#elorejon

elorejon asked you:

How do you feel about nu-tropics? I think its spelled that way. I.E. Alpha Brain from onnit labs?

You meant "nootropics", just to clarify. And since you were giving an example, you also meant "e.g." (exempli gratia) but that's for another question/answer :)

Nootropics are "cognitive enhancers", and have existed for about 40 or 50 years. They usually act by modifying the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain or affecting the brain's overall metabolism. Like Alpha Brain, they are now sold as recreational brain aids, and they are increasingly popular. Some people are even calling for anti-doping tests on campuses.

But if you expand on that original definition, there's lots of pharma drugs that fit the bill as "nootropics". Anyone who has ever set foot on a high school or college campus knows that drugs like Ritalin and Adderall are a text message away for anyone who wants them. People pop 'em like Skittles. What you really want to know is should you take them?

I'll make my view very clear off the bat: I say you shouldn't take anything that's going to modulate your brain chemistry that isn't prescribed to you or directed by a medical professional. Of course, that isn't going to be very effective advice for most people, and there's plenty of drugs (like alcohol) that break that rule outright. I break that last rule on a regular basis, as we all know by my love of whiskey.

The simple fact is that playing with your neurotransmitters is like playing with synaptic fire. Your brain is a delicate and carefully orchestrated ballet, where the sum of millions of chemical signals must act in concert to provide you with a whole and productive consciousness. If you've got a problem with your synapses, then get it treated. But messing with those levels willy-nilly, or giving your body reason to change them, can have very real and dangerous effects, from temporary fatigue to mild psychosis. Some people could have a bad trip almost immediately, and some people can avoid effects for years.

The good news is that science says there's natural ways to enhance your cognitive function without unproven drugs. You can improve your long-term intelligence well into adulthood with a bit of training. 

Bottom line: These are very peculiar drugs developed for very specific neurochemical imbalances. If you take them for other reasons, or reasons that haven't been fully tested, you're doing it at your own risk. Those risks are very real, even if the enhancing effects are real too.

If there's a day in the future where a perfect cognitive enhancer is developed, with no side effects and safety tested out the wazoo, then I would take it in a second. But today is not that day.