What is your view on Nootropics.

Well for those who do not know here is a little insight.

What do you guys think of these? Do you believe that our brains are the way they are for a reason? do you think that altering them throws off the perfect balance that evolution or God has (Which ever you believe , this is not meant to be discused unless you find a good reason) tuned our brains? Or do you think our brains the way they are , are imperfect? Should we be messing with this delecate design or leave it as is and let nature optimize it for us?

Edit:Also here is a good site to just check out and get an idea of what they claim to do. www.profiderall.com

 

I haven't read about these but anything that is going to throw your brain off it's normal balance (assuming the 'normal' balance of your brain is the average 'normal' balance for a human brain, because mental illness will throw it off.) will be bad. I will edit this post later when I read up some more.

 

Half the time they are fake, the other half it's just meth.
If they actually really existed that would be nice and I would support permitting them.

 

They are not fake half the time lol they are classified as nootropics for a reason . there are alot and you can create your own stack to best fit you . there is alot of forums dedicated to this.

 

Very ill-informed claim, almost as if you fabricated this yourself.

If anyone's watched that movie "Limitless", the NZT pill was an extreme example of a nootropic.

I am so glad you posted this topic! I have done excessive research on nootropic drugs for unsaid reasons, but my conclusion is that of negativity.

Adderall- Extreme temporary cognitive boost, alertness, etc. Decreased overall cognitive function after either an excessive dose or after average repeated doses for long periods of time.

Ritalin- Significant temporary cognitive boost, alertness, etc. Decreased overall cognitive function for above said reason.

Piracetam- Easily accessible, but not too effective in use unless taken in large dose, where you will experience the negative effects of both Ritalin and Adderall (Piracetam requires large doses to begin with, yet only yields slight cognitive boost)

Alpha GPC- So far the one that I definitely approve of for a long interval of time use. Properties include increased cognitive ability, better moods, and all that pretty much ties into a sense of clarity. It has to be taken after long periods of time, but it's nice It slowly improves your memory, alertness, etc, after right about 300mg doses after every so often. Used for recovering stroke patients, planned for use in Alzheimer's patient studies.

There are so many other nootropic drugs that scientists have classified, but these are some of the three "best ones", albeit Alpha GPC.

Nootropic drugs are okay only if used in small doses before a test I've only tried once, but never again for personal reasons It does help though for that short period of time.

 

I don't believe it's fake and I too would support permitting them, given the proper evidence.

 

Lol it's NOT fake.
Adderall, Ritalin, Piracetam. Everyone uses it. Wouldn't support ever, but it is NOT fake.

 

The issue then that is run with these drugs is when you take place in a competition that requires use of cognitive abilities, would they be banned and tested for because this is essentially an equivalent of steroids for the mind.

 

Yes this is true Nero. However there are some that have a positive impact during the early processes in their half-life. Some do have a negative impact on our brains.

 

If one Nootropic was banned, many supplements in our local pharmacies and vitamin shops would have to remove many products from the shelves. Most of these suppliers have a deal worked out with the FDA to begin with. This means that the FDA would end up damaging themselves financially in the long run. I remember last year the FDA tried to ban Piracetam. Companies like "Smart Drugs for Thought" and "Brain Works"(I think BW went out of business) were on watch by the FDA. They both have/had piracetam. This is clearly a supplement that heightens the communication between the two hemispheres of the brain allowing a form of balance. This balance is centered around the Corpus callosum. We learned that one side of the brain has the creativity creativity ability and the left side has the reading and writing ability. Anyways there is more to research on the specific Nootropic I consider to be safe legally, mentally, and physically. I read about this from a research document by "Smart Drugs for Thought" and more than enough recorded medical documents on Piracetam.

Also I know that I am able to communicate better with my teammates via headset while on the battlegrounds. I would say this is from the Caffeine working with the Piracetam. My verbal cognitive functions are maximized with this combo. I've heard of and read about many "Smart Drugs" or "Nootropics" (like noopept)fog state reality into ones visions. Just do your research before you jump into anything to say the least. Night

 

Hmm..Rise of the Planet of the Apes anyone?

Anywho, I'm not sure if I 'support' then myself.. A good number of my friends get prescribed a shit ton of Adderall, and they barely use it - they mainly just sell it for cash and other shit.. Why prescribe something like that if they don't particularly need it? I believe they have ADD btw.

 

Lol exactly like from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, except that was another extreme form as it replaced dead brain cells with live ones.

I am a prime example of the population that does not believe in ADD or ADHD except in extreme circumstances.

Anyway, Alpha GPC, in conjunction with Piracetam, & Hyperzine can cause photographic memory for an interval of time.

 

If you believe they have ADD, then Adderall has been proven to help with the condition. Some people argue the existence of ADD or ADHD at all, but that is a completely different subject.

I myself am strongly for the use of nootropics. I understand that Adderall and Ritalin are controlled because they are one molecule or so away from crack/cocaine, but I don't think that anyone using them should be looked down upon. The cognitive boosting ability of nootropics is VERY useful in a society valuing and requiring higher IQs more and more.
As a species, humans have surpassed evolution. The last "improvement" we needed through evolution was our brains. After that, we control evolution and have the ability to shape ourselves. This class of drugs, nootropics, are one way in which we are controlling the evolution of our bodies. Natural selection based on physical strength no longer takes place within our population, now the ones with higher IQs and smarts are the ones more likely to succeed and survive.

 

Comparing Nootropics to Recreational drugs is like comparing apples and oranges. I can say I have experienced adderall as a "recreational use" and for focus. Although it is FDA approved, I do find the side effects quite disturbing. The loss of appetite, depression on the down peak, dry mouth, and increase of sweat. These side effects can make any human being feel distraught. Besides that, what is up with the irregular heart beats? Can we say this is a legal form of meth or coke? It is listed as a scheduled drug and as an amphetamine. Not all Nootropics I have experienced are beneficial of course. I have tried huperzine and vinpocetine and there was no effect on me even at higher dosages. I can say that Alpha GPC(a form of potent choline) and Piracetam have allowed me to increase focus and heighten my abilities to retain knowledge when needed. They do have a half-life of 4-5 hours, so it does not last forever as you could think. Although the clear mind effects wear off, I have not experienced any adverse or negative side effects. I usually go with Neuro-Boost from Smart Drugs for Thought. My colleagues and I have tested this product to be 100% chemically pure piracetam. We typically buy Alpha GPC or CDP(another form of potent choline) at Vitamin Shoppe(let me know if you know a better place though). We all have used these nootropic supplements for STUDY and LEARNING purposes only. I can not back anyone up that claims they have used these supplements for recreational usage. Reason being is that I don't get a feeling from this stack but, I have experienced visual and mental clarity within the peak. It's great for studying and if you are watching informative media. I would also like to add that sounds and colors are somewhat electrifying at peak times. Still to this day I have not discovered any drug or chemical to unlock all parts of the human brain, although I would love to. I do agree with your statement about nootropic supplements increasing and improving the cognitive functions of our brain raptor, but I think we have a long way to go before the evolution of the human brain reaches the point of controlling the shape of how we look. haha that would be really neat though. Maybe we will do this through prosthetic, synthetic, and robotic engineering and science. Only time will tell what the future holds. *brain exhaustion* I think I'll go for a walk to jamba juice here lol. :laugh: I think my brain just strained from all of these scientific ideas. What if we become cyborgs one day and live forever =P j/k

 

Quoting yourself in your sig is pretentious, but I digress to the main point. These drugs change the way the brain functions by allowing more neurochemicals to be absorbed through the brains receptors. This is also the same effects of most of the scheduled narcotics. Take MDMA for example, the way MDMA works is that it allows more dopamine to be released and therefore absorbed which will give the user a sense of euphoria. Piracetam does much the same effect with different receptors, allowing for the quicker absorption of neurochemicals and I have read that it is like doing half a bag of crystal meth when it is compared for it euphoric properties. It seems along with these effects there are also some major side effects that commonly occur such as: abnormal dreams, cold symptoms, muscle cramps, irregular heart beat, depression, sexual dysfunction and several more commonly experienced negative effects.

Really, as I said before, the truth is that if something throws off the natural balance of a fragile system like the brain then it isn't going to be good. Marijuana usually doesn't have crazy short term side effects like hard drugs, but it does effect long term. The same can be said for anything that is going to stimulate the way the brain sends and receives chemical signals.

 

I am going to have to agree with Emporor_Nero.
Anything that is unnatural and adds an excess of certain component in your body will largely contribute to negative effects in the long run due to chemical imbalances.

Adderall becomes an "addiction" to those with ADD, as they are even worse at concentration than before they took it.

 

I just wanted to address this as baseless claim. Evolution is a constant process and just doesn't stop because we think we have the last component needed.

 

I didn't mean that shape us physically, although that may happen also. And, actually, the idea that we may become cyborgs and live forever is widely accepted in theoretical science communities. Our bodies, bags of chemicals are not very reliable and prone to breaking down. Having the efficiency and durability of machines with the intelligence of a human may in fact be the next step in our evolution.

Its true that these drugs effect the brain in certain ways and may cause damage, but used according to prescriptions and used correctly, medical doses of these drugs do not harm the brian that much. I'm sure you're familiar with the Kardashev scale. We humans, are still a Type 0 civilization, unable to control even the weather on our own planet. But we have already begun taking steps towards a Type 1 civilization, (The internet: a type 1 civilization's communication system, English being used globally, etc.) Does it not follow that if we one day, find a way to control our planet we will be able to control our bodies. Perhaps these drugs are our first steps to a future where all bodily functions can be controlled consciously through advances in medicine.

 

Evolution has stopped for the human species because with the brain we were given, instead of having to constantly adapt to the environment, we can now force the environment in our favor. A simple example is the population boom in Texas after the invention of the air conditioning unit.

A video of Michio Kaku, the co-founder of String Theory arguing the same: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkuCtIko798

 

Michio Kaku is a brilliant man but by no means an evolutionary biologist. We can control natural selection but it doesn't change the randomness in the system. Evolution will only stop when we can control how and where ever genes get assigned.

http://www.rmmj.org.il/userimages/7/0/PublishFiles/7Article.pdf

Edit: And comparing sociological changes to physical changes is, as someone said, comparing apples to oranges. In no way are they the same thing. Arguing the feasibility of an advancement isn't the same as the actual advancement. Anything can happen given enough time and the correct conditions; that is the nature of statistics. One day we'll travel to the moons of Jupiter, but the actuality of it currently is slim. One day we will be able to control every function of the body, but the current actuality of the move is slim. Besides that point there has been studies that have already proved that the drugs have negative side effects.