These days pills are so common that there is one for everything from fever pills to slimming pills, and next to them are intelligence pills, which have come to join this long list. Although their existence is not so recent, since they have been around for a long time, these have gained great popularity today, driven by their use in the professional and academic world by people who seek to improve their abilities for work and study with them; They claim that it stimulates their mind and even makes them smarter.
It may seem like science fiction, but the truth is that these pills exist and have brought about a scientific and social revolution throughout the world, so they are promising. But then, it is logical to ask: do they really make us smarter?
Although, it is what many of us might think a priorithese pills do not exactly live up to their name, since according to Dr. Luis Alberto Ramírez Ortegón, a neuropsychiatrist, in an interview for CNN «These only produce effects that generate in us, the idea that they improve our perception of the world and with it, apparently improves intelligence».
What is known about these pills is that they act by increasing the levels of attention, concentration, energy and memory for a long time; but this does not mean that we will become geniuses overnight simply by taking a pill. Since, according to Rodrigo Nel Córdoba, president of the Latin American Psychiatric Association, intelligence is conditioned by the interaction of several elements biological in nature, genetic and environmentalso much more than a pill will be required to increase intelligence.
However, due to its stimulating effects on memory and concentration, these drugs, belonging to the family of nootropics, they continue to be marketed above all on different web pages as cognitive enhancers. Although For the most part, the most used smart pills such as Adderall, Ritalin or Modafinil have been developed for other purposesincluding treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, narcolepsy, and other sleep disorders.
Although they have been found to have stimulating effects on the brain, no one is sure about their long-term effects in healthy people due to a lack of relevant studies for more than two and a half years. However, some experts warn that, in the long term, it could have side effects causing cognitive problems and addiction to pills. Others, like Dr. Ramírez, affirm that they would also have highly harmful effects on the body, since these pills are metabolized in the liver and discarded through the kidneys.
As stated, based on studies carried out on workers in «Silicon Valley» where the consumption of these pills is frequent, renal lesions and dermatological alterations may also occur. He even states that ignorance has led to indiscriminate use, which is evident in the preparation of cocktails with these pills, whose synergistic effect could cause even greater damage.
What we must be very clear about is that although these pills are capable of keeping us more attentive and more concentrated, to use them or not, should be part of a great debate in which we delve deeper into the ethical and scientific aspects behind their consumption.