From the article: "He adds that there are cognitive trade-offs in taking Ritalin, with a loss of creativity" So it would seem that this particular set of drugs

From the article: "He adds that there are cognitive trade-offs in taking Ritalin, with a loss of creativity" So it would seem that this particular set of drugs would actually server to close your mind further. If so, I'd be surprised if they didn't actually reduce your effectiveness at a creativity-driven activity such as programming.