It is not all a bed of roses on the Nootropic / Smart Drug front my soon-to-be well-informed friends. There is plenty of information that we do not know and plenty of testing that needs to be done.
I have been a consumer of Nootropics for several years with my consumption picking up, by about 50%, over the last six months. In my case, I have seen substantial improvements in several areas. Most noticeably is my memory — where once I struggled to remember what I did yesterday, I’m finding it relatively easy to picture several days of history, clearly.
Additionally, my energy levels have increased, due in part to my exercise regime that I started about 12 months back and the specialized nootropics. Simply take a look at some of the advertisements on this site and you’ll know which ones I’m talking about.
Additional Help: wethebrainys.com/mindlabpro
I often wonder if I’m doing more harm than good with the capsules and powders I’m taking. So I started a new quest. I’ve broadened the scope of this site and my social media sites to cover the good and the bad about Nootropics and Smart Drugs.
Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. – Mark Twain
Let’s make it a point to follow Mark Twain’s advice and those of us who may be gung-ho and trying everything and anything … even if the label looks cool! How about we pull the reins back a bit, read the following articles I’ve gathered, and get a better understanding of where we are with cognitive-enhancing pills and nootropic supplements.
I am not advocating abstinence. I am going to continue my nootropic routine — I know exactly what I am taking and the exact dosage (the benefit of using nootropics from a company that tells you to ask for their CofA!). What I am advocating is looking at what we are consuming with a focused lens.
Brain-Enhancing ‘Smart Drugs’ Are Going Commercial
As the demand for cognitive enhancements expands, nootropics have grown from the stuff of internet-driven self-experimentation to an expanding sector in the massive supplements market.
Over the past year, Facebook users may have done a double-take on seeing ads for Alleradd, a cognitive enhancement pill that sounds a lot like the prescription drug Adderall.
Alleradd promises users the same kinds of effects that have made the similarly-named ADHD medication a black market blockbuster on college campuses and in high-pressure workplaces across the country.
“Alleradd elevates your energy, enhances your memory, and helps you find your focus, even if you are tired or stressed out,” explains the website for the product.
But while amphetamine-based Adderall is a controlled substance legally available only by prescription, Alleradd is marketed as a nutritional supplement and available online to anyone with a valid credit card.
It’s one of an increasingly popular, if controversial class of drugs and supplements called nootropics that are designed to boost memory, attention span, and cognitive function, even in people with otherwise healthy brains. And as the demand for cognitive enhancements expands, nootropics have grown from the stuff of internet-driven self-experimentation to an expanding sector in the massive supplements market. Brain-Enhancing ‘Smart Drugs’ Are Going Commercial.
Aussies taking dangerous smart drugs to get ahead
Australians have begun dabbling, perhaps illegally, in potentially brain-enhancing drugs that do not have the support of mainstream medicine.
A host of websites targeted at Australian consumers purport to sell ‘nootropics’ – drugs that reportedly give users a cognitive boost.
Most research has focused on student use in the USA with estimates varying between 5% and 35%.
This might only be the tip of the iceberg and is unlikely to be representative of usage in professional or older populations. Government, the pharmaceutical industry, and national medical organizations need to work together to find out, say neuroscientists Professor Barbara Sahakian and Dr. Sharon Morein-Zamir from the University of Cambridge in The Lancet Psychiatry.
A wide range of pharmaceutical substances from psychotropic medications to nicotine and caffeine are used by patients and healthy individuals to alter, improve, and enhance mental functioning.
Most cognitive enhancers, such as modafinil and donepezil, have been developed by the pharmaceutical industry to treat the effects of impaired cognition in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia. The Dangers And Benefits Of Cognitive-Enhancing Drug Use In Healthy People.
