On the outside, Lumonol (a common noopept-containing supplement) and Addium have some definite things in common. They each contain a blend of researched nootropic ingredients, along with caffeine as a stimulant (though in different forms; Lumonol gets its stimulant content largely from guarana). But our testers felt the effects of these two stacks were very different in practice. Namely, Addium does not contain noopept. Read below to see which we preferred in the Lumonol versus Addium comparison, and how noopept helped decide that outcome.
Lumonol’s Noopept Provided Superior Focus
Of the two, our testers overwhelmingly preferred Lumonol for the consistent, fast-acting focus they felt they got from taking it in the morning (and often again in the afternoon, one capsule per serving). Read our full Lumonol review and a more in-depth discussion of noopept here.
This is probably due – at least in part – to the inclusion of noopept in Lumonol. Noopept is a compound related to the racetam class of nootropics, powerful synthetic compounds that have shown significant promise in the field of brain enhancement. Research suggests noopept may have a similar effect to piracetam – the father of the racetam class of compounds – at much lower dosages. Noopept also metabolizes quickly, which could be one reason our testers felt Lumonol was among the fastest acting nootropic supplements they’d ever tried.
While our testers generally recommend folks start slowly with Lumonol (and any racetam or noopept-containing supplement) to assess tolerance (for example, not pairing it with coffee at first so as to keep caffeine intake under control), they generally didn’t experience many if any jitters from the supplement. That wasn’t the case with Addium, which caused an energy spike, but one accompanied by significant jitters and unrest for more than one of us. Read our full Addium review here.
Both Lumonol and Addium contain proprietary blends of nootropic ingredients, meaning the manufacturers don’t release exactly how much of certain compounds are in one serving (this is pretty common in the industry, even for leading sellers like Onnit’s super-popular Alpha BRAIN and Alpha BRAIN Instant). However, it can make it challenging to assess tolerance, which is why we often start with less than the recommended dosage to see how our bodies and minds respond.
Even with the recommended dosage of Addium – just one capsule per day – we experienced unrest and jitters that made it difficult to focus, as opposed to the enhanced concentration the manufacturer would imply users experience.
Looking for Something Without a Proprietary Blend?
Companies like Nootrobox – which is backed by some of the world’s leading venture capitalists – are now rolling out products that clearly indicate the amount of each active ingredient. Nootrobox’s RISE supplement is one of our top choices right now, and among BrainWiz’s favorite nootropics that are stimulant free. Read our full review of RISE here, and check out our interview with one of Nootrobox’s founders here.