One of the top questions I get on this website is, what are nootropic side effects? To be honest, when I first started this review site, the question somewhat offended me. I couldn’t help but wonder why people always had to be so negative in the face of something that’s so great. But alas, I’ve grown up some since then and realized that the question shouldn’t be boxed in as someone being just overly apathetic.
Nootropic side effects happen, although rare. But even preceding the reality that any supplement can possess a side effect, one thing I’ve discovered is there is a distinct mistrust of all supplements out there. Let’s break down a few items here and get a better grasp on the matter.
Nootropic Side Effects: Are We Jaded?
Yes, we are jaded. The fact is, supplement companies have crapped on us for years. While the internet has balanced the scale somewhat due to the allowance of supplement reviews, many people still feel bitter regarding past bad supplement experiences. It is truly something I never considered when I first started this website. But as my website has grown and I’ve reviewed more and more supplements, my empathy for a herd that’s bitter has grown. And now I’m extending the olive branch.
Supplements can screw us. Some can possess shady ingredients which make us feel like dirt, or even worse. These things are real life. Even today, there are some bottom dweller supplement companies out there. As noted, review sites such as mine and many others have helped contribute to a community of checks and balances, but that doesn’t mean some people won’t be blinded by some crazy marketing pitch. And after they have a bad experience, they judge their future supplement endeavors with the lowest of bars. And that’s fair. In fact, that’s super fair. If we don’t learn from our bad experiences, we aren’t progressing and evolving.
Nootropics have a bit of a shady history. Past concoctions were more just speedy loads that amped you up. Much like Red Bulls, they were just built to ramp up your heart rate, suppress your appetite and get your brain into a state of overdrive. But that’s mostly changed. I say mostly because monitoring every nootropic manufacturer these days would be impossible. But when it comes to my top nootropics list, I’d hardly say that speed formulas are a dominant presence.
Additionally, pharmaceutical concoctions, such as Adderall and Ritalin, have made a great many people stew, particularly due to their notoriously addictive attributes. Sure, Adderall is not a true, natural nootropic and it does require a prescription, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a nootropic. Adderall most certainly is a nootropic, as is ephedrine. So many bad experiences resulting from Adderall is most certainly categorized as a nootropic side effect.
So indeed, there is justification to the mistrust. Additionally and as we will see, nootropics, even the high-quality experiences, can most certainly give a user side effects. The cold reality is that no ingredient, no matter how natural, is for every person on a physiological level.
Nootropic Side Effects: What Are The Possibilities?
Some nootropic stacks still contain ingredients that speed up the system. For example, caffeine. Even ingredients such as ginseng can cause some people to feel irritable or breed symptoms of insomnia. They can also cause people to feel impatient and restless, which may interfere with the true purpose of increasing productivity. If you can’t sit at your laptop, you probably aren’t going to have a productive day. Unless your job is that of a bricklayer, then you shouldn’t be perched at a laptop! But you get the idea. For someone taking on more of a labor filled day, that added pop of restlessness may well work itself out. But for others who exist in more sedentary occupations, it could work counter to the goal.
I’ve noticed that this is a rare nootropic side effect. And furthermore, simply changing the nootropic stack to one that is sans caffeine can help. The good news is, if you already know you can’t-do caffeine, you can look at the ingredients on the stacks and just eliminate the ones who have it added to their ingredients. The fix here is rather easy.
Some irritability may not interfere with productivity, rather, with social situations. If your brain is hyperfocused, you might not be all that excited to listen to your Aunt’s long drawn out tale about how Sam’s Club doesn’t carry her favorite brand of mac and cheese anymore. You may get overly annoyed in long lines. That’s more a side effect of an engaged and productive and focused brain than it is a nootropic side effect, however. To counter this, many people claim that they take nootropics specifically for social situations which would otherwise cause them to feel anxiety. Nootropics for social anxiety is a big thing these days. I would not classify myself as someone who has social anxiety, however, I tend to feel wonderful social after taking my stack. But every person is different, so there shouldn’t be much for debate.
Some people may call you a cheater. Yes, one nootropic side effect is that if others know you take them, they may say you are cheating. This happens a lot in colleges around the country whereas students feel that other students who take nootropics are basically taking brain steroids. This, of course, is silliness. The modern nootropic possesses only natural ingredients. Is it cheating to take a medication or herbal supplement to help counter hay fever? The cheater logic truly falls apart when critical thinking gets involved. I always suggest not being too public about your personal supplement regimen. You can pick and choose who to tell based on your relationship with them.
Cost. Yes, money. Ah, the side effect of having less money. Nootropics can gain you a big advantage in life, but they can also set your bank account back. You can always budget for them. Or take less. But in the end, quality nootropics are going to cost you some healthy cash. There isn’t much getting around that.
Other nootropic side effects: Any supplement at any time can yield a side effect, even a rare one. The physiology of every individual is simply different. Furthermore, as we age, our bodies and minds go through changes. What didn’t bother us 15 years ago may well bother us today. This is why a lot of people cut out sugar or caffeine later in life. You can’t depend on your body never changing.
In the end, I sure hope you don’t grow an extra nose. But I’m fairly confident you will not pending you choose from high-quality nootropic sources. Do the research, visit my nootropic guide, and hopefully, it all works out.
By the way, I love to put this video on after taking my nootropic stack. It helps add to the moment!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxDGSLdKVT8&t=5079s
