Fri 18 Jul 2008
Provigil: An Entrepreneurs “Drug of Choice”
Posted by Megan Dorn under Uncategorized
[6] Comments
Michael Arrington’s TechCrunch post eariler this week about the prescription drug Provigil definitely aired some dirty laundry among the entrepreneurial community. “The buzz lately is that it’s the ‘entrepreneur’s drug of choice,’” according to Arrington. Provigil is only approved to treat narcolepsy, but entrepreneurs are using it to work upwards of 20 hours a day and still maintain focus and concentration. Apparently the drug works wonders, according to the post and many of the comments.
So am I shocked by this? No, but I am a little disheartened. It reminds me of the whole baseball/steroids fiasco. People were upset because they like to think that greatness comes from those who are truly great, not those who are good but use drugs to give themselves that extra push. I think, in many ways, the same principle applies here.
Beyond the obvious health hazards (it hasn’t been proven safe for this kind of use) and the horrible example it sets, abusing prescription drugs doesn’t project a positive image. I appreciate an entrepreneur who works hard and sacrifices to make it big. But when “performance enhancing” drugs are involved, I tend to not appreciate the work as much, if at all.
Provigil may not end up having any long-term side effects or serious health risks, but it’s still a prescription drug for a reason, the abuse of which is never a good idea. On top of that, what about the health issues involved with sleep deprivation. I think they’re far graver than most people realize. So why not just work as hard as you can and then refresh yourself with some sleep? Is there something wrong with that approach?
