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I take provigil, or I should say I have a prescription for it. I typically only take it: a) Have to write a lot of boring code that has already been mapped ou
by jawngee 16y ago
I take provigil, or I should say I have a prescription for it.
I typically only take it:
a) Have to write a lot of boring code that has already been mapped out, ie I'm not solving any ridiculous problems that require imagination and/or being clever.
b) Learning a new technology I'm not entirely interested in.
c) Learning Japanese
d) Playing poker. I'm a little iffy on this one though. Without Provigil I can play a good 12 hour session no sweat. I have a really shitty short term memory so most of my game consists of the social aspects and the math aspects and reading people, which I'm very good at. I have a general impression of how people play, but I couldn't tell you about a hand I played 30 minutes ago or what anybody did in the hand exactly. On Provigil, however, the game becomes absolutely crystal clear and I can tell you what hand you played 4 hours ago or 4 minutes ago in striking clarity. Really creative playing goes out the window though and I become a very ABC player with the advantage of total recall. I've never had a losing session on Provigil, but I've also never 4x or 5x buyin session on it either (making 4x or 5x my initial buyin) which is probably due to the fact that I play smaller pots because I'm not taking as many risks.
I can stop taking it for months, go on a "binge" and then stop taking it again. It's a lot like marijuana in that regard. I've never mixed the too, btw.
- BRadmin 16y agoI've taken Provigil one time in my life and it was before a poker session. I've played a lot of poker and your self-description fits my game pretty well. The math / odds are there - the general hand-reading is there - but can't recall all of the hands shown down, what the exact betting patterns were, etc... it's a real strain for me to focus and force myself to be interested in the small details. I can honestly say I didn't notice any discernible effects save for a loss of appetite (which usually happens when I play anyways), but appreciated your story and am curious as to how many people playing at the table are under the influence of so-called smart drugs.
- kordless 16y agoI wonder what the benefits would be if you learned to play poker (learned the odds well, that is) on it, then played cold turkey.
- seldo 16y agoWhat is the prescription for, if I may ask? You told your doctor you were having trouble concentrating?
- jawngee 16y agoI have/had anxiety disorder, so I used to take a klonopin every morning when I woke up which causes me to be drowsy all day long. I rarely take klonopin these days though, and haven't had a major panic attack in several years. I also went through some intense burn out when I was at a former job (17 hour days, 7 days a week), so I had a hard time concentrating at my new job. There is also a family history of narcolepsy. My dad was famous for falling asleep while chewing food.
- nooneelse 16y agoDoes the information you learn while using provigil "stick"? I.e. are you able to recall it later as well as information learned while not on it? Are you able to integrate it into your preexisting conceptual corpus for that subject? Your description of the effects on how you perceive poker games was very nice. Can you give a similar analysis of the effects on memory and the learning process?