Nootropic - drug used to enhance memory or other cognitive functions.
Disclosure: I am not a doctor, and do not provide medical advice. Readers are advised to do their own research and make decisions in partnership with their health care provider. This advice is based on my own experiences and may help others, but by no means may help everyone.
Note: Nootropics are not for everyone and only for people struggling significantly in areas of motivation, mood, focus, energy and sleep. If you are performing and functioning well in these areas without drugs, than there is no reason for you to get on them.
My perfect stack is short and simple with 2 Nootropics:
1. Wellbutrin
2. Melatonin
I have tried various nootropics for a while and believe that I have found the perfect stack for me recently (about a month ago). I am personally taking one Wellbutrin SR (Bupropion HCL) 100 Mg tablet in the morning around 7-8 am when I wake up and taking one Melatonin 3 Mg tablet in the evening around 7-9 pm (or ~12 hours after I take my Wellbutrin ) does a great deal of help for me. I am specifying the quantities and sizes I take, so that if readers decide to try it out, they can see for themselves whether or not this works for them as well.
The Melatonin helps cancel some of the excess energy out from the Wellbutrin's stimulation effects around the evening when I take it. The Melatonin kicks in probably around 2-3 hours after I take it, and when I say kicks in, I mean I naturally fall asleep and am out cold. I average around 7-9 hours of sleep per night and some of this is REM or deep sleep. When I wake up (before my alarm time), I do not fall back asleep and I feel perfectly rested and awake. I jump out of bed and take my Wellbutrin which kicks in pretty instantly. Throughout the day, the Wellbutrin provides me with a ton of energy, motivation and focus throughout the day.
Wellbutrin is an NDRI or (Norepinephrine–Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor) which acts on Norepinephrine and Dopamine. I am not a psychiatrist or neuroscientist, but there is some powerful pharmacology behind the scenes. This is notably different from the way SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) such as Lexapro work and I do not recommend taking SSRIs as I believe they help alleviate some symptoms of depression/anxiety but they do not help alot of critical areas such as (motivation, mood, focus, energy, sleep) and may worsen them. I have had a much better experience with the NDRI in this regards.
I recommend trying this combination of Wellbutrin and Melatonin if you are struggling with motivation, mood, focus, energy or sleep as it has helped me immensely. I also recommend trying to overhaul habits and build great routines with exercise, healthy diet & nutrition and constant learning & reading.
It's not just that it helps me marginally. This stack helps me immensely in terms of giving me a ton of positive energy, elevates my mood alot, makes my focus much sharper, my sleep routine and perfect. By helping in these areas, there is spillover positive effects in other areas such as cognitive functioning, creativity, memory, flexibility. My life feels much better, I feel more alive, more awake and the difference in my brain on these nootropics can probably be summed up by the picture above.