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Posted on 12/20/2004 4:45:02 PM PST by shrinkermd
It would be hard to imagine improving on the intelligence of computer engineer Bjoern Stenger, a doctoral candidate at Cambridge University. Yet for several hours, a pill seemed to make him even brainier.
Participating in a research project, Stenger downed a green gelatin cap containing a drug called modafinil. Within an hour, his attention sharpened. So did his memory. He aced a series of mental-agility tests. If his brainpower would normally rate a 10, the drug raised it to 15, he said.
"I was quite focused," said Stenger. "It was also kind of fun."
The age of smart drugs is dawning. Modafinil is just one in an array of brain-boosting medications — some already on pharmacy shelves and others in development — that promise an era of sharper thinking through chemistry.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Umm.. in light of my evil plans to take over the world, this may be a bad idea.
Of course, hooking me up with the stuff would also be a bad idea.
And the last thing we need is to make the DUmmies smarter.
I have read (somewhere, I forget) that green tea improves memory for longer than 12 hours. Regular tea improves it for 12 hours. I'd think that green tea in the a.m. and at bedtime would help, and there aren't any known negative side effects...
But if they were smarter, they wouldn't be DUhmmies any more.
Well.... if they were smarter they would turn into conservatives.
Look for Democrat politicians to try to ban these drugs.
Possibly.
Unless they really wanted to hold onto what they previously believed.
They may experience denial and a sense of loss when dosed with the stuff.
That horrific realisation that comes only when your beliefs crumble and you realise that something is wrong.
LOL!!
.
transhumanist indeed...if we follow your advice, humanity's short stay will be ended thanks to a generation who's balls shrunk to impotentcy from steroid abuse....
This just in: The FDA has announced that modafinil has been linked with a 0.000348% increased risk of heart attacks in blind African-American lesbians with Marfan's Syndrome, and thus will be banned from the U.S. market.
Check out Bugmenot.com.
I down gallons of green tea a week but it didn't help me a few months ago when I lost my shopping cart at Target!
On days when I have a lot going on and have to be really focused, I've found keeping my blood sugar up really helps. A glass of O.J. every few hours seems to help without any side effects. Wonder if Modafinil effects blood sugar levels.
And if doctors were allowed to prescribe drugs for performance enhancement, rather than just repair, they would tell the users how to use them responsibly, rather than them having to rely on the advice of trainers in gyms and dubious information they read on the Internet.
"I'd think that green tea...at bedtime would help..."
Hmmm, must be you have been waking up in the morning knowing you dreamed, but can't remember what it was...
Just think what you might have lost if you DIDN'T drink gallons of green tea....could have been AWFUL! ;-D
I take Modafinil. Prior to taking it, I did not function very well in the mornings. If I slept 6, 8, or even 12 hours, it still took forever for me to become alert in the mornings. I could not take early morning classes because I wasn't alert enough to pass them. With Modafinil, after about 20 minutes of the usual morning grogginess, I am a normal human being. I have no trouble getting to sleep at nights either. As for side effects, impotence occurs among some users. After getting through the first couple of weeks, I felt no side effects. I am working on my PHD and noticed some effects relating to my cognitive abilities. At first, my dose was too high and I felt mentally sluggish. I second guessed myself much more than usual in classroom discussions, usually resulting in me remaining silent. Once I lowered the dose, I felt slightly sharper than normal, but not foolishly overconfident as in the case of speed. Some people claim the effacy of the drug declines with use and recommend taking a short holiday from it. I did that last week because I was out of school for the holidays and had no pressing need to be up at the crack of dawn and mentally sharp in any classes. I have suffered no withdrawl symptoms. The only thing I have noticed is that I have returned to my normal sluggishness in the mornings. That being said, I think those who tout it as a smart drug are stretching the truth. Feeling smart and actually performing well are two different things.
"Monsters from the Id", and all that.
I can see it now, 'War on drugs' becomes 'War on intelligence'.
LOL! I still have 2 children. You might be right.
It's called Capitalism. Would you propose a Maximum Medication in addition to a Minimum Wage? I thought you were called GovernmentShrinker!
But when mental functions essential to economic activity are subject to enhancement by dangerous drugs, big problems will result.
Sweet Reason! A large chunk of our economy derives from people eating "dangerous" fast food. Would you ban that, too?
Many if not most of these drugs don't need to be dangerous, if they're properly used. And until our medical establishment gets over the phobia of prescribing such medications to enhance, rather than just heal, they will continue to be used improperly, to everyone's detriment.
Er...did you start out with two chilren? (I know, I know, I just HAD to ask!)
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