Talking To Your Doctor About Nootropics

It's always a good thing when you and your doctor are on the same page. Unfortunately, sometimes it can be difficult communicating with your healthcare provider.

Between all the paperwork, dealing with insurance companies, and visits from drug company reps, doctors barely have enough time to treat their patients. That makes it hard for doctors to spend much time learning about new areas of medicine, like cognitive enhancement.

Though I don't have any actual statistics to back this up, I'd bet that if you asked ten random doctors if they knew what nootropics are, you'd only get one or two yeses – if that. Medical training focuses on treating diseases, not improving cognition. Even most psychiatrists have never heard of nootropics.

This can make it a challenge to talk to your doctor about nootropics. A lot of people don't talk to their doctors about using nootropics at all. That raises the following question:

Should you talk to your doctor about nootropics?

The answer to this question is going to vary from situation to situation. However, in general, I think it's a good idea to talk to your doctor about your nootropic use. This is especially true if you're taking any prescription medications.

Most nootropics are extremely safe and don't interact with other drugs. However, rarely, interactions can occur. If you are prescribed Adderall, for example, you'd definitely want to talk to your doctor before taking any nootropics with stimulating properties. Taking something like modafinil with Adderall could increase your blood pressure and cause severe insomnia.

So, if you're taking prescription medications, it's probably a good idea to talk to your doctor about using nootropics. That way, you can make sure whatever you plan on taking doesn't negatively interact with your prescription meds.

But, here's the problem with talking to doctors about nootropics: As mentioned in the introduction, most doctors don't know what nootropics are. It's not something they're taught about in medical school and, unless they are interested in them personally, are unlikely to learn about on their own.

When doctors are asked about substances they're unfamiliar with, they're usually going to tell you not to mess with them. Why? Because that's the safe answer. That's the answer that protects them.

Countless lawsuits are filed against doctors every day. According to a 2017 report, 55% of doctors have been named in at least one medical malpractice lawsuit. It's safer for them to simply tell you not to use nootropics than to risk getting sued if anything bad, however unlikely, happens.

But don't let that deter you from reaping the benefits of using nootropics. Just because your doctor doesn't know what nootropics are doesn't mean he/she can't learn. Sometimes you have to educate your doctor. Yes, they went to medical school, but that doesn't mean they know everything about medicine.

Some doctors can be arrogant. Some doctors think that, because they went to med school and you didn't, they know everything about medicine and you know nothing. Fortunately, most physicians aren't like this.

From what I've experienced personally and from what I've heard, most doctors are highly receptive to learning about nootropics from their patients. So, how do you go about teaching your doctor about nootropics?

Educating your doctor about nootropics

If you've decided that you want to talk to your doctor about nootropics, you're probably going to need to educate them about two things: nootropics in general and the specific nootropic(s) you're interested in.

To educate your doctor about nootropics in general, you may want to print out a copy of The Nootropics FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), What Is The Exact Definition Of Nootropic, or even the Wikipedia page about nootropics. It's one thing to tell your doctor about nootropics, but it's even better to give them something to look over.

When educating your doctor about the specific nootropic(s) you're interested in, you'll want to bring them any scientific info you can find. This means clinical trials, journal articles, and other scholarly papers.

Now, most people aren't scientists and don't know how to find scientific articles. Fortunately, there is an amazing online resource that makes it incredibly easy: Examine.com. It's #1 on our list of The Top 5 Resources For Nootropics Information because it really is the best place to learn about individual nootropics.

Examine.com breaks down all the scientific literature of each substance and makes it easy to understand for the average person. Just go to examine.com, search for whatever nootropic you're interested in, and it tells you everything that's known about it.

Examine.com is great to show doctors because it cites where its information comes from. That way, your doctor can easily go and do more research if they want to.

Say, for example, you're interested in trying l-theanine because you suffer from anxiety. You want to get your doctor's opinion before trying it to make sure it's safe. What you should do is either print out the l-theanine page on examine.com or show it to your doctor on your phone/tablet/device. Then, your doctor can educate him/herself about l-theanine easily so they can give you an informed opinion.

What about stubborn doctors?

Some doctors believe that all non-prescription substances are ineffective. Some doctors are incredibly skeptical. Some doctors are afraid to risk recommending anything that's not FDA approved. And some doctors won't recommend anything that they can't directly benefit from financially.

Some doctors are not going to want to hear about nootropics. They're going to tell you not to use them even though they don't give you a good reason not to. So, what should you do?

Ultimately, it's up to you. I can't answer this question for you. You need to decide if you want to take your doctor's advice or not. They do have extensive training in medicine, but they don't know everything.

I, personally, usually don't discuss my nootropic use with any of my doctors. I'm on several prescription medications and have used dozens of different nootropics with no serious side effects or interactions. However, I've got a background in science and always do tons of research before trying anything new.

For each substance I'm interested in, I look into any interactions it may have with what I'm already taking, how it works (pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, etc.), and other relevant information. Then, I form my own opinion on whether or not to try it.

Most people, however, don't have the time or know-how to be reading through clinical trials and peer-reviewed journal articles. Talking to your doctor is usually the best way to get an informed opinion on whether or not you should try any given nootropic.

Conclusion

To get the best medical care possible, it's important that you communicate well with your doctor. If you're interested in nootropics, you may want to discuss them with your healthcare provider.

Not all physicians are going to like the idea of cognitive enhancement. Some are going to be skeptical and outright dismissive. However, most should be open to having an informed conversation about nootropics.

To learn about dozens of the most commonly used nootropics, sign up for the Nootropics Zone newsletter. You'll get the free gift, The Ultimate Nootropics Quick Reference Guide.