Pressure to perform well on exams and obtain higher and higher education degrees has made a niche market for “smart drugs” among college students. Morgan Cain knows the pressure well. Cain,
a senior journalism student, was diagnosed with adult attention deficit disorder after his freshman year of college and was prescribed Adderall.
“I was just doing God awful in school,” Cain said. “I remember talking to a friend who said he got some (Adderall). I had tried it before, but I had never thought to get it prescribed.”
After two and a half years using Adderall and starting to see several negative side effects, Cain wanted to look for something else. He turned to an over-the-counter nootropic.
Nootropics, or “smart drugs,” are substances that enhance cognition and memory in an effort facilitate learning, said Tracy Skaer, a pharmacist at Washington State University. Caffeine is the most common type of nootropic, but nootropics can also include forms of Vitamin B, Omega-3 and ginkgo — edible plant leaves.
Supplements, such as coffee and amphetamines, work by increasing the speed at which messages are sent from neuron to neuron in the brain. Specific paths in the brain perform specific functions. A path in a straight line can mean “dog,” where a message that bounces in a zigzag could mean “cat.” These substances make the electrical messages move at a faster pace, which makes recognition and thought quicker.
Yet, there are no significant studies to prove how nootropoics work, if they work and how well they work, Skaer said. On the other hand, there is evidence suggesting that supplements are of no use for those without cognitive defects, she said.
“In other words, a college student taking ginkgo to improve their cognition for an upcoming test will not have improvement in their testing outcome,” Skaer said.
Nootropic companies advertise that their compounds improve aspects of mental function like working memory, motivation and attention.
“It does make you a little bit more alert, but it’s really subtle,” Cain said. “It allows you to make the decision to concentrate or focus on something easier.”
Cain said his concentration and drive are better when he uses nootropics and he thinks his memory has gotten better as well.
Nootropics are commonly bought and sold as over-the-counter dietary supplements. In other words, there are few studies conducted to test their efficacy or side effects, Skaer said.
“Dietary supplements are not approved by the FDA as medications are,” Skaer said. “As such, these products often contain substances in combination to promote the sales.”
Cain said he has experienced anxiety while using nootropics, but he said it had to do with the amount of caffeine he consumed.
“I had worked out that morning, so there was just too much caffeine in my system and I was all jittery and anxious,” Cain said.
By itself, Cain said he has never experienced any harmful side effects.
There are also prescription nootropics. Adderall, Ritalin and dextroamphetamine are all used to treat ADD, ADHD or another form of mental deficit. These are drugs that should not be used by anyone without prescription, Skaer said, as they can be harmful. They can increase blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature as well as decrease sleep and appetite, she said.
Skaer said abuse of these stimulants could also cause irregular heartbeats and arrhythmias, which could eventually lead to heart failure.
At the University of Idaho, 5 percent of students said they used Adderall illegally to preform better on tests, said Brian Dulin, student services coordinator at the Counseling and Testing Center.
Cain said while he was using Adderall, which was prescribed, he experienced heart palpitations after the drug wore off and had increased amounts of anxiety while using it and not using it.
Addiction, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), is another aspect of taking stimulants without a prescription. The addiction to these drugs most likely occurs because stimulants release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that causes feelings of pleasure, similar to meth, according to the NIDA.
“These medications are considered a DEA schedule II drug and carry a high abuse potential,” Skaer said. “There is a danger of addiction and those who are using them for cognition without a genuine medical problem such as ADHD are at extreme risk.”
Schedule II drugs are drugs that have a high potential for abuse, but have an accepted medical use in the U.S. Abuse of any schedule II drugs may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence, according to the Department of Justice.
Withdrawal symptoms do happen to some people who chronically abuse Adderall or other stimulants, according to the NIDA. Cain said he didn’t feel physically addicted while taking Adderall, but the first few months after he quit were a struggle with increased anxiety problems.
“It is a drug so you feel good when you’re on it,” Cain said. “But if anything, I felt better when I was off of it.”
In addition to being harmful, prescription stimulants such as Adderall “do not enhance learning or thinking ability when taken by people who do not actually have ADHD,” according to the NIDA. Those who abuse these drugs actually have lower GPAs than those who don’t, according to the NIDA.
“Looking back, if I would have changed anything, I would have taken it less,” Cain said. “I abused it a little bit. Like I would take it before I would go out and drink and I would like take it to go party and stuff.”
Cain now uses a nootropic called Limidax XR, an all-natural supplement. Cain said that unlike some of the nootropics he researched, Limidax provides links to clinical studies with their ingredients list. Every ingredient has a study, Cain said.
“If I need to get homework done or do something, I don’t have to rely on Adderall,” Cain said. “Obviously, I’m not getting the same effect where I can bust out a day’s worth of homework in four hours, but I’m still getting (stuff) done.”
Skaer doesn’t recommend students who want to improve memory and attentiveness use these over-the-counter supplements. Students should instead take a good multivitamin, B-complex and Vitamin D to promote their health, she said. They should also exercise, get good sleep and avoid depressants such as alcohol.
While Cain said nootropics are not some “smart pill or something,” he thinks they are safer than using prescription drugs, and nootropics are a healthier alternative to illegal Adderall usage.
“At least try it out,” Cain said. “It’s obviously not going to be as effective or potent as Adderall. But it’s either you’re taking Adderall and having it destroy your body or you’re taking nootropics that don’t work as well, and your body is not getting destroyed.”
David Betts | Blot