Anyone who has ever seen the movie ‘Limitless’ will easily appreciate the attraction of nootropics. These drugs offer the promise of increased intelligence, better concentration, improved memory, improved decision making ability, and increased creativity – who wouldn’t want that? The reality is though that the actual mental boosts provided by these substances tend to be modest, and there is a real risk when consuming these substances of undesirable side-effects.

The word ‘nootropic’ comes from the Greek language, and can be roughly translated as ‘to turn the mind’. It refers to any substance that is capable of improving cognitive functioning – this is why the term ‘smart drugs’ is also commonly used to refer to them. Many substances (e.g. caffeine) that would fall into this category would be considered relatively harmless, but there are much stronger smart drugs that have the potential of damaging physical and mental health.

Many nootropics currently fall into the category of nutritional supplements, so they are therefore not closely regulated (e.g. in the US they have usually not received FDA approval). This can mean these substances have not been properly tested as safe for human consumption.

Potentially the most harmful nootropics are drugs that have been designed to treat medical conditions. An example of this would be Modafinil which is sometimes prescribed for people with narcolepsy or other sleep disorders. It is the ability of this substance to produce a state of wakefulness that makes it attractive as a smart drug. Potential side effects of Modafinil include headaches, anxiety, insomnia, and dizziness. The risk of physical addiction may be relatively low (this is far from conclusive because there are currently very few studies into the dangers of long-term use), but there are reports of people who have developed at least a psychological dependence and who experienced withdrawals when they tried to stop.