Pharmacological enhancement for job performance

Question

Here's an interesting editorial from the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/27/opinion/27warner.html?hp

I don't think I've ever heard of a coder that uses Provigil or Adderall, but I'd be interested in stories if anyone has them.

Answer 1

I have used one of the nootropic drug called piracetam. In all the research on the net about my dyslexia - thanks to google research - it does help with verbal reasoning and concentration.

Answer 2

I think fairness is the main issue here. In developed countries, everyone has access to nutrituous food, coffee, and education. If everyone had equal access to enhancing drugs, then there would be no problem.

PS: Cigarettes only help you concentrate when you are an addict, because when not smoking you are more agitated than you should be. (Parrott, A. C. (1999). Does cigarette smokng cause stress? American Psychologist, 54, 817-720)

Answer 3

Spike (thiamine di(2-methylpropionate) disulfide) seems to work pretty well. It's funny how it had to be a sport supplements company to bring it for the first time to the market (in the USA), yet the substance is clearly a brain booster.

Thiamine disulfide has been used in Europe by doctors to alleviate post-surgery mood issues, with good results.

My experience: it focuses the mind tremendously. All the usual scattering of the thoughts is gone. You put the mind in one place, it stays there. Falling asleep while on Spike (the caffeine-free version) is interesting, as you're very focused, but you're drifting to sleep. Another consequence of the improved focus is that it makes you more sociable, more talkative (if you're shy, there are fewer thoughts of social failure to nag you, since you're more focused on what you do), but only if you have to - otherwise you just stay focused on whatever it is you do at the moment, be that coding, playing chess, lifting weights or racing a motorcycle. It's not like you pop a pill and then you start chattering non-stop - that's not the case at all, you can stay silent if you want, and even silence seems amplified somehow.

The other effect, if you take it daily for at least a week, is that it elevates your mood. It enhances the positive thoughts and calms down the negative ones. It does not produce irrational enthusiasm (or exuberance - nod to mr. Greenspan), just a positive emotional atmosphere.

The mental effect (focus) decreases in time if you take Spike every day for a while; after a few days it's best to stop and take a break to "reset" it. The emotional effect (mood elevation) increases in time. I never took it daily for more than a week without interruption. That's the recommended limit anyway.

Here's the site, click on the Fat Loss / Energy link and it will show you all the different Spike versions, along with other supplements less interesting for hackers:

https://www.t-nation.com/free_online_store

The liquid form seems designed exclusively for athletes (and doesn't even contain thiamine disulfide, so don't bother). The pills are better for intellectual workers. Anything with yohimbine will make you horny in addition to giving you lots of physical energy, which may be a good thing if that's what you want, but for coding I'd rather avoid that.

The white pills (caffeine- and yohimbine-free) are pure thiamine disulfide - intense focus, a very clean "burn", do not interfere with your sleep patterns (so you may fall asleep while you're on them). The yellow ones (with caffeine, without yohimbine) are pretty potent too and will definitely prevent you from sleeping for some hours.

Of course, observe the recommended usage religiously. This is true for any brain booster. Don't even think about taking "just a little bit more". It says "two pills max" on the bottle, that's what you should do. Otherwise, Darwin will get ya and good riddance.

Oh, by the way, on the T-Nation forums, some users say the white pills do nothing for them. I suspect those are hardcore bodybuilder dudes, and this is a brain booster, if you know what I mean. Even the white pills (supposedly the "weaker" Spike) have a pretty strong influence on my ability to focus.

Note: I do not work for the manufacturer, don't own their stock, don't care if their products are successful. Actually, I do care (as a customer), because Spike is a good product, I hope it remains available for years to come.

P.S.: I'm generally averse to drugs, even mild ones such as caffeine. In fact, recently I started to avoid caffeine altogether. It seems to offer no real benefit, it just makes your nerves jump up and down a lot, but that's pretty much all. Of course, everyone is different, especially when it comes to stimulants. This is just my $0.02 remark. To sum it up, caffeine is highly overrated.

Answer 4

The perception that a drug "helps" is often disproportionate to the reality. It also varies with the task - complex tasks involving judgment may be impaired even when more concrete tasks are somewhat stimulated. Generalizations are always risky, but using strong drugs is even riskier.

Someone who is not selling the drug might help you balance risks and benefits.

Answer 5

I have experimented with adderall for the past few months. Initially it was fantastic, I had boundless energry and felt like I could code all night. The problem was, it doesn't make up for having a core group of friends around you that can help you when you get stuck on a problem. It's hard to describe but if you have all the energy in the world, that doesn't mean you are going to derive the theory of relativity.

I always caution people to be very very careful with these brain drugs, as they won't make up for knowledge that isn't there. Sure, it'll help you get over your energy/focus lapses but if you truly don't grok something, drugs won't help that much.

Answer 6

I don't take any drugs. At all. No coffee, no alcohol, definitely no smokes of any kind, and no medicine unless I'm seriously ill - having a cold or upset stomach does not count, so this is very, very rarely.

First of all, I simply don't like the taste of any of those, but I also don't like the idea of stuff messing with the way my body works, especially my brain. No amount of studies or enthusiastic "reviews" by users is going to convince me otherwise. And since the brain is our main (if not only) capital, we should all be scared shitless of long-term side effects.

Answer 7

The biggest productivity enhancers I have found are

1. A good nights sleep
2. A walk around the block (or a run)
3. Talking it over with colleagues
4. Talking about it with someone who knows nothing about programming. Describing the problem often really helps.

When all else fails: coffee.