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modafinil vs Adderall best smart drugs natural alternatives to Adderall buy adderall UK modafinil for studying

Modafinil vs Adderall: Are the best smart drugs too good to be true?

Published Jan 24, 2023 | Updated Aug 12, 2024
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Acing your exams is one of the best feelings in the world. Whether you are a university student or a budding professional, achieving top grades can be a major priority. Knowing that your hard work, late night study sessions, and perseverance has paid off is a rewarding feeling. Exams can be demanding, and some students turn to medications to push themselves further. Use of medications like Adderall and Modafinil for studying during exam season is on the rise. 54% of respondents in a 2016 online survey among university students reported taking Modafinil [1 Trusted Source 2020 - PLoS ONE Human study The off-prescription use of modafinil: An online survey of perceived risks and benefits ] . In a 2018 poll, 24% of university students admitted to using Adderall for academic enhancement, out of which less than 9% had a medical prescription [2 Trusted Source 2018 - The Michigan Daily 3rd-party source Survey finds that 24 percent of University students use Adderall ] . In the UK, it is illegal to buy Adderall. UK law also prohibits the sale of Modafinil to those without prescription. These medications alter your dopamine system to produce effects.

How does dopamine help you study?

Dopamine is your reward and pleasure brain chemical. It is also involved in motivation, which makes it a powerful tool that can help you achieve your goals. Dopamine is released even before you experience the feeling of reward to motivate you to continue putting in the effort [4 Trusted Source 2010 - Neuron Research evaluation Dopamine in Motivational Control: Rewarding, Aversive, and Alerting ]  . The brain has a fine-tuned system to regulate the production and availability of dopamine within balanced levels. When you spend hours studying, it is the drive to excel and get good grades that keeps you going. This is your dopamine urging you to stay focused and keep studying. One way of increasing dopamine safely is through adequate intake of its building block, tyrosine. It is found in protein rich foods and supplements like the world’s 1st natural 800mg tyrosine. Read more here.

How does Adderall work?

Adderall is a medication prescribed to those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), to improve their focus and decrease impulsivity [3 Trusted Source 2021 - PubMed 3rd-party source Amphetamine ] . It is also prescribed for narcolepsy (sleep condition with excessive daytime sleepiness) to promote wakefulness [3 Trusted Source 2021 - PubMed 3rd-party source Amphetamine ] . Students use it to stay alert for long periods [6 Trusted Source 2019 - American Addiction Centers 3rd-party source Adderall vs. Modafinil: How Do They Compare? ] . Once consumed, Adderall enters the brain and forcefully prolongs the action of dopamine [5 Trusted Source 2021 - Cureus Systematic and meta-analysis Stimulant Usage by Medical Students for Cognitive Enhancement: A Systematic Review ] . Brain scans also show the increased release of dopamine upon taking Adderall [5 Trusted Source 2021 - Cureus Systematic and meta-analysis Stimulant Usage by Medical Students for Cognitive Enhancement: A Systematic Review ] . When it is taken for exam prep, it targets the dopamine system to push you to keep studying because the feeling of achieving good grades is rewarding. Though it may seem like a magic pill, it is far from being one. Adderall side effects could be serious because depending on the dose, it can increase dopamine excessively which can lead to addiction [5 Trusted Source 2021 - Cureus Systematic and meta-analysis Stimulant Usage by Medical Students for Cognitive Enhancement: A Systematic Review ] . 

How does Modafinil work?

Modafinil is a medication prescribed as a waking aid for narcolepsy. It is misused by those who want to pull all-nighters and decrease fatigue [7 Trusted Source 2012 - Environmental Health and Toxicology Systematic and meta-analysis Practical Use and Risk of Modafinil, a Novel Waking Drug ] , with 84% of those who took it did so to improve attention/focus [1 Trusted Source 2020 - PLoS ONE Human study The off-prescription use of modafinil: An online survey of perceived risks and benefits ] . It works like Adderall and increases the activity of dopamine above normal ranges. It also decreases the relaxing brain chemical, GABA to prolong alertness [8 Trusted Source 2022 - American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal Systematic and meta-analysis Modafinil: A Review and Its Potential Use in the Treatment of Long COVID Fatigue and Neurocognitive Deficits ] . Modafinil side effects are similar to Adderall’s due to it being a serious drug. 

 Is Alpha GPC the best natural alternatives to Adderall & Modafinil?

Enhancing learning and memory is more beneficial than merely staying awake for longer to cram exam materials. Your brain’s learning and memory brain chemical is acetylcholine. To commit something to memory, different parts of the brain interact with your brain’s learning headquarter. Acetylcholine is needed for the proper functioning of this headquarter [9 Trusted Source 2022 - Journal of Neurorestoratology Systematic and meta-analysis Acetylcholine bidirectionally regulates learning and memory ] . Increasing intake of its building block choline can help you increase acetylcholine levels. Choline is a nutrient found in beef, eggs, salmon, mushrooms.. It is also available as a supplement. A study involving 1000 people found that those who had a higher choline intake had a better memory [10 Trusted Source 2011 - The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Human study The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort ] . 

How to supercharge your memory without drugs?

Your brain needs a steady supply of choline to make adequate acetylcholine to keep those A* grades coming. Intake of supplemental choline may be a good option during busy exam periods. One of the best forms of choline is Alpha GPC. It is 41% choline by weight and more efficient than other types of choline supplements. It increases acetylcholine levels in 1-3 hours [11 Trusted Source 2023 - Examine 3rd-party source Alpha GPC ] , fast tracking your memory and learning chemical. The world’s 1st capsule containing 99% Alpha GPC (the purest form), provides 500 mg Alpha GPC dosage.

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Are smart drugs worth the risks?

The intake of Adderall and Modafinil is widespread among those facing exam periods. Are the beneficial effects scientifically proven and worth the risk of side effects? A review of 5 studies found Modafinil’s lack of benefit in improving attention [14 Trusted Source 2011 - Biological Psychiatry Systematic and meta-analysis Translational Approaches to Frontostriatal Dysfunction in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Using a Computerized Neuropsychological Battery ] . In fact, caffeine found in tea and coffee was found to be more beneficial. Participants taking Modafinil and caffeine in a study mimicking tests, found that compared to Modafinil, 200mg caffeine boosted attention [13 Trusted Source 2021 - Psychopharmacology Systematic and meta-analysis Cognitive enhancement effects of stimulants: a randomized controlled trial testing methylphenidate, modafinil, and caffeine ] . Almost 80% of those who take these drugs get them online [1 Trusted Source 2020 - PLoS ONE Human study The off-prescription use of modafinil: An online survey of perceived risks and benefits ] . With safety risks and legality issues, do these drugs benefit scores? A study among healthy college students found that those taking Adderall performed 7% worse on memory recall tests [15 Trusted Source 2018 - Pharmacy Human study Neurocognitive, Autonomic, and Mood Effects of Adderall: A Pilot Study of Healthy College Students ]  A study among almost 900 students found that those who did not take any drugs had better scores over 3 years than those who used drugs [12 Trusted Source 2017 - Addictive Behaviors Human study Do college students improve their grades by using prescription stimulants nonmedically? ] .

Choose the scientific way for better exam results

Alpha GPC is the legal, natural, and safe supplement that increases acetylcholine levels. An animal study found that those supplemented with choline had better attention span and long-term memory [16 Trusted Source 2013 - ScienceDaily 3rd-party source Vitamin B: Choline intake improves memory and attention-holding capacity, experts say ] . Going the natural, legal, and scientific way to improve your memory and learning seems like the right choice when choosing brain performance aids.

References

 

  1. Teodorini, R.D., Rycroft, N. and Smith-Spark, J.H. (2020). The off-prescription use of modafinil: An online survey of perceived risks and benefits. PLOS ONE, 15(2), p.e0227818. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227818
  2. Norris, M. (2018). Survey finds that 24 percent of University students use Adderall. [online] The Michigan Daily. https://www.michigandaily.com/news/research/adderall-used-24-university-students/
  3. Martin, D. and Le, J.K. (2021). Amphetamine. [online] PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32310563/
  4. Bromberg-Martin, E. S. et al. (2010). Dopamine in motivational control: rewarding, aversive, and alerting. Neuron, 68(5), 815–834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2010.11.022
  5. Plumber, N. et al. (2021). Stimulant Usage by Medical Students for Cognitive Enhancement: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 13(5), e15163. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.15163
  6. American Addiction Centers. (2019). Adderall vs. Modafinil: How Do They Compare? [online] https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/adderall-vs-modafinil
  7. Kim D. (2012). Practical use and risk of modafinil, a novel waking drug. Environmental health and toxicology, 27, e2012007. https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.2012.27.e2012007
  8. Pliszka, A.G. (2022). Modafinil: A Review and Its Potential Use in the Treatment of Long COVID Fatigue and Neurocognitive Deficits. American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal, 17(4), pp.5–7. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2022.170402
  9. Huang, Q., Liao, C., Ge, F., Ao, J. and Liu, T. (2022). Acetylcholine bidirectionally regulates learning and memory. Journal of Neurorestoratology, 10(2), p.100002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnrt.2022.100002
  10. Poly, C. et al. (2011). The relation of dietary choline to cognitive performance and white-matter hyperintensity in the Framingham Offspring Cohort. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, [online] 94(6), pp.1584–1591. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.110.008938
  11. Murray, M. (2023). Alpha GPC. Examine. https://examine.com/supplements/alpha-gpc/?srsltid=AfmBOoovovPsgvo5p6F4mc3pGFxD7ctYXJPtraVjoByJR1ZPB-G1NC7t
  12. Arria, A.M., Caldeira, K.M., Vincent, K.B., O’Grady, K.E., Cimini, M.D., Geisner, I.M., Fossos-Wong, N., Kilmer, J.R. and Larimer, M.E. (2017). Do college students improve their grades by using prescription stimulants nonmedically? Addictive Behaviors, 65, pp.245–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.07.016
  13. Repantis, D., Bovy, L., Ohla, K., Kühn, S., & Dresler, M. (2021). Cognitive enhancement effects of stimulants: a randomized controlled trial testing methylphenidate, modafinil, and caffeine. Psychopharmacology, 238(2), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-020-05691-w
  14. Chamberlain, S. R., Robbins, T. W., Winder-Rhodes, S., Müller, U., Sahakian, B. J., Blackwell, A. D., & Barnett, J. H. (2011). Translational approaches to frontostriatal dysfunction in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using a computerized neuropsychological battery. Biological psychiatry, 69(12), 1192–1203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.08.019
  15. Weyandt, L. L., White, T. L., Gudmundsdottir, B. G., Nitenson, A. Z., Rathkey, E. S., De Leon, K. A., & Bjorn, S. A. (2018). Neurocognitive, Autonomic, and Mood Effects of Adderall: A Pilot Study of Healthy College Students. Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland), 6(3), 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy6030058
  16. ScienceDaily. (2013). Vitamin B: Choline intake improves memory and attention-holding capacity, experts say. [online]  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130711103239.htm
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