https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_and_no-go_pills
Edit: Actually looks like amphetamine isn’t approved anymore.
- "Go pills" are either dextroamphetamine (Similar to adderall), or modafinil. They are not used for normal day-to-day training. They are used reasonably heavily on deployments and international flights, to keep you sharp in these situations (Sudden combat after a long uneventful air patrol, or just fighting drowsiness while crossing the ocean and needing to mid-air refuel for the 5th time etc.)
No-go pills (eg ambien) are also common on deployments, mainly to deal with shift changes, or dealing with sunlight affecting the circadian rythm.
Use is up to the individual. I found that Dex has a severe impact on my sleep, even when taking 14+ hour prior. It is a very effective mental performance enhancer and obliterates exhaustion IMO, if you don't develop a tolerance. Ie, if you have available when flying, and take only when needed.
Rule of thumb: Always fly with dex available, but only take when needed. Never have ambien anywhere in the cockpit, or you risk mixing them up.
That makes sense, but you probably should do some training with them, so first use is not in a dangerous situation.
It's the same with caffeine. I'd wager a guess that most people don't think it influences their decision making... And yet it seems it does (e.g. [2]).
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/...
[2] https://www.freethink.com/health/does-caffeine-harm-your-dec...
so a modafinil user "Go three blocks that way, turn left, go two blocks turn left again, turn right immediately"
non-modafinil user "Go that way until you see the Circle-K, turn left, then it's two blocks where you have to turn left again, the street name is something like Majors way, and then the first time you can turn after that you turn right - there's a large drawing of a man drinking coffee on the side of the building"
on edit: unfortunately no idea where I read this but that was a big let-down for me as it implied there was perhaps no such thing as a free ride. Bummer.
Eventually I suffered some traumatic events and modafinil started causing anxiety, especially when mixed with caffeine, and I found vyvanse was better after that for managing my ADHD without quite as much paralyzing anxiety.
Everyone’s brain reacts very differently to each stimulant. On the very rare occasion that I take cocaine I usually just fall asleep and enjoy a hard nap! I don’t experience about 90% of the effects my friends report from it.
Caffeine keeps me awake all night long even if I have just half of a cup of coffee any time after 11AM, and increases my anxiety to the point where it’s very difficult to be productive.
Dextroamphetamine and Vyvanse both affect work productivity similarly for me but dextroamphetamine shuts down my social interaction, whereas Vyvanse increases it. This is particularly strange because they “should” be the exact same active drug once the Vyvanse is metabolized. Biology is still very much being discovered and there is a lot that we just don’t know yet.