My Nootropics Protocol For Deep Depression

nootropics stack for depression

Depression has been a constant companion of mine since my early teenage years and has persisted throughout my 20’s. I have no doubt that I have found a life long friend in depression. Sometimes the bouts are deeper than others. On my worst days I resort to heavy drinking followed by spending many days in bed consumed by darkness, unable to even get up to take a shower. I let responsibilities slide and do just enough work to pay the rent. Nobody can reach me on my phone when I’m in this state. I block out the entire world and recluse like some creature of the night. I find solace in the late night hours when I know most of this world is sleeping and it is only me. Maybe I’ll go for a long walk at night and then hit up the 7/11 for my first meal in quite some time. Talking to the cashier is the first real human interaction in what seems like forever. I feel strange.

The daytime is the worst. I draw the blinds to escape the sun. The very essence of life does nothing to ease the deep sinking sensation I feel in the pit of my stomach. I’ll sit and stare at the wall wondering when it will go away. I will also on occasion entertain thoughts of suicide. This is when I know it’s time to cut the shit and get back on track. 

I’m fortunate enough to have experienced moments in life where I feel really fucking good. Times when I’m making money, I have a girlfriend, and I feel like I’m at least heading in a right direction even though I don’t know the end game. It’s the positive emotions I’ve experienced in my life that make it worth living. Depression is a sharp stick that prods you in the direction of positive emotion. It’s the catalyst for making right decisions, decisions and actions that will have an opposite outcome of how you are feeling when you’re depressed. Even when I might not have had certain external validations I have experienced periods of motivation and general well being that I can only chalk up to positive daily actions. If anything else, you do the right thing everyday because you know what depression feels like and you never want to sink that low again.

There are times in life you feel good because you are doing the right things. 

When you begin doing the wrong things life gives you feedback. One symptom of doing the wrong things in your life can be depression. I’m a firm believer in this. What we call chemical imbalance is simply a very crude understanding of the lessons and feedback life is trying to give us. Touch a hot stove? You get burned. Spend too much time drinking and ignoring the things you know you have to do to live a fulfilling life? Depression and anxiety. Feedback courtesy of your own body and the world you live in. Imagine going through life not knowing you’re making mistakes or doing shit wrong. That’s a recipe for total disaster. Depression is a sign that your body is actually doing what it’s supposed to be doing. Like a firm father who scolds you when you’re young, it gives you lessons even though at the time you’re pissed and too stupid too understand what’s going on. It’s telling you to cut the shit and get your act together. It’s telling you to begin the process of doing the right things.

Nootropics stack for depression

Doing what is right for your life is easily worth 2000 words worthy of its own post. What I want to do for you today is introduce a few nootropics that will give you a boost of mental energy to power through even the darkest woods.

Here’s the stack:

I will usually wash this stack down with a strong cup of coffee. There’s a few critical things going on with this stack. First, Piracetam is a powerhouse for the brain. It increases the utilization of oxygen in the brain creating a stimulatory effect and slowing down the damaging effects of any drinking or smoking you’ve been doing. Especially if you’re coming off alcohol, Piracetam is a must have nootropic for protecting cells and increasing the uptake of oxygen. The effects on memory and brain function in those with cognitive deficits are pronounced. When the brain is in a depressed state, cognitive function declines. Piracetam delivers a powerful and energizing boost strong enough to at least get you in the shower and thinking about your next move.

L-Tyrosine has been a favorite energizing nootropic of mine for a while. Notice how we are focusing on things that energize. When you’re depressed you’re in a low energy state where even small tasks seem like they require hulk level reserves of energy. L-Tyrosine is a direct precursor to Dopamine. Dopamine is strongly correlated to feeling energized and motivated. In a deep depression dopamine can easily be suppressed. Low Dopamine is also implicated in addiction and a big reason why many turn to drugs and alcohol. L-Tyrosine is a great nootropic for the mind and you’ll notice it’s included in many nootropics stacks including the popular Alpha Brain.

B Complex is a collection of vitamins many of which have positive effects on the brain and are required to convert food into energy. A lack of certain B vitamins can lead to a host of psychological problems in the brain including depression. Even if you have a relatively healthy diet you could still be deficient. I find B vitamins help a great deal with low level anxiety as well. If you’re drinking a lot you’re certainly deficient. You’ll also notice that B vitamins make it into many nootropic stacks as well.

Vitamin D3 is the sunshine vitamin our skin absorbs through UV rays from the sun. It’s technically a hormone synthesized from cholesterol and considered an essential vitamin for the human body. Vitamin D’s main function is to utilize calcium for the fortification of bones but it has been shown to have a wide variety of secondary benefits with supplementation including decreasing depression and increasing testosterone. If you’re a man Testosterone is crucial to your sex drive and overall sense of well being. Chances are if you’re depressed you’ve been avoiding the sun perhaps for a long time. Also be sure to get out in the sun!

The last thing to round the stack off is Magnesium. Magnesium and Vitamin D are best taken together to avoid deficiencies. Increased Vitamin D uptake burns through available stores of Magnesium. Low Magnesium levels are also the cause of many neurological diseases like depression, anxiety, insomnia, etc. Magnesium is an amazing nutrient worthy of your own research. Psychology Today calls it the original chill pill and cites many cases where Magnesium supplementation alone reversed all kinds of negative symptoms and physical ailments. I’ve been a fan for a long time and use the oil because you absorb more. You feel the effects almost instantly.

Conclusion

This stack helps me tremendously when I can barely muster the energy to crawl out of bed. There’s a good chance it can help you too. There’s nothing in the stack too crazy and in fact, only contains one true nootropic. I’ve taken many nootropics and found everything listed in this stack to be very synergistic with each other.

In the end I hope this stack helps you out on your journey through depression. Remember, nootropics are not the answer but they provide a solid boost in energy for you to start taking action and doing the right things.

Thanks for reading and hit me up in the comments if you have questions.

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