How To Create Your First Nootropic Stack (For Beginners)

In this post we’re going to cover how to create a NOOTROPIC STACK for beginners. This is the absolute basics you’ll want to know when you’re combining nootropics together.

Specific nootropics can have enhancing cognitive effects when taken on their own.

But combining different nootropics is often the best way to achieve much better results since they create a strong synergistic effect.

There is presumably a perfect nootropics combination for you, whether it’s for studying, memory enhancement on a daily basis, or just for maximizing the brain’s potential.

What is a nootropic ‘stack’?

Simply put, a nootropics STACK is a combination of two or more supplements which beneficially effect your memory, focus, learning, or motivation.

This combination creates a synergistic effect in your brain which is greater than the effects that the supplements provide on their own.

Many nootropic users take advantage of this supplementation technique to further boost their brain’s abilities than with any single supplement.

You can go about two ways when starting with nootropic stacks. There are Preformulated stacks like Mind Lab Pro, and Custom stacks and we’ll discus more about them below.

Preformulated stacks can be bought from a manufacturer that formed their own nootropics combination and made into capsule form.

These nootropics are guaranteed to be efficient to some degree, and are also more convenient than having to weigh out and mix your own combinations.

There is a downside to preformulated stacks, and it’s that you can’t experiment with the individual components and their dosages in the stack.

You can’t test WHICH ingredient is actually giving you the results.

However:

These stacks are a suitable introduction to supplementation with nootropics. They’re great for beginners.

You can take them on their own, or use them as a base that you can expand on by taking other nootropics with them.

When it comes to choosing preformulated nootropics, make sure to stick to reliable companies. I’d suggest starting with either Mind Lab Pro, Optineuro, or Alpha Brain.

Creating a custom stack grants you the ability to be creative and to change the dosages and the components however you want.

And since you don’t have the costs of packaging and marketing, this is more economical than buying a preformulated stack with a brand name.

Cheaper price tag and full control are one of the main reasons why most people opt for making their own stacks.

The main flaw of creating custom stacks is that most of new users don’t know how to start, what to use, and how big the dose should be.

For new users it’s recommended try out the stacks provided in this guide.

But, if you’ve done the research, and you’re willing to modify the dosages until you get the desired effects, making your custom stack is the best option.

Note that if you do decide to design a custom stack, many supplements are delivered in bulk powder form. Because of this you’ll need a precise scale for measuring the doses.

Before you start creating your stack

It’s essential that you ask yourself questions like:

  • What are my expectations from this stack?
  • What is my price range?
  • How often and at what time do I want to take the stack?
  • Does it take a longer time to achieve effects from this stack?
  • How willing am I to deal with side effects from it?
  • Is the stack safe?

Give answers to these questions.

But expect changes in your answers as you do more research on nootropics and when you find out what are the possibilities of theses supplements.

Research your nootropic stack

Next point is research, and this is the most important part of creating any nootropic stack.

Despite the reviews of many users, these supplements are still quite new, so it’s imperative to take some time and research what you’re putting in your body.

IMPORTANT: It goes without saying that none of this is intended to medical advice. You should always do your own research and ask your doctor if you’re not sure about something.

It’s a good idea to also learn about the nootropic and how they actually work. Knowing the effects of one supplement can make decide to pick another instead.

Picking two nootropics that work in the same way and have the same effects is just throwing money away.

Instead, you can pick two that have different effects, this will get you a synergistic effect which can increase brain’s memory to a higher degree.

It’s also important to look at studies on different supplements and read experience reports written by other users.

This is probably the best way to get a general idea if the nootropic will be effective.

More about dosage and safety

You need to remember that more doesn’t always mean better, like coffee for example.

If you drink a whole pot of coffee in one sitting, unless you have an insane tolerance to caffeine, you’ll probably feel pretty terrible.

On the other hand, if you take just one sip, there is a quite low possibility to feel any noticeable effects. Most people that drink coffee need at least a cup or two to achieve the wanted result.

If you decide to make your own stack, keep in mind this concept.

Always begin with a smaller dose so you can see how a particular supplement can affect you before upgrading to higher doses.

It’s best to always use too little and gradually increasing the dosage when you see the reactions of your body and mind.

It’s also recommended, before trying a number of new nootropics together. that you familiarize yourself with each supplement on its own.

When it comes to combining nootropics, it’s crucial to be conservative with dosages, since the individual effects may be enhanced by synergistic effects.

Most of supplements are considered to be safe, but still, using precaution and common sense can only be beneficial.

We do recommend that you talk to your medical expert if you want to be sure whether it’s safe for you to use nootropic stacks.

Especially if you’re on some other medication, or if you have any psychological or physical issues.

How to create a beginners nootropic stack

There are endless possibilities, but our advice is: if you’re just starting out, it’s best to keep things simple.

Below we’ll present to you some nootropic stacks that you can use to get the general idea of how this works.

Here’s a good mini stack for beginners:

Caffeine + L-Theanine mini stack

Sometimes the most effective stacks are the ones that are not complicated.

For example, you can stack two supplements that you’re probably very familiar with. L-Theanine, which is an amino acid naturally found in green tea, and caffeine, primarily found in coffee.

This stack is inexpensive and highly praised among users who like keeping things simple.

What dosage should be used here?

The usual ratio is 2:1 for L-Theanine to caffeine, and when taken together the result is a boost of cognitive energy that L-Theanine tames into a cool focus.

This example perfectly shows how two different supplements can work in tandem to support each other and provide you with excellent effects.

-Taken as needed

An example of another beginner’s stack

To take things a bit further would be to combine choline supplementation with a nootropic such as piracetam.

Starting out with a choline supplement and piracetam can have the following benefits:

  • Easy – There are only two supplements involved.
  • Safe – The safety thresholds for both supplements are very high.
  • Cheap – Compared to some advanced nootropics, this is a pretty cheap combination.
  • Room for building – This is a good base that you can build upon.
  • Synergistic – They work very well with each other.

Here is a recommended dosage and when to take it:

-Morning

-Afternoon

Recommendations for the ratio of piracetam to choline varies from 3:1 all the way to 50:1, but the most common one is 8:1.

It has been shown that these two nootropics form a synergistic relationship.

Although, you can start with some other racetam rather than piracetam, this is an excellent starting point due to the low negative effects.

Piracetam is basically a great introduction into the family of racetam nootropics, and it gives you a good base to expand upon.

An alternative stack for beginners

There is another very popular choice when it comes to beginner-friendly supplements around which to create a stack, and it’s Aniracetam.

This is how a beginner’s aniracetam nootropics stack with timings and dosages should look like:

-Morning

-Afternoon

An intermediate nootropic stack

During your busy, day-to-day life, you certainly don’t do the same exact thing all day, every day.

You most likely set aside some time to exercise, go to classes, study, possibly go to work, and take an occasional nap here and there.

All of these activities have different engagements and mental requirements. Some of them can benefit from increased brain power, and for others the boost isn’t really required.

Sometimes you just need to slip into the zone for the final exam, or the caffeine is keeping you too hyper before bed.

Maybe you need a push for your evening or morning studies. Or you’ve been studying and partying for 3 days, and one more night of sleep could really do you some good.

There’s no sense in taking something all the time to provide you with that extra boost. You would be overdoing it, and the strength of effects wouldn’t be the same.

This is because the supplements used for mini-stacks that are task-specific are usually fast acting and aren’t fitting for long-term usage.

When a supplement is potent and fast acting, it becomes a good candidate to be put in mini-stacks.

Supplements that take long time to build up in your system before you can experience their effects, are not good candidates.

Below you’ll see what an experienced stack regimen should look like.

As shown, the regimen contains components for daily use in the morning and afternoon, but there are also mini-stacks made specifically for particular occasions.

-Morning

-Afternoon

-Focus days or intense study

Without discontinuing the usage of the normal stack, just add:

-Before an exam

Taken right before a situation that is mentally demanding:

-For better sleep

Taken before bed, as close to a ‘natural’ time of your sleep cycle as possible.

Remember, you shouldn’t try a complicated stack such as this one once you get very familiar with more common nootropic supplementation.

There are basically 1000’s of variations of stacks that you could make.

And these are just some of the examples that show how creative you can be with the stack and advance from a beginner to a more experienced user.

Flexibility is key

Everyone has a different brain chemistry. As a result of this, a supplement that works for someone else, might not be so effective for you. So, don’t be frightened to mix up your stack.

If something doesn’t work as intended, change it up. The changes might include variations of dosage, how often you take the stack per day, or you could even end up removing or adding a supplement.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should change something every day. After every change wait at least three days before making new changes, otherwise you’ll never know which changes were good, and which weren’t.

If you wish to add a little bit of oomph to your stack, there are three option which we recommend that you try out.

These options are a little more advanced, so if you’re a beginner you might want to try some previous advice rather than jumping straight into this. In these three options you can:

Instead of piracetam, you can use some other racetam, such as oxiracetam, aniracetam, or pramiracetam.

Change the source of your choline. You can try centrophenoxine or CDP choline to get slightly different effects and benefits.

Add some other supplement into the stack. Lion’s mane mushroom is a good choice since it promotes Nerve Growth Factor in long-term.

Conclusion

Custom stacks are regarded as the best way possible to experience all the capabilities of nootropic supplements.

But if you’re just starting out with nootropics, we can understand if you’re a little bit intimidated by all these compounds and combinations.

You’re free to try out some preformulated stacks before creating your own, just to have a baseline to which you can compare your stack to. Check out our top picks for nootropics to get started.

Learn more about nootropics: 

  • What are nootropics? An introduction to how smart drugs work that goes into more detail than the short introduction in this article
  • How to become limitless with nootropics: This is an in depth article about using nootropics and becoming limitless in your own life
  • NeuroPeak review: Another popular nootropic that I tried for about a month
  • Alpha Brain nootropic review: Another nootropic, a bit more expensive but includes some more advanced or lesser known ingredients like Huperzia Serrata (I’d suggest this is for more experienced users)
  • Lumonol nootropic review: Another option which is pretty good as an all rounder, but not as high quality maybe as some of the other ones.

 

Written By Stef

Hey! I'm Stef and I write about self improvement, personal growth and spirituality. Message Me. Expect A Response Within 24 Hours - OR, Reach out to me on FB or Instagram.

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