From caffeine, ginseng and omega-3 to methylphenidate, LSD and ayahuasca. In recent years there has been an increase in the use of these products and drugs that help to increase physical and mental performance, also in the workplace. The question is: are they safe?

There are different types of stimulants, with very different effects and risks. Basically, we can distinguish three groups:

1. The least aggressive are the so-called nootropics, supplements that do not require a medical prescription and that can improve physical performance, motivation, etc. Among the nootropic supplements we can find caffeine, ginseng, ginkgo biloba, tryptophan, omega-3, etc.

2. The second group is composed of those drugs that, while indicated for specific diseases, are used, in a deviant way, to improve physical or mental performance. For example, methylphenidate prescribed for ADHD is employee by students (mainly during exam periods) and workers (subject to intense work schedules) to increase report or concentration. This subject substance requires a prescription.

3. The last group is composed of psychedelic or lysergic microdoses. It refers to the consumption of certain psychoactive products at minimal doses, below the threshold of psychedelic experience. This internship has spread among workers in companies with high competitive demands (due to the Degree of involvement, schedules, etc.). Among the products used are LSD (lysergic acid diethylamine), ayahuasca and mescaline, which at low doses are associated with increased performance and confidence. Simultaneously, they also reduce depression and anxiety.

When using stimulants on work the aim is to improve physical or mental performance in order to achieve greater endurance to meet demanding schedules, to increase performance in exams or to increase capacity in sports internship . The problems involved depend on the product used.

In general, the risks are minimal in some nootropic supplements due to their innocuousness, the endorsement of programs of study scientists and the quality controls to which most of them are subjected. On the other hand, the risks are high in psychedelic microdoses due to the lack of scientific evidence of their effects. Added to this is the fact that these are products that, being illegal, are not marketed through ordinary channels, which entails an added risk as they do not have the pertinent quality controls.

However, regardless of the product subject , the use of stimulants has negative effects for various reasons. To begin with, it obviates basic elements in the forging of the personality, such as willpower or effort. It can also mask personal problems or fail to detect certain pathologies, with palliative products that do not address the root of the problem. Without forgetting that it can have undesirable effects and, in some cases, not even considered.

It is very difficult to control these stimulants and, therefore, it is foreseeable that their consumption will increase in the coming years.

To avoid this, it is important that certain legal measures are adopted. The authorities must be involved in the control of stimulant products, the legislation must be clear, and the requirement for scientific evidence and quality control of the products concerned must not be overlooked. All this without waiting to react when it is too late.

For their part, companies must create an appropriate ethical climate, with working hours and demands that are proportionate to the reality of their workers, since, in this area, the use of stimulants is often incited by the aggressiveness of corporate environments. Once this ethical business climate has been created, corporate social responsibility services must be concerned about the care of their workers, bearing in mind that many stimulants pose a risk both to the worker and to business itself and, if necessary, even to its customers.

Finally, as regards the pharmaceutical industry, it is often presented as the "bad guy" when, in fact, it is only responsible for the group of nootropics. In this sense, pharmaceutical companies can encourage their proper use, avoiding creating expectations that do not conform to reality or assigning properties that are not supported by scientific evidence.

As for products in the other two groups, diverted-use drugs require a prescription and lysergics are illegal. Therefore, the influence of pharmaceutical companies in these two categories is quite limited.

There is also a clear social component to the increase in the consumption of stimulant products. On the one hand, the pressure exerted by a society that, as a priority, values people for their results. This pressure occurs in an environment in which the value of effort and willpower is no longer taught. And in which there is a palpable lack of capacity, especially among the youngest, to face failure.

What seems indisputable is that their consumption has more risks than benefits, since they do not make human beings more human, but rather help them to endure a hostile environment or situations that involve effort, without really facing the problems.