> The premise of Adderall is exciting: pop a pill and plug in, and to that end, it’s been shown to be quite effective. The problem is that casual, non-prescription users are faced with a false choice: 0 or 100. There is no in between, no widely available supplement that works, that’s available over the counter, that’s not illegal and harmful.<p>As a user of both Vyvanse (a successor to Adderall) and non-prescription nootropics, I've found that to simply not be true.<p>I do in fact have ADHD. Vyvanse is a godsend 80% of the time, allowing me to function when without it I would be unable to keep cognitive focus long enough to figure out how long it's going to take me to get to work, much less sit down and write code. I take it most of the time before work, and it's very effective.<p>On days when I need to work late to meet a deadline, I could take a second Vyvanse. That would be against my doctor's orders, but it would work. I'd also not be able to sleep for an addition 6-8 hours, and over time could develop a number of health issues from both lack of sleep and elevated metabolism.<p>So.. I take racetams. I started with piracetam several years ago, and found that it allowed me to better absorb the structure of code that was difficult to understand. Piracetam only lasts about 2 hours though, and I have to take four capsules to get that much. It's bothersome, and I don't particularly want to be the guy that's always popping pills at his desk.<p>Aniracetam seems about as effective for me, and lasts 4-6 hours. It doesn't increase my heartrate or blood pressure like an amphetamine would, so it's perfect for when I need a few extra hours of productivity that day.<p>Racetams have been fairly extensively studied, and are available over the counter and as prescriptions elsewhere in the world. They're classified as supplements in the US, and are pretty much unregulated.