Are Russian Nootropics Credible? [Vendor Comparison]
| Ⓒ By Jonathan Roseland |
I'm not a doctor, medical professional, or trained therapist. I'm a researcher and pragmatic biohacking practitioner exercising free speech to share evidence as I find it. I make no claims. Please practice skepticism and rational critical thinking. You should consult a professional about any serious decisions that you might make about your health. Affiliate links in this article support Limitless Mindset - spend over $150 and you'll be eligible to join the Limitless Mindset Secret Society.
Let's dispense with the stereotypes first...
After the collapse of the Soviet Union Russian businessmen had a well-deserved reputation for shady dealings. I wouldn't blame anyone for being a little skeptical of buying Nootropics or anti-aging medicines from a Russian source. But, that was 30 years ago, times have changed and now, frankly, you should be skeptical of everyone. Government regulating agencies like the FDA are hopelessly corrupt and captured by big pharma which is probably sponsoring your family doctor's next luxurious vacation. The internet is a double-edged sword when it comes to your health; Amazon sells "health" supplements tainted with catastrophic amounts of toxic heavy metals but the internet also gives you an unparalleled ability to sniff out the scams and figure out what actually works.
When choosing a Russian Nootropics source to buy from online you want to apply a little more scrutiny than you might normally when shopping online. The reason being, that you'll probably use cryptocurrency to order from them and unlike, for example, using Paypal, there's no guarantee of a refund if you're disappointed or the package gets lost en route. Virtually every eCommerce website on the internet proudly proclaims their Satisfaction or Money-Back Guaranteed! policy but in some cases, this is internet marketing BS. Several times I've had to fill out dispute forms with PayPal or my credit card company to get refunds in cases when an eCommerce store lost my stuff and refused to honor their policies. This is not an option with cryptocurrency, once the money is transferred there's no way to get it back unless they decide to refund you. If you're not satisfied with what you bought there's no one to go complaining to. Bank transfer or international funds transfer can be similarly difficult to get refunds for. So spend a little more time just making sure that you're buying from a legit source. This article will help break down some criteria to judge Russian Nootropics sources.
It's a pretty smart idea to order with cryptocurrency. Firstly, because they will often give you a small discount (who doesn't like saving money!) Secondly, when buying drugs or exotic health supplements from abroad you're dabbling in what might be a legal grey area. Since founding Limitless Mindset in 2011 I've talked with and heard from hundreds of biohackers around the world and I've NEVER heard of a situation where a consumer got in legal trouble or was charged with a crime for ordering something. I think that almost everywhere around the world, law enforcement authorities just have better things to do than prosecute people who order things through unofficial channels. But we live in a world where online privacy and health freedom are dying. Big tech, your credit card company, and your bank have no qualms with handing your complete transaction records right over to the authorities if you ever get on the wrong side of the law. If you're ever audited by the Internal Revenue Service do you want them to know about the Russian Nootropics (some of which have scary-sounding names!) you've had shipped to you from a warehouse in Moscow or Eastern Europe? While cryptocurrency transactions are not untraceable, using cryptocurrency does much to protect your privacy and ensure that you'll never have to explain to a law officer what Modafinil is. If you want to further insulate your privacy, you would be wise to use Monero which is less traceable, and send the crypto from a less mainstream wallet service - Coinbase will hand over your transaction records to the government.
Before you plug your credit card or cryptocurrency into a Russian website, I urge you to first look up how long they have been in business. The internet is rife with scammy, faceless websites put up anonymously that will take your money and then disappear. For example, rusmedstore.com shut down a year after being launched in 2018. You can use Whois.net to check how long a website has been around and if its domain name is expiring soon, an indicator that it's not a serious business. E-commerce stores that plan to be around for a while serving customers will usually have their domain names pre-registered for years so check when their domain will expire.
It's crucial to do research before consuming pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical drugs can be abused and misused, they may have undesirable side effects. This is why buying them typically requires a doctor's prescription. The internet is rife with reports of self-administration of pharmaceuticals gone awry (like this guy, who overdosed on Memantine and had a crazy +30 hour trip!) Many will assume that if something is for sale, it must be safe and it must be regulated by some authority. In the wild wild west of the internet, this can be a deadly assumption. Please don't be the next foolish Biohacker who kills themselves recklessly using drugs. On the other hand, we have doctors and government regulators to thank for medical catastrophes like the opioid epidemic in the United States. Often doctors misdiagnose and overprescribe harmful drugs to their patients.
The solution is to take extreme ownership of your health and pharmaceutical decisions.
- Read studies on Pubmed and health science books relevant to your questions. Learn the difference between credible double-blinded, clinical trials and bad science.
- When you identify a drug or medicine that seems worthwhile read the studies on it. Watch the videos about it and listen to podcasts discussing it. Note the dosage and usage recommendations given.
- Next, comb through the internet for anecdotal reports on it. What are people saying about using it? What side effects are mentioned? Look in forums for user reports. Search for YouTube vlogs about it. A single anecdote is not very informative, it's an unverifiable data point, but if ten people mention the same side effect that's something to be considered.
- If you're still confused reach out to experts. Often you can email the authors of clinical trials with questions. Crowdsource by posting questions in forums. Or contact me for a biohacking consultation.
- Once you've determined that a particular pharmaceutical has clinical and anecdotal evidence supporting its use for your purposes order it from the most credible source and start with a low, conservative dosage.
It will take several hours of focused research to educate yourself but it will be worth it and it will likely make your decision a more informed pharmaceutical decision than your doctor makes after meeting with you for 5 minutes and jotting down a prescription.
RUPharma
RUPharma is in my view the best option for biohackers that want to discretely get their hands on Russian Nootropics, prescription wakefulness-vigilance agents, biopeptides, and exotic European anti-aging medicines. There are some very potent and proven nootropics, like Piracetam (NOOTROPIL®), that you can't find on Amazon or in those aggressively marketed Nootropic stacks because they fall into a legal grey zone or are classified as not for human consumption.
What people are saying: On Trustpilot, they have an impressive 5-star average rating from nearly 200 customers. You can find a number of customer testimonials on Reddit, the vast majority of which are overwhelmingly positive. One satisfied customer reported:
I only ever contacted rupharma on 3 ocassions and each time Alexei has answered same or next day.
Pros:
- The widest choice of original Russian nootropics and generics such as Modafinil, Armodafinil, and many others.
- While their prices are quite competitive they offer a 10% discount for using cryptocurrency and bulk discounts of up to 30% for their most popular nootropics.
- Discounts for being a VIP customer who spends over 500 EUR or for bulk purchases.
- Regular special offers such as Buy-1-Get-1-Free on their top nootropic products.
- Reliable shipping, I've received about a half dozen packages from them, and a package has never gotten lost or an order screwed up. That's quite good!
- Their website has a nice search function with which you can cross-reference health conditions or issues and their inventory.
- Orders are dispatched within 3 working days with a tracking number. If you're ordering from abroad a shipping tracking number is crucial.
- RUPharma is not a faceless, anonymous eCommerce operation. It's operated by a very professional guy named Alexei who will respond promptly to your emails.
- RUPharma is my go-to source for Modafinil.
Cons: They only accept Visa or Mastercard payments from long-term and verified customers. New customers are advised to use cryptocurrency and SEPA bank transfers.
Founded: 2013
![MILDRONATE [MELDONIUM]](https://www.limitlessmindset.com/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/220x200c/db/d5/9e/mildronate-meldonium-5-1507285496.jpg)
MOSPharma
Biohackers in "developed" Western European countries often have a really tough time importing packages of Nootropics or innovative pharmaceuticals. MOSPharma is a great option for them to procure cognitive enhancers like Noopept or Semax, pharmaceutical pain relievers, Human Growth Hormone enhancers, or Anxiolytics like Phenibut.
What people are saying: While it's a newer website they still have 21 reviews on Trustpilot averaging 4 stars. From one enthusiastic review entitled Nothing but positive experience - highly recommended!
Products are real and work as they should, communication is always smooth and positive. I can't say anything bad, I'm already planning next orders. And I'm ordering to a high risk country! Big thank you, it can't be easy to manage this business and guys are doing fantastic job.
Pros: This is RUPharma's sister site for their warehouse based in the EU. This is the best option for those in EU countries who want to minimize the hassle and headache of importing a package from Russia.
- Despatched within 3 working days with a tracking number. If you're ordering from abroad a shipping tracking number is crucial.
Cons: They only accept SEPA bank transfers and cryptocurrencies.
Founded: 2016
ExtraPharmacy.RU
What people are saying: They have 6 reviews on Trustpilot, with an average 4-star rating. Other than these reviews on Trustpilot I was unable to find any of ExtraPharmacy.ru customers speaking online. Apparently, they had a Facebook page where you could see what their customers were saying, but it's been shut down.
Pros:
- Free shipping on orders over $100 for select countries.
- They show you how to find the expiration dates on packages of Russian drugs, that's helpful! You do want to check expiration dates before consuming things.
Cons:
- Does not accept cryptocurrency.
- The relative lack of 3rd party credibility makes me a bit skeptical.
Founded: 2014
CosmicNootropic.com
What people are saying: The +40 reviews on Trustpilot are a solid indicator that Cosmic is a credible source. They did a popular vendor launch post on Reddit which has a number of comments from their happy customers, which can give you a good idea of when to expect your packages from them to arrive. For example, it only takes about 10 days for a shipment to reach Texas.
Pros:
- 10% discount for payment in cryptocurrency.
Cons:
- No certificates of analysis are to be found for their products.
- Apparently, their website was hacked about 2 years ago, hopefully, it's secure now. If you're worried about your privacy it would be smart to order using cryptocurrency, an alias (not your real name), and have your package shipped to a P.O. Box or a friend's address.
Founded: 2015
Amphx.com
What people are saying: They don't have much 3rd party credibility, a single Reddit post mentions that someone had some shipping delays but otherwise was quite pleased.
Pros: Accepts Bitcoin payment.
Cons:
- None of their products are COA-verified.
- I tried several of their herbal tinctures and was honestly not impressed compared to some of the organic, verified toxin-free herbs that I have extensive experience with. If you don't see a COA for a product you never know if it's actually good stuff or something that came out of a toxic Chinese factory.
- Does not accept Paypal.
Founded: 2017
Disclaimer: I'm not an affiliate of any of these websites but RUPharma and MOSPharma have been a sponsor of LimitlessMindset.com and I've used a number of their products so I can't claim that this is a totally unbiased comparison. However, everyone on the internet has some sort of bias so I urge you to just look at the information presented here, do your own research before clicking the buy button, and exercise your own critical thinking.
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