Few gaming supplements exist out there that are not just glorified caffeine pills. Will Dr. Emil’s XP-RX stand out from the crowd?
Few gaming supplements exist out there that are not just glorified caffeine pills. Will Dr. Emil’s XP-RX stand out from the crowd?
Taking supplements to enhance the gaming experience is not a new trend in the industry. Some do it to try and improve their gameplay/performance. Some even take it a bit too far like the CSGO + adderall scandal that happened almost a decade ago. Others simply want a boost of energy to push them through the long hours of grinding. Given the competitive nature of online gaming, everyone is looking for an advantage no matter where it comes from. Instead of looking into hardware improvements to gain an advantage, supplementation looks at the human controlling the hardware and tries to improve that. Thus, the industry of gaming supplements was born.
There are many different gaming supplements out there that utilize a powder that is mixed in with water to create an ‘energy drink’ type of product. However, little exists in the realm of easily digestible pills that can be taken in a matter of seconds. That is, until Dr. Emil released XP–RX. The website for this supplement boasts the product as “A breakthrough next-level cerebral supplement focused on mind and body health in the gaming space. This is not just another low-quality sugar-filled crash-and-burn product.” Let’s jump straight into the review to see if the product can live up to those bold claims! In order, I’ll be discussing:
Before I get into discussing the ingredients, I just want to say that I’m not a doctor and thus none of the statements in this article should be taken as medical advice. I feel that should be obvious but you really can’t be too careful nowadays. Anyway, there are five main ingredients to this product that all work together to provide a better gaming experience. Some provide the energy aspect, others decrease eye strain, and some improve mental function. The main five ingredients include:
TeaCrine© - This compound works supplementary to the caffeine present in the pill to provide extended energy release as its half-life is notably longer than caffeines. Additionally, it does not seem to have an effect on blood pressure unlike caffeine which can be a major benefit for some people (myself included).
Caffeine - Just about everyone knows what caffeine is and how it impacts your body. In one serving, XP-RX contains just about the same amount of caffeine as a typical cup of coffee. This is relieving to hear as many gaming supplements simply have some bogus ingredients and then rely on caffeine to provide the energy. This works well in the short-term, but will often lead to users developing a tolerance or going through serious energy crashes.
Dynamine™ - As far as I can tell, Dynamine™ is a compound similar to the two ingredients above. It works alongside them to provide a smoother energy boost that does not have any major peaks or those dreaded valleys. On top of that, these ingredients together have been shown to help memory, cognitive control, and reaction time. I would love to see these aspects improve in my own gameplay.
Vitamin D and K - These vitamins are definitely targeted towards gamers as vitamin D is typically either consumed through certain foods or through sunlight (something gamers notoriously lack). They have a ton of different benefits towards the body regarding tissue strength, gut health, bone health, and eye health. However, most multivitamins contain these ingredients at full daily value, so if you happen to already take a multivitamin with these ingredients I wouldn’t expect any additional benefit.
Huperzine A - This compound increases the levels of acetylcholine present in the body. Acetylcholine is a prominent neurotransmitter responsible for many different functions that impact attention, memory, and other mental aspects.
Before I get into my own personal experience with the product, let me explain a bit about my history with gaming supplements/stimulants. First of all, I am a habitual coffee drinker who has had at least two cups of coffee for the last five years of my life (thanks college). This means that my reaction to caffeine is diminished compared to people who do not use it on a daily basis. In terms of other gaming supplements, the only one I have tried is GFuel. My experience with that product was similar to my experience with coffee, it provided some energy for a bit of time but required me to re-dose myself after only a couple of hours. It did taste quite good.
After taking this product, I was worried I would have a similar experience to GFuel. However, I was hopeful that the pill form would lead to a bit slower digestion and ultimately a smoother release through the body, avoiding those annoying crashes that required me to take more. Thankfully, this is exactly what I ended up experiencing. As to whether the culprit behind that was the other ingredients that paired with the caffeine or the alternate mode of consumption/digestion, I have no way of knowing. Anecdotally, the product felt somewhat similar to a cup of coffee or an energy drink that was stretched out. In other words, the product did not hit as hard as either of those but the effects lasted much longer. In my opinion, this is perfect for gaming as the longer sessions require a lot of energy over a long period of time and a higher level of energy for a short period of time is simply unnecessary in gaming.
In terms of improving reaction time or eyesight, I can’t say that I personally experienced either of these enhancements. They certainly were not hindered by any means, I just did not see an improvement that I could confidently attest to the product. I already take a multivitamin containing the vitamins included in the product so that could also be why I saw no improvements to eye fatigue.
Overall, my opinion on Dr. Emil’s XP-RX gaming supplement is relatively positive. It isn’t a miracle supplement that’s going to carry you out of bronze, but if you struggle with a lack of energy during your gaming sessions it certainly is worth looking into. I think it's the perfect supplement for those who love the energy from energy drinks but want to avoid the tons of sugar that are put into them to make them taste good. If you're someone who loves the effect of powdered supplements out there for gaming, this could also make a great alternative as its mode of consumption is much easier than having to mix up a drink every single time.
Another person I could see benefiting greatly from this kind of product is the remote worker. Personally, I work about 8-10 hours a day staring at a screen in my bedroom. As you can expect, this takes a major toll on my energy levels and I often find my last half of the work day to be a massive grind. This product is great for people in situations similar to me if they want to avoid drinking a bunch of coffee throughout the day to make up for the lack of energy. The capsule form also makes it super simple to pop a serving size at the beginning of the work day and not have to think about energy anymore!
All in all, it's a product that I can personally recommend at least giving a try as it may be your solution to being able to make it through those late night raids!
While this product may not give you aim like Shroud or god-like in-game movement, it does its job as an extended energy boost to enhance your gaming sessions. Instead of drinking three cups of coffee a day or an energy drink with 300mg of caffeine and 60g of sugar, XP-RX is an easier alternative to putting all of that stomach-ache inducing ingredients in your body. The slower release of energy also trumps said energy drinks as you won't experience that awful crashing sensation frequently associated with them. Overall, it is a great place to start if you are looking for a steady boost of energy to improve both your performance and mood during long gaming sessions!
If you’d like to try out the product, head over to dremilnutrition.com
Heading image courtesy of dremilnutrition.com
