It sounds like an interesting drug, but random luxury use so far, combined with early lifecycle… I’ll have to pass.

http://www.johannhari.com/archive/article.php?id=1298

A fascinating read, and a fascinating-sounding drug. Not necessarily the new aspirin or anything, but I wouldn’t mind taking it for a week myself.

But it doesn’t sound like speed to me–not as addictive, no crash after continued use. It seems to effectively clear the cobwebs out of one’s mind and allows one to process more clearly. But, as the writer states, we really don’t know the long-term effects. It does, however, appear promising.

Just as a side note, I am very much a non-drug person–for example, I refrain from taking aspirin when I have a cold (except when the symptoms interfere with necessary functioning) on the principle that aspirin just fights the symptoms that are needed to defeat the illness. I do not advocate casual drug use, but at the same time, I would not completely dismiss a potentially useful drug. If they discovered that Provigil use could be sustained with most or all the benefits and there were no substantial side effects or risks, I’s probably try my best to get my hands on some. But I want to wait until the drug is understood much better. But as a borderline type-II diabetic, the appetite suppression part sounds very attractive.