Nootropic drugs: Methylphenidate, modafinil and piracetam - Population use trends, occurrence in the environment, ecotoxicity and removal methods - A review.

Nootropic drugs: Methylphenidate, modafinil and piracetam - Population use trends, occurrence in the environment, ecotoxicity and removal methods - A review. Chemosphere. 2019 Oct;233:771-785 Authors: Wilms W, Woźniak-Karczewska M, Corvini PF, Chrzanowski Ł Abstract Pharmaceuticals which originally were designed to treat people with neurological and psychiatric conditions, e.g. Alzheimer's disease or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), are nowadays often misused by students as a 'brain doping' substances. These substances are known as nootropic drugs, smart drugs or cognitive enhancers, as they increase memory, attention and concentration of healthy individuals. Since they are easily available illicitly, their consumption is observed to be growing. Currently, these pharmaceuticals started gaining researchers' attention, especially since they have been recently detected in wastewater, surface water and even drinking water. This review summarises the current state of knowledge on nootropic drugs in terms of their population use trends and ethics, occurrence in the environment and detection techniques, toxicity and removal methods, in example of methylphenidate, modafinil and piracetam - three most popular nootropics. It points out that the main sources of knowledge on cognitive enhancers illicit use are often inconsistent questionnaires, which are not supported by wastewater analysis to become more veracious. Simultaneou...
Source: Chemosphere - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Chemosphere Source Type: research