This is Your Drugs on Brain

The writers at The Great Brain Robbery contribute to other blogs, including one that has, shall we say, a more robust editing process. The topic this week for that blog is nutrition and the brain; what foods are good for the mind, and how does one enjoy those benefits. You know, things like antioxidants from chocolate, B vitamins from fish, folic acid from legumes, vitamin E from buts and seeds. All of these nutrients make for a healthier brain.

One of the editors for that blog suggested perhaps saying a few things about nootropics, aka “smart drugs.” We’ve heard of those, of course, but we don’t know much about them. Are they for real, do they work, are they safe, is every blog that discusses them required to mention that Bradley Cooper movie?

So we grabbed our grains of salt and went looking, Turns out there’s a healthy, vibrant nootropic culture out there, ready to bring you in if you want to start popping a few pills to make yourself smarter. We are happy to report that our initial searches took us to informative websites, (as opposed to websites merely shucking tablets for profit).

The purpose of this blog post is not to be an exhaustive overview of nootropics, nor a basic nootropics 101. Rather, we’d like to point out a few things about what we’ve read so far.

1. Buying prescription drugs from other countries is illegal. We’re not trying to police you, but we do want to point out that the reason why drugs are prescribed is so that dosages can be tailored to the individual, and so that a system of liability can be in place to mitigate unfortunate consequences. Simply put, buying controlled substances online is a gamble, and not worth taking.

2. Over the counter supplements are unregulated. This means that a pill in one bottle may not be the same as a pill in another bottle. But this is case with anything that does not qualify as a “drug,” and so if you trust a certain brand, stick with that brand. Bargain shopping when it comes to supplements can be very tricky.

3. Nootropics are not cure-alls, nor are they meant to be If you suffer from poor nutrition, bad sleeping habits, undue stress, or significant psychological disorders, popping some piracetam is not going to help you. That nootropics are “supplements” should be your guide—they work best if everything else is working well. They should supplement, not replace, good habits.

The gist of all this is: when in doubt, don’t do it. Our research suggests that the people who can take nootropics with the least risk are those who probably don’t have an overwhelming need for them.

Nevertheless, we are not suggesting that you just say no to nootropics. Rather, we encourage you to do what we did: research. Take your grain of salt, look for counter-arguments to every claim you find, and decide for yourself. And in all things, moderation.