Since being invented in the early 1960’s, Nootropic supplements have held incredible promise in a number of areas.
The more common off-label uses of nootropics include improving things like memory, learning capacity, decision making, and overall cognitive processes.
Of course, there are also a number of other benefits like actually helping to protect the brain and improve the health of your billions of neurons.
Additionally, many researchers continue to study ways that Nootropics can be used for help in clinical situations such as treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke victims, ADHD, and even dementia or cognitive decline with aging.
One of the questions that you may have before taking Nootropics is whether it is possible to build up a tolerance to these supplement over time.



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Can Nootropic Supplements Cause Tolerance
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Tolerance is a problem with a number of supplements and pharmaceuticals whereby they become less effective over time.
A big concern for new Nootropic users has to do with tolerance and worrying that the effects of these supplements is very short-lived.
Some are worried that when they stop taking Nootropics, they will have developed a reliance on the supplements and experience signs of withdrawal. This feeds into the fear that after you stop taking Nootropics you will instantly become “dumb” again as is seen in the movie Limitless with the drug NZT 48.
There are certainly some Nootropics that your body can develop a tolerance for. You may experience signs of “mental addiction” to these compounds even though there is no physical addiction or withdrawal symptoms. For these supplements, there are different strategies that you can use to ensure you do not build up a tolerance when taking them.
We should point out that many nootropics are designed for consistent daily use and are unlikely to develop a tolerance over time. Some of these supplements actually have cumulative effects that increase in intensity with regular dosages.
Nootropics like Piracetam and Aniracetam are well known to have long-term benefits and to become stronger as you take them. This has to do with the specific mechanisms of action for these drugs as opposed to others such as Pramiracetam or Phenylpiracetam.
Synaptic plasticity and memory capacity tend to be two areas where benefits are likely to amplify over time. Comparatively, nootropics with any sort of stimulant effect leading to higher energy levels are more prone to developing a tolerance and are better to be cycled or used occasionally.

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What Is Tolerance:
Tolerance occurs when your body becomes too well adjusted to a particular supplement, drug, or other nutrient. As the body adjusts, it becomes increasingly difficult for the substance to work as intended. You may notice that you do not experience the same benefits as you did when first using the supplement which can be discouraging.
In some cases, this means that to achieve the same effects as before, you need to take more and more, continually increasing your dosage. This is a bad idea under any circumstance, even with something that has a very low toxicity level such as Nootropics.
There could be a number of reasons why a level of tolerance is developed.
This could be that the body begins producing less of whatever substance or neurotransmitter the supplement was increasing. This means, that even with the increase produced by the supplement itself, the overall level is still actually reduced.
It could also be a similar effect upon one, or more, of the co-factors that are needed for the supplement to work effectively. The receptors for certain neurotransmitters may also become less sensitive meaning that more of the neurotransmitter needs to be released in order for the same effects to occur.
There are also several different types of tolerances that can occur. Some of these are long lasting and take weeks or even months for the body to renormalize. Caffeine is a perfect example of this.
When you become reliant on caffeine, the receptors for this drug in your body actually start to shrink back into the cell so they are less sensitive. The result is that you need to drink more and more caffeine in order to achieve the same level of alertness and increased energy.
Other types of tolerances are more short-lived and are balanced out within a few hours after a certain supplement is ingested. A good example of this is the stimulant Ephedrine which is sometimes used for cognitive enhancement purposes. The tolerance to Ephedrine wears off much faster than caffeine and may only last for as little as 15 minutes after peak concentration.
Ways to Avoid Nootropic Tolerance:
Since tolerance is indeed a reality in the world of nutritional supplementation, what can be done to avoid this potential effect? The first thing is to understand what the prospects are of developing nootropic tolerance. Not all substances have a high potential to lead to tolerance so you should read reviews and do research on your particular nootropic.
On the other hand, if you are taking something that has good chance of leading to tolerance, you might want to take the same approach that weight lifters and body builders have been using to guide their training for years: cycling. A cycle is basically a routine with periods of use (or training) followed by periods of non-use (or not training).
So, maybe instead of using that Modafinil for 30 days straight, you decide to take it for a week, then a week layoff, then 4 days on and 3 days off. This is a cycle and it works by keeping the body guessing. Your system does not know whether it will have a jolt of neurotransmitter levels today or not, so it cannot adjust.
Those Nootropics which are specifically considered to be stimulants are much more likely to cause a level of tolerance in users. For example, something like Modafinil and Adrafinil can indeed lead to tolerance. They should be cycled or used as parts of a stack in order to help avoid this effect. These are some of the very few Nootropics that are reported at this time to have specific tolerance building effects.
Of course, even something that is considered to be “safe” as far as not leading to tolerance might become a problem with excessive dosages and over use. It is really important to pay attention to the signs and reactions that your body is giving you during your supplementation routine.
How to Properly Stack & Cycle Nootropics:
Stacking and cycling Nootropics should be done on the basis of your ultimate goal. For example, someone looking to improve their memory might have an entirely different routine than a person looking to enhance brain health and delay the effects of Alzheimer’s or age-related cognitive decline.
First determine the end goal and then find out which Nootropics can help you achieve these benefits. Also discover if there any additional Nootropics that might help to potentiate the effects of your supplements to further enhance your results.
From here, you will create a plan for your nootropic regimen. Always start with a base supplement that gives the majority of power to your stack and add supplements that synergize well with this main ingredient.
For memory improvement this might be Phenylpiracetam or even Noopept. For brain health, Centrophenoxine or Huperzine. Then, maybe add in one or two others, along with a good choline source.
Plan on cycling anything with stimulant-like effects in and out every week or so. You can either stop using that specific nootropic for a few days or replace it with another. Every month or so, it is also wise to take at least a few days break from all Nootropic supplements to allow your body to rest and reset itself.
Article last updated on: February 23rd, 2018 by Nootriment