Nootropics: what they are, how they work and is it worth drinking

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Nootropics are magic pills that immediately turn a person into a genius. Or maybe not. The life hacker is figuring out whether it is possible to become smarter with the help of drugs.

What are nootropics

Nootropic drugs are drugs that activate the metabolism in nerve cells and improve thought processes.

Such drugs are being developed for patients with neurological problems. For example, for those who have suffered a stroke, suffer from epilepsy or Alzheimer's disease. They need to protect the brain from destruction and spur nerve cells to live at the same level as healthy people.

If you read the instructions for the drugs, it turns out that a person who takes nootropics thinks faster, learns better, remembers information and more easily tolerates high loads and stresses.

Therefore, nootropics are so interesting for students during a session and for simply healthy people who dream of overclocking their own brain and working in turbo mode.

Alyosha thought about it and did not know what to wish for. If they had given him more time, he might have come up with something pretty; but as it seemed to him impolite to make him wait for the king, he hastened to answer.

- I would like, - he said, - that, without studying, I always knew my lesson, no matter what I was asked.

Anthony Pogorelsky "Black hen, or Underground inhabitants"

Nootropics are different. First of all, real and not so much.

• The real (true) are those whose main task is to improve mnestic and cognitive functions. They pump the brain, and do nothing else.
• Not really nootropics. These are drugs with mixed effects. For example, some anti-anxiety and anti-seizure medications can help you think faster and be more productive.

There is no complete and generally accepted classification, because nootropics are not even considered everywhere even as medicines.

How nootropics work

Many nootropics act on neurotransmitters. These are substances with which nerve cells communicate with each other. Nootropics affect dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, acetylcholine. The drugs activate all of this chemistry to make it easier for the neurons in the brain to communicate with each other.

Also, nootropics protect nerve cells from destruction and eliminate the lack of oxygen, and at the same time simply increase blood flow and metabolic processes in tissues. Under these conditions, nerve cells work better.

The methods depend on the group to which the drug belongs.:

1. Derivatives of pyrrolidine. The most popular is piracetam. It works by improving blood flow and enhancing metabolic processes in the brain. It activates the work of neurotransmitters.
2. Dimethylaminoethanol derivatives. They enhance acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that is directly responsible for cognitive functions, that is, for learning.
3. Derivatives of pyridoxine - pyritinol. Strengthens blood flow in the brain and metabolic processes.
4. Derivatives and analogues of gamma-aminobutyric acid. It is also a neurotransmitter, but it is responsible for calmness. They were invented to beat stress, but not inhibit reactions like conventional sedatives.
5. Cerebrovascular agents. For example, the extract of ginkgo biloba - a tree that is resistant to everything in the world. It is assumed that the brain from this extract will become just as stable. …
6. Neuropeptides and their analogs. We have used such drugs in the ambulance, used in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, used in the treatment of strokes. Nobody can say exactly how it works - the instructions say that it is original.
7. Amino acids and substances that affect the excitatory amino acid system. Helps cope with stressful activities.
8. Derivatives of 2-mercaptobenzimidazole. Helps supply the brain with oxygen and withstand extreme stress and stress.
9. Vitamin-like products. For example, idebenone is supposed to improve the blood supply to the brain tissue.
10. Polypeptides and organic composites. The preparations contain amino acid peptites. The brain uses proteins similar to them to grow nerve cells. The drugs promote the growth and preservation of neurons, which is why patients should improve their memory and the ability to concentrate.

The action of nootropics is cumulative, that is, it accumulates. It takes from several days to several weeks to stir up biochemical processes, depending on the preparation. Therefore, nootropics are taken in courses. Swallowing a pill before an important meeting or exam is pointless, unless you start a month in advance.

And then, if only you believe in all these nootropics.

Do nootropics work at all

But this is a big question. Nootropics are very poorly researched, no one knows exactly how they work. Because there is no research on nootropics that would comply with the principles of evidence-based medicine. Those that do exist are not large enough - several dozen people participate in them.

This is due to the fact that abroad, where such research is already the norm, nootropics are food additives, they are not considered as medicines.

Take this seed. As long as you have it, you will always know your lesson, no matter what you are asked, with the condition, however, that under no pretext you say a single word to anyone about what you have seen here or will see in the future.

Anthony Pogorelsky "Black hen, or Underground inhabitants"

There are many Russian studies, but these are studies that are devoted to the use of a particular drug in practice. That is, the doctor prescribes the drug to a certain number of patients and summarizes whether it helped or not. There are many drawbacks to this approach, the main one is not the standard of evidence-based medicine. And at the same time, in many such reports of successful use, the manufacturer's hand is clearly visible, that is, an advertisement.

Even in clinical observations. reviews are mixed. … There are some improvements in patients, but insignificant.

Most of the disorders that should be treated with nootropics relate to higher nervous activity. Researchers and doctors can only record external results: how a person began to solve tests, how he began to talk, study, and so on. It is impossible to say for sure why the subject did not cope with the task: because the nootropic did not work, or because today he is more concerned about the fate of his beloved hamster. Many indicators are subjective. Some of the patients notice reactions, and some do not.

Until double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have proven that nootropics work, some of the improvement in patients can be attributed to the placebo effect or other drugs and factors. If you start to think better after taking nootropics, it is not known whether the nootropics are to blame or your belief that you are now smarter.

My personal experience only confirms all doubts. Nootropics were prescribed, medications helped. But besides nootropics, I had to take a lot more, rest on sick leave and go through a bunch of physical procedures.

Is it dangerous to be treated with nootropics

Nootropics have very few side effects. For some drugs, the instructions do not say anything at all, except for local reactions. It seems to be good, but it makes you think again: do they work at all?

But let's be honest: from taking nootropics there are undesirable consequences, mainly related to the nervous system - overexcitation, headache, dizziness.

Alyosha has become a terrible mischief. Not having the need to repeat the lessons that were given to him, at the time when other children were preparing for classes, he was engaged in pranks, and this idleness further spoiled his temper.

Anthony Pogorelsky "Black hen, or Underground inhabitants"

One of the most common side effects is withdrawal. With the abrupt withdrawal of drugs, the body begins to suffer. The effect manifests itself in different ways: headache, dizziness, lethargy, irritability, insomnia, and so on.

Therefore, the course of many nootropics ends smoothly, even if the effect of them is not felt.

To drink or not drink nootropics

The maximum that the nootropic will do (if it does) is to activate receptors, deliver substances or improve blood circulation. It may become easier for you to learn new information, but new convolutions will not appear from the medicine.

Alyosha blushed, then turned pale, blushed again, began to wrinkle his hands, tears from fear welled up in his eyes … all in vain! He could not utter a single word, because, hoping for a hemp seed, he did not even look into the book.

Anthony Pogorelsky "Black hen, or Underground inhabitants"

For healthy people, nootropics practically do not work in any way, unless you get a few side effects. In general, it is difficult to imagine why a healthy person needs medicines that do not have an evidence base.

If you want to jump above your head, pump your brain in the available ways:

• Learn, then the brain will train.
• Rest, then you won't need stimulants.
• Exercise, it will replace all medicines that improve blood circulation.
• Stop sticking to social networks and procrastinating, productivity will increase without any nootropics.

If you cannot concentrate, do not remember anything, do not sleep well and have difficulty absorbing information, change the regimen and go to the doctor who will find the reason and select the treatment.

Remember, if the doctor will not prescribe nootropics, this is a good doctor.