Brain-enhancing drug regimens
source: http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/news/2008/04/smart_drugs
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- jcwelker
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Surprisingly large numbers of people appear to be using brain-enhancing drugs to work harder, longer and better. They're popping pills normally prescribed for narcolepsy or attention-deficit disorder to improve their performance at work and school.
"We aren't the teen clubbers popping uppers to get through a hard day running a cash register after binge drinking," wrote a Ph.D. research scientist who regularly takes a wakefulness drug called Provigil, normally prescribed for narcolepsy. "We are responsible humans."
The scientist works at the elite MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But because it's a legal gray area to use prescription drugs for off-label purposes -- like superhuman concentration at work -- the scientist asked not to be identified.
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drfresh
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Basicly! everything is bad for your mind and body now, so i dont see anything wrong with this.
Check the ingredients on a harmless bag of chips.
Theres msg (mono-sodium glutimate) in everything, and that supposively puts holes in your brain :)
Adderal and Provigil deffiantly do too. - 3 years ago
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drfresh
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Neghie
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LOL! defender of pants.
- 3 years ago
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Neghie
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stephenthomson
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as a general rule of thumb, take as few pills as possible. Your body knows what to do. sometimes you just have to slow down and listen to it.
- 3 years ago
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stephenthomson
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onabotpie
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It's disheartening for people that don't take uppers to do work. The playing feild in the work and education environment is set off balance making the choice to acheive things without them harder. I don't have a chance of making better grades than someone hyped up on legal speed all the time.
- 3 years ago
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onabotpie
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TheRedOne
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The problem with western meds is that they all have side effects.
Personally, I'm not into taking risks with unknown odds.
Our environment (land, water, air) have enough hazards for my body to try and detox from.
You can keep your encapsulated synthetic molecules. I'll take NADH (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NADH).
- 3 years ago
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TheRedOne
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DanielleN
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EVERYONE LOVES ADDERAL AT MY SCHOOL...ITS LIKE CRACK BUT ORANGE
- 3 years ago
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DanielleN
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observer2121
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Why are we so infatuated with WORKING harder? All this increased productivity is keeping unemployment high.
- 3 years ago
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observer2121
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Ricky84
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I’m with you Hawk and Gonzo. I truly believe the government should not be able to restrict what I do with my body. I just don’t think that it is appropriate for someone to take drugs in the work place. When I smoked pot I always told people that I’m not addicted and that I could stop at anytime. This is true when I became a certified crane operator I quit smoking pot with no problem. Just think of what I’m saying though. If you need to take a drug to do your job then you are DEPENDANT on that drug. You are now an addict because you need a drug to accomplish your job. The whole right to do drugs movement is founded on the assertion that people are capable of doing drugs responsibly. However there is nothing responsible about what I just mentioned. Just because you might do drugs doesn’t mean you should always defend the choice whatever the circumstance.
- 3 years ago
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Ricky84
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dr_gonzo
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I think that most authority figures are narrow minded when it comes to drugs, which is why someone would be hesitant to be identified when using a prescription drug off-label. I wish that some of these people could accept that not all use is abuse.
I believe in personal freedom; I think that what somebody does with their body is their choice, and I don't think that the government should act as gatekeeper for drugs that could be potentially beneficial to the public.
The current system of substance scheduling is perplexing. Relatively safe or potentially useful substances are placed in Schedule 1 -such as marijuana- deeming them medicinally worthless. Yet the drugs with the highest mortality rates are not even scheduled: alcohol and tobacco.
- 3 years ago
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dr_gonzo
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Merge9
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Any drug that made me do something better would lead to a dependency as once I stop taking the chemical I would be back to square one but worse. These drugs have side effects so you would have to weigh the benefits of this against the strong possibility of developing a dependancy on drugs with various side effects short and long term. I've often been tempted myself as I have mild ADD. Our society is now geared towards overstimulation and the kids are 'buzzed' out of their minds through TV, computers, adverts, bad diet, soft drinks etc. The answer I have found is I have to balance my energy through exercise and meditation (or any skilled relaxation technique) and diet. It I take care of those things I am able to focus and am not in overstimulation. When the excess energy is removed and the body tension relaxed the mind can focus again. I think If we spent some time teaching this stuff to people rather than getting all these kids hooked on pill popping we'd be on the right track. The problem is this stuff does take some work and people want instant gratification.
Saying all this - of course, there are people for whom the Ritalin etc is essential and there life is better with than without.
- 3 years ago
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Merge9
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Hawkmang
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Ricky84, you make a very good argument. (Sorry Ted, you might be right, but you will never be Jimi). :-)
I am going to have to put the idea of the recreational-pill-popper-suing-the-drug-company in the shame-on-you-fast-food-restaurant-for-making-me-eat-the-junk column. If someone wants to treat their body like a cesspool then they reap all the fun things that come with it. Whatever happened to personal accountability? Drug companies have a responsibility to publish what their drugs risks are but "We the people" have our own responsibility to take care of ourselves. The courts really should just throw a frivolous lawsuit like that out. If somehow a lawsuit was successful and crippled the drug company it wouldn't necessarily cause a spike in the price of the drug. It might in fact open up the market for a competitor to bring in a similar product that might not cause tumors.
As lp.org eloquently states, "All individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose."As far as "Johnny scientist" goes, sure, if his institution isn't comfortable with him using the stuff by all means fire him.
- 3 years ago
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Hawkmang
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DefenderOfPants
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i took a provigil once. i ended up reorganising my girlfriends bookcase. twice.
- 3 years ago
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DefenderOfPants
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Ricky84
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Ok Hawkmang what happens twenty years down the road when you have a tumor from popping Adderral every two hours? Are you and a bunch of your pill popping friends going to sue the drug company? Yes, so that means the people who are actually prescribed his medicine have to pay a higher price cause their drug company just got hit by a class action suit. I can’t believe someone would even poise the question of if this is ok. Of course its not. Johnny scientist is not the only person who can do his job. They need to find someone else who is qualified who doesn’t require the abuse of a drug. At the risk of sounding like a boob I’m going to say it. Ted Nugent was right, you don’t have to be sky high to pull off an awesome guitar riff.
- 3 years ago
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Ricky84
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Hawkmang
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Quick, send a truckload of the "brain steroids" to the White House!
And sagewho, I completely agree. Absolutely no one should have the ability to tell us what we can and can not do with our own bodies as long as we aren't causing harm to anyone else.
- 3 years ago
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Hawkmang
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alexandra_opny
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Research Scientists? Elementary School Teachers? These folks that are using "brain steroids" certainly don't fit the typical description of drug addicts.
- 3 years ago
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alexandra_opny
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guntown_kid82
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I think if we changed our abstinence-only drug education, we could promote responsible under-the-counter drug use.
- 3 years ago
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guntown_kid82
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RonenA
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Its like drugs - if you need chemical enhancement to make yourself happy (or in this case more productive), you should rethink what you're doing.
- 3 years ago
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RonenA
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lifestudentno83
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There's no difference between these pill-popping professors and their teen counterparts besides a Ph.D in complete BS.
As professors they should set a better example this and drink coffee instead.
- 3 years ago
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lifestudentno83
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sammycorrado
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to tell you the truth i wouldn't mind a try.
- 3 years ago
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sammycorrado
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515dsm
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I cant believe this guy is encouraging this crap. You walk into a school and you feel like all these kids are zombies because of this crap
- 3 years ago
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515dsm
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sagewho
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i still dont understand why something like this is frowned upon. As long as a person doesnt harm anyone else, i dont see why anyone has the right to say what they can and cant do. If you want to put yourself at risk, in any manner, it should be your decision, and yours alone. Pop them pills my friends, if thats what your heart desires.
- 3 years ago
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sagewho
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Auddy
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Despite short term remedials, all drugs in the long run do more harm than good. No ONE, even the so called senior scientists can compete with nature--human body. The medical configuration has for years pretended to understand operations of the Human body and has been successful based on hypotheticals.
I know drugs like prozac and Ritalin have a profound affect on brain---you stay awake longer etc--but dependence on these drugs lead to unfathomized long term effects
- 3 years ago
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Auddy
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iknew
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this goes right along with: "I can stop anytime, I just don't want too!"
- 3 years ago
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iknew
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mbeck07
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They do work well but if they are not prescribed to you then its more likely that you will get addicted. So if you do decided to pop pills then my advise is to be very careful.
- 3 years ago
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mbeck07
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BooksBrown
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i'm afraid to try an of these drugs out of fear they might work too well.
- 3 years ago
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BooksBrown
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danfrancisco31
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adderall is very popular at school. And it helps
- 3 years ago
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danfrancisco31
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Argon18
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Break out the Ritalin it's going to be a bumpy night
- 3 years ago
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Argon18
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Wessagusset_Oracle
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ADDERALL for everyone!
- 3 years ago
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Wessagusset_Oracle
