Sulbutiamine is a nootropic that is used to promote mental energy, focus, and attention. This compound is derived from Vitamin B1, which is important for mood and cognitive function.
Sulbutiamine (or Arcalion) is a nootropic with stimulant properties. This nootropic is used by students and “biohackers” who want to increase their productivity and motivation.
This article will look at how Sulbutiamine capsules work, the purported benefits, some dosage recommendations, and potential side effects.
Sulbutiamine Capsules
Sulbutiamine is a dietary supplement that is made by synthetically bonding two Thiamine (Vitamin B1) molecules together.
The primary difference between Sulbutiamine and its parent is that it is able to cross over the blood-brain barrier quite easily.
In so doing, this supplement can increase levels of Thiamine and Thiamine phosphate esters within the brain. Thiamine is important for proper energy metabolism as well as nerve transmissions throughout your nervous system.
Sulbutiamine is a more concentrated version of B1 that can target the brain, resulting in better energy generation and improved maintenance of healthy neurons. Sulbutiamine capsules (sold under the name Arcalion) are used clinically in the treatment of asthenia and other diseases characterized by chronic fatigue.
Today, Sulbutiamine is most popular as an energy supplement and cognitive enhancer from the nootropic family of compounds.
Sulbutiamine for Energy
Most people will tell you that caffeine makes them feel more awake, aware, better focused, and sometimes even puts them in a better mood.
All of these benefits have been displayed in clinical trials as well as user reviews posted online with Sulbutiamine use as well. Additionally, Sulbutiamine is used to make the brain more efficient and responsive, give greater working memory capacity, and make it easier to learn.
And unlike caffeine, Sulbutiamine stimulates you without leading to jitters, stress, hyperactivity, or a subsequent energy crash. There are additional benefits to using Sulbutiamine capsules as well.
Sulbutiamine is one of the best nootropics for increasing your mental energy, stamina and overall brain activity. It works in part by facilitating the conversion of carbohydrates into energy to be used by your cells.
The brain can only use glucose for energy, unlike other organs in your body which can also burn fat and protein. This process requires Thiamine in order to assemble certain enzymes which are then used to metabolize carbohydrates.
When you increase the availability of Thiamine in your brain by taking capsules of Sulbutiamine, you can generate more ATP through the process of catabolism.
Increasing the energy supply to your brain makes all of the many millions of cognitive processes occurring at once run more efficiently and smoothly. It may help you stay focused when reading that ridiculously long article for your Psychology class, writing a report for your boss at work or even when exercising at the gym.
Sulbutiamine seems to make your brain work faster, giving you speedier memory recall, better reasoning skills, more clarity of thought and enabling you to recognize patterns and associations that you may otherwise have missed. Some users say they are generally more aware of their surroundings and process more information input, whether from visual perceptions or hearing.
This supplement is observed to improve memory formation and the processes that underwrite the storage of memories in your brain. It potentiates certain neurotransmitter systems in the brain, particularly dopamine which is the pleasure neurotransmitter that drives many of our ambitions and desires.
Sulbutiamine may help you get motivated, overcome that procrastination habit, and make you feel happier. It is sometimes used for depression and there are people who have found it to be effective for reducing anxious thoughts. Another interesting application is use for social phobias or psycho-behavioral inhibitions like shyness and social anxiety.
Research on Sulbutiamine is limited, and more studies are needed to understand its full effects. At this time Sulbutiamine is available in the USA as a dietary supplement only, and the FDA has not approved Sulbutiamine as a drug for the prevention or treatment of any conditions.
Dosing & Safety
Proper dosage is dependent on many different factors, and it is always recommended that you speak with your doctor to determine the best dosage for your personal needs. The below dosage recommendations are general guidelines only, and your dosage may be different.
If you want to use Sulbutiamine as an energy pill, you are advised to start with a dosage of 200 mg to gauge how it affects you.
Some may find that this is a sufficient dosage to give them all the energy they need for a day. In most cases, users will take 200 mg twice a day with a suggested maximum of 800 mg daily.
Your dosage will largely depend on whether you are using it with other supplements or on its own; some titration or experimentation may be necessary to arrive at the ideal amount. Since this is a fat-soluble supplement, it is best to take it with milk, an Omega 3 supplement, or with meals.
Sulbutiamine capsules carry a low risk of side effects and most people will use them without any negative impact. The more common side effects include skin rashes similar to eczema, mood disruption, sleeping difficulties, and lack of appetite.
The supplement is known to interact with Dopamine production in the brain which has led some to raise concerns about the possibility of tolerance as well as changes in mood. Sulbutiamine does increase the rate of Dopamine activity in your neurons, but it actually does this in a way that prevents the risk of receptor down-regulator by suppressing some of your natural Dopamine release.
It is possible that this could produce “low” feelings in subjects with depression so you should check with your doctor before using it if this applies to you. You should also not mix this drug with other medications for depression.
There are a small number of supplements that come pre-made with Sulbutiamine as an ingredient, but in most cases it is sold as a single ingredient product. You can buy Sulbutiamine capsules online from specialty nootropic stores, but remember that you will always pay a premium for encapsulated products compared to bulk Sulbutiamine powder.
Sometimes, this premium can represent as much as 50-70% of the cost of the product. Sulbutiamine powder can be purchased for less than $30 for a quantity that can easily last three months of daily use. If you want to design a robust energy stack with Sulbutiamine, consider stacking it with other nootropics like Piracetam, Aniracetam, Tyrosine, Choline ALCAR and a high quality Vitamin B complex.
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