Why People Are Using More And More Smart Drugs?
By Jason GrayMay 14, 20211213
It would have been easy if we could simply pop a pill and enhance our cognitive abilities. In a day-to-day hectic and tiring life, people tend to multiple tasks. Sometimes people can experience difficulty focusing and concentrate on a specific task. This entire condition has resulted in the increased popularity of smart drugs or nootropic drugs in different adult age groups.
According to a 2005 study, most people (around 7%) have used nootropic drugs once in their lifetime. Besides, 2.1% of people have used nootropic medicines 30 days ago. Modafinil (Provigil) is one of the prescription-based nootropic drugs that have worked for many people to rapidly overcome jet lag, plus get themselves to complete their work. Military workforces are also known to use smart drugs to complete missions after long flight hours.
The sale of nootropic medications in 2014 was valued at up to $1.56 billion. Besides, it was predicted that it could reach $3.83 billion in the year 2020.
Commonly Used Smart Drugs
Below mentioned are FDA-approved prescription-based smart drugs. Smart drugs are used for various psychological treatments.
- Modafinil (Provigil)
- Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine (Adderall)
- Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
- Donepezil (Aricept)
- L-Deprenyl (Selegiline hydrochloride)
Long-Term Benefits of nootropic drugs
Using smart drugs in day-to-day life helps to boost mental performance over a while. Other than enhancing performance, smart drugs can help to nourish cognition for the long run. Studies show the use of smart drugs can slow down premature brain aging with neural networks and neuroplasticity.
Some more detailed studies suggest that nootropic drugs can cause neuroprotective properties that may help preserve brain cells, neural communication, and brain health as our age increases. Many of us think that cognitive issue after the age of 55 is normal and we as we keep aging we will become prone to short term memory loss. However, new research studies indicate that cognitive issues can generate in your mid 20’s as well. It could be a result of specific health issues such as radical damage, environmental toxins, and lack of proper nutrition. So then, why do some people tend to have good cognitive functions in their older age, while some lose cognitive function prematurely? Well, it can occur because of various physical, mental, genetic, and environmental factors. Smart drugs are known to overcome these issues in younger and middle-aged people by improving their brain ability.
Why people are using more and more Smart Drugs?
The whole and sole aim of using nootropic drugs is to increase focus and alertness. It is also known as promoting wakefulness so people can concentrate on their work better by reducing sleepiness. Therefore, the popularity and demand for nootropic drugs are increasing day by day. Alertness and focus are important to pull off an activity or task. So taking smart drugs helps to improve performance in several regular activities, which are mentioned below.
Exercise
While working out regularly, your brain functioning is extremely important. Exercise is the coordination of physical and mental abilities. Therefore, your brain health can make or break your workout routine. As mentioned earlier, utilizing your excessive brain power while working out makes your workout routine more productive. People who use smart drugs help with motivation, sharpness, and energy, which can improve your workout. It explains why smart drugs have become a popular part of pre-workout supplements. However, nootropic drugs using as a pre-workout supplement differ from conventional supplements.
Work
During 9 to 5 jobs, smart drugs help to multitask better with preciseness. Jobs associated with co-operate world, technology, and social media positions requires constant switching between work or task in most of the day. It can become hectic and increase mental strain as well as a hard time staying focused. Nootropic drugs for multitasking may help to enhance productiveness during work by improving attention, memory, energy, and alertness. Some studies show that training your brain can increase the processing of the prefrontal cortex. It helps with multitasking, but smart drugs enhance this training with a unique mechanism.
Academics
College-going students need empowered cognitive functions. They need to implement their immense amount of energy for attaining excellence in their academic tasks, which can leave them mentally exhausted. Particularly; when there is severe mental stress such as during exams. In such a case, nootropic drugs improve learning ability by boosting concentration and alertness. It also helps to increase brain energy. Nootropic drugs work to stimulate different chemical cycles in the brain. It works to optimize cholinergic status, catecholamine levels, and stress resilience. These chemical cycles or pathways enhance:
- Focus
- Energy
- Memory
- Mood
- Motivation
Some particular nootropics such as acetylcholine (ACh) efficiently help for learning, mental processing, and memory functions. This combination of cognitive functions helps the students to focus better during stressful times.
Do Smart Drugs Work?
Smart drugs are launched after detailed research and studies. The nootropic drugs act on certain parts of the brain and show agonist or antagonist activities on brain chemicals. This whole process works to keep a person attentive, focused, and alert for a decent amount of time. The most commonly used nootropics drugs are Provigil and Nuvigil. These are FDA-approved nootropic agents that help to enhance productivity by controlling sleepiness. The cognitive functions get improved after taking smart drugs. However, the common side effects of smart drugs are:
- abnormal liver function
- agitation
- anxiety
- back pain
- chest pain
- constipation
- decreased appetite
- headache
- depression
- diarrhea
There can be adverse symptoms if a person is already dealing with an underlying disease.
Moral And Ethical Issues Of Nootropic Drugs
Nootropic or smart drugs are explored by researchers, businesses, and doctors. Only because smart drugs are available easily is their use is ethical? There are no specific answers to these questions. Besides, the opinion of everyone over nootropic medicines is different. Few people think the use of smart drugs helps people try harder so that they can multitask. They also say taking smart drugs helps to harness brainpower.
Whereas; some people say that nootropic drugs come with advantages and disadvantages label. Due to such diverse opinions, the answers to ethical questions are complex. This whole topic carries a social and political burden. Globally, the usage and demand for nootropic drugs are increased due to their advantages of enhancing cognitive abilities. Everyone is well aware of the importance of improved cognitive functions in stressful conditions. It explains why people are using more and more nootropic drugs nowadays.
Some people debate that using employees using smart drugs helps to boost productivity but may hamper their health. Besides, some people feel using smart drugs can enhance more competition in this competitive world. In short, using smart drugs have different advantages and disadvantages. Every medication has pros and cons, and so do nootropics. It is essential to know whether you require such kinds of supplements. Those who feel the need should consult their health professionals before using smart drugs. Overall they are considered safe if used responsibly.