What is your experience with cognitive enhencers?

Why did you start using them? Are they any helpful? Do they help alot when studying/taking a test? Are there any side effects or other drawbacks like dependency on them?

I don’t really 'need' cognitive enhancers, but I like to experiment a lot and gave them a try. It was always a combination of substances, dietary supplements and a proper lifestyle. I must say, they work incredibly for me, not only did I score very well on all tests, they also gave me longterm motivation to study without the need to take any cognitive enhancers. I feel more attentive, thoughtful and have a slightly better memory. I started with Noopept. It’s legal here and I can’t feel any acute effects besides placebo, BUT I had noticeable improvements in memory after one week of daily usage. I combined Noopept with Gingko, Omega-3-Oil and caffeine. I couldn’t study for very long, but I could achieve good results more effectively. There are no side effects and drawbacks, but the desired effect is also not that strong. After a year I tried speed for studying. (Amphetamine) Took 20-40mg orally and studied non stop for hours. Motivation, sharp focus, speed, everything is included. I combined it with my previous combo and scored as one of the best in my semester. But there are obvious risks: -You need to be very disciplined. I used it once a week during intense study periods, but I often thought about taking it more often. It’s pretty addictive, but if you manage to stick to occasional use only, it shouldn’t be a problem. -You also can’t eat and sleep for around 12 hours (if taken orally). Food and especially sleep are very important for effective learning, that’s the biggest drawback for me. If I took it around 12AM, I wouldn’t be able to sleep until 4AM. -If you decide to take it more often, be aware that you will experience tolerance, for your brain has no unlimited supply of dopamine. If you try to beat the tolerance by taking higher doses, then be aware that you risk getting a drug induced psychosis. I have yet to try Modafinil, for I heard it’s one of the best drugs for studying, like the desired effects of Amphetamine, without the drawbacks. Couldn’t find any good vendors on DW selling it though. TLDR: Cognitive enhancers are great if you are willing to properly inform yourself on them and consider yourself disciplined enough to take stimulants.