One in 12 adults admits taking ‘smart drugs’

Neuroscientists warn users looking to gain enhanced state could put themselves at risk of long-term harm

ONE in 12 adults has taken “smart drugs”, with most people trying them at work, a survey has shown.

Neuroscientists said growing numbers were turning to cognitive enhancers in a bid to cope with workload pressures. However, they warned that the pills could cause long-term damage, with little research on their effects when taken for years.

The survey – carried out for The Daily Telegraph – showed that 8 per cent of UK adults said they had taken the drugs to gain an intellectual “edge”.

Most debate about the use of medication to boost attention span, concentration and energy levels had focused on university students.

But the survey found 44 per cent of those who had used drugs such as modafinil or Ritalin off-label had first done so in the workplace compared with 38 per cent who said they had first done so to aid studies.

The medications are illegal to sell without a prescription in the UK, but not illegal to buy.

Among the most commonly used are adrafinil and modafinil – usually prescribed to patients with sleeping disorders – along with Adderall and Ritalin – both stimulants primarily used to treat ADHD.

Prof Barbara Sahakian, a neuroscience expert at Cambridge University, said using the drugs could have longterm risks. “No one’s been monitoring people that are using it on a regular basis. So we don’t know in healthy people what the long-term safety problems might be,” she said.

Those taking the drugs include professionals in competitive fields, including scientists.

Dr Hemmel Amrania, a physicist at Imperial College London, said he and many of his colleagues obtained drugs like modafinil over the internet.

“Out of my colleagues, the people that I feel strive to be high performers, almost all of them take it”.

In total, 35 per cent said they had taken “smart drugs” to prepare for a test or exam, while 25 per cent said it was because they needed to be mentally sharp for an important meeting. And 18 per cent said they wanted to improve their general work performance.

People had mixed feelings about the ethics of taking the drugs with 54 per cent believing they were the equivalent of taking a steroid to aid athletic performance.

The survey was carried out by DCYFOR across a representative sample of 1,050 UK adults.