Some nootropics to improve executive function please?

Same here, pretty much everything you said applies to me as well. I have used ritalin, did help me focus, also triggered fear and feeling a bit paranoid. And also have insomnia and ritalin made it worse. I'm on a mild anti depressant now, sleep well, feel ok, did gain some weight but, doesn't do a thing for focus. A lot of people who have ADD but did not like the anxiousness of ritalin or other stimulants do well on wellbutrin. Might be worth a try. It does help with focus but minus the anxiety and kind of rushed feeling.

I hated Ritalin, didn't like Aderall, but I took it to when necessary like doing papers and studying for tests in college. My brother-n-law used Aderall for years but recently started using Vivance and loves it. Modafanil he said did nothing for him but make it hard to sleep at night. I am very happy with Modafanil. Occasionally it will increase impulsiveness but for the most part it dials me in without the addictiveness and side effects of Aderall

In my experience, Modafinil wakes up and "energizes" but it does not lead to self directed/goal oriented behavior. Having ADHD myself this is what I've found works in the "get things done" departament:

* Semax and variants.
* Bromantane (Consistent use, 25-100 mg)
* Pyritinol -Quite impressive for a vitamin B derivative. It took me a while because you don't feel a blast of energy unless you're incredibly sensitive and self aware. But, after a few weeks of use it's pretty clear that executive function is up. There's some anxiety that goes away with exercise. Top ADHD Noot for me. )
* Intranasal insulin.
* Phenylpiracetam.
* Good ol' caffeine. In a pill. 200 mg first thing in the morning and you get rid of the eternal struggle to wake up. Set an alarm, take your caffeine and go back to sleep. In 10-15 minutes you'll be up and running.
* Clonidine. An endocrinologist prescribed this to me for enhancing height as a teen and it improved a lot my executive function. Turns out it's an Alpha-2 agonist receptor in the prefrontal cortex. Seems like it depressed me. Maybe I'll repeat the experiment.
* Bupropion. It helps, but also kills creativity and some aspects of memory and cheerfulness. Total deal breaker unless impairment is so severe you're better off being productive.
* Oral Selegiline 1.25 mg/ day. * Massive productivity boost, but I became an evil robot. The experience helped me realize that I wanted to be productive and high functioning to be happier. Thus, it was pointless to get those qualities at the cost of hating the world and everyone in it.*
* Piracetam. Subtle, but I did become much more goal oriented.
* Fasoracetam (50-100 mg daily).

Final recommendations:

1. Check for food intolerances by eating failsafe. My ADHD symptoms are mostly food related. Noots can only control damage If I eat the wrong stuff. This is not you usual "eat healthy" advice. Some of my health food were actually making me sick and scattered : soy, spinach, tomato, lime and lemon, watermelon, olives, APPLES... The list is long and depressing. Damn salicylates!

2. Get training. We've all heard it, and it's true: pills don't teach skills. -But they sure help develop and master them!- Behavior therapy is your best bet. Once you've automatized certain habits they'll work in your favor. Even better than CBT I'd recommend ACT therapy, DBT or Behavioral Activation (BA).

As you can tell from this post, my hyper-focus stills kicks in. I probably should be doing the dishes instead of writing this. Or should I? We'll see. I hope you find this helpful and not overwhelming. Good luck!

Phenylpiracetam and noopept are good beginner nootropics.

Memantine!! Had some amazing experiences with Memantine this long weekend. I found it to be very useful for introspection & my problems with ADHD/executive function deficit & self control. Had some great introspection sessions. I call this 'out of ego experience' as in low dose dxm without serious side effects. It's supposedly good for chronic illnesses such as Lyme disease.

Fasoracetam and/or Coluracetam are probably your best bet. I havent used Sunifiram because of the possible side effects, but it works great for many people. Other things you might try are Noopept (works well with racetams), Pyritinol, Sulbutiamine, or PRL-8-53.

Simply Piracetam, it gets better as time progresses.
Oh, and cdp choline

Piracetam is all I've tried so far and it DEFINITELY helps with ADD. I make lists on my white board each week and my completion rate used to be about 30%. After I started Piracetam 2x/day that shot up to 80%, no joke. And Adam is right, it gets better. I don't even take it every day anymore, it seems to be finally sticking with me. The first month it seemed like I need to keep taking it so I didn't feel a "trough" when it wore off, but by now it seems I can just take it as a booster. I get so much done it's incredible. I would love to put my son on it but he is only 15 and I don't feel like it's a good idea to mess with the chemistry of a brain that is still growing.

Aniracetam, Noopept, choline, n BPAP.

Noopept, phenylpiracetam, caffeine with l-theanine, ashwagandha

For men, testosterone is implicated in goal achieving. Test-E has been said to have nootropic properties. (I haven't tried it) Pretty much you want to boost your dopamine (and norephinephrine). Fish oil increases dopamine in the prefrontal cortex.

I do know that there have been some studies published lately which cast doubt upon the efficacy of fish oil, but I would say lets not throw out the baby with the bathwater, the problem is oxidized oil, mercury and other toxins, if you pursue high quality fish oil I do not think you will have issues.

Other ways to increase neurotransmitters are taking mild maoi's like deprenyl or fo-ti.

You can take vitamin D (or get more sun on your skin) to increase dopamine levels. *fun side note- exposing genitals to sunlight was said to triple testosterone

Also recommended: Modafinil, Aniracetam, Noopept, Phenylpiracetam, lions mane. Etc.

I've had great results with Sunifiram lately.

I've tried every combo but the one I go back to time and time again is 150mg phenylpiracetam, 10mg sunifiram, 350mg cdp choline, a very strong black coffee and 150mg l-theanine

Macuna pruriens is probably the best thing for increasing dopamine and testosterone. Fenugreek also meant to be good for testosterone possibly due to reducing DHT and keeping free testosterone

Picamilon for the win!

Bacopa moneria. Very affordable/inexpensive make sure you get standardised extract to contain at least 20% bacosides A+B.
After about 2 months use you will notice a difference in terms of short term memory improvement and feeling more focussed. It suppsedly reduces anxiety but I find its neutral in this respect. It certainly doesnt agitate unlike some nootropics.

I recently started Bacopa at night, it can be sedating but in a good way. Works great for anxiety!

Picamilon won't do much at all, and is better snorted, as an anxiolytic which turns out to be one big line to suck up. Try this, SAMe, Vitamin B Complex and Longjack also known as Tongkat Ali, I'd be very surprised if your still flat and unmotivated after a month on that combo.

I like aniracetam and Noopept (rotated). Others to look into are phenylpiracetam, sunifiram, and adrafinil. I use Ani and Noopept for my base, then add the others depending on the result I'm looking for.

Egg yolks + butter + coffee = acetylcholine very quickly absorbed. You need this neurotransmitter if you what want to improve your brain. Butter reduces inflammation, vegetable oils raise inflammation.

Beta-Metilamina+Ephedrine+Caffein. I use this to train, but help in your concentration and focus.

phenibut is one of my favorites, a must have, I have heard great things about noopept and fasoracetam.

Piracetam is the classic nootropic for beginners. If you prefer a pre-made stack, the favorites would be alpha brain or CILTEP

Most bang for your buck: Caffeine + L Theanine. Yerba mate and Green teas have their own unique stack built in, Coffee personally needs some fat blended in and some L-theanine in there to ramp down the stimulatory effect

Noopept and optionally prami for fast learning. Suni and phenylp are great considerations. Long-duration cognition is underpinned by health and then mental endurance, so any stimulant or pseudostimulant, which suni and phenylp cover.

Prl, prami and to a lesser extent the others above for memory & recall.
Possible negatives are getting irritable or emotionally dulled whilst on noopept (transient), and phenylp being too stimulating for lengthy seated periods.
Prami is quite expensive but then again frugality is for losers and women.

All those can be taken daily, though perhaps err on caution with suni due to possible excitotoxicity and tolerance buildup from overuse (like daily long-term or multiple times a day). Don't quote me on that.
Phenylp builds tolerance quickly too...maybe not if you shelve it like

All of these things will improve your cognitive function FAR more than any nootropics will.

Physical Activity
Openness to Experience
Curiosity and Creativity
Social Connections
Mindfulness Meditation
Get Enough Sleep
Reduce Chronic Stress

If you're not doing these on a regular basis, you're wasting your time taking brain supplements. Basically, that's the equivalent of taking creatine and never lifting a weight. And stop playing "brain training games", you'll never increase your brain plasticity being sedentary, swiping a two dimensional screen. Learn an instrument, write a story, take a jog, go live your actual life in three dimensions. These drugs can only do so much for you.