His complaint (and one I share) is that most blog posts about nootropics are actually about stimulants, while there are actually several nootropics that are well-studied, reasonably safe, and probably effective * , but since they don't get you wired, they're apparently too boring to mention.
* though my stance on this is that you're better off actually getting enough sleep, eating well, taking it easy on caffeine and alcohol, and then seeing if you're still fixated on smart drugs. Piracetam is probably the most benign, though.
Since you apparently already modded me down for disagreeing with me, would you care to back up your nonsense?
I would love to see a link to a reputable scientific journal which demonstrated that "some nootropics that enhance utilization of acetylcholine DO enhance creativity, specifically piracetam and aniracetam".
If you can't come up with one, would you like to explain the whole 'probably effective'?
I didn't mod you down. I'm not that invested. The part that really bothers me is the whole, "We're going to talk about how 'smart drugs' make you creative, and then spend a post rambling about how taking speed is awesome" load of crap that seems to come up like clockwork here.
I've tried piracetam (and other various racetams), and stand by my opinion at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212193. I did my research, but it was five-ish years ago, and don't have it on hand anymore. (I also don't work at a library with awesome medical journal access anymore...sigh.) Most of what I read concerned people with Alzheimers or other degenerative conditions associated with old age, or measurable brain damage caused by years and years of heavy drinking. I'm convinced that piracetam is probably useful, but for healthy people, sleeping enough / eating better / etc. will probably have as much effect. ("Probably effective" < "definitely effective.") On the other hand, it's been around long enough (IIRC the patent has expired; there's certainly no money in it), that it's probably not a high priority for further research. The consensus is that it's reasonably safe, though, and I'd rather have people who insist trying that than amphetamines.
FWIW, I had the best results with getting more sleep and switching (mostly) from coffee to green tea. I had really poor sleep hygiene, but was ignoring it because I wanted to keep learning more. Wikisomnia.
I'm still honestly curious, what is paracetam supposedly effective at?
You have to take grams of the stuff, and there appears that there is basically no LD-50. The studies that show any effect at all are fairly dubious IMHO, and meta studies have been particularly harsh on the methodologies used. If I had to make a wager, I would say that it has no measurable effect on anything.
I get great effects from ~400mg aniracetam when combined with an acetylcholine precursor + any other stimulant. It makes almost every other drug more potent and last longer and increases clarity\recall. Boosting acetylcholine also activates the sympathetic nervous system to lower heart rate which offsets any of the usual caffeine anxiousness\restlessness for me. I agree piracetam (which is even less stimulatory than aniracetam) would not be a wonder-drug if taken alone without an acetylcholine precursor or stimulant.
