From: dcook@npal.rn.com
Date: 6 Feb 92 09:49:11 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.drugs
Subject: Legal High Of The Month - February '92


                Legal High Of The Month - for February 1992
                ------------------------------------------- 


This month's legal high is not a single substance, but a subject...
SMART DRUGS.  If you regularly read MONDO 2000 or alt.cyberpunk, just
skip this posting because you already know it all... otherwise, read on!

Many of you might have heard of Smart Drugs, via NPR, or the Nightly News
(and also Nightline).  Smart Drugs are a *new* breed of drugs termed
*nootropic*.  Nootropic comes from the Greek word meaning "acting on
the mind".  Nootropic drugs have in common.... (1) They all work on
the brain and/or blood/brain barrier and (2) They all have *fairly* low
toxicity levels.

Smart Drugs can do things like:

     1)  Improve mental functioning and even increase IQ (lots of arguments
         on the IQ increasing - but research is proving it true)
     2)  Increase lifespan (30% or higher)
     3)  Decrease some of the *bad* degenerative effects of aging
     4)  Increase mental clarity
     5)  Done in combination with *illegal drugs*, Smart Drugs can undo
         some of the less-desirable effects (eg., foggyness, dizzyness,
         tiredness etc..).

On Toxicity:

Many of the nootropic drugs are SO nontoxic that the PDR lists them as
having no known overdose levels, and no known symptoms or contradictions.
THIS IS NOT TO SAY that ALL smart drugs are safe.  Certainly not... and 
you should be fairly knowledgable about them before you do them - especially
in combination!  A couple of the nootropic drugs do have contradictions
so PLEASE be careful in experimentation.  (Note, certain combinations of
nootropic drugs, done together, will have unpleasant, if not dangerous
effects - PLEASE BE CAREFUL - never experiment with them together, until
you have experimented with them each, individually, over a period of time.
Make SURE you read the PDR on each of them, because some of them do have
contradictions, especially if you have other conditions (eg., angina, etc..)).

What Do They Do?

Here is a partial (very partial) list of some smart drugs.  ALL these
drugs are available, in the US, by prescription.  ALL of these drugs
are available, outside of the US, without prescription AND MAY LEGALLY
BE BROUGHT INTO THE US by you (more on this at the end of the article).

The following table lists SOME of the drugs, their use as smart drugs,
the NORMAL dose, and their use in the US, as indicated by the FDA.  Blank
items are because I don't have all my reference material at my side.  Note
that most of this information came via Mondo 2000, and other books.

Drug Name            Trade Name   Dose        Remarks
---------            ----------   ----        -------
Centrophenoxine      Lucidril     1000 to     Intelligence Booster and
                                  3000 mg/day Antiaging.  Improvements in
                                              memory function and 30% increase
                                              in lifespan of mice. Removes
                                              Lipofuscin deposits in the brain.
                                              * This drug has contradictions *
Choline                           3 g/day     Helps the brain make acetylcholine
(also Lecithin)                               DO NOT DO if manic depressive
Dehydroepiandrosterone DHEA       50 to       Anti-tumor, Anti-aging, Anti-
                                  2000 mg/day obesity.  Protects brain neurons
                                              from senility degenerative
                                              conditions.  Naturally present
                                              in the body, but decreases with
                                              age.
Ergoloid Mesylates   Hydergine    3 to 9      Increases blood supply to brain.
                                  mg/day      Increases oxygen to brain
                                              Protects brain from oxygen starv-
                                              ation.  Reduces tiredness and
                                              dizziness.  Normalizes systolic
                                              pressure.  Increases intelligence.
Gingko                            20 mg       Blood vessel dilators.
Piracetam            Nootropyl    2400 to     Cognitive enhancer and memory
                                  8000 mg/day improver.
Sulbutiamine         Arcalion     400 mg/day  Facilitate wakefulness and
                                              improve long term memory. Increase
                                              resistance to stress.
Vasopressin          Diapid       A blast up  Helps you learn new memories.
                                  each nose   Improves attention, concentration
                                              and recall.  Made by SANDOZ!
                                              Helps undo the foggyness of
                                              alcohol and marijuna, and can undo
                                              the 'slowness' of coke, lsd etc..
Vincamine            Oxicebral    low dose    Alertness / activity.
Vinpocetine          Cavinton     5 mg/day    Memory enhancer.


How To Get Them:

Most of these drugs are available in the US, by prescription.  They are
usually approved by the FDA for uses NOT IN THE LIST ABOVE (for example,
Vasopressin is used in the US for bladder control, but it has NOT been
approved in the US for its memory functions, which require it to go through
the multi-year cycle (and millions of dollars) for approval for that use).

HOWEVER, due to the AIDS situation, the FDA has loosened the laws governing
what you can bring in from other countries.  It is now LEGAL to purchase
a PERSONAL SUPPLY (not to exceed 3 months) of these (and other) drugs from
firms in Europe, as long as they are regarded as safe in other countries.

You can purchase these drugs from several companies, whose addresses are
listed below:

     INHOME HEALTH SERVICES                INTERLAB
     P.O. Box 3112                         BCM Box 5890
     CH-2800 Delemont Switzerland          London, WC1N 3XX England

Write them for their price lists.

I personally have ordered several times from Interlab (vasopressin) and
have been VERY impressed with their speed (spend the extra $10 for fast
shipment - it's worth it) and the quality of their service.  The bottles
of Vasopressin came sealed, from Sandoz Laboratories, and worked as 
advertised (it even did the bladder control trick).  To see what I was
getting ripped off for, I called the local drug store to inquire as to
the U.S. price for a bottle of Vasopressin, and my price from Interlab was
$10 CHEAPER than what I could get it from at the local store (assuming I
had a prescription).  PLEASE NOTE that these companies want you to sign a
statement saying that your doctor is working with you on this.

Also, look into a book by John Morgenthaler and Ward Dean, entitled
Smart Drugs & Nutrients (Walden Books, B. Dalton etc...).  And OF COURSE,
read alt.cyberpunk as well as MONDO 2000 for the latest and greatest in
smart drug research and information.