The 6 Best Nootropics For Motivation
Without motivation, is like a sports car with an empty tank. The engine might be capable of great possibilities, but it won’t go anywhere. Whenever you find yourself low on motivation, which happens to everyone occasionally, nootropics that boost motivation can help.
Whether you are feeling burned out constantly, simply need to overcome procrastination, or are suffering from depression, taking supplements to increase motivation is now commonplace. Many are now accustomed to using stimulants like caffeine and drinking energy drinks to increase the mental drives, more and more people now look to take nootropics for the same purpose.
What are nootropics?
This is a class of supplements that were initially formulated by neuroscientists to boost the cognitive function. However, most of these supplements were found to offer additional benefits, such as increasing your motivation, your overall energy, as well as improving mood and mental vitality.
Since motivation is partly situational, there’s a physical component that is often overlooked. When your brain isn’t producing the right balance of certain chemicals, you may find you are stalled sometimes. Nootropics can boost motivation by increasing the release, production, and uptake of these important neurotransmitters like dopamine and epinephrine. Dopamine is the “feel good” neurotransmitter that is responsible for the pleasure-reward centers and serotonin levels in the brain. Increasing the production of epinephrine can help to boost energy and optimism.
If you need some more motivation to break through the various barriers that you have been facing, you should consider the following nootropics for motivation as listed below. The can effectively provide you with the boost you need.
Nootropic | Formula | Typical Dose | Half Life | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Modafinil | C15H15NO2S | 50-200 mg | 15 hours | |
Oxiracetam | C6H10N2O3 | 800-1500 mg | 8 hours | |
Uridine | C9H12N2O6 | 500 – 2,000 mg | 2 hours | |
Tianeptine | C21H25ClN2O4S | 12 – 35 mg | 2.5-3 hours | |
Phenylpiracetam | C12H14N2O2 | 100-200 mg | 3-5 hours | |
Selegiline | C13H17N | 5-12 mg | 10 hours |
Modafinil
This is undoubtedly one of the most effective nootropic for motivation. Often touted as the NZT-48, the limitless pill, Modafinil improves focus, moods, motivation, attention, working memory, and helps to increase task enjoyment. It’s also one of the popular nootropics for improving productivity. Modafinil produces effects that are comparable to Adderall but lacks the side effects. Users often report increased motivation and mood levels, without leaving them feeling drugged, as it’s the case with Adderall. It also lacks the risk for withdrawal or dependence.
Pros:
• Increased energy
• Improved motivation
• Increased wakefulness
• Improved mood
• Improved focus
• Effects last for 12 to 15 hours
• Can be combined with other nootropics for motivation
Cons:
• Tolerance may occur in some people
Oxiracetam
This is a nootropic from the racetam family. Oxiracetam is highly recognized as a stimulant, which can produce great results in boosting motivation. For this nootropic, there are many anecdotes, even with its positive effects on motivation. Some users claim that the stimulating effects are similar to those of Adderall, while others say it’s only mildly stimulating. Owing to its water solubility and rather sweet taste, many users like to put Oxiracetam in their tea or coffee as a sweetener.
Pros:
• Improved learning and memory
• Increased motivation
• Mild stimulant effect
• Increased creativity
Cons:
• Oxiracetam needs to be taken chronically and may take up to 2-weeks until the benefits are seen.
Uridine
Uridine can effectively modulate the dopaminergic system, which means that it can improve the dopaminergic transmission in the brain. It can achieve this on its own, be increasing the density of the dopamine receptors, and enhancing the release of dopamine. Nonetheless, it also seems to decrease the dopaminergic activities of other substances. As such, it should only be taken if you don’t plan on using other dopaminergic supplements.
Pros:
• Increased motivation
• Up-regulation of dopamine receptors
• Improved mood
• Improved learning and memory
Cons:
•Some users did complain that Uridine didn’t have any effect on them. But the majority of these didn’t take it sublingually. Keep in mind that if Uridine is ingested orally, it’s destroyed by the liver and other substances in the gastrointestinal tract. As such, Uridine has to be taken sublingually if you want to enjoy its effects.
Tianeptine
As an antidepressant nootropic, Tianeptine is perfect for people suffering from anxiety and depression. The supplement is also great for producing a mood lift and alleviating any depressive symptoms. For this reason, if low mood or depression is affecting your levels of motivation, Tianeptine can be very effective in boosting your motivation. Initially, it was thought to be an enhancer of serotonin reuptake, but it’s now known that it works by altering the glutamatergic activity in the brain
Pros:
• Decreased anxiety
• Improved mood
• Enhanced motivation
• Improved focus
• Reduced negative thoughts
Cons:
• Effects in research are only evident after chronic dosing
Phenylpiracetam
This is one of the more potent supplements in the racetam family of nootropics. It has been used in Russia as a doping agent, and just like Oxiracetam, it’s thought to be a stimulant. What separates Phenylpiracetam from Oxiracetam is that it upregulates the D1, D2, and D3 dopamine receptors. These receptors are generally involved in motivation and reward. Moreover, in case it’s not producing increased motivation by itself, you can synergize Phenylpiracetam with other nootropics for motivation.
Pros:
• Enhanced alertness and energy
• Decreased brain fog
• Increased drive and motivation
• Improved tolerance to cold
• Improved creativity
• Increased physical stamina
Cons:
• Some tolerance may develop over time
Selegiline
Selegiline is also known as Deprenyl, which is considered one of the best nootropic for motivation. As an irreversible MAO-B inhibitor, the drug is used to treat the Parkinson’s disease, which is a condition where the dopamine-producing neurons die causing a significant decrease in the amount of dopaminergic activity in the brain. Selegiline can be used as a subtle nootropic that can effectively enhance the effective dopaminergic nootropic. It’s quite stimulating on its own and does increase motivation in subtle manners.
Note that Selegiline will increase the levels of dopamine in the striatum that has an important role in motivation and reward functions. Combining modafinil, caffeine, and Selegiline can produce strong synergistic effects since all of these nootropics improve the dopaminergic activities in the brain. Keep in mind that you have to reduce the dosages of each of these nootropics, since too much dopamine, which could cause over-stimulation and might cause restlessness.
Pros:
• Increased libido
• Enhanced immune system
• Improved mood and motivation
• Enhanced memory and learning
• Potentiates dopaminergic nootropics
Cons:
• Has to be used chronically. Dopamine accumulates after several weeks.
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