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It will be a few more weeks before most university students experience the soul-crushing pressure pot that is the examinations period, but scarfies typically appear to labour through with the “tried and true” methods. Multiple doses of V or Red Bull will be ingested, coffee addictions will be converted into a pill-popping habit with caffeine tablets, and a semester’s worth of study will be packed into all-night cramming sessions. However, there will be an odd few who take an extra step and use nootropics, colloquially known as “smart drugs”, pharmaceuticals and medications used off-label to boost concentration and memory.
Extensive smart drug usage hasn't been observed in New Zealand to the extent of the phenomenon in American or British educational institutions; in some US universities, up to a quarter of students are reportedly using smart drugs. Studies about New Zealand drug use suggest that we’re more focused on recreational drugs; shockingly, we really like alcohol. Even one of the most commonly used smart drugs, Ritalin, is used for recreational purposes, crushed and snorted, known as “poor man’s speed”.
 

Abbey - not her real name - details her experience with Ritalin. "When I was under its influence, I felt like I needed to do something. I was talking non-stop and my brain was racing. I just had to do something. Your body just wouldn’t give you an option.”

 
A quick internet search unveils an underground culture of smart drug users, who advise each other on a various number of topics, from the best combinations of nootropics from which to gain the greatest benefits, anecdotal and personal accounts of smart drug experiences, to detailed information on the biological mechanisms and processes that the drugs affect. So do these smart drugs actually work?

 
“All of the commonly used nootropics - Ritalin, Adderall, Modafinil – are psychostimulants - they act on pathways in the brain associated with attention, reward and wakefulness,” Kristin Hillman of Otago University’s Department of Psychology explains.  They work, “much in the same way as recognised illicit drugs like cocaine and P.”

 
Extensive anecdotal evidence and short-term small-scale studies have suggested that they do indeed increase cognitive function. Ritalin has been shown to improve working memory and attention. Modafinil, used to treat the sleep disorder narcolepsy, has been used by the military in several countries to keep troops awake for combat. It is also rising in popularity amongst shift workers, such as long-haul drivers and doctors, where fatigue is a critical issue. It has been described as the truest ‘smart drug’ in the sense of the term.
Given that, should healthy people be taking them?
 

Although healthy individuals may experience increased wakefulness and alertness, Kristin adds that “this is often accompanied by anxiety, irritability and jitters, which obviously hamper effective concentration.” Kristin strongly advises against smart drug use: “They are prescription drugs for a reason; they can have serious physiological side effects (e.g. heart attack and stroke) and there is a significant potential for psychological addictions and/or co-dependent addictions to develop.”

 
Most short-term studies have primarily focused on their intended users (e.g. people with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease), although more studies on off- label use are starting to appear, with increasing recognition from researchers and clinicians. No long-term studies have been conducted on the continual ingestion of smart drugs for healthy individuals, and Kristin anticipates “we could see serious health consequences down the road in response to long-term, off-label use of these drugs.”
 

Some argue that there are some ethical and moral issues involved in smart drug use. It has been compared to steroid use and doping in competitive sports, and therefore some consider it a form of cheating and an unfair advantage. Caffeinated drinks and pills are readily available, so too are the options to have adequate sleep, regular exercise, healthy nutrition - all known to improve cognitive function. Smart drugs, though, are not easily available in a legal and financial sense, especially in New Zealand where students are more likely to spend money on broadband, SkyTV, condoms, junk food and regular alcohol. Regular smart drug use appears limited to those well funded and connected.
 

The most effective smart drugs are prescription pharmaceuticals, so require a doctor’s permission; it’s illegal to have them otherwise. Without a helpful doctor or friend, the best bet is to obtain them from dodgy unreliable online pharmacies in unregulated countries at inflated prices, and hope they do not instead ship extra-strength Viagra or laxative. You would also need remarkable luck to evade New Zealand customs.
 

No doubt, the promise of breathtaking intelligence in a pill is seductive, and to be able to perform at one’s maximum mental capacity is definitely appealing. However, all drugs and medicines come with possible risks and complications, and one pill will not make anyone become Einstein instantly. With or without smart drugs, students and, by extension, everyone else still need to do the hard work to excel, no matter what shortcuts one takes.