We’ve all seen shows and movies like Limitless and been excited by the possibility of a drug that will unlock a part of our minds that we are incapable of accessing on our own. It’s been the stuff of dreams – to be capable of achieving academic greatness beyond our natural capabilities – until recently. The idea of ‘smart drugs’ is being marketed in our society as a way of achieving this elusive key to the rest of our mental capacity, however there has been some doubt about the actual abilities of these drugs. Can they really do what they claim they can? Or are they just another fantastic fiction created by Hollywood?

How Do You Differentiate Between the Types of Drugs?

Trying to differentiate between all of these drugs on the market is getting pretty difficult – and here’s why. Smart drugs are defined as drugs that are supposed to be able to improve your learning, focus, memory, and other cognitive functions. The most common smart drugs that you’ve probably heard of are Adderall (used for patients with ADHD) and Modafinil (used for patients with sleeping disorders like insomnia). These drugs were originally used to treat disorders in patients who were having difficulty functioning productively in society. However, through their use, it was ‘discovered’ that they had other benefits, though most of these supposed discoveries have yet to be backed by research. Here’s where things can get confusing. Nootropics are defined as any substance that can improve the health of your brain without doing harm. Before, this was used to describe natural substances. Now, however, it is being used to describe any brain boosting drug on the market – and since the term isn’t regulated that doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily safe. Unfortunately, not many are aware of this.

Do They Work?

As far as everyone can tell so far, these drugs do not work. It seems that these smart drugs are not the incredible ability boosting supplements we thought they were. In fact, they seem to parallel the movie Limitless more than we may have realized. It seems that some of the people who have used these drugs (especially drugs that were originally intended to be ADHD medications) are forming tolerances and needing to take more and more of the drug to achieve the intellectual high they’ve been chasing. Additionally, these people also seem to be forming addictions to the drugs and becoming dependent on them – certainly not characteristics of whole brain dominance. They’ve also been having some other unforeseen side effects. It seems that those who have opted for Modafinil instead of ADHD medications are experiencing insomnia as a side effect – quite concerning considering that this drug was intended to help patients with sleeping disorders. While many who use the drug see this as a benefit of the supplement, it is actually quite harmful. Sleep is necessary to give your brain the rest it needs to fully recover. Without it, you’re much less likely to function at your full capacity and are much more susceptible to illness.

Overall, it seems that there is just too much risk involved in taking these drugs to recommend them to the public. If you’re looking for ways to increase your brain productivity, try finding a more natural solution instead.