Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Thu 10th Apr 2008 22:12 UTC
One in five Nature readers -- mostly scientists -- say they up their mental performance with drugs such as Ritalin, Provigil, and Inderal. [...] when asked how they felt about professional thinkers using drugs to enhance their cognitive performance, nearly 80% said it should be allowed. While this report reaches a different part of science, the usage of these drugs can be utilized by software developers alike. What is your opinion on this, somewhat new, development?
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Member since:
2005-08-26
Bravo!
You're spot on. I was diagnosed "mild to moderate case of ADD" as a kid.
You should have seen the look on the "Doctors" face when I looked him straight in the eye as a 6th grader and said, "Bullshit. You're just jealous that my brain works faster than yours. Now you're going to drug me so I'll fit into your little box labeled 'normal'. I don't want to be normal. I'm better than normal, my brain is faster than yours, and you'd rather drug me than admit that you're slow."
I was put on Cylert, which gave me the most debilitating headaches I've ever had, made me a virtual zombie, and left me feeling 'slow' _all_the_time_.
The strangest thing was that my critical thinking and reasoning skills went to hell in a handbasket, and fast. I was in the advanced math classes, and started failing tests. Not just one or two, -all- of them. Even though I was (for once in my life) doing my homework. I started experimenting with the medicine, and was able to draw correlation between taking the medicine for a few days, getting headaches, and failing tests.
Funny thing, if I didn't take the medicine for a few days I'd quit doing my homework, but I'd get high B's and A's on all the tests...
I found Newsweek magazine articles that listed the most reported side-effect of that medicine was migraine headaches, and reduced reasoning abilities. I left it out on the counter for my parents to see. The next day, I flushed the pills in a grand act of defiance right in front of them.
I never took another 'pill' for "ADD". That lovely mythical bullshit explanation of a 'disorder' that doesn't exist, and behavior or thought-patterns that are in many ways beneficial.
I do self-medicate with caffeine to some extent. Okay, I'm a caffeine addict. I force myself through withdrawal every few months so I can start back on smaller doses of coffee... :-p The caffeine helps me focus on uninteresting material with the same level of rigor that I can focus on things I find highly interesting.
And let me tell you, when I find something interesting, just -try- and keep me from thinking about it.
Productivity wise, caffeine is a god-send for those mundane, boring tasks.