Do Nootropics Cross the Blood Brain Barrier?
Check out our blog post on some common nootropics questions in order to find out. Nootropics can cross the blood brain barrier although it depends on which. Often, because nootropics are herbs and different natural supplements it’s compounds within those supplements that are in fact crossing the blood brain barrier. Check out our page on Ashwaghandha and withanolides for more on that.
Are Nootropics Safe?
Nootropic drugs are generally safe when ordered from reputable vendors. Do not order from unknown websites, stick to vendors such as Amazon or other trusted brands. These companies have vetting structures in place to weed out snake oil salesmen.
Don’t risk your health ordering from random internet vendors. Many of them are unregulated, and distribute their products from abroad where regulators can’t touch them.
Do Nootropics have Side Effects?
As with any supplements or drugs, some individuals may experience adverse reactions. Always check if you have allergies to any of the ingredients listed on the label.
Generally, they tend to have less side effects than prescription or OTC (over the counter) medicines. Even so, caution is advised- and if you feel unsure about taking a nootropic medicine to consult with your general practitioner first.
Are Nootropics Scientific?
Nootropics are easy to confound with holistic medicine and quackery. Some nootropics like modafinil have been around for a very long time and have been shown to work consistently well by many studies. Modafinil started its life being ingested by fighter pilots who needed to prolong their focus for long periods of time, and has made its way into the bellies of anxious, competitive students.
Others such such as ashwaghandha, lions mane and rhodiola have only recently been introduced to the west. It’s normal for us to have some natural skepticism towards these ingredients. I implore the reader to remind themself that many modern medicines have been inspired or taken directly from plants and procedures founded in folk medicine.
Ayurvedic roots and chinese medicines are quickly making there way into the west. We should safely investigate it, and separate the gold from the dirt.
We recommend people who use nootropics properly apply the scientific method to their intake. Whether it be a simple experiment, like writing down doses and comparing time on the drug to a baseline and researching to see if the reported effects match your own. Should you choose to measure your account using statistical methods (check out Gwern.net for more) then there is less risk involved to you from taking a useless nootropic and wasting money on it.
Can Nootropics cause anxiety?
Nootropics such as modafinil and caffeine, as well as many other stimulanting nootropics can cause symptoms of anxiety, but these should generally go after the effects of the nootropic wear off.
Can nootropics cause depression?
The causes of depression are too variable per person, and depend on many factors. Nootropics generally only have short term effects, and few approved nootropics have long-lasting side effects. Some even treat depresion. Even so, always read up on what you take and consult with your general practitioner if you are worried.
Can nootropics help with weight loss?
Nootropics generally help to fuel your brain in such a way that gives its owner greater control over their actions and decision making ability. As such, many neuro-stimulating drugs help with the willpower needed to lose weight, whilst others are appetite supressants such as speed (amphetamine) which was in the past used in weight loss pills!
Can nootropics help with dementia?
Nootropics can help with dementia, and many have been created with that purpose in mind. For example, Piracetam and the racetam family were successfully used to treat patients suffering from age related cognitive decline, including dementia and alzheimers.
Can nootropics cause headaches?
Yes, some nootropics can cause headaches as a side effect. To avoid this, stick to the recommended dose and read up on the nootropic you are using. For example, regular modafinil users experience frequent headaches if they do not supplement with good sources of choline (i.e. eggs, chicken) because the drug makes your brain use choline reserves at a quicker rate than usual. The headaches are caused as a result of this depletion. Similar mechanisms may exist for different nootropics.
Can nootropics make you fail a drugs test?
Nootropics are mainly legal and shouldn’t make you fail a drug test, unless you are for example a professional chess player or in a ‘mind sport’ where supplementing in this way is banned. There are no nootropics with similar enough chemical profiles to frequently tested recreational drugs to come up on standard drug tests in any case.
Can nootropics cause hair loss?
Some nootropics can cause hair loss. Mainly watch out for nootropics that change your hormones (i.e. pregnenalone), and stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine and modafinil. Most nootropics will mention if they knock your hair out in their side effect profile, so do check this before buying.
Can nootropics make you tired?
Yes. Some nootropics can do, especially the sedative types such as GABA and Theanine. Make sure to measure out your doses carefully and to start low to avoid this. Avoid trying out new nootropics whilst driving for the first time.
Can nootropics kill you?
If you are alergic to the ingredients, take too much or have an unfortunate reaction for intance, certain nootropics do have a chance of killing you. Always be safe and check with your doctor before starting a new medication.
Can nootropics help anxiety?
Yes, check out the anxiety section on our home page for more specific details on which work best for treating anxiety. Nootropics that are anxiolytic include l-theanine and magnesium.
Can nootropics cause acne?
Certain nootropics can cause acne, such as vitamins b6, b12, b3 and A, as well as those which affect hormones in the body such as DHEA, Pregnenalone. Check your supplements for possible side effects and interactions before bying them, and if you notic your skin is looking worse, have a look for alternatives and discontinue your current course unless advised aganst it by your doctor.
Can nootropics be snorted?
Some nootropics can be snorted, especially those in powder form which are not mixed with caking agents as in a capsule or tablet.
Can you snort modafinil?
It should not be snorted as you can cause irritation to your mucus membranes and oral ingestion is preferred, however it’s not not going to kill you. We recommend using a scale to measure nootropics you snort to reduce the risk of harming yourself by taking too much. Snorting modafinil is covered more in depth in our article.
Which/do nootropics actually work?
Nootropics do work, although they got a bad rep a few years back because of people conflating them with supplements that do not cross the blood-brain-barrier and thus cannot impact cognition very directly.
Nootropics DO WORK, and they can even be pharmaceutical drugs like Pantogam Active for example. There are numerous synthetically created peptides made to treat cognitive dysfunction such as autism or ADHD. There are also numerous herbal supplements and roots with active compounds that do cross the blood brain barrier. Nootropics are poorly understood, and many will not work and be snake poison. Always research first with Nootropics Press!
Can nootropics cross the blood-brain barrier?
Some nootropics can, whilst other herbal supplements can’t. Many supplements made from natural sources tend to have compounds which can cross the blood brain barrier, such as the withanolides in Ashwagandha.
Can Nootropics Cause Brain Damage?
Many drugs, both safe and unsafe are classed as nootropics. If you only take prescribed or very safe nootropics, there is very little risk of you experiencing any permanent side effects but the chance is never zero. Be careful with what you buy, always consult your GP and stick to the recommended dose.