Over the past few years, people have begun finding out what neuroenhancers are and what they do. As a result, there’s been quite an upsurge in the number of people taking them. That’s driven by the variety of different benefits that they can offer, especially when taken in the right way.

Despite this, there are many people who are only just beginning to find out what these are. That means that you could have quite a few questions about them. These can vary from what exactly these ‘smart drugs’ are and whether or not they’re actually safe. As it turns out, you might know more about them than you realize.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, however, as there’s quite a lot to know about them.

Chapter One: Neuroenhancers & What They Do

You might be confused about what nootropics are and what they do. In short, these are chemicals or ingredients that help boost cognitive performance. That means that they can boost your focus, memory, and multiple other things.

That has made them quite popular study drugs and has given some of them the nickname ‘smart drugs’. Some of the more notable examples of these include Adderall and Ritalin, although these are brand names for prescription versions of nootropics. However, the majority of options can be bought over the counter, though they won’t be as strong as prescription nootropics.

There are also some that can help your immune system and other areas, although these are relatively uncommon. Others can also relieve stress while also improving the systems of depression and anxiety. However, these ones are typically taken under medical supervision and are best reserved for a conversation with your doctor.

How Neuroenhancers Work

You might also be wondering how neuroenhancers work. Once taken, these essentially stimulate your brain in specific ways. In doing so, they help to boost specific things, such as your focus and concentration. That can also be the case with the symptoms of specific illnesses and ailments, although these may not be as effective.

Nootropics can come in a wide variety of forms, including tablets, pods, and powder. Naturally, some will be easier to take than others. The powder form, for instance, will obviously have to be mixed with a liquid before being consumed. The tablet and pod form, on the other hand, can simply be swallowed.

In the past few years, though, the pod versions have been upgraded significantly. For example, many of them are now designed to get past your stomach and into your intestines. Doing so absorption of the nootropics into your system, allowing you to experience more of the benefits that they offer.

Chapter Two: Common Over-The-Counter Nootropics

While you might not be aware of what nootropics are, there’s a decent chance that you’ve taken at least some of them before. That’s because they’re ingredients in quite a few products, although they’re not explicitly marked as nootropics. For many products, they are often the main active ingredient.

That shouldn’t worry you, though, as they can be much more beneficial than you may have thought. However, many of us might be slightly unnerved by assuming that there are ingredients in our products that we don’t know too much about. That shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Instead, the main neuroenhancers that you might have already taken are quite common and very beneficial. That’s because they’re some of the most common ingredients on the planet. They’re also some of the most well-liked.

While there’s an exhaustive number of neuroenhancers to talk about, some of the more common over-the-counter options are:

Caffeine

Caffeine might not seem like it’s a neuroenhancer or nootropic. However, that’s primarily because most people have gotten so used to taking it that they don’t realize how beneficial it can be. Despite this common misconception, caffeine can serve as a very effective neuroenhancer. After all, most people can’t seem to get through their day without some coffee or tea.

While many of caffeine’s benefits don’t affect the brain specifically, some of them can. These are mainly the increases to memory, focus, and overall concentration that you can feel. They can also help with mental clarity. Coupled with this is an energy boost. That’s why most people drink caffeine at specific points in the day.

However, there can be several other benefits associated with regularly taking caffeine. Some studies have highlighted that it can be great for your cardiovascular health. That essentially means that your heart and veins can benefit from a certain amount of it.

It would help if you kept in mind that coffee and tea aren’t the only ways of ingesting caffeine. Instead, there are several other drinks that you can find them in, such as sports drinks. There are also quite a few supplements that you can take that include it.

However, experts recommend not having more than four or five cups of coffee a day. That equates to about 400mg of caffeine. Like many other supplements and nootropics, you should monitor your intake of caffeine. Failing to do so could result in quite a few unwanted side effects.

L-Theanine

While few people know what L-theanine is, the majority of people have had it on at least a few occasions. This is generally found in black and green teas, although it has been known to be in other products. It’s also available in supplements, should you find that you want to take it.

Regardless of the limited number of options to take it in, it’s worth considering using it. That’s because L-theanine can affect the alpha waves in your brain. This has been shown to be a positive sign, thanks to a few notable factors. In essence, these waves will help to alter your mental state.

Typically, this will be done by making you relax while also making you more alert. If you’re doing exams or are in relatively stressful situations, then this could prove quite useful.

As you might have guessed, you wouldn’t be able to take as many of these as you might think. In general, it’s recommended that you stick within the 100mg to 400mg range. The majority of experts agree that you shouldn’t go over 400mg as it has been associated with negative side effects.

Racetams

Racetams are a neuroenhancer that many people don’t know about. However, it can cause quite a few benefits. The majority of these can be quite attractive. While studies so far have predominantly been done on rats, they have thankfully been positive. These have generally lent themselves to the conclusion that raceteam can lead to side effects that are  neuroprotective in nature.

As such, racetams seem to be good for protecting your long-term brain health. That means that, while you might not see the benefits straight away, you’ll start to notice them in the future. Naturally, that means that you’ll have to take them for quite a while.

However, studies to date haven’t shown any negative reactions to them. While it’s still a little too early to tell, that should be a positive sign for anyone thinking about using them. However, you should follow medical advice when taking it.

Creatine

While creatine itself isn’t focused primarily on the brain, it can offer quite a few mental benefits. However, these tend to be secondary to its other benefits. Perhaps the most notable brain benefit that it can have at the start is that it can help improve your concentration and focus.

Alongside this, it can help keep your brain healthy. That’s because creatine is primarily used to create new proteins. These proteins are then used to repair cells while also creating new ones. Naturally, that could lead to a wealth of benefits for your brain. It also means that when taken properly, creatine can promote long-term brain health.

That being said, the majority of the advantages you’ll see with creatine are related to your body. This will be especially true if you exercise quite often. Taking an appropriate amount of creatine will help you increase muscle mass much faster, thanks to the fact that there are now more resources available to do so with.

Coupled with this is the energy boost that you should get with it. This will allow you to exercise for somewhat longer than you would normally be able to. However, that doesn’t mean that you’ll need much more time to recover afterward. In fact, creatine has been linked with noticeably shorter recovery periods. This is because creatine plays a key role in the repair of muscle fibers following a workout.

With that, you could get back to the gym that much quicker. The benefits of exercising on the brain have also been well-documented. As such, this increase in exercise ability should reap further dividends down the line.

Naturally, different products will work better than others in this regard.

Chapter Three: Do They Work?

You may be wondering whether or not nootropics actually work. This has been a debated issue for quite some time, especially for over-the-counter options. While some have suggested that they don’t, many more have claimed that they do.

So far, science seems to suggest that they do. For example, the drugs that are used to treat ADHD and similar conditions are nootropics and are considered quite effective. Of course, that’s limited to specific prescription neuroenhancers. However, the over-the-counter options work quite similarly.

That’s because the science behind them is the same, even if they’re not as powerful as their prescription counterparts. As mentioned above, caffeine is also a neuroenhancer, and that’s shown to help countless people with their energy levels and concentration. Naturally, this all points to the products working.

This all depends on the products themselves, as well as your specific needs and health concerns. Some options will work much better for some people than for others. That’s something that you’ll need to pay a significant amount of attention to. The potency of a nootropic will play a role in this as well, as higher potencies mean stronger nootropics.

Finding the nootropics that work for you may take some time and effort. Following the recommendations of people you trust, though, will make the decision much easier. You might also find that you’ll have to try different options. While you might get minor benefits with one, they could be much better with others.

As such, experimentation is key.

The Safety of Neuroenhancers

Safety is a factor for anything that you might be putting into your body. As you might have assumed from reading the above, though, nootropics are generally safe to take. That’s especially true given that the majority of manufacturers have specifically designed their products to be as safe as possible.

However, that does come with some limitations and restrictions. For instance, you wouldn’t be able to take a significant number of them within a short span of time. Doing so would be unsafe and could lead to a considerable number of negative side effects. If this occurs, then you should seek immediate medical attention.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t develop side effects at low doses, however. Instead, some options are known for having side effects, especially if you’ve been taking them for a significant amount of time. These can include light-headedness, dizziness, and even stomach aches.

Should you develop any of these, then you should stop taking them. Medical attention may also be needed.

In general, you’ll need to spend some time researching particular products. While they’re typically safe, some are much safer than others. Paying attention to the ingredient list should prove quite helpful in comparing them. If you have any allergies, then this may prove to be essential.

However, you shouldn’t have much of an issue outside of this. Exercise common-sense, and you shouldn’t have any problems with them.

Benefits of Nootropics

The main reason people take nootropics is because of the benefits that they offer. As they focus on cognitive performance, you should expect the majority of them to be brain-related.

That’s also the reason why they’re usually referred to as ‘smart drugs.’ Alongside this, it’s also why they’ve become quite popular among students. If you’re new to neuroenhancers, then you might not know what these benefits are. However, you might be able to guess what the most obvious of these are.

Some of the more notable benefits of nootropics include:

• Increased focused
• More energy
• Better concentration
• Better heart health
• Better memory
• Faster thinking

Alongside these, there are several other benefits that you could take advantage of. However, these are relatively uncommon, as the majority tend to focus on brain-related advantages.

That being said, they could help with:

• Relieving the symptoms of depression and anxiety;
• Promoting relaxation
• Boosting your mood
• Helping you achieve a better night’s sleep

Nootropics have also been known to help with anti-aging over the long term. Given how effective they can be with short-term cognitive performance, it’s been suggested that they can help with long-term brain health, too. However, much of this research is still ongoing.

How many benefits you see and to what degree can depend significantly on what you’re taking, though. That’s because some products are much more potent than others. Moreover, some options include more nootropic ingredients than others, which could make them much more effective.

You should keep that in mind before you start taking anything. If you want to maximize the benefits that you might see, then you’ll need to spend time researching what the best option for you would be. When doing so, you should look at the variety of ingredients and their potency.

Risks of Neuroenhancers

As you might expect, there can be quite a few risks associated with nootropics. These can be especially harmful if you have a medical condition and/or if you’re taking medication. The main reason for this is that neuroenhancers can interfere with some medications, causing a flare-up of some conditions.

As such, you should talk to your doctor or medical professional before taking anything. They can work with you to find nootropics that can help you with your specific needs while minimizing unwanted side effects. They should then also be able to monitor you over time to make sure that you stay safe.

However, even if you don’t have any medical conditions, you will still need to put in some research. That’s because quite a few nootropics have been known to have side effects. These vary broadly and can be as different as the products themselves.

Naturally, this is something that you should pay close attention to.

That means that you’ll have to spend time researching any nootropic that you’re considering.

Checking out reviews and seeing what people think will be quite helpful to this. If they consistently bring up the same side effects, then you might want to avoid the product. If nothing is brought up too much, then it should be much safer to take.

It’s worth noting that many side effects seem to be related to how much of the nootropics you take. In general, the more you take, the more likely you are to experience adverse side effects. That means that you’ll have to balance the benefits with the risks, which is not always a simple task.

The potency will play a role in this. In general, the more potent a product is, the less of it you’ll have to take. You’ll typically have to take less of these than you would with lower potency products.

There are several side effects that seem to be quite common with nootropics. Therefore, there are things that you can prepare yourself for and try to avoid.

The more notable of these include:

• Light Headedness
• Nausea
• Jitters and twitches
• Vomiting
• Stomach Cramps
• Rashes
• Diarrhea

However, it’s worth adding that there are several other side effects that could be more serious. If any of those develop, then you should consult with a medical professional immediately. These should be outlined in the product’s label, so you should at least have some form of notice that it may happen.

If you do need medical attention, it’s worth taking the packaging with you. That way, professionals know exactly how to treat your condition. Typically, you’ll need to stop taking the nootropics after that.

This might also be the case with the more minor side effects. Though these can start off small, they can get worse over time. Naturally, you will want to avoid this at all costs. As such, you should stop taking them immediately.

It might be possible for you to start taking them again at a lower dose in time. However, you might need to flush them out of your system first. By doing so, you should cease to experience the side effects while also preventing them from reoccurring in the future.

Conclusion

There are quite a few different neuroenhancers available on the market, and these can come in more shapes, sizes, and forms than you might realize. As mentioned above, these can be quite safe to take, especially in relatively low doses. With the various advantages that neuroenhancers can offer, it’s worth considering whether or not you could benefit from them.

However, you should always stay safe and informed when doing so. Just because nootropics, in general, are safe to take, it doesn’t mean that all of them are. Research will be your best friend if you decide to take nootropics for the first time.

Doing so will help ensure you take the right ones for you which won’t cause any negative side effects. With all of the above information in mind, though, you should have a decent foundation to start your nootropic journey.