People use nootropics for a variety of reasons. Some use them to improve memory and increase focus. Others use them to boost motivation and productivity. And some use nootropics to boost mood and reduce anxiety.
A lot of people in that last group have found that certain nootropics work as well as prescription drugs at relieving the symptoms of their depression and anxiety. We're going to look at six of these nootropics in this post.
There are several nootropics that have been shown to have powerful antidepressant effects. Some of them have even performed better than prescription drugs in clinical studies. But before we get into those nootropics, first let's explore what depression is.
What is Depression?
Depression can be defined as a state in which your mood is low and you lack motivation and drive. It's often accompanied by sadness, anxiety, despair, pessimism, and a general feeling of emptiness.
Just about everyone has experienced periods of depression at some point in their lives. When it persists for long periods of time and interferes with your work, school, or social life, the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder is often made.
If you've been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, you should seek treatment from a licensed mental health provider. However, if you've just got a touch of mild depression, there are several nootropics that may help.
The following nootropics have all been shown to reduce one or more symptoms of depression. Some have even been shown to be as effective as prescription medications. They're listed in no particular order.
Nootropics With Antidepressant Effects
1. Aniracetam
This is a popular racetam used to increase focus, motivation, mood, and reduce anxiety. For many years, nootropic users have been using aniracetam for these reasons. A lot of users find that aniracetam is effective at reducing their anxious and depressive symptoms.
One study done on rats found that aniracetam had a wide range of anxiety-reducing effects, likely due to its dopaminergic, serotonergic, and cholinergic actions.1 Another study found that aniracetam had antidepressant-like effects and also suggested it was due to its ability to influence dopamine and acetylcholine.2 A third study that looked at several substances also found aniracetam to have some antidepressant activity.3
You can learn more about aniracetam here.
2. Coluracetam
This powerful nootropic was first studied as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's Disease. While being investigated, coluracetam was shown to also have a significant impact on mood and anxiety.
One study found coluracetam to have powerful antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects.4 In fact, this study showed that coluracetam was more effective than prescription drugs at improving these two conditions together. Study participants who had tried several prescription antidepressants without success found that coluracetam worked where they did not.
You can learn more about coluracetam here.
3. CDP-Choline (citicoline)
CDP-choline, aka citicoline, is an extremely popular choline source. It's safe, effective, and stacks well with just about every other nootropic out there. And it made this list of nootropics with antidepressant effects because it's been shown to have just that.
There are numerous case studies of people who have successfully used CDP-choline as part of a stack to reduce depression and anxiety. The Happy Stack is just one example of this.
But there has also been at least one scientific study showing that CDP-choline can have antidepressant-like effects.5 This study looked at the effect CDP-choline has on dual diagnosis patients with either unipolar or bipolar depression. The results show that there was a significant reduction in depressive symptoms among the group that was given CDP-choline.
You can learn more about CDP-choline here.
4. 5-HTP
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) is a direct precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. That means that your body converts it directly in one step. Serotonin is known to play a role in mood, sleep, appetite, and other things.
Many prescription antidepressants work on serotonin. Popular drugs like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and several others belong to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). They work by keeping serotonin active longer the synapses between nerve cells.
5-HTP, on the other hand, works by increasing levels of serotonin in the brain. It's actually used as a prescription antidepressant in some European countries.6 5-HTP has been studied more than most of the other nootropics on this list. One study testing its effectiveness at treating depression found that it reduced depressive symptoms better than placebo.7
You can learn more about 5-HTP here.
5. L-Theanine
You've probably heard that green tea is good for you. One of the things found in green tea responsible for its healthy reputation is an amino acid called l-theanine. There isn't enough of it in green tea to have a noticeable effect but, when taken in supplement form, l-theanine can have powerful antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects.
L-theanine is incredibly popular in the nootropics community. It is often stacked with caffeine, though it can also be used by itself. When taken with caffeine, users find that it eliminates the unwanted side effects of caffeine while enhancing its mood-boosting and alertness-increasing effects. There are countless anecdotal reports of safe and effective l-theanine use in addition to several scientific studies.
One study found that l-theanine was able to improve relaxation during normal, non-high-stress conditions.8 Another study done on participants with mental illnesses found that l-theanine reduced anxiety and improved their overall condition.9 A third study showed that l-theanine reduced the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety, like increased heart rate.10
You can learn more about l-theanine here.
6. Noopept
Noopept is a nootropic that is structurally similar to piracetam. It's popular with nootropic users because of its excellent safety profile and for its ability to improve mood, reduce anxiety, and increase focus.
Often taken by itself or as part of a nootropic stack, there are numerous case studies of people taking Noopept for its anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) and antidepressant effects. There have also been several studies done to support these claims.
Two studies done on animal models of depression showed that Noopept decreased learned helplessness, a common symptom of depression.1213 Another study done on rats showed that Noopept reduced signs of anxiety.14 A human study done on participants with mild cognitive disorders showed that Noopept decreased some markers of stress and anxiety.15
You can learn more about Noopept here.
Conclusion
As you can see, several nootropics have antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects. We only listed ones that had at least a couple scientific studies to support their effectiveness, but there are others.
To learn more about nootropics that can boost mood and reduce anxiety, check out the following posts:
The Best Nootropics For Anxiety
The Best Nootropics For Social Anxiety
References
1Nakamura, K., & Kurasawa, M. (2001). Anxiolytic effects of aniracetam in three different mouse models of anxiety and the underlying mechanism. European Journal of Pharmacology, 420(1):33-43.
2Nakamura, K., & Tanaka, Y. (2001). Antidepressant-like effects of aniracetam in aged rats and its mode of action. Psychopharmacology (Berl.), 158(2):205-12.
3O'Neill, M.J., & Witkin, J.M. (2007). AMPA receptor potentiators: application for depression and Parkinson's disease. Curr Drug Targets, 8(5):603-20.
4BrainCells, Inc. Trial Results. (2010). BrainCells Inc. announces results from exploratory phase 2a trial of BCI-540 in depression with anxiety: Positive signal observed in difficult-to-treat patient population. Evaluate, Ltd. Retrieved on 3/16/2018 from http://www.evaluategroup.com/Universal/View.aspx?type=Story&id=216319
5Brown, E.S., & Gabrielson, B. (2012). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of citicoline for bipolar and unipolar depression and methamphetamine dependence. Journal of Affective Disorders, 143(1-3):257-60
6Swiss Pharmaceutical Society (2000). Index Nominum 2000: International Drug Directory. Medpharm Scientific Publishers.
7Shaw, K., Turner, J., & Del Mac, C. (2002). Tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2002(1)
8Lu, K., Gray, M.A., Oliver, C., Liley, D.T., Harrison, B.J., Bartholomeusz, C.F., Phan, K.L., & Nathan, P.J. (2004). The acute effects of L-theanine in comparison with alprazolam on anticipatory anxiety in humans. Human Psychopharmacology, 19(7):457-65.
9Ritsner, M.S., Miodownik, C., Ratner, Y., Shleifer, T., Mar, M., Pintov, L., & Lerner, V. (2011). L-theanine relieves positive, activation, and anxiety symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder: an 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2-center study. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 72(1):34-42.
10Kimura, K., Ozeki, M., Juneja, L.R., & Ohira, H. (2007). L-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses. Biological Psychology, 74(1):39-45.
12Uyanaev, A.A., Fisenko, V.P., & Khitrov, N.K. (2003). Effect of noopept and afobazole on the development of neurosis of learned helplessness in rats. Bull Exp Biol Med, 136(2):162-4.
13Uyanaev, A.A., & Fisenko, V.P. (2006). Studies of long-term noopept and afobazol treatment in rats with learned helplessness neurosis. Bull Exp Biol Med, 142(2):202-4.
14Vasil.eva, E.V., Salimov, R.M., & Kovalev, G.I. (2012). Effects of nootropic drugs on behavior of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice in the exploratory cross-maze test. Eksp Klin Farmakol, 75(7):3-7.
15Neznamov, G.G., & Teleshova, E.S. (2009). Comparative studies of Noopept and piracetam in the treatment of patients with mild cognitive disorders in organic brain diseases of vascular and traumatic origin. Neurosci Behav Physiol, 39(3):311-21.
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