There are plenty of nootropics that work great by themselves. But many work even better when taken together with other nootropics. That's why nootropic stacks are so popular.
It seems like a new proprietary nootropic blend hits the market every week. Some of them contain over twenty different ingredients in one easy-to-use capsule. All-in-one nootropic products like Neuro-Stack and BriteShot are popular because they're incredibly convenient and effective for most people.
However, the most popular nootropic stacks are often the simplest stacks. While nootropic blends like Neuro-Stack are great, you don't need to combine that many ingredients to be effective.
Many people prefer to keep things simple and only stack two or three individual nootropics together. That's why the following nootropic stacks are so popular. They're simple, generally safe, and effective for most people.
Whether you're just learning about smart drugs or you are a seasoned user, you can benefit from these simple yet effective nootropic combinations. Here are three popular nootropic stacks.
3 Popular Nootropic Stacks
L-Theanine & Caffeine
To those of you who have some experience with nootropics, you're probably familiar with this popular yet simple nootropic stack. Maybe you've even tried it yourself!
If not, you've definitely had caffeine before. Even if you're not a regular consumer of coffee, tea, energy drinks, or any of the other million products that contain caffeine, you've had some at some point in your life.
And, if you're a green tea drinker like me, you've had l-theanine, too. Green tea contains both caffeine and l-theanine. The only problem is, it doesn't contain enough l-theanine for its effects to be felt.
That's why it has to be taken in supplement form, usually in a capsule but sometimes in other preparations. When taken at the right dosage, l-theanine helps to boost the good things about caffeine and reduce the bad.
Many people get jitters, insomnia, anxiety, and the dreaded crash a few hours after consuming caffeine. Taking l-theanine along with caffeine, all these things are either greatly reduced or eliminated altogether.
L-theanine is calming but not sedating. Some people say it can be sedating at higher doses but it's usually not when taken between 1-400 milligrams (mg). When l-theanine is taken with caffeine, users often report a sense of calm focus, productive and anxiety-free thinking, and relaxed alertness.
Most people find that a 2:1 ratio of l-theanine to caffeine works best. If you're normally sensitive to caffeine, 100 mg with 200 mg of l-theanine might be a good place to start. People who regularly consume caffeine-containing products, 200 mg of caffeine and 400 mg of l-theanine might be a better starting point.
The perfect dosage and ratio probably depend on the person (like everything else) and there are plenty of products out there that contain both ingredients in a 1:1 ratio, 1.5:1 ratio, and several others. But, most people find that a 2:1 ratio works well.
You can buy caffeine and l-theanine separately or get it them together in one convenient product. Of all the ones I've tried, this one is my favorite but there are plenty of good ones out there.
The Happy Stack
This is another popular nootropic stack that contains three different ingredients: uridine monophosphate, cdp-choline, and fish oil. Taken together, they work synergistically to increase focus, motivation, and mood.
When I first tried the Happy Stack, as it's known, I was surprised by how effective it is. I wasn't surprised that it was effective, but by how strong the effects were.
Within a few days, my mind felt sharper, I had more motivation and was able to focus better, and my mood brightened. Sleep felt more refreshing and I needed a little less of it to feel good all day. I started getting more stuff done, which made my mood even better because I was being more productive.
The way the Happy Stack works is likely due to the way it interacts with the neurotransmitters dopamine and acetylcholine. It affects the concentrations of these neurotransmitters in the brain as well as the way they work.
Uridine Monophosphate – Uridine is naturally present in the body. When taken in supplement form, it can improve mood, memory, sleep, and motivation.
CDP-Choline – A popular choline source that can improve memory, motivation, and focus.
Fish Oil – This contains docosahexaeonic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid that is known to play a role in brain health.
As far as dosage goes, when I use the Happy Stack, I start with the manufacturer's suggestion and increase the uridine after a few days if I'm not feeling it. I've never had to go above 1,000 mg a day to notice uridine's effects.
Uridine monophosphate is the powerhouse of this stack. The other two ingredients work synergistically to make it even more effective. It's truly a winning combination.
This stack can be especially effective if you have trouble with motivation and energy levels. That's when I find it really shines. When I'm feeling tired and unmotivated for periods of time, often in the winter, the Happy Stack gives me the boost that I need to get back on track.
You can buy uridine, cdp-choline, and fish oil separately from Amazon or you can conveniently get them altogether from Pure Nootropics. If you'd like to learn more about the Happy Stack, you can read this.
Piracetam, Oxiracetam, Aniracetam, & Choline
This popular nootropic stack consists of three racetams (piracetam, oxiracetam, and aniracetam) and a choline source. When taken together, users report a sense of calm focus, improved memory, increased motivation, and reduced anxiety.
The three racetams in this stack have all been extensively studied and shown to be safe and effective for most people. Let's take a quick look at each of them:
Piracetam – The first nootropic ever created, piracetam has been around a long time and has an excellent safety record. It can enhance memory, improve learning, increase motivation, and boost mood.
Oxiracetam – Chemically similar to piracetam, oxiracetam also has an excellent safety profile. What makes it different is that it can improve memory and increase motivation without affecting mood or anxiety levels. Oxiracetam has also been shown to be mildly stimulating.
Aniracetam – The third racetam in this stack is arguably the most popular of them all. Aniracetam has been shown to be very safe and can decrease anxiety while increasing focus and drive.
In addition to these three powerful racetams, this stack also includes a choline source. The two most commonly used are alpha-gpc and cdp-choline but there are others. Taking a choline source with the above racetams makes them work better and can reduce side effects in the people that get them.
Side effects from the above racetams are rare but may include headache and upset stomach. Fortunately, taking a choline source with them usually eliminates the headaches in the people that get them. If you experience an upset stomach when taking this stack, simply take it with food and it should remedy the problem.
Which choline source you use doesn't seem to matter very much as long as you do use one. Alpha-gpc and cdp-choline are the two most commonly used choline sources because they have both been studied and found to be both safe and effective. You can either choose one or the other, or get a product that contains both like this one.
I've only tried this stack once several years ago, early in my nootropic journey. If I remember correctly, I simply took one capsule (or whatever the recommended serving size was) of each and got great results. Some effects were noticeable right away while others took a few days to really become noticeable.
You can buy these four ingredients separately from most online nootropic sellers. To save money and time, Pure Nootropics offers them all together at one low price in their racetam and choline bundle.
Conclusion
These three popular nootropic stacks have plenty of research to support their safety and effectiveness. Users from all around the world have had great success with them. Increased focus and motivation, improved mood and memory, and reduced anxiety are all possible with these popular stacks.
One thing that you've probably noticed is how simple all of these stacks are. You don't need to take a dozen nootropics to get amazing results. Often times, just a few are enough to experience their benefits.
If you're interested in learning about a more-advanced stack, you may want to check out this post: The Adderall Stack. It's the closest you can get to reproducing the nootropic benefits of Adderall but without all the potential side effects.
Leave a Reply