Question: I have been giving my mother piracetam, centrophenoxine (Lucidryl), and choline for a number of years. She is 84 years old with senile dementia. Before the introduction of these smart drugs, she has suffered strokes which left her terribly agitated. She would scream and holler uncontrollably. After smart drugs, she was a totally different person. Her agitation vanished, she stopped screaming and hollering, and her IQ went up tremendously. She can now hold intelligent conversations. Don’t let anyone tell you that smart drugs don’t work. I have living proof with my dear mother. I myself use some of the smart drugs. It’s too bad the American public doesn’t realize that without the FDA’s restrictions, these wonderful medicines would be available for their benefit. Very sad. ——RO

Answer: We think it’s tragic. Thank you for sharing your experience with your mother. Your observations, while anecdotal, are encouraging and serve to illustrate that smart drugs shouldn’t be easily dismissed as useless. You may find it interesting that the pharmaceutical company Warner-Lambert is conducting studies of piracetam for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Hopefully, this research will confirm your observations regarding your mother and help make piracetam available for the millions of Americans who might benefit from its use. ——TMH