Tea, coffee, Coke, Red Bull, or Pro Plus: these are the saviours of the late night library session and the last minute revision cram. Caffeine is the world’s favourite legal drug and a normal part of the student existence; without it 9:15 lectures would surely attract far smaller audiences.
In reasonable amounts it is proven to enhance mental activity as well as the obvious consequence of warding off sleep. Yet a new market has begun to emerge in some British and American universities to rival the dominance of caffeine: the market for so called ‘smart drugs’, or Nootropics as they are scientifically known. This is the classification given to any type of drug or supplement that has the capacity to enhance memory, brain power or concentration. Many of these drugs also have the dual function of preventing sleep for long periods, allowing students to stay awake and study for longer. The most commonly used ‘smart drugs’ are prescription ADHD and narcolepsy medications such as Ritalin, Modafinil and Adderall.
Since ‘smart drugs’ are being used for off label purposes (not for the problem they were prescribed for), their affects on different people vary a great deal. Ritalin, or Methylphenidate, is commonly prescribed in the UK for the treatment of ADHD, narcolepsy, and in some cases other problems such as depression. Chemically, it is similar to cocaine, although the effects and comedown are far milder. In terms of enhancing cognitive activity, Ritalin is proven to increase alertness, attentiveness and concentration. This means that it can be taken at night in order to ensure concentration levels remain high and to stave off tiredness. It is often sold on the black market by students who are legitimately prescribed it for ADHD. Despite Ritalin’s positive merits, the list of possible side effects include heart palpitations, paranoia and anxiety among others. The long term effects of Ritalin dependency are widely unknown, but have been known to include depression, psychosis and addiction. Although it has a useful medical value, outside of a prescription it is categorised as Class B drug in the UK because of its potential for abuse. Non-medical possession can result in a maximum 5 year prison sentence and an unlimited fine.
Adderall is a derivative of amphetamine salts, also prescribed both for attention and sleep disorders, which is not distributed in the UK but widely prescribed in the US. It is used by students in the same way as Ritalin, either taking it at night to stay awake and study or during the day to aid concentration. The effects are slightly stronger than Ritalin and can last for several hours. Whilst it is illegal in the UK, a simple Google search will reveal that it is not exceptionally difficult to get hold of. Adderall is potentially dangerous to combine with alcohol since it prevents tiredness and the depressant effects of alcohol. This may make it difficult to determine how drunk you are, leading often to alcohol poisoning.Additionally, since it is amphetamine based it has the potential to become highly addictive; for this reason it is a Class B controlled substance in the UK. In a small number of cases taking Adderall has resulted in sudden death or stroke due to its stimulant effects on the heart.
Modafinil is perhaps the most unusual of the ‘smart drugs’ since its main purpose is to enable people to go without sleep for long periods of time with limited initial side effects. Both the British and American military have conducted research into its usefulness in combat, with one study showing that a pilot could continue flying for 40 hours without sleep, showing no signs of decreasing alertness. While some students claim it improves concentration, there is in fact limited scientific evidence for this; its main function is to enable long periods without sleep.
In 2004 Modafinil was prohibited in sport since it allows athletes to perform to exhaustion. Since it isn’t amphetamine based and not considered to have the potential for widespread abuse it is not a controlled substance in the UK. Modafinil is legally available to buy online in the UK for around £2.50 per tablet under the name of ProVigil. Yet, as with other ‘smart drugs’, it does not come without the possibility of side effects, such as headache, nausea, nosebleed, confusion and difficulty seeing. Additionally, the consequences of no sleep for 40 hour periods can be severely detrimental to health.
The exact percentage of students who actually regularly use ‘smart drugs’ is somewhat unknown. Chad*, a visiting student from the University of Massachusetts, claims that 50% of students on his Biomedical Sciences course have taken ‘smart drugs’. “It’s just a part of college life”, he says. A survey by the National Centre on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) of 119 American universities found 6.9% of students were long term users of non-prescribed stimulants, whilst the number who had taken them in before ranged from zero to 25% dependent on university.
For comparison, the number who smoke marijuana heavily (at least 20 days in every month) is around 4% whilst an estimated 8.2% of American students use illegal drugs other than marijuana at least twice a month. Evidence of use in British universities is so far mostly anecdotal; however estimates from The University of Cambridge suggest that ‘smart drug’ use is indeed increasingly popular, whilst at York, Nouse’s 2009 article on Modafinil remains one of their most read online. The ‘smart drug’ phenomena is evidently present and is on the rise in some University campuses. The popularity of these drugs has led many academics to call for further research into their possible positive and negative effects on the healthy. A study by the International Weekly Journal of Science argued that since the numbers of ‘smart drug’ users were increasing, in-depth research is the only sensible option to move towards the responsible use of cognitive enhancing drugs by the healthy.
Whilst most performance enhancing drugs are banned in sports, there is argument among medical professionals over whether taking ‘smart drugs’ to improve exam performance ought to be considered cheating. There are the obvious legal penalties for possession of illegal prescription drugs; however the moral consequences are less clear. This subject has been heavily debated by the British Medical Journal (BMJ); particularly focussing on Ritalin as it is the most widely abused.
The main question raised by the BMJ is how far human enhancement can be taken before it is considered ethically wrong. Humans have evolved rapidly in the last two hundred years because of physical improvements such as better diets and healthcare, as well as inventions such as electricity. Higher energy levels from better quality food and electric light have already enabled people to work at night, giving them an advantage over those who choose not to.
Similarly, many parents already take steps to try and improve their child’s mental capabilities by playing them classical music or paying for extra tuition. It would be irrational to be against the creation of advantage and cognitive improvement, but is it unethical to attempt to enhance mental capabilities through drugs? The current policy of British universities is that students should not experiment with ‘smart drugs’ since the issue of drug abuse is very serious and anyone who felt pressured enough to take them ought to speak to their GP or guidance service. The jury is still out amongst medical professionals.
Although stimulants have been used to stay awake and improve concentration for many years, ‘smart drugs’ still have a long way to go before they reach the same levels of acceptance as coffee or Red Bull. The current lack of studies on possible side effects on the healthy, as well as the illegal nature of some ‘smart drugs’ suggests that they are currently an unsafe option for students wanting to do better in exams. However, if thorough research is conducted, and combined with the creation of drugs that are specifically designed for improving the cognitive performance of healthy people, ‘smart drugs’ might be the next step in human evolution.
*Names have been changed.