High Energy Fitness Strategy
The journal Nature caused a stir a while back when it ran a story about how academics, like athletes, often use pharmaceuticals to get an edge on their peers. Nature polled 1,400 readers and found that one in five used so-called cognitive enhancers to be more productive. A number of drugs were listed, but one especially caught my eye.
Originally designed for narcoleptics, Provigil "has a very unusual ability to keep the brain alert so that people don’t suddenly fall asleep," explains Robert Paul, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist. And though it is often lumped in with Adderall, the real genius of Provigil is that it isn’t an amphetamine—it wakes your mind without bothering your nerves.
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The downside, and I can say this from experience, is that its efficacy decreases over time. There’s also possible side effects—depression, suicidal thoughts—and, of course, the fact that off-label usage of a pharmaceutical just feels wrong. Then again, I’m no ethics professor using the stuff to get a leg up.
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