MindSparke progress

Day 23. Thanks to piracetam, the slope of my score curve has increased, turning from a line into an upward curve.

After 23 sessions, an upward curve emergesI'm apparently (could be temporary) improving faster. Piracetam works. Or maybe Alpha-GPC. Or both. Or ALCAR. Or 5-HTP. Or all combined. Or playing more than once a day, as with yesterday. Although, you would think that a break helps, as it seemed to have helped after returning from vacation. But, then, I started piracetam then, too.

Whatever the cause or the case, this is good news, assuming the effect of playing MindSparke generalizes into everyday experience and boosts my productivity or speed. Actually, I'd settle for just a faster processor.

I just hope I don't suffer the fate of Charlie in Flowers for Algernon.

Recent observations

Times distracted, associated activities, and observations

1. I didn't feel very distracted in the early part of the week while in Alabama, but every day of the six I was there provided differing stimulation, so nothing was routine. I do better with variety.
2. I wasn't terribly productive at work, although I did feel more focused on what I was doing, whether it was productive or not, probably thanks to piracetam. Speaking of piracetam, I meet next Tuesday morning with a psychiatrist to decide what, if any, medication I should take for ADD and I'm worried that s/he will want me to stop taking piracetam. Even if s/he asks me to stop, I'm not sure I will. I want to first research and better understand how the combination of whatever ADD medication I use and piracetam affects people. Doctors are smart, but most don't know about piracetam and I expect ignorance, fear, and caution, the last of which is understandable and I certainly don't want to take any unsafe chances.
3. I didn't have much chance to exercise this week and I worked out only one day at work. So, next week, I plan to try intense cardio every morning for at least 10 minutes.

Rate of distraction (1-10)

1. I give this week's productivity a 6.

What I eat, when, and the effect, if any, on ADD

• While in Alabama, I ate steak twice. I didn't notice any effect on ADD, but I don't expect steak to have such an effect, even though I do routinely ingest a lot of protein and take ALCAR, which is abundant in beef. I assume that a higher ratio of protein to carbs and fats is good for ADD due to fewer insulin spikes.
• And I started taking casein protein last night, so that gives me even more protein in my diet. In fact, I expect to lose a little weight (not that I need to).

Progress with ADD-related problems

Rapidly changing interests

Since I spent so much time with family this week and I haven't seen them in so long, my interests were focused almost exclusively on them.

Inconsistent productivity

I wasn't very productive at work this week, but that was partly because I was recovering from a refreshing vacation, so I'm not that down about not working.

Winding conversations

My conversations were less windy than usual this week, partly due to piracetam, but also because I felt a need to stay on topic with my family to make sure we held meaningful conversations.

Moodiness

I felt very upbeat this week. I got to see family, my sister remarried, and my nephews rock!

MindSparke progress

MindSparke extrapolationI'm making good progress with n-back exercises. Today, I averaged 4-back. Now, 2-back is way too easy and 3-back is nearly as effortless. The image above is my estimation of future progress. I expect to reach 5-back before my 40^th session.

As for practical benefits, I can't yet say. My memory does seem better, but I'm not sure why that would be a short-term effect of improved working memory.

Piracetam - Day 3

This is turning into a blog about piracetam. But if it works, maybe I've found the great ADD cure! Probably not. And to be fair, I'm also taking Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR) and 5-HTP. So, it will be interesting to see if not taking one or both of these changes the effect. I know that I don't want to stop taking Alpha-GPC while taking piracetam.

Anyway, this morning, I took roughly half of the dose I took the first two times, so about 2 g. So far, I definitely feel more focused and interested in things, generally. I just found myself reading about ALCAR and, from there, other health supplements, and in detail with strong attention. That's unusual. I usually skim and care about much less.

As I mentioned yesterday, although piracetam seems to increase concentration, it doesn't seem to do much of anything for motivation. Although, spending longer, and paying more attention to, a task is basically what motivation ensures. So, maybe if I can get started on being productive, I will be more productive than before! We shall see.

Update at 11:07 am
I'm definitely noticing better concentration and easier comprehension. I feel brighter.

Piracetam - Day 2

This morning before work, I took the same dosage of piracetam, roughly 4,200 mg, with Alpha-GPC. Here is what I felt throughout the day.

9:10 am
My MindSparke score is somewhat lower than yesterday, down to 3.7 from 3.9. I felt distracted throughout, but I did manage to finish all 20 blocks without interruption. And, although I felt distracted while trying to complete each block, it was in the sense that I felt more aware of other thoughts, if that makes sense, and not in the sense that I wanted to do something else, as is usually the case. So, I think my mind is more aware of itself but my impulsivity seems lower than usual.

It's interesting to think about how I feel right now. I feel in "the zone" or more focused on each activity, but the feeling is mild. Or maybe it's profound and I just don't realize it yet. I'll drink my morning coffee and see how that affects me differently, if at all. The half-life of piracetam is 4-5 hours, so I have until noon to experiment. I guess this also means that, if it does help me focus, I'll need to take an afternoon dose as well.

5:03 pm
Today has been unproductive. I have had a slight headache off and on. I felt better after lunch, although very sleepy before grabbing my afternoon caffeine boost. So, lack of sleep is definitely catching up. Tomorrow morning, I will try half as much piracetam and I will bring another dose for the afternoon.

My sense is that piracetam does not help with motivation but does encourage a "flow" state or sustained focus.