Performance Enhancing Drugs

Athletes aren't the only ones doing it. A WebMD article covers a poll by the Nature magazine whos readers are mostly scientists says that 1 in 5 of the 1400 responders admitted to using cognitive enhancing drugs to boost mental performance. Drugs included were Ritalin, Provigil, and Inderal. I've never tried any of those, but I have taken an Aderall before to gear me up for 12+ hours of working chemistry problems to prepare for a final. The only side affect I didn't like was that it made me clench my jaw hard the whole time I was zoned in. It didn't seem like the same affect as coffee gives; it lulls you into an almost zombie-like and passive state, yet extremly focused at the same time. Not as jumpy or alert as coffee. It actually made working chemistry problems fun, in the sense that I was not at all easily distracted or uninterested, so I was super-productive.

Caffeine from very strong coffee, is all I really need.