Smart Drugs: Are They Safe and Effective?

[FancyNut]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this but it's the closest.

I've heard about these 'smart drugs' for a while and I'm about to order a few samples of Piracetam and Lucidril and I don't think either of those (or any 'smart drugs' ) are approved by the FDA.

I just quit taking Paxil, which seems to be pretty big and prescribed by my doctor, and honestly it didn't help at all. I'm talking about anxiety and obsessive thoughts. =\

So what's the consensus on smart drugs? Dangerous? Worthless? Good?

I'm thinking if they were helpful, American drug companies would surely make their own and the FDA would approve them...

 

[misskitty]

You are right in thinking if the drugs really worked the drug companies would be all over that market.

Put your nose to the grind stone and really work towards gaining knowledge. You'll be happier in the long run because you accomplished something much bigger than you might have initially thought.

The "smart drugs" are a ploy to get money from people who are looking for the easy way out.

 

[juvenal]

There was an article in the WSJ about this a while back called:

"Pressed to Do Well On Admissions Tests, Students Take Drugs"

Unfortunately - you'll have to pay to read it - something like $3. Go to http://online.wsj.com/home/us and type "ritalin AND student" in the search box.

My overall impression, having read the article a while back, is that some of the drugs, like Ritalin, can indeed be helpful. This is not to say I encourage their use - I do NOT want to get into a stupid debate over whether it's right or wrong.

 

[erraticimpulse]

So what's the consensus on smart drugs? Dangerous? Worthless? Good?

I'd say somewhere between worthless and dangerous. I have strong doubts that drugs will have any positive impact. Just look at the current track record of any drugs that impact mental functions: zoloft, prozac, etc.

If you really want to take a supplement at least try something natural - like fish

 

[FancyNut]

If you really want to take a supplement at least try something natural - like fish

I thought my dad found me on the net.

 

[pt176900]

from first hand experience, they really don't do all that much. Specifically, I've used ritalin - my roommate has a prescription.

really all it does is keep you awake and leave you feeling strung out. therefore, i'd put it on worthless borderline dangerous

 

[juvenal]

from first hand experience, they really don't do all that much. Specifically, I've used ritalin - my roommate has a prescription.

really all it does is keep you awake and leave you feeling strung out. therefore, i'd put it on worthless borderline dangerous

I'd also like to mention that the WSJ article did say that Ritalin worked with varying degrees of success for different people. So your mileage may vary.

 

[erraticimpulse]

I thought my dad found me on the net.

Who says he hasn't!? just kidding

 

[matt.o]

don't take ritalin for study. it is a drug used to calm kids with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. For anyone else, it has basically the same effect as snorting speed (although it is more controlled). Do a google search on it.

 

[Townsend]

I have read that another side benefit of taking Creatine is that it improves your memory. I cannot say for sure if this is true or not but by all means do Google search and see what you make of it. I am not too sure there will ever be a drug that will help you think better but an improved memory couldn't hurt too much.


The best advice I think you will get I believe I am going to give you right here and right now. STAY HEALTHY! Your mind is a part of your body and therefore you cannot expect it to be working optimally if your body is not working optimally. Also take note that it is very easy to cause harm to your brain from environmental factors. I have read a lot of articles about the possible harms caused by cell phones and while there is no clear conclusion I would at least be aware of the potential harms.


Maintain a healthy diet and stay fit. Make sure your brain gets plenty of oxygen and keep a regular sleeping schedule. Also, I don't know for sure but I have reason to believe that a good environment psychologically can have a major impact on how well you are able to think. For example it might help to keep plants, art or whatever helps you to stay calm and in control around your study area.


And last and possibly the most important of all things to remember is that practice makes perfect. Think about it like this, if you’re just starting to play a game like baseball your skill as a batter will not be the best it can be. With practice you will get better and better and the same is true of just about anything you practice. If you spend most of your time in front of a television you can expect you will be good a watching television. If you spend most of your time playing basketball you will be good at that. If it is math and science you want to be good at then you should practice that as much as you can.


Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention, make sure you take some time to yourself and just relax and reflect. If you study seven days a week you will not learn as much as if you take at least a day off and just relax and reflect on the past week.


Just my two cents...I hope it is sound advice and that it will be of some benefit to you or perhaps someone else.


Regards
​

 

[Danger]

I just quit taking Paxil, which seems to be pretty big and prescribed by my doctor, and honestly it didn't help at all. I'm talking about anxiety and obsessive thoughts.

Can't speak to the other drugs, but Paxil was useless for me. I'm heavy ADD, for which you need an anti-depressant. Paxil is an anti-psychotic. Wellbutrin worked okay for a while, then I had to double the dose to 300 mg/day. After a while that lost a lot of effectiveness. Now I'm on 150 mg of Wellbutrin in the a.m. and 20 mg Citralopram in the p.m. and it's working okay. Since your symptoms are a couple of the ones that I had, maybe you were misdiagnosed?

 

[Evo]

I just quit taking Paxil, which seems to be pretty big and prescribed by my doctor, and honestly it didn't help at all. I'm talking about anxiety and obsessive thoughts. =\

If Paxil didn't work, you may need more than just an increase of serotonin (SSRI's). Also, you can have bad side effects from suddenly stopping the Paxil.

There are two drugs - venlafaxine (Effexor) & duloxetine (Cymbalta) which you should ask your doctor about. They are very different from other SSRI's such as Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac etc... I've heard good things about Effexor, you should ask your doctor about it.

These work not only on serotonin but also on norepinephrine, they are an SSNRI (Selective Serotonin & Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor). They seem to work for people that have not responded to drugs such as Paxil. They appear to help increase dopamine levels in the brain in addition to Serotonin.

Danger, they also work quite well for ADD, this may be an option for you, if the new combo of drugs you are on stop helping.

Here is a good page explaining venlafaxine. I really like this site, you may want to take a look around it.

http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/venlafaxine.html

 

[Danger]

Danger, they also work quite well for ADD, this may be an option for you, if the new combo of drugs you are on stop helping.

Thanks, but I think mine went the other way. Wellbutrin inhibits reuptake of seratonin, norepinephrine, glutamin and dopamine. It was strengthening the seratonin part (Citralopram is SSRI only) that helped. Everybody reacts differently though. A guy I knew a while back had been on Ritalin for over 20 years, and he was a bit messed up (well, he drank too). He put himself on St. John's Wort instead and was fine the last time I saw him. Who knows?

 

[Evo]

Thanks, but I think mine went the other way. Wellbutrin inhibits reuptake of seratonin, norepinephrine, glutamin and dopamine. It was strengthening the seratonin part (Citralopram is SSRI only) that helped. Everybody reacts differently though. A guy I knew a while back had been on Ritalin for over 20 years, and he was a bit messed up (well, he drank too). He put himself on St. John's Wort instead and was fine the last time I saw him. Who knows?

Yes, the ingredient bupropion in Wellbutrin is very weak in its effect on Serotonin, venlafaxine is stonger, duloxitine is strongest. But it's always trial and error with these drugs until one is found that helps, not everyone responds the same.

 

[Danger]

I just looked at the bottle. There's no 'r' in the first part of Citalopram...