There are umpteen different types of dietary and herbal supplements on the market today. You can buy many of these supplements legally and without a prescription at any General Nutrition Corporation (GNC) store. You can also purchase them online.The terms “dietary supplement”, “herbal supplement”, and “nutritional supplement” all sound innocent enough. However, many herbal supplements have not been tested for human use, and they are not regulated by the FDA. Almost everyone who uses these supplements believes they are safe. However, because we know so little about them, they have the potential to be addictive, to have unpleasant side effects, and to bring on withdrawal symptoms if suddenly discontinued. The most popular supplements these days are the nootropics. These supplements are said to improve brain function. Nootropics are often confused with “smart drugs”, but there is a big difference between the two.

What Are Smart Drugs?

Smart drugs require a prescription and include medicines like Ritalin and Adderal that are used to treat a mental or cognitive disorder like ADHD. Smart drugs can be addictive. They often have unpleasant side effects, and when discontinued, they can bring on a host of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

What Are Nootropics?

Unlike smart drugs, nootropics are non-prescription OTC formulations that may contain herbs, vitamins, minerals, and other natural or synthetic ingredients. Nootropics reportedly increase, improve, and enhance cognition. In other words, they produce clear thinking. Studies and research related to nootropics over the last 40 years is in short supply. However, anecdotal evidence, user reports, recreational use, and new applications suggest that nootropics do, in fact, enhance attention, increase brain function, help with concentration, and improve focus.

If you are looking for a way to get high from dietary supplements, and the high you want involves enhanced brain function, one of the nootropics can probably give you what you want. Nootropics are already being used to help those with Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, ADHD, and related cognitive disorders to think more clearly.

Where Did Nootrophics Come From?

The first nootropic drug was created in 1963 by a Belgian pharmacologist named Corneliu E. Giurgea. He named this drug piracetam and found that it had a positive, stimulating, and enhancing effect on the brain. Unlike smart drugs, nootropics appear to be neither toxic nor addictive. It is believed that these supplements can even be taken regularly over long periods of time with no side effects as long as they are used as directed. After Giurgea created piracetan, other nootropic drugs soon followed. Each one differed slightly from the others, but all of them improved and enhanced cognitive functioning.

Do Nootropics Have Side Effects?

The problem with nootropics is that although their stimulating effect on the brain has been widely reported, there is very little information about how these supplements actually work, what they do, and how they affect brain function over time. We do know that nootropics stimulate the release and concentration of certain neurotransmitters in the brain and that these neurotransmitters affect thinking and cognition in a variety of different ways.

Are Nootropics Safe To Use?

Not enough is known about nootropic drugs to guarantee that they are safe. One of the dangers of these supplements is that the ingredients and actions of one brand of nootropics may be quite different from those of another brand. Additionally, users have reported unpleasant side effects when combining nootropics with other medications.

At this point, nootropics appear to be safe and to do what they are supposed to do. Users report very little in the way of side effects and/or withdrawal symptoms. If improved brain function is your cup of tea, then you can definitely get high from dietary supplements. However, the old adage should always apply: Let the buyer beware.

http://www.smarternootropics.com/newbies-guide/define-nootropics/
http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2015/03/02/potential-dangers-of-nootropics-what-to-consider-before-using-smart-drugs/
http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2014/11/smart-drugs-vs-nootropics/
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ddr.430020505/abstract
http://nootriment.com/what-are-nootropics/
http://www.dualdiagnosis.org/smart-drugs-nootropics-the-next-drugs-of-abuse/