Hi Kevin, Typically, the biggest issue that will prevent you from feeling the full effects of Qualia is sleep. Qualia works along the same pathways in the brain that move your memories from short to long-term storage when you sleep. If you are not getting enough sleep or the right kinds of sleep then those pathways are unavailable and you will not feel Qualia working. Additional things that can make it less effective: Not enough healthy fats in your diet Caffeine desensitization Too small a dose Not drinking enough water Cannabis or alcohol use Desensitization from other past stimulants or psychotropic drugs or meds When it comes to nootropics, most ingredients have many different forms of varying quality and potency. In every case, we chose the absolute highest grade form of each ingredient for Qualia. Additionally, the quantity of ingredients in Qualia vastly exceeds what is typical for nootropic products. Our raw ingredients cost is actually higher than the market cost of many of our competitors. We encourage you to research the ingredients in our product, the forms of those ingredients, the dosages and then compare that information with other nootropics on the market. We think you will then agree that Qualia is at the top end in price because it is at the top end in quality. If we can support you further, please reach out to the support team at [email protected].