Combat stimulants
Combat stimulants are a category of drugs used by pilots of mobile fencers to increase their efficacy in combat, whether by heightened senses or persistence of consciousness in battle. Although each faction that uses combat stimulants have their own proprietary pharmaceutical brands and chemical compositions, most nevertheless yield similar effects.
The chemistry of combat stimulants is multifaceted in nature, with various ingredients being mixed into a suspension. Most include cocktails of nootropic agents, such as modafinil or piracetam. Even with these agents, sympathomimetic amines are almost always bundled in (epinephrine and its chemical analogs), which are considered the “workhorses” of the overall mixture. Due the neurological stresses involved, protective and neuritogenic agents are included, such as erinacines and hericenones—both extracted from the Lion's Mane mushroom or artificially synthesized.
To combat excess anxiety and nervousness from this cocktail, some brands also integrate relaxing agents that do not simultaneously cause drowsiness, such as L-theanine. Modulators that act on the activity of TRPV1 receptors are often administered in the midst of combat to suppress pain and extreme heat—this being the particular agent that can cause fencers to stay conscious even with debilitating injuries or burns. In addition to TRPV1 modulators, endorphin precursors, reuptake inhibitors, and enzyme inhibitors are included to further augment the body's natural endorphin response. As a means to increase drug distribution, vasodilators are employed to widen blood vessels and improve perfusion. Some combat stimulants have even included chemical packages that act directly to increase brain perfusion and thereby heighten cognitive ability, utilizing neurovascular coupling agents. In order to fuel this surge of physiological action, metabolic regulators are sometimes packaged as a means to optimize the body's metabolic rate towards combating physical and mental exertion during combat operations.
This multi-drug matrix is injected intravenously through a previously-installed port on a target vein, often on the arm, thus allowing near-instantaneous action of the combat stimulant upon the fencer pilot without needing to repeatedly pierce the skin. From the site of injection, the stimulant matrix is rapidly absorbed and crosses the blood-brain barrier to act on the central nervous system. The nootropic agents and sympathomimetic amines act on their neural receptors, enhancing synaptic action, promoting increased brain activity, and stimulating the sympathetic nervous system to increase heart rate, improve blood flow, heighten sensory perception, and enhance reflexes. Analgesic compounds also act on pain receptors and tracts within the brain, reducing the perception of injury—for better or worse.
There are negatives to combat stimulants beyond retaining consciousness even through injuries that demand immediate medical attention. The alteration of metabolism to supply energy to these heightened processes can lead to extreme fatigue and exhaustion sometime after the effects wear off. The reduced fear responses cause by the stimulant could pose operational risk if prior psychological training is not administered, and the psychological impact of repeated stimulant use (through the conscious observation of traumatic events and/or combat injury) can lead to later manifestations of mental health issues.