorious for causing (intentional or not) insomnia, if dosed correctly.

Anyway, I'm no MD, but stimulants/nootropics/etc. can have nasty side-effects that someone who is "getting older" may want to avoid..


This is true for older people certainly. Stimulants probably best to avoid unless your very cardiovacularly fit. Racetams should be okay, as they are prescribed to elderly people for various conditions, and a few other supplement nootropics should be okay. Again, best to ask a doctor/GP. And its always a good idea to take some breif clinical information with you about a substance you might want to use, as there are so many substances out there to use now a days that doctors often have not heard of half of them.

[MG1962]

Thanks for the replys. Especially Zeuss. I am not really looking for a stimulant as such. I was more wondering if there was something natural you could take to lift the natural levels. Sort of along the lines of eating garlic or taking zinc suppliments for various issues

[JJM]

Well, there is stuff like ephedrine, which actually works. A lot of the herbal supplements which actually work at all are really ephedrine based. ...Ephedrine should be gone from the market, the FDA banned it (and the herb, ephedra) long ago because it has serious side-effects ... such as death.

[Mashuna]

You wrote a 10,000 page essay in a day? That must've been something.


Presumably there weren't many words to each page. :p

[Dancing David]

Thanks for the replys. Especially Zeuss. I am not really looking for a stimulant as such. I was more wondering if there was something natural you could take to lift the natural levels. Sort of along the lines of eating garlic or taking zinc suppliments for various issues


I like B vitamins and taking a multivitamin, I also take breaks and stretch when working.

[Fishstick]

It is. Extremely potent. This was a 24 hour awake-a-thon though, the day before the deadline. MDPV is notorious for causing (intentional or not) insomnia, if dosed correctly.


10.000 pages in 24 hours is about 416 pages per hour, or almost 7 pages per minute. That's some results right there!

[fagin]

10.000 pages in 24 hours is about 416 pages per hour, or almost 7 pages per minute. That's some results right there!

Presumably a somewhat confused essay. Good enough reason to stay off the drugs.

[Kaylee]

Perhaps tumeric.

I started using it as a supplement for other reasons (along with some black pepper (1/4 tsp black pepper with each tsp of tumeric). The piperin in the black pepper makes the circumin in the tumeric more bioavailable).

I wasn't expecting this result, but it seems to clear the "brain fog" like a good cup of coffee does.

Can't cite any studies -- this is strictly one anecdotal story.

[Starthinker]

It helps to get rid of distractions. If I could just close this forum for a while I could get some work done.

[Zeuzzz]

Sorry 10,000 word essay. lol.

10,000 pages would've been if I had only put one word on each page :)

[SkeptiChick]

Thanks for the replys. Especially Zeuss. I am not really looking for a stimulant as such. I was more wondering if there was something natural you could take to lift the natural levels. Sort of along the lines of eating garlic or taking zinc suppliments for various issueso.O But... The title of the thread asks for 'medical remedies'?

If you really want to address the issue, you should speak with your physician.

[drzeus99]

Sorry 10,000 word essay. lol.

10,000 pages would've been if I had only put one word on each page :)

That's more like it.

Writing a 10,000 page essay in 24 hours is impossible (unless each page had 20 words or less, and even then, it would be close to impossible).

10,000 pages in 24 hours would require composing a page, EVERY 8.64 seconds, non-stop for 25 hours in a row, without ANY breaks at all in that time period.

Now, a 10,000 WORD essay is a different story. That's still around 30-40 pages....quite good for a single day.

[JJM]

... Can't cite any studies -- this is strictly one anecdotal story.Great, there's nothing like an anecdote to befuddle a topic ...

[Kaylee]

Great, there's nothing like an anecdote to befuddle a topic ...

Curcumin, an active ingredient of turmeric which is a spice popular in Indian cooking, has been linked to many health benefits. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18775680?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=5&log$=relatedreviews&logdbfrom=pubmed)

I’ve not read anything that indicates that assisting in concentration is one of them, but the effect that I experienced was so startling that I decided to post my experience.

I’m the first to agree that anecdotal experiences are inferior to properly conducted studies. But I do think it has its place. YMMV.

[MG1962]

o.O But... The title of the thread asks for 'medical remedies'?

If you really want to address the issue, you should speak with your physician.

What a medical remedy can not have a natural ingredient?

[SkeptiChick]

What a medical remedy can not have a natural ingredient?I didn't say that. But when you're turning down advice about actual medicines, and then saying you wanted something along the lines of "eating garlic"... It sounds like you're not actually looking for a medical remedy at all, and instead are looking for something naturopathic...

[MG1962]

I didn't say that. But when you're turning down advice about actual medicines, and then saying you wanted something along the lines of "eating garlic"... It sounds like you're not actually looking for a medical remedy at all, and instead are looking for something naturopathic...

Apologies then for the vague use of language. By medical I meant something, that had actual research behind it. Either natural or manufactured. I have a natural distrust for anything I see advertised on TV because I dont have the knowledge base to research if celery juice really does work, or super brain improver elixir is anything more than sweeten snake oil.

Hope that clarifies a little :)