I have been struggling with the direction of the piece I have been working on. Part of me wants the usual (science-heavy), but there is quite the significance in the subject, so I rewrote it a bunch attempting to find a middle ground. And then you add finding missing pieces on other subjects that were staring at your face for a long time, but I digress.
The reason for writing this short, to-the-point article is simple and in the title.
One of the most consistent complaints I hear when I introduce my Brain Stack to people is always the same. “Do I really need to drink Coke Zero ?”, “blah bla bla aspartame bla bla bla”. Incidentally, some of my subscribers did test with, without, adding the supplements by themselves that theoretically make Coke Zero work, but so far, yeah, you had to drink it if you wanted the full cognitive enhancement.
Here are some prior variables you should be aware of. Last time when I got severely sick, I decided during sickness to just cycle off all my supplements. Including tryptophan, melatonin, well, literally everything but Thiamine. Let the body cleanse itself for once. To the detriment of “science”, stopping Tryptophan and Melatonin had ZERO impact on my sleep. So in some way, I was “clean”.
On my recent hiking trip, one of my friends was adamant I should try energy drinks. Up until this point in life, I never had one. It was a Monster Energy Drink. As one would expect, the obvious happened, I got energy, but I also felt some cognitive effects, which led to my inquiry:
“What if I stack this with 25 mg Modafinil ?”
One of the biggest upsides of the Brain Stack was its unexpected potency, the benefits were so great, at first I completely wore off Modafinil, and after a months-long period, I took 25 mg instead of my abusive dosage of 200 mg when I was a military contractor. From daily usage to once, sometimes twice a week, because of the Brain Stack, known in my circle as “Poor’s man modafinil” lol.
Not many people are willing or open to using a literal drug, let alone delve into gray/black market to import a prescription-only, restricted drug in almost all countries, just for some cognitive gains, but if you have access, this is your fallback option. A quick Google after using it, and I found dozens of other people who do the same, but they do it at full dosage. The Brain Stack may cause lasting (as in days) changes in the membrane of cells among some beneficial changes in the nervous system and mitochondria, but even without using the supplements at the moment, you get many benefits from low-dosage Modafinil when taken with a can of Monster.
Be warned, depending on the state of your Nervous System, and how you respond to Modafinil, even at 25 mg of Modafinil + a can of Monster Energy Drink, it may be a LOT of stimulation. This combination is probably best taken earlier in the day too. This combo has some peaks and valleys (N=5), we all experienced some early peaks (2 to 3 hours of insane cognitive enhancement and focus), with a valley (mild, weak enhancement) for 2, and another peak.
The peaks and valleys somewhat coincide with how your body metabolizes caffeine (average of 4 hours per 100 mg), but there must be other variables influencing this effect and behavior. Still, a favorable and good way to potentialize Modafinil, while cutting the dosage by a large margin.
Remember to drink a lot of water if you do this.
Those are the potatoes, now we go for the meat. If Modafinil+Monster worked in a similar way as Coke Zero+Brain Stack+Modafinil… in theory Monster + Brain Stack should work at some level, I expected at least some benefit and improvement from this combination. So I decided to test it out. And here it is, potentially unsavory, but at least another option.
Ultra+ (Brain) Stack 2.1
600 mg of NAC
600 mg of Glycine
600 mg of Piracetam
0 mg - No Niacin Flush or Niacinamide
250 mg to 500 mg of Choline
Gingko Biloba optional
One can of Monster Energy Drink (normal, or zero sugar, doesn’t matter which)
Monster has a lot of Taurine, something I have recommended everyone to supplement in recent months more than once, it also already has Niacin, most likely not the best form, but it has the same effect. It has a lot more caffeine than a can of Coke Zero (Coke has 34 mg per can (350 ml), 2 cans (700ml) = 68 mg to Monster’s 140 mg per can (473 to 500 ml), and Monster has also 10 mg of Guarana Extract, a plant that is synonymous with Brazil.
Guarana's recommended supplementation is usually 50 to 70 mg per day. And while 10 mg doesn’t look like much alone, by mere chance of fate, the “Brain Stack” is also playing a role in synergy here, in the same vein as Piracetam affecting NAC, NAC affecting Piracetam, different forms of Vitamin B3 affecting both, each of the added nutrients are playing a different role, ending up in the same effect. Cognitive enhancement.
Unlike Coke Zero, perhaps due to tolerance, the Brain Stack+Monster has a longer-lasting effect on all of us. This version of the stack (Let us call it Ultra+ Stack) also has a better effect on mental resilience, fatigue, and muscle recovery. In the days I usually ruck, I am somewhat worthless, even if correcting the electrolyte imbalances, doesn’t matter, my brain won’t work that well because it is so taxing on my nervous system. I rucked more miles yesterday than most times, with a backpack 10 pounds heavier than all other times, and I still wrote and researched for hours straight. I was surprised. This effect may be gene or uniquely related to different people, with different backgrounds, etc.
I highly suggest you do not take the Ultra+ Stack every day. I also warn you, stacking Ultra+, and adding 25 mg Modafinil, you will get one of the most insane cognitive boosts of your life, but I legitimately think you are burning synapses. This was the first time I thought “Yeah, this may be too much”, alas you can get an absurd amount of very complex tasks and some deep memory recalling by doing so. Be very careful if you decide to walk this road, and don’t over do it (I think only a literal handful of my subscribers do this, still, better to know, than not know).
Now you have another option to experience a significant, substantial cognitive boost without Coke Zero. Hopefully, someone stumbles upon a combination that works without soda, energy drinks, or something else, just a few supplements. See you soon. Back to working on the next one.
Thank you for your continued support !
Life of a forecaster in the 2020’s.
If you have Modafinil and doesn't use it, you can send me LOL. =P
I have been using your Brain Stack 2.0 for a couple months now. I swapped the Coke Zero out for phenylalanine (600mg) and coffee and the effect is roughly the same. I find the Coke Zero hits faster, but my version lasts longer and is more even (N=1).
I'll echo your statement about modafinil and burning synapses. Moda is definitely the best of the classic prescription "smart drugs" and far superior to eg. Adderal, but it's not for every day usage and def feels like overclocking your brain. It also affects sleep quality, and caffeine significantly enhances it, so take early in the day and watch the coffee intake.