Modafinil/Smart Drugs

grizzleb

Well-known member
Been reading about these recently, was thinking about getting them for some 'extra help' when studying for exams.

Anyone ever tried them? Anybody think it's wrong to use such drugs?
 

4linehaiku

Repetitive
Uni acquaintance of mine had one of these completely fictitious spoilt-brat American 'disorders' that got her a prescription for Adderall in the US. I am assured that it is "like Ritalin but like, totally way better". Turned her into a fucking zombie every exam period / assignment deadline / etc, but seemed to do the trick as I think she got a first in the end. I recall her crushing them up and snorting them which does rather undermine any claims of legitimate medical use.
A friend tried them once and wrote an essay for like 12 hours straight right through the night, no breaks, no distractions, no tiredness. Just pure chemical focus. Sounded pretty effective.

Actually I just looked up Modafinil and I guess it's a a lot less extreme. Same basic idea though, chemical mental performance enhancement.
Probably a bad idea all in all though, not advocating it etc etc.
 

grizzleb

Well-known member
My attitude is basically that of 'fuck it', it's probably stupid and probably more than not a placrbo effect - but placebos work! I take drugs for everything else, why not for study?
 

mixed_biscuits

_________________________
I have used a brain-training game that has been used to treat ADD in children - nothing to ingest yet effective nonetheless.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Uni acquaintance of mine had one of these completely fictitious spoilt-brat American 'disorders' that got her a prescription for Adderall in the US. I am assured that it is "like Ritalin but like, totally way better". Turned her into a fucking zombie every exam period / assignment deadline / etc, but seemed to do the trick as I think she got a first in the end. I recall her crushing them up and snorting them which does rather undermine any claims of legitimate medical use.
A friend tried them once and wrote an essay for like 12 hours straight right through the night, no breaks, no distractions, no tiredness. Just pure chemical focus. Sounded pretty effective.

Adderall is literally just speed, there's nothing remotely 'smart' about. Pretty effective though, I'd have thought. Sounds like your friend was lucky - I've heard of other people using speed to stay up and write essays, and at the time they're like "Oh my god, this is amazing, I'm on fire here, this is the best stuff I've ever written!" and then looked at it the next day after they've come down and slept a bit and it's actually just nonsense.

Actually I just looked up Modafinil and I guess it's a a lot less extreme. Same basic idea though, chemical mental performance enhancement.
Probably a bad idea all in all though, not advocating it etc etc.

I think Modafinil is fairly mild, it's meant to have fewer side-effects than caffeine. A mate of mine uses it to perk herself up at work when she's got a hangover, she swears by the stuff.
 

4linehaiku

Repetitive
Oh and also...

Adderall is literally just speed, there's nothing remotely 'smart' about. Pretty effective though, I'd have thought. Sounds like your friend was lucky - I've heard of other people using speed to stay up and write essays, and at the time they're like "Oh my god, this is amazing, I'm on fire here, this is the best stuff I've ever written!" and then looked at it the next day after they've come down and slept a bit and it's actually just nonsense.

autaux
 

oblioblioblio

Wild Horses
I have used to a reasonable degree piracetam, centrophenoxine and hydergine. as well as other things in this area like ginkgo, and obviously tea and tobacco (though these last ones are probably not so worthy of mention).

I used the nootropics whilst studying for some exams but it was a last ditch attempt to learn stuff which I had being paying zero attention to all year and also had very little interest in. in this situation they substances were the opposite of useful.

I have had some better effects from using them to understand things which I already have a reasonble grasp of, and that I am not under ridiculous time pressure to understand. Used in the right doses (for me, quite low.. esp w/ hydergine (and this one I do not use so often)), I feel they can enhance my capacity for learning, my excitement for engaging with certain kinds of material and some other things.

I do not feel 100% comfortable taking them though. There has been very little scientific research, and also I thinkk they benefit from repeated expsoure, rather than just once off dosages, and I am quite uncomfortable altering my brain chemistry like this, even though the substances are very non toxic.

Also I had an incident on a plane that was not fun. piracetam + high altitude is a very unhealthy mix it would seem.

I think Albert Hofman was a big fan of hydergine.
 

oblioblioblio

Wild Horses
ooh, also these substances can make me less desirous of nicotine and to a lesser extent caffeine. i think they play around with similar brain receptors to the ones that nicotine do (acetylcholine). I am more likely to be irritable when using piracetam et al I find.

I don't think there is too much to loose from doing a little trial run to see if it fits your personal chemistry/lifestyle.

There are some useful resources around on the internet I think.
 

nomadthethird

more issues than Time mag

Very interesting...I would agree with this guy if we lived in an alternate universe where long-term recreational amphetamine use wasn't associated with so many horrible, detrimental effects on health.

1) high BP

2) increased risk of heart attack

3) increased risk of stroke

4) liver damage

5) cognitive side-effects/deficits

6) decreased immune response

7) increased risk of hepatitis infection

Believe me, if I could get back the brain cells that meth and adderall stole from me, I'd happily give back every "good" paper I ever wrote on it.

I'd be reeeally careful messing with medical grade fluoroamphetamines...at least if you do that, get a digital scale that weighs to at least the hundredth place and be precise about your dose.
 
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mixed_biscuits

_________________________
I've experimented recently with overwork.

A few months ago, I decided to test how much sustained (ie. no breaks of greater than 30 seconds), serious thinking I could do: I completed about 3000 grammar problems over two days and then a string of Maths puzzles on the third. Result: a very odd feeling in the top of my head, difficulty in walking upright (ie. I was tending to tilt to one side), nausea when having to process anything even vaguely cerebral for two days afterwards (reading, even watching the telly) and slightly garbled speech. Moral of the story: don't do it again.

A couple of days ago, I tried to test the limits of memorisation on one of those spaced repetition things. 2000 words repped over two days (ie. speeded forced recall). Towards the end of the second round of reps on the second day I was feeling distinctly agitated and it felt like my brain was attempting to escape. Immediately afterwards: the same odd feeling in the top of my head, language incomprehensibilities (slight babbling), bouts of dizziness...BUT, in the evening, improved performance on memory game and more lucid thinking. Also, seem to have memorised about 1400 of the words. Conclusion: no bloody idea.
 
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