Find out which medications to use to boost brain performance and increase concentration. A few years ago, nootropic drugs were used quite rarely. Now the situation has changed and doping for the brain is used by various segments of the population. These medications are often used by, say, students and freelancers. The demand for these drugs is constantly increasing and according to available statistics, at this point in time, the share of nootropics in the global pharmaceutical market has already exceeded one billion dollars.
Note that this is a fairly natural phenomenon, because if there is an opportunity to use drugs that can become more attentive and smarter to a person, they will be used. Of course, it is necessary to ensure that the possible risks do not outweigh the benefits. Of course, using nootropics will still not be able to become smarter, but their positive effect on the work of the brain is difficult to dispute. No wonder these drugs are often called brain doping.
We have two news for you, as usual, one of them will be bad, but the second is definitely good. Let's start with the bad, so that when you learn about the good, you quickly calm down. Nootropics are relatively new drugs and research on their effects on humans is still ongoing. Many funds that can be purchased in our country today have not yet received scientific evidence of their effectiveness. However, many people talk about their benefits and this is undeniably good news. On the other hand, people can force themselves to believe anything.
How nootropics work
Let's find out how brain doping works, which will allow us to draw certain conclusions about the benefits of these drugs. We have already said that you should not expect that by using nootropics, you will become smarter. Perhaps, in the future, the level of development will come to this, making fantasy a reality (remember the film "Fields of Darkness"). At the moment, it is impossible to change the level of intelligence with pills without making any effort to do so.
Scientists don't yet fully understand how nootropics work. From this we can conclude that it is difficult to speak for sure about the correct use of doping for the brain in a healthy person. Speaking about the mechanisms of work of nootropic drugs, it should be remembered that this class includes substances with different pharmacological properties.
In fact, today any drug can be ranked as nootropics that, in scientific terms, is capable of producing a direct effect on learning, improving memory and mental performance, as well as increasing the ability of the brain to resist the aggressive effects of our environment. Agree that such a definition sounds rather vague.
Let's note the mechanisms of the work of drugs in this group, which have been proven in the course of scientific research:
- Blood flow in the brain is stimulated.
- The nutritional quality of the brain cells improves and glucose is absorbed faster, thus avoiding energy deficits.
- The oxygen starvation of the cellular structures of the brain is eliminated.
- The cognitive abilities of the brain are improved.
- The production of special neurotransmitters that improve memory and attention is accelerated.
Also, according to scientists, nootropics can normalize metabolism and improve neural activity. At the same time, they are spared many of the side effects inherent in psychostimulants. For example, caffeine helps to increase a person's concentration, but does not apply to nootropics.
How effective is doping for the brain?
Today, nootropic drugs are widely used in medicine to accelerate the recovery process after a previous stroke, treat clinical depression, etc. However, until now, these drugs have practically no scientific evidence of their effectiveness.
In prose, during the "blind experiments" (neither the doctors nor the patients know where the medication and the placebo are used) there were no significant differences between the investigational drug and the "dummy." Thus, some nootropics are still not considered medications. For example, in the United States, Piracetam, known to many, is considered to be a dietary supplement, not a medicine.
If you want to try out how brain doping works, there are two important points to keep in mind:
- Most often, when researching a drug, its specific property is studied.
- Not every nootropic is thoroughly researched.
At the same time, there are results of some studies that prove an increase in cognitive functions of the brain when using different (medical and non-medical) protocols for their intake. Also, people who used them speak about the effectiveness of certain drugs. You must remember that most nootropic drugs work very individually. If one person has gotten great results when using brain doping, then there is no guarantee that the same drug will affect other people in the same way. Do not forget about the cumulative effect (the results of application can only appear after a certain period of time) of many nootropics. This fact is one of the reasons that often the effect of a drug is simply impossible to track during its research.
Today we can talk about several groups of nootropics, which we will now talk about in more detail.
Safe and practically ineffective nootropics
This group should include various "brain" vitamins, for example, Glycine. It is an amine that plays an important role in various cognitive functions and can improve memory. At the same time, this substance can be synthesized by the body and the effect of additional intake of glycine is possible only with a deficiency of natural amine.
Effective and safe nootropics
There are practically no drugs in this group on the free market, or prescriptions are required for their purchase. Among the representatives of this group are, say, Adderall, Ritalin, Pramiracetam, etc. Note that some of them are banned in our country and classified as narcotic drugs.
Moderately safe and relatively effective
These drugs can normalize and increase blood flow in the brain, stimulate neurotransmitter processes, or prove to be a placebo. For example, Phenotropil activates the nervous system and increases concentration, while Phenibut has the opposite effect on the body and soothes the nervous system. It is recommended to use them for people who have problems with the blood supply to the brain.
If you want to delve into this topic in more detail, then on the net you can find resources that talk about the latest research in the field of nootropics. Now we want to share the results of a large-scale study in which 850 people took part. On the other hand, this was not in the usual sense of the experiment, since no drugs were used. People simply answered questions related to their own experiences with nootropics. As a result, the maximum scores were obtained by Adderall, Modafinil, Semax, Phenibut and Cerebrolosin. Note that the first two drugs in our country are classified as prohibited.
If you analyze the reviews about nootropics, then people's opinions about these drugs will turn out to be very contradictory. Intelligence is a very complex property of the human brain, the development of which, among other things, is strongly influenced by hereditary factors. Therefore, it is probably impossible to improve this ability solely by chemicals.
By using brain doping, you can improve your mental abilities, such as memory, for a period of time. However, this can lead to weakening of other brain functions and even cause serious addiction. Many people talk about the inexpediency of using nootropics not from a medical, but from an ethical point of view, considering it simply dishonest in relation to others.
It comes to the point that there are proposals to create special commissions in educational institutions that will catch students on doping for the brain. You don't need to worry, however, as modern nootropics cannot significantly improve a person's learning ability.
Scientists are constantly actively working in this direction, and they may be able to create a truly effective tool that can be safely called - doping for the brain. Modern drugs are not yet effective enough. What's more, many legally marketed nootropics are often found to be placebos. More powerful drugs that are prohibited for sale can have serious negative effects.
Nowadays, nootropics are most often created for use by people with cognitive impairments. If, during their study, during medical use, useful properties are not found, then most likely they will not produce the desired effect on a healthy person. Summing up some of the results of today's conversation, we can say the following - if you do not have problems with the brain and blood circulation, then you will not get significant effects from the use of modern nootropics. At the same time, we are not trying to dissuade you from using them, but simply told about the current state of affairs at the moment. The question of the advisability of using doping for the brain is up to you.
For more on ways to improve brain performance, see here:
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