Smart Drugs are unfortunately misnamed. They don’t really make anyone smarter, nor do they claim to.
What they claim to do is enhance cognition. It may be a subtle difference, but what they proport to do is bring clarity and focus to thought processes by stimulating natural bio-chemical interactions.
Time reports, “The benefits of enhancement include increased alertness and focus and improvement in some types of memory. Research shows that in normal people, stimulants consistently and significantly improve learning of material that must be recalled days later — exactly what you want from a drug when you are prepping for exams. The drugs even seem to improve certain aspects of judgment.”
All about cognition
“Cognition” is an umbrella covering attention, execution, and memory. It governs planning, reasoning, and thought.
Cognition absorbs sensory input, translates it, and transmits it. Cognition interprets input, assesses its value, and stores the data. All this works through systems of neuroelectric transmitters and chemical responders. These are the same systems where medications treat depression and other mental imbalances.
It’s these archive and library functions that students exploit. But, these same central processes are crucial to executive thinking, entrepreneurial startups, and critical and creative thinkers.
Prescription medications
Sometimes, these processes need prescription medications. Drugs like Ritalin, amantadine, and Metadate treat results of traumatic brain injury. Lexapro, Celexa, Prozac, and several others work on brain chemistry to restore balance from PTSD, depression, and anxiety, so victims can think more calmly.
Non-prescription treatments
But, the term “smart” drugs has come to refer to a line of non-prescription treatments providing generally safe stimulation for cognition centers.
Adrafinil, for instance, is available in the U.S. without prescription. Busy people working under stress find it helps their wakefulness, thinking, and focus, a stimulant without the negatives of caffeine or amphetamines.
Adrafinil is a prodrug to Modafinil which requires a doctor’s prescription, and it metabolizes as Modafinil in the liver. Adrafinil is metabolized to Modafinil in vivo (in the body). Functionally speaking, adrafinil and modafinil have identical pharmacological effects. These effects include increased arousal and vigilance, decreased fatigue and possibly enhanced cognitive function in some subjects.
The effects do not last as long as those following Modafinil, but as this Adrafinil review states “Adrafinil is extremely good for students, programmers, and writers who wish to sink their teeth in for a few good hours and then hit the sack once the effect bottoms out.”
Adrafinil promotes wakefulness as a eugeroic. It combats fatigue without the jitters associated with coffee, espresso, and similar energy drinks. It’s offered as a short term solution for students, executives, and others inclined to nod off at their desks.
Any downsides?
According to MentalHealthDaily, these nootropics or smart drugs help people perform better and increase productivity. They are “regarded as safe and in some cases serve as ‘neuroprotective agents,’ meaning they preserve brain function and cognition.”
For some, there is diminishing returns in repetitive use, and this risks psychological addiction. There is also evidence that repeated high dosing can affect areas of the brain susceptible to substance dependence and abuse. And, the nootropics are not recommended to young people with developing brains.
Such concerns are enough to advise watching the dosage and starting small, considering interactions with other medications and supplements, and monitoring light side-effects like headaches, dizziness, and sleeplessness.
Costs are reasonable and availability is universal online. But, you still want to shop and research for quality.
