Drugs To Build Up That Mental Muscle
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Nuclear a répondu le Wed 26 Dec, 2007 @ 8:31pm |
 Coolness: 2603970 | [ www.latimes.com ]
Drugs to build up that mental muscle Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images December 20, 2007 Forget sports doping. The next frontier is brain doping. As Major League Baseball struggles to rid itself of performance-enhancing drugs, people in a range of other fields are reaching for a variety of prescription pills to enhance what counts most in modern life. Despite the potential side effects, academics, classical musicians, corporate executives, students and even professional poker players have embraced the drugs to clarify their minds, improve their concentration or control their emotions. "There isn't any question about it -- they made me a much better player," said Paul Phillips, 35, who credited the attention deficit drug Adderall and the narcolepsy pill Provigil with helping him earn more than $2.3 million as a poker player. The medicine cabinet of so-called cognitive enhancers also includes Ritalin, commonly given to schoolchildren for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and beta blockers, such as the heart drug Inderal. Researchers have been investigating the drug Aricept, which is normally used to slow the decline of Alzheimer's patients. The drugs haven't been tested extensively in healthy people, but their physiological effects in the brain are well understood. They are all just precursors to the blockbuster drug that labs are racing to develop. "Whatever company comes out with the first memory pill is going to put Viagra to shame," said University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Paul Root Wolpe. Unlike the anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and blood-oxygen boosters that plague athletic competitions, the brain drugs haven't provoked similar outrage. People who take them say the drugs aren't giving them an unfair advantage but merely allow them to make the most of their hard-earned skills. In the real world, there are no rules to prevent overachievers from using legally prescribed drugs to operate at peak mental performance. What patient wouldn't want their surgeon to be completely focused during a life-or-death procedure? "If there were drugs for investment bankers, journalists, teachers and scientists that made them more successful, they would use them too," said Charles E. Yesalis, a doping researcher and emeritus professor at Pennsylvania State University. "Why does anyone think this would be limited to an athlete?" The growth of the brain drugs bears a striking resemblance to the post-World War I evolution of plastic surgery -- developed to rehabilitate badly disfigured soldiers but later embraced by healthy people who wanted larger breasts and fewer wrinkles. The use of cognitive-enhancing drugs has been well documented among high school and college students. A 2005 survey of more than 10,000 college students found 4% to 7% of them tried ADHD drugs at least once to remain focused on exams or pull all-nighters. At some colleges, more than one-quarter of students surveyed said they had sampled the pills. The ubiquitous mental stimulant is coffee, and a morning jolt is sufficient for many. But as scientists were developing drugs to treat serious brain disorders, they found more potent substances. Sharon Morein-Zamir, a psychologist at Cambridge University who writes about the ethics of brain enhancement, said her interest in the medications was largely academic. But when someone she knew who had been taking Provigil for a neurological condition offered her some pills, Morein-Zamir's curiosity was piqued. "I knew the literature and wondered what it felt like," she said. The drug helped her focus as she worked at her computer for hours straight. But she wondered if it was a placebo effect. "Maybe I would have gotten it done anyway," said Morein-Zamir, who launched an Internet poll Wednesday to ask scientists about their use of brain-enhancing drugs. Philips, the poker player, started using Adderall after he was diagnosed with ADHD five years ago and later got a prescription for Provigil to further improve his focus. ADHD drugs work by increasing the level of the brain chemical dopamine, which is thought to improve attention. Provigil's mechanism of action is not well understood, but boosting the effect of dopamine is thought to be part of it. The drugs improved his concentration during high-stakes tournaments, he said, allowing him to better track all the action at his table. "Poker is the sort of game that a lot of people can play well sporadically, but tournaments are mostly won by people who can play close to their best at all times," he said. "It requires significant mental effort to play in top form for 12 hours a day, five days in a row." In the world of classical music, beta blockers such as Inderal have become nearly as commonplace as metronomes. The drugs block adrenaline receptors in the heart and blood vessels, helping to control arrhythmias and high blood pressure. They also block adrenaline receptors in the brain. "You still have adrenaline flowing in your body, but you don't feel that adrenaline rush so you're not distracted by your own nervousness," said Dr. Bernd F. Remler, a neurologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. That's why Sarah Tuck, a veteran flutist with the San Diego Symphony, takes them to stave off the jitters that musicians refer to as "rubber fingers." "When your heart is racing and your hands are shaking and you have difficulty breathing, it is difficult to perform," said Tuck, 41, who discovered them when she began performing professionally 15 years ago. A survey she conducted a decade ago revealed one-quarter of flutists used the pills before some or all of their performances or in high-pressure situations like auditions. She believes use is now more widespread and estimates that three-quarters of musicians she knows use the drugs at least occasionally. Prescriptions for Inderal and other beta blockers can be readily obtained from physicians. Tuck said some doctors had told her they used the drugs themselves to calm their own nerves before making presentations at medical meetings. Musicians say their drug use is all aboveboard. "It's not like we're sending our clubhouse attendants to BALCO to get us our Inderal," said double bassist Bruce Ridge, 44, referring to the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative that allegedly provided slugger Barry Bonds and other athletes with performance-enhancing drugs. But cosmetic neurology, as some call it, has risks. Ritalin, Adderall and other ADHD drugs can cause headaches, insomnia and loss of appetite. Provigil can make users nervous or anxious and bring on headaches, while beta blockers can cause drowsiness, fatigue and wheezing. One Stanford University study found that low doses of Aricept improved the performance of healthy pilots as they tried to master new skills in a flight stimulator, but the side effects -- dizziness and vomiting -- were less than desirable in a pilot. No one has conducted thorough studies about how brain-boosting drugs would affect healthy people after weeks or months of use, said Dr. Anjan Chatterjee, a neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania. Negative consequences may not be limited to people who popped the pills. Martha J. Farah, a bioethicist who teaches undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania, said she was beginning to detect resentment toward students who used the drugs from classmates who did not. She has wondered whether improving productivity through artificial means also might undermine the value of hard work. In an article published today in the journal Nature, Morein-Zamir and University of Cambridge neuroscientist Barbara J. Sahakian say that clear guidelines are needed to decide what's fair. It may be reasonable to ban the drugs in competitive situations, such as taking the SAT. But in other cases, they wrote, people such as airport screeners, air-traffic controllers or combat soldiers might be encouraged to take them. With a slew of memory enhancers in development, the issues are not academic. Memory Pharmaceuticals of Montvale, N.J., for example, is eyeing drugs to combat those pesky "senior moments" that are considered a normal part of aging. "If there were drugs that actually made you smarter, good Lord, I have no doubt that their use would become epidemic," Yesalis said. "Just think what it would do to anybody's career in about any area. There are not too many occupations where it's really good to be dumb." karen.kaplan@latimes.com denise.gellene@latimes.com |
| I'm feeling nuclear right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» WassUpOnEarth a répondu le Wed 26 Dec, 2007 @ 9:37pm |
 Coolness: 47855 | abstract plz lol |
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| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead a répondu le Wed 26 Dec, 2007 @ 10:14pm |
 Coolness: 685575 | read or stfu |
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| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» KeyMiNDer a répondu le Sat 29 Dec, 2007 @ 4:48pm |
 Coolness: 83005 | ... |
| I'm feeling productive right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» El_Presidente a répondu le Sun 30 Dec, 2007 @ 2:21am |
 Coolness: 299310 | how can one get a prescription for these? |
| I'm feeling happy right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» M-A-X a répondu le Wed 2 Jan, 2008 @ 6:33pm |
 Coolness: 121620 | Harder...better...faster...stronger |
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| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» flo a répondu le Wed 2 Jan, 2008 @ 6:43pm |
 Coolness: 146310 | Originally Posted By EL_LEADER_MAXIMO
how can one get a prescription for these? get alzheimer |
| I'm feeling phd powa !!! right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Deadfunk a répondu le Thu 3 Jan, 2008 @ 8:14am |
 Coolness: 152990 | Originally Posted By FLO
Originally Posted By El_Leader_Maximo
how can one get a prescription for these? get alzheimer lol |
| I'm feeling hardcore right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PitaGore a répondu le Wed 9 Jan, 2008 @ 2:22pm |
 Coolness: 471790 | shit , there isnt a shorter way ?!  |
| I'm feeling trill recognize tril right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PrettyKittie23 a répondu le Fri 18 Jan, 2008 @ 2:14pm |
 Coolness: 34290 | The funny thing about Ritalin is that it acutally has the opposite affect on people who do not have ADD or ADHD. The reason children with ADD cant focus is because parts of their brains work to slow and they miss important signals and information, they cant 'see thing through' to the end so they shift focus constantly. When an average person takes Ritalin it speeds up processing, making the person hyper and inattentive since any one topic doesnt have enough stimulus to keep the brain interested...
Fu-ked-ed up no? |
| I'm feeling weekend-y right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» prodigyprincess a répondu le Fri 18 Jan, 2008 @ 9:15pm |
 Coolness: 33765 | I love Ritalin! |
| I'm feeling lesssickmorestoned right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» madforbrad a répondu le Sun 20 Jan, 2008 @ 2:47am |
 Coolness: 44535 | Where do you people get your information. Jesus Christ you girls need to be titty slapped.
ADD and the symptoms associated with it have absolutely nothing to do with having a slow brain. There is nothing slow about having ADD. Although nobody knows for sure the exact cause , most research tends to support the theory that low dopamine levels make things like concentration harder. Given anyone enough adderall and it will make someone tweaked. As far as taking adderall to get smart , well you are just taking prescription speed. There is absolutely no difference between adderall and the speed you retards buy at your raves except for that adderall does not contain any impurities. In the USA , you can get desoxyn which is prescription methamphetamine. That article was written by a moron. It has nothing to do with doping your brain, it is about people dealing with their shortcommings so they can lead a normal life. There is no building of a muscle. The second you stop using the drug , you are back to normal with a nasty case of the " withdrawals " |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» prodigyprincess a répondu le Sun 20 Jan, 2008 @ 9:26am |
| Coolness: 33765 | I take it you dont approve of the recreational use of Ritalin? Sounds like you need an Ativan... |
| I'm feeling cabin fever right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PrettyKittie23 a répondu le Sun 20 Jan, 2008 @ 11:13pm |
| Coolness: 34290 | Originally Posted By MADFORBRAD WHERE DO YOU PEOPLE GET YOUR INFORMATION. JESUS CHRIST YOU GIRLS NEED TO BE TITTY SLAPPED. ADD AND THE SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH IT HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH HAVING A SLOW BRAIN. THERE IS NOTHING SLOW ABOUT HAVING ADD. ALTHOUGH NOBODY KNOWS FOR SURE THE EXACT CAUSE , MOST RESEARCH TENDS TO SUPPORT THE THEORY THAT LOW DOPAMINE LEVELS MAKE THINGS LIKE CONCENTRATION HARDER. GIVEN ANYONE ENOUGH ADDERALL AND IT WILL MAKE SOMEONE TWEAKED. AS FAR AS TAKING ADDERALL TO GET SMART , WELL YOU ARE JUST TAKING PRESCRIPTION SPEED. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADDERALL AND THE SPEED YOU RETARDS BUY AT YOUR RAVES EXCEPT FOR THAT ADDERALL DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY IMPURITIES. IN THE USA , YOU CAN GET DESOXYN WHICH IS PRESCRIPTION METHAMPHETAMINE. THAT ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BY A MORON. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DOPING YOUR BRAIN, IT IS ABOUT PEOPLE DEALING WITH THEIR SHORTCOMMINGS SO THEY CAN LEAD A NORMAL LIFE. THERE IS NO BUILDING OF A MUSCLE. THE SECOND YOU STOP USING THE DRUG , YOU ARE BACK TO NORMAL WITH A NASTY CASE OF THE " WITHDRAWALS "
ummm...you are talking about the same thing I am... like depressed people benefit from lithium, those with ADD benefit from Ritalin, because their brain produces particular chemicals at a slower rate than others... which is why they are given perscription speed...READ what people write before you reply. |
| I'm feeling weekend-y right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead a répondu le Mon 21 Jan, 2008 @ 1:51am |
| Coolness: 685575 | you obviously know nothing about ADD and how ritalin helps it. |
| I'm feeling fuckin' crazy right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PrettyKittie23 a répondu le Mon 21 Jan, 2008 @ 10:22am |
| Coolness: 34290 | Yup...an addictions counselor and a child Psychologist.....those guys are idiots....
Actually now I'm curious...how does Speed help hyper kids? Montel Williams has a compelling arguement that it, in fact, doesnt |
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| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead a répondu le Mon 21 Jan, 2008 @ 11:05am |
| Coolness: 685575 | ADHD is like being mentaly hyper-active. Their attention wanders and they're distracted easily from things. Stimulants in large doses tend to make people able to focus on something more. Hence, a person who's mind wanders because they can't stay focused on a task end up being more focused on the things they do. |
| I'm feeling fuckin' crazy right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PrettyKittie23 a répondu le Mon 21 Jan, 2008 @ 12:19pm |
| Coolness: 34290 | but WHY??
Stimulants make you feel more alert but inevitably only makes it harder to stay focused on any one thing.Even with things like coffee if you have too much you feel very 'alert' but you are not really concentrating closely on any one thing, your mind is chattering along too fast...you miss important details and subtly. please explain... |
| I'm feeling yay! now we go up! right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead a répondu le Mon 21 Jan, 2008 @ 12:33pm |
| Coolness: 685575 | caffeine isn't the same kind of stimulant as amphetamines/ritalin. The hardcore, powerfull stimulants make it easier to focus on things. And if you're thinking about how sketch you tend to be on "street" pills, that's because they're not pure and more than likely cut with shit you don't even want to begin to think about. Pharmacutical amphetamine is 100% pure, as opposed to the shit that's in the speed you'd get from a dealer which is more than likeley made from:
Psuedoephedrine Iodine crystals Red Phosphorus Colemans Fuel Muriatic Acid Acetone Methanol Lye/drain cleaner |
| I'm feeling fuckin' crazy right now.. | |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PrettyKittie23 a répondu le Mon 21 Jan, 2008 @ 1:56pm |
| Coolness: 34290 | I meant why does ritalin work for an OVER ACTIVE person? and why does it make a normal person hyper and giggly and unable to sit through a movie?? |
| I'm feeling yay! now we go up! right now.. | |
Drugs To Build Up That Mental Muscle
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