Neuroscientists say there has been a recent rise in the number of students using so-called “smart drugs,†which makers claim boost energy and increase focus.
The drugs, such as Ritalin and Modafinil, are prescribed legitimately to some patients, but can be purchased illegally online, for example.
But do they work? And are they safe?
New York-based neuropsychologist Sanam Hafeez told CTV’s Your Morning that the pill makers claim they are “cognitive enhancers,†and have become “all the rage†among students and the tech community in Silicon Valley.
“A lot of people think they’re a substitute for something like Adderall,†Hafeez said in an interview on Tuesday, referring to the medication typically used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
A 2015 study conducted by the Harvard Medical School and the University of Oxford found that Modafinial did indeed improve cognitive skills that involved complex task.
But Hafeez says the research on the drugs “is not very sound,†and she’s urging potential consumers to be “careful†about what they’re putting into their bodies.
“The average consumer is not looking into the research or the actual study behind the claims,†she said.
Hafeez, who is clinic director of Comprehensive Consultations Psychological Services says the research behind smart drugs is “very misleading,†particularly because the populations being tested are “not reflective of the average population.â€
A common ingredient in so-called smart drugs, Hafeez said, has been shown to reduce forgetfulness, but in Alzheimer’s patients. “That’s not true for you and me.â€
Some of the ingredients common to the smart drugs are not necessarily harmful, Hafeez says, including some which are “basically caffeine.†In small dosages, she said, “all that it’s really doing is keeping you awake, more alert.â€
But others are “serious substances†that are controlled by the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S.
So in some places, these drugs have been seized, because they have ingredients that should be regulated by government agencies but are being put as trace amounts or significant amounts into these smart drugs,†Hafeez said, adding the average consumer should not be taking them unprescribed.
There are many “smart drugs†currently available on the market, in varying levels of legality and with varied natural or engineered chemical compositions.
The drugs are often a “supplement blend,†Hafeez said. “You don’t know what the blend has, so you have to be really careful.â€
Besides, Hafeez said, there is no pill that will enhance cognitive function.
“What research has shown to be effective, more so, is exercise that improves your cardiovascular health,†Hafeez said.
She added that getting outside your comfort zone, learning a new language and multitasking have been shown to increase memory and attention as well as cognitive function.
“If you want to improve cognitive functioning, a good night’s sleep does more for you than a pill that you can pop,†she said.
“Because if it was that easy, we’d all be Einsteins.â€
