
The world’s first true “smart drug” enhances cognition - prostoalex
http://qz.com/485020/the-worlds-first-true-smart-drug-enhances-cognition-and-is-deemed-safe-by-health-experts/
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bcheung
It's not really new. It's been around for a while.

These are my personal experiences. I only take it about once or twice a week
on average. I've heard that you can build up a resistance and it becomes less
effective over time. I only take it when I have something I'm working on and
want a boost.

It removes the brain fog and gives you a very slight euphoria.

It is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor but that is not the only or primary
mechanism that makes it work as a cognitive enhancer. You feel very motivated
and focused.

Just make sure to take it first thing in the morning or you won't be able to
sleep that night.

It is not addictive and doesn't have a crash.

At least for me, it has a similar effect as when you boost testosterone
through exercise with heavy weights or abstaining from any sexual activity
(increased motivation and focus).

That being said, the most overlooked and most effective cognitive enhancers is
SLEEP!

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icelancer
This is random blogspam. Modafinil has been around for awhile, and there are a
lot of non-responders (see also: me).

For real reading on the subject, gwern's nootropics page is a must:
[http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics](http://www.gwern.net/Nootropics)

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nicksuperb
Don't know if a review of past studies really counts as "news". The article is
pretty light on information. There are a whole host of extremely effective
nootropics out there. Modafinil (Provigil) is just a case of an effectively
marketed pharmaceutical with $ behind it.

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fancy_pantser
Modafinil has been around for a long time. Here is an article from 8 years ago
that covers its [ab]use in the bay area:
[http://techcrunch.com/2008/07/15/how-many-of-our-startup-
exe...](http://techcrunch.com/2008/07/15/how-many-of-our-startup-executives-
are-hopped-up-on-provigil/)

~~~
degenerate
Funny one-liner in the comments section:

> _Stimulants are a credit card - you can buy now, but you 're gonna have to
> pay later. That said, some stimulants do have lower interest rates._

~~~
tormeh
Is it worse than having to sleep well and not take the drug for a given period
afterwards?

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Kyen
I actually take Modafinil for narcolepsy. It's not quite as life-changing as
the recent articles make it out to be; it doesn't make you smarter or think
faster or anything of the sort. It just removes the fog in your brain that
builds up when you have too many things competing for attention.

One major downside, however, is it's fairly quick to build up an immunity to,
especially if you have it as a medical prescription.

Overall, it's pretty useful, and as far as I know, harmless. Just don't expect
it to be like the movie Limitless.

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lavezzi
I have a sleep disorder called Hypersomnia, and a lot of us with the condition
need this drug to function. I've seen a lot of these types articles lately
saying that it's a 'safe smart drug', but I'm wondering what the consequences
of this publicity are for those who actually need it, rather than those who
just want it.

~~~
ajross
A robust and vibrant black market into which to sell your excess prescribed
medications?

To be serious, generally things like drug manufacturing are relatively elastic
on this scale. Unless there is a _sudden_ run on these things so as to create
a shortage, the manufacturer will just make more to fill the demand.

~~~
Phlarp
This is outright false for many stimulants. The DEA strictly controls the
amount of precursor released to the manufacturer's based on their assessment
of "legitimate medical needs". This is the case for all scheduled substances
that are used in legitimate medical applications. Amphetamine salts and
morphine are on that list just the same as Modafinil/provigil.

I'm sure you can guess what (black)market forces do when the supply is
artificially constrained.

~~~
ajross
Wouldn't that logic argue for an artificial shortage of things like oxycodone
too, where there is _known_ to be a large black market of abusers? There
certainly is no shortage that I can see; those drugs are cheap and plentiful.

I'm not saying that the regulation you cite doesn't exist (obviously I'm no
expert), just that it's apparently ineffective in practice. And I'd expect
that to be no different with a hypothetical rise in pseudo-recreational
modafinil use.

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snap12789
Sketch article + sketch pharma company who pays the best agencies to advertise
amphetamines with wide uses. This post needs to go.

They got nearly all of their patients to convert to Nuvigil from Provigil
after it went off patent; not sure why they're trying to generate interest in
their old meds again. Maybe they're the most available maker.

~~~
Arcsech
Just to be clear: the drug in question (Modafinil) is not an amphetamine, and
has very different effects than amphetamines even though they are used for the
same reasons (enhancing focus when tired).

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MichaelGG
Just says modafinil is good. Not sure how it's better than amphetamines, as
long as you don't feel messed up on speed.

~~~
letstryagain
Amphetamines are definitely more effective than modafinil. But as you know,
amphetamines are more addictive and the side effects are worse than modafinil.
If it's something you want to take on a regular basis, most people are
probably better off on modafinil.

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jonnathanson
There's no such thing as a free lunch, least of all when it comes to the
brain. Particularly troublesome with modafinil is that nobody seems to know
_how_ it works, or at least not precisely.

We know it's a stimulant of some sort. It appears to act as a dopamine
reuptake inhibitor. It increases alertness and resting heart rate. It offers
some (temporary) cognitive performance boosts. And it can really help out in a
pinch when the user is sleep deprived. The side effects seem a lot more modest
and acceptable than those of the amphetamine family, or of Ritalin.

Then there's all we don't know. According to the official literature, for
instance, modafinil users do not develop a tolerance to the drug.
Unofficially, many users complain of an attenuation of the drug's
effectiveness with regular use. Either this 'tolerance' is psychosomatic, or
the brain is regulating itself as it would with almost any other dopaminergic
drug.

And what are the long-term consequences of using modafinil, either daily or
weekly or monthly? We're not really sure. Longitudinal studies are sparse to
nonexistent.

~~~
murbard2
> There's no such thing as a free lunch

What about contraception?

> least of all when it comes to the brain

What about melatonin?

~~~
jonnathanson
_" What about melatonin?"_

It's very safe in terms of its non-toxicity. But the jury is still out on
long-term effects like daytime drowsiness, slowed reaction times, etc.,
resulting from taking melatonin on a regular and prolonged basis.

~~~
murbard2
I picked contraception and melatonin on purpose because they illustrate two
ways to get around Algernon's argument, which is the justification behind the
"no free lunch" heuristic in nootropics.

[http://www.gwern.net/Drug%20heuristics](http://www.gwern.net/Drug%20heuristics)

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subliminalzen
This article reads like sponsored content in a print magazine. To see it voted
to the front page of Hacker News (this readership is the drug's target market)
makes it all the more suspicious.

