Review of Performance-enhancing Substances in the Military: Stimulants and Sedative-hypnotics

Performance-enhancing substances include anabolic agents, hormone peptides, stimulants and sedatives, pharmaceutical or nutritional compounds used to improve any activity in humans. Since World War II, in the world's armed forces, the use of these compounds in the military field has been widespread and has been used in various wars. Reports from the world's military research centers have shown that stimulant compounds and sedative compounds are the most widely used groups that have been used to increase the military's performance. There are some questions about the use of instructions, the degree of effectiveness, and the limitation on the use and concerns about the side effects of these drug interventions on the normal functioning of the body under operating conditions. Hence, this review examines the practical use of these compounds in real or simulated operational conditions in military or military research centers. Data was extracted through targeted searches of the Google Scholar, PubMed, Medline and Scopus databases without time range limitations. A total of 71 articles from 1965 to 2017 were included in this study. The results of this review indicate the relative success of drug interventions in improving soldier performance. The use of new synthetic or natural compounds such as modafinil, caffeine, melatonin and tyrosine which have no specific side effects, will reduce concerns and limitations.