The Risks and Ethics of Taking Study Drugs

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Excelsius

Excelsius

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It seems that the last few years I have been truly isolated from the student "process," because only now I found out that many students take stimulants to help them study: http://studentdoctor.net/blog/2008/06/28/stimulant-use-among-professional-students/#more-599.

Do any of you take amphetamines or methylphenidates (Aderall, Ritalin,...) that are usually prescribed for ADHD? How are you able to access those drugs? Have you ever (or know someone who has) experienced any significant side effects? Are you at all concerned about ethics and "cheating"?

Ethics in this case is hard to define especially since some compare these drugs to caffeine, but they may be more addictive than caffeine, with more salient side-effects. I do take caffeine pills, but very rarely since I don't have problems staying up at night or even pulling allnighters just for the hell of it. I have noticed though that if I am tired enough, even a 200mg caffeine pill will not prevent me from sleeping. Since study drugs are more powerful (= to several caffeine pills?) they might just keep you awake when your body really needs it. I am not sure about the ramifications of this, but I know that very little is known about sleep. Whenever I am very tired but still have to stay up, I justify my sleep bypass by statement that no one has ever died from lack of sleep, excluding any physical accidents.

Most of us spend over 30% of our lives sleeping. That's more than 24 years of continuous sleeping if you live to be 75! That is a lot considering that the full advantages of sleep are not particularly clear. From what I have read, the most important function of sleep is consolidation of information in the brain, which occurs during the REM (rapid eye movement) cycle. Out of 8 hours of sleep REM usually takes place for only 15 to 30 minutes, likely at the last part of the sleep cycle. Proponents of polyphasic sleep say that if you sleep several times a day for 15 minutes you directly go into REM and thus only need about 2-3 hours of sleep a day.

With the information flood and computers trying to overtake whatever is left of decadent human intelligence, it seems that we do need the next best thing to help us compete against the machines and information. Maybe research into amphetamines is in order. Certainly, if there are documented, significant side effects (which I could not find), then there is no need to consider these drugs. As of now, it seems that the side effects are almost identical to caffeine, even if you overdose - caffeine overdose is just as lethal as I found out by an experiment on a rabbit.

So the biggest drawbacks are: there probably isn't a lot of concentrated research to show that amphetamines are safer or more dangerous than caffeine; and whether it is ethical for a future doctor to take drugs to get there. An interesting concept.

Despite what many of you will say, I am sure that if you find enough data showing that these drugs do not have serious side effects excluding overdose, you will be tempted to take them if you find that you are stuck in medical school and your future residency placement depends on several weeks of hard preparation for the Step 1.
 
SOOOOO not healthy!
you might get into med school with killer MCAT and GPA...but it would suck to have to DEPEND on drugs to get through FOUR more years plus a residency.
honestly, how come no one takes advantage of cardiovascular conditioning??? i figure thats a huge advantage too...not to mention yoga, a proper diet and a supportive social network. I guess those things are just too much hard work? Come on, we are future med students, we should be used to hard work!
 
I feel it would be unethical unless I could legally get some pills without a prescription.
 
But to note your idea of several naps a day that is something I think I might try. Some independent research.
 
metalhead1023 said:
I feel it would be unethical unless I could legally get some pills without a prescription.
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Seriously? Your moral compass on issues like this is depends solely on legality?
 
metalhead1023 said:
I feel it would be unethical unless I could legally get some pills without a prescription.
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Actually I feel that those pills should not be used unless someone actually has ADD. I could get a prescription for ritalin, etc... since I have been diagnosed with ADD, but I refuse to take those meds. I can function very well without the drugs and may just get distracted easier, oh well. Several of my friends though admit that they take or would take drugs to help them focus and I am completely against doing that unless they actually need the drugs.
 
MrMattOglesby said:
SOOOOO not healthy!
you might get into med school with killer MCAT and GPA...but it would suck to have to DEPEND on drugs to get through FOUR more years plus a residency.
honestly, how come no one takes advantage of cardiovascular conditioning??? i figure thats a huge advantage too...not to mention yoga, a proper diet and a supportive social network. I guess those things are just too much hard work? Come on, we are future med students, we should be used to hard work!
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Yeah - how come you guys don't harvest rainbows and harness your inner sunshine? Give me a break. Believe it or not, you can be too busy to work out.
 
caffeine is the deadliest of them all, not even the amphetamines are as deadly.
 
Are you serious? Legality should be based upon moral guidance, it should not shape your morals.

Although metalhead I know you are very young. You may take a different stance upon this issue when you are a bit older. I don't mean that as an offense to being young, just that there are some things that change as you mature.
 
Maxprime said:
Yeah - how come you guys don't harvest rainbows and harness your inner sunshine? Give me a break. Believe it or not, you can be too busy to work out.
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i think you can manage to find the time to workout if you made the time. I myself, have been competing in triathlons since 2005 and have held a job and attended school full time.
and so i like yoga, does that make my scientific fortitude less daunting as a result? what gives?
 
rowerlauren said:
Are you serious? Legality should be based upon moral guidance, it should not shape your morals.

Although metalhead I know you are very young. You may take a different stance upon this issue when you are a bit older. I don't mean that as an offense to being young, just that there are some things that change as you mature.
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I might as I grow or "mature" but I trust the government in place right now to legalize drugs that will not harm me, and if in the long run it will -tobacco- there are warnings. And if there are warnings and I know it will harm me I probably wouldn't do it.

Maxprime said:
Enjoy ethical questions in interviews.
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lol
 
If you need to take drugs in order to help you study, you don't belong in medical school anyways. Drugs are for the weak minded...
 
i took numerous classes on biomedical ethics and the conclusion amongst ethicists is that certain mind-enhancing drugs with few side effects (like piracetam, hydergine, centrophenoxine, etc.) are simply not problematic. so there is no ethical problem here. personally, having been prescribed amphetamines to treat my ADHD, i don't think amphetamines are all that bad either. to me caffeine has much worse side effects than the amphetamines, and not nearly as effective.

And to those who expouse excercise, I don't consider that to be in the same league of mind enhancement. Excercise is simply not as effective as drugs are.
 
Maxprime said:
Yeah - how come you guys don't harvest rainbows and harness your inner sunshine? Give me a break. Believe it or not, you can be too busy to work out.
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I have actually found that I can get much more done in the day if I plan to include some sort of athletic venture. I function much better, and the couple hours a day working out help me feel more confident in my self.
 
And as you mature you will realize that you should make your own decisions and not have the based upon the government... Yes I follow laws, except for the whole not drinking underage one, but you should make your own decisions.
 
Flamen04 said:
If you need to take drugs in order to help you study, you don't belong in medical school anyways. Drugs are for the weak minded...
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That I agree with but if your extraordinary enough to do better than them without drugs (like me), while they still do them I think its that much better, and they will know and they will envy you.

HoboCommander said:
i took numerous classes on biomedical ethics and the conclusion amongst ethicists is that certain mind-enhancing drugs with few side effects (like piracetam, hydergine, centrophenoxine, etc.) are simply not problematic. so there is no ethical problem here. personally, having been prescribed amphetamines to treat my ADHD, i don't think amphetamines are all that bad either. to me caffeine has much worse side effects than the amphetamines.
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Especially if you have ADHD or ADD I think its ethical to take drugs then you are par with us, I don't mean to offend with that statement I mean concentration wise. I don't doubt some people with ADHD or ADD are some of the smartest people in the world.
 
MrMattOglesby said:
i think you can manage to find the time to workout if you made the time. I myself, have been competing in triathlons since 2005 and have held a job and attended school full time.
and so i like yoga, does that make my scientific fortitude less daunting as a result? what gives?
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That's fantastic. As I noted before, you've never been busy enough that you couldn't do it - don't worry, you will.

Flamen04 said:
If you need to take drugs in order to help you study, you don't belong in medical school anyways. Drugs are for the weak minded...
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Paul Erdos had a "weak mind"?
 
rowerlauren said:
And as you mature you will realize that you should make your own decisions and not have the based upon the government... Yes I follow laws, except for the whole not drinking underage one, but you should make your own decisions.
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I understand what you are saying. And don't get the wrong idea I do make 99% of my own decisions but this one I would rely on the government.
 
Threads like this one usually race straight toward letting this guy do his work.:lock:(one of the many new smilies begging to be used)

Seeking and offering medical advice, and discussing illegal activities are all against the terms of service. In order to keep the thread running, the discussion needs to stay away from those areas. Resist the urge to wade into those waters here.

Everybody, please treat each other with respect while you're at it. These threads also seem to draw out people's desire to throw verbal insults at those who disagree with their views.
 
Maxprime said:
That's fantastic. As I noted before, you've never been busy enough that you couldn't do it - don't worry, you will.
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that's highly presumptive...
but to give you the benefit of the doubt, im sure med school studies might make me rethink how i get my training in.
to give you some background--i have lots of recorded lectures on my iPod that have gone with me on training sessions.
you got me beat on swimming though. I dont study during swim workouts. I might have to skimp on that some.
 
Flamen04 said:
If you are truly committed to something, you'll find time to do it. The whole "I don't have time" excuse is BS.



Paul who?
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a homeless man who took amphetamines
 
Someone I know developed panic attacks while taking aderall as a study aid (if you were looking for side effects). There was some underlying anxiety but the aderall made it worse.
 
ChemGrad08 said:
Someone I know developed panic attacks while taking aderall as a study aid (if you were looking for side effects). There was some underlying anxiety but the aderall made it worse.
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adderall has horrible side effects.
 
MrMattOglesby said:
that's highly presumptive...
but to give you the benefit of the doubt, im sure med school studies might make me rethink how i get my training in.
to give you some background--i have lots of recorded lectures on my iPod that have gone with me on training sessions.
you got me beat on swimming though. I dont study during swim workouts. I might have to skimp on that some.
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How do you get your lectures on your Ipod may I ask.

ChemGrad08 said:
Someone I know developed panic attacks while taking aderall as a study aid (if you were looking for side effects). There was some underlying anxiety but the aderall made it worse.
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This is something you should not talk about, it is against the terms of use.
 
metalhead1023 said:
How do you get your lectures on your Ipod may I ask.
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i have a voice recorder for my iPod. i use the Griffin iTalk.
i simply ask my professors if i can record and they say its cool...never had one say otherwise. Of course there are other recordings you can study with as well, such as MCAT and USMLE reviews.
once you get the file on your computer, simply convert it into an mp3 (this will drastically reduce the size of the file) and then stick it back on your iPod.
its funny cause my lil brother borrows my iPod sometimes and then in the middle of a workout he hears some crazy science lecture. He always come back and complains to me about it but at least he learns something new without trying to do so.
 
MrMattOglesby said:
i have a voice recorder for my iPod. i use the Griffin iTalk.
i simply ask my professors if i can record and they say its cool...never had one say otherwise. Of course there are other recordings you can study with as well, such as MCAT and USMLE reviews.
once you get the file on your computer, simply convert it into an mp3 (this will drastically reduce the size of the file) and then stick it back on your iPod.
its funny cause my lil brother borrows my iPod sometimes and then in the middle of a workout he hears some crazy science lecture. He always come back and complains to me about it but at least he learns something new without trying to do so.
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thank you
 
If you need to take drugs in order to help you study, you don't belong in medical school anyways. Drugs are for the weak minded...
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That is absolutely biased. As everyone can see, we all know how your condescending attitude toward your "future" patients are now.

If you are not diagnosed with ADD/ADHD then you have absolutely no damn right to judge. The posts I'm reading are absolutely making me sick. What you all (those thinking it's "unethical") are saying is, anyone with a medical condition that is prescribed medication for it should not be going into the medical field and is very unethical? I've read posts about bipolar premeds, I suppose you think they should be thrown in the same boat because those individuals need to take medication as well, right?
 
I'm pretty sure the posters are saying if you need to take enhancement drugs and don't have a diagnosis you shouldn't go to medical school. Still very polar, but not discriminating against those who have certain conditions.
 
Bacchus said:
I'm pretty sure the posters are saying if you need to take enhancement drugs and don't have a diagnosis you shouldn't go to medical school. Still very polar, but not discriminating against those who have certain conditions.
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Flamen stated it quite clearly that an individual shouldn't. But the point is, this debate clearly has two sides on this thread.
 
Bacchus said:
Some of your reasoning is not concrete. Even if these drugs were ''healthy'' I wouldn't take them.
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I think that's just a little drug bias, which I have myself. Still, vitamin C is healthy for immune system and I do take it. Vitamin B-complex enhances energy production, so I take that too sometimes. A drug that helped you stay awake for days and was "healthy," would probably be godsend.

Maxprime said:
Yeah - how come you guys don't harvest rainbows and harness your inner sunshine? Give me a break. Believe it or not, you can be too busy to work out.
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This whole idea of working out is a little murky. I go to the gym several times a week and I don't know about you guys, but usually when I get out of there I am pretty tired. I run hard several miles and then lift some weights (nothing big). So I am not quite sure as to how a good work out can make you feel more energized. Feeling healthy overall is a different matter, but I don't think I would decide to hike for two hours the day before the final.

rowerlauren said:
Are you serious? Legality should be based upon moral guidance, it should not shape your morals.
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Which is why pre-scientists judge the danger of the drug by reading scientific tests, not some legal papers. Maybe this is why we see so much drug use in graduate schools

Flamen04 said:
If you need to take drugs in order to help you study, you don't belong in medical school anyways. Drugs are for the weak minded...
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Tell that to some of the students, some of them probably the best, who are already in med school.

HoboCommander said:
i took numerous classes on biomedical ethics and the conclusion amongst ethicists is that certain mind-enhancing drugs with few side effects (like piracetam, hydergine, centrophenoxine, etc.) are simply not problematic. so there is no ethical problem here. personally, having been prescribed amphetamines to treat my ADHD, i don't think amphetamines are all that bad either. to me caffeine has much worse side effects than the amphetamines, and not nearly as effective.

And to those who expouse excercise, I don't consider that to be in the same league of mind enhancement. Excercise is simply not as effective as drugs are.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. Certainly I feel that the reason certain drugs are legal and others are not is based on legal and societal whims. Alcohol was prohibited some 80 years ago. Was it really bad for you? Not in moderation. Tobacco causes all these diseases and yet we are allowed to smoke it. Marijuana is much purer than tobacco and doesn't have those 300 or so chemicals in it, yet it is illegal. Same thing with absinthe and certain coca products. It seems to be another sign of how doctors always take the backseat and allow politicians and interest groups control substances. I bet a politician with a firm religious belief will be able to block marijuana and a passive doctor with all the scientific data will not be able to do anything about it. I even read an article that FDA soon might block the sales of vitamins! How ludicrous.

metalhead1023 said:
This is something you should not talk about, it is against the terms of use.
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Discussing side-effects of a drug does not constitute medical advice.

BlitzSleep said:
That is absolutely biased. As everyone can see, we all know how your condescending attitude toward your "future" patients are now.

If you are not diagnosed with ADD/ADHD then you have absolutely no damn right to judge. The posts I'm reading are absolutely making me sick. What you all (those thinking it's "unethical") are saying is, anyone with a medical condition that is prescribed medication for it should not be going into the medical field and is very unethical? I've read posts about bipolar premeds, I suppose you think they should be thrown in the same boat because those individuals need to take medication as well, right?
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The other side of ethics - if it is unethical to use any enhancements, then would you assume that all ADD sufferers who take the drug are unethical? I say this because anyone with access to these drugs could potentially try to take extra doses therefore gaining an "unfair" advantage. Given that people with ADD have the same physiology as everyone else, one can't assume that the side-effects in regular patients will be much different than in patients with ADD, especially since some people believe that there is no such disease.
 
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Excelsius said:
Given that people with ADD have the same physiology as everyone else, one can't assume that the side-effects in regular patients will be much different than in patients with ADD, especially since some people believe that there is no such disease.
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Actually, I've read a paper saying that ADD patients don't get addicted to methamphetamine like normal people do, because their brain is different. My own observations confirm this. So there is a difference between an ADD person taking mind-enhancing drugs and a normal person taking them.

Never mind that my ADD medications instantly boosted my SAT score by 200 points and my MCAT by 6 points on practice tests. It is good to have mental impairments these days. That and having extra time on the MCAT rocks. Sometimes I wonder if normal people are at a disadvantage.
 
metalhead1023 said:
I might as I grow or "mature" but I trust the government in place right now to legalize drugs that will not harm me
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lol govt is not your friend, they legalize things like tobacco and alcohol, while banning equally or less harmless substances like pot and prostitutes, all because of lobbyists etc.
 
these are the most pointless threads. Half are naysayers that have never done drugs yet judge them as "weak minded" or that they are better than them because they dont take drugs. The other half is just protecting what they think is the right decision.

But the fact is not everyone has time to go workout to get more energy. Some of us work and have families to take care of. So I would not be so quick to judge someone if they are weak or not. Are you a weak person if you use caffiene to study? Of course not.

But really it is none of anyones business. If people want to take drugs let them. And if you think its "morally" wrong get some other hobby other than preaching.
 
MrMattOglesby said:
i have a voice recorder for my iPod. i use the Griffin iTalk.
i simply ask my professors if i can record and they say its cool...never had one say otherwise. Of course there are other recordings you can study with as well, such as MCAT and USMLE reviews.
once you get the file on your computer, simply convert it into an mp3 (this will drastically reduce the size of the file) and then stick it back on your iPod.
its funny cause my lil brother borrows my iPod sometimes and then in the middle of a workout he hears some crazy science lecture. He always come back and complains to me about it but at least he learns something new without trying to do so.
Click to expand...

👍

I bought an audiobook of Ulysses and listened to it during training rides. Definitely helped get me through the book.

In the winter during college, I sometimes used to do workouts on the rollers with 10-12 sheets of paper filled with stuff I had to memorize taped to the wall in front of me. I'd get in a couple hours on the bike and study stuff at the same time.
 
The other side of ethics - if it is unethical to use any enhancements, then would you assume that all ADD sufferers who take the drug are unethical? I say this because anyone with access to these drugs could potentially try to take extra doses therefore gaining an "unfair" advantage. Given that people with ADD have the same physiology as everyone else, one can't assume that the side-effects in regular patients will be much different than in patients with ADD, especially since some people believe that there is no such disease.
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Taking an extra dose? I can tell that you are not prescribed ADD/ADHD medication, because there is no such thing as an "extra dose to gain an unfair advantage." I do not know how you are conceptualizing this drug, but just because you take more doesn't mean you "focus" more or "concentrate" more. All you do is cause side effects. This is not a miracle drug, it doesn't allow you to retain more information and expand your STM and LTM.

Unfair....funny that you should mention that. Do you think it's fair for someone to be born with a disorder such as ADD/ADHD?

The reason why people think that ADD/ADHD is made up is because they believe the heresay from the media. Yes, I believe that it is overly diagnosed in children, but it is not made up.
 
How is using these really considered unethical? It doesn't actually increase your mind's functioning power does it? You can't understand something under the drug you couldn't before. It just keeps you awake. Even it has side effects I don't see how it's any different than hiring someone to slap you every 30 minutes to keep you awake. Possibly detrimental? Yes. Unadvised? Probably. But inherently bad? Doesn't seem like it.
 
Excelsius said:
With the information flood and computers trying to overtake whatever is left of decadent human intelligence, it seems that we do need the next best thing to help us compete against the machines and information.
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I don't think I'm cherry-picking your post here, but forgive me if I am.

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that we should take drugs to enhance our "decadent" intelligence (odd word choice, btw) so we don't lose the intellectual battle against the machines. Furthermore, that we need these things to offset competition in MD school and to make up for insufficient practice time leading up the STEP1.

Without being overly reductive here, it sounds to me as though you're advocating the use of performance enhancers. Forgetting for a moment the question of legality (because morality trumps legality every time) or side effects (informed consent trumps side effects), this is a question about the fairness of advantage. Is it acceptable to use some external advantage to improve yourself? If you were talking about the STEP 1, then that advantage may be a few more hours spent poring over notes with bloodshot eyes, courtesy of chemicals. But that advantage could also be an answer key, or knowing that questions 1-10 were all "A." The second one is clearly not acceptable; it violates the rules of the test that everyone brings ONLY their native talent and accumulated knowledge. Pills violate those rules too, to say nothing of the issue of access and fair distribution (should students getting As be allowed to take pills?).

The answer: it is unethical. But ethics are a trifle of a thing when you have your own goals, so I suspect that a bunch of people will yet end up red-eyeing it.
 
s'not worth it mate..

you might dig it at first, but prescription stimulants are basically toned down version of meth. they rot your teeth and dry your mouth and turn you into a weird attentive and somewhat aggressive animal. next thing you know people will fear approaching you and you'll be that creepy guy in class or at the restaurant who talks too fast and interrupts other people.
 
BlitzSleep said:
Taking an extra dose? I can tell that you are not prescribed ADD/ADHD medication, because there is no such thing as an "extra dose to gain an unfair advantage." I do not know how you are conceptualizing this drug, but just because you take more doesn't mean you "focus" more or "concentrate" more. All you do is cause side effects. This is not a miracle drug, it doesn't allow you to retain more information and expand your STM and LTM.

Unfair....funny that you should mention that. Do you think it's fair for someone to be born with a disorder such as ADD/ADHD?

The reason why people think that ADD/ADHD is made up is because they believe the heresay from the media. Yes, I believe that it is overly diagnosed in children, but it is not made up.
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Personally, I am not even implying that taking these drugs by students who have the disease is unfair. I don't think that is the case even with students who don't have the disease because otherwise we can claim that caffeine=cheating as well. So you misunderstood.

In terms of the reality of the disease, I think it is like autism - if doctors don't understand something quite well, they assign it a category. This doesn't mean that everyone identified with Asperger's is somehow sick or is sick with the exact same disease. Same is also true for schizophrenia. In the graduate course that I took teachers mentioned how baffled they are about this disease because it doesn't have a single, precise symptom. Some suggested that it may simply be a combination of several, unidentified diseases. In the end it probably comes down to relating certain psychotic behaviors to the chemical imbalance in the brain. Since the brain is not fully understood, it follows that the psychotic manifestations of it are not well understood either. It is amazing that schizophrenia was pretty much "cured" by accident. They found a drug that accidentally alleviated the symptoms of schizophrenia and now based on the function of that drug we extrapolate exactly what schizophrenia is. This is pretty schizophrenic!
 
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Maxwell Edison said:
I don't think I'm cherry-picking your post here, but forgive me if I am.

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that we should take drugs to enhance our "decadent" intelligence (odd word choice, btw) so we don't lose the intellectual battle against the machines. Furthermore, that we need these things to offset competition in MD school and to make up for insufficient practice time leading up the STEP1.

Without being overly reductive here, it sounds to me as though you're advocating the use of performance enhancers. Forgetting for a moment the question of legality (because morality trumps legality every time) or side effects (informed consent trumps side effects), this is a question about the fairness of advantage. Is it acceptable to use some external advantage to improve yourself? If you were talking about the STEP 1, then that advantage may be a few more hours spent poring over notes with bloodshot eyes, courtesy of chemicals. But that advantage could also be an answer key, or knowing that questions 1-10 were all "A." The second one is clearly not acceptable; it violates the rules of the test that everyone brings ONLY their native talent and accumulated knowledge. Pills violate those rules too, to say nothing of the issue of access and fair distribution (should students getting As be allowed to take pills?).

The answer: it is unethical. But ethics are a trifle of a thing when you have your own goals, so I suspect that a bunch of people will yet end up red-eyeing it.
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I am definitely not advocating anything. Since this is the first time I am even hearing about the usage of these drugs, I thought that I could get a nice data sample since it seems about 15% of pre-meds are on SDN. I couldn't really ask my PCP about amphetamines now, could I?

I don't think that taking drugs that enhance your intelligence (which these drugs do NOT do) is unethical. Taking drugs that simply disrupt your sleep is probably even less unethical. If you say that all these enhancers are unethical, then just recall the last time you drank coffee. It probably had a lot of caffeine in it. Is that unethical considering that many people, including myself, don't like to drink coffee and therefore don't have the "caffeine advantage"? This is why I sometimes resort to caffeine pills, but again, rarely.

And another thing, I think that ethics are often taken too far. I remember a thread recently where a person asked whether it is considered cheating to audit a course before taking it in the fall. To my amazement, some people said "yes"! Realize that some of the answers about ethics by some people are not really about ethics, but about "unfair" advantage. Let's not confuse these two because then we can go into the argument that if your parents have money enabling you not to work, then you have an "unfair" advantage over the rest of us who have to bust our asses working while being a full-time student.

Any safe way to increase the gap between human and artificial intelligence should be experimented with. You should not assume that someone taking a drug that prevents him/her from sleeping is going to become the next Einstein. It is about the quality of your time, not the quantity. Someone may stay up all night playing video games or reading comics. Did this person get smart because s/he took Ritalin? No.
 
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Excelsius said:
I am definitely not advocating anything.
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Apologies.

Excelsius said:
I don't think that taking drugs that enhance your intelligence (which these drugs do NOT do) is unethical. Taking drugs that simply disrupt your sleep is probably even less unethical. If you say that all these enhancers are unethical, then just recall the last time you drank coffee. It probably had a lot of caffeine in it. Is that unethical considering that many people, including myself, don't like to drink coffee and therefore don't have the "caffeine advantage"? This is why I sometimes resort to caffeine pills, but again, rarely.

And another thing, I think that ethics are often taken too far.
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First: I don't drink coffee either. Caffeine makes me irritable, and is not a normal part of my life. When its time to stay up late, I stay up late. No pills, just some cool water. But if there is no difference between prescription medication and caffeine, then why do we need prescription medication?

As for ethics being taken too far; it is important to take your ethics with you everywhere, in all cases. What is deemed to be ethical, however, is the question of dispute, wouldn't you agree?

Excelsius said:
Any safe way to increase the gap between human and artificial intelligence should be experimented with.
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This gap is huge. Really, really, huge. We're not in danger of being supplanted by 'droids any time soon. Even so, intelligence is something that can be enhanced without artificial stimulants or chemical dependency. You simply work at your goal with consistency, and the level of "intelligence" you display increases. There is no single qualifier for intelligence, so trying to enhance this intangible quality is a fruitless effort.
 
Maxwell Edison said:
But if there is no difference between prescription medication and caffeine, then why do we need prescription medication?
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The prescription medicine isn't for keeping premeds wired it's for people with actual (or supposed) ADHD

But I still agree with most everything else you said 😀
 
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