ethical to take stimulants?

[Psyduck]

Hey,

I have a question whether or not it is 'fair' to take stimulants. I take Rilatin for studying (not as a recreational drugs). My work I do involves 'solving problems' (i.e. mathematics, physics). I can't really concentrate myself when not taking the medication. For example, I did yesterday (when taking Rilatin) on one afternoon what I usually would have done on 5 days. If my work involved 'boring tasks' such as memorizing things, which every human being is able to do (given a sufficient amount of time), I would not make a big deal out of it. When I take Rilatin, it increases my ability to solve problems, to recognize patterns, etc... I'm slightly familiar with the dopamine functions. But I didn't find information how the learning/thinking process really works. I would really be interested in a scientific answer (probably this answer belongs to cognitive science).

I'll illustrate my concerns with an example:

Given a difficult mathematical problem, and when not taking Rilatin, I'm not able to solve it. When I take Rilatin, I'm able to solve this.
Theory 1: There are parts in my brain that give me the ability to solve problems, think, reason... These were given to me at birth (and perhaps changed over the years due to a good education, and a lot of training). So this unique part in my brain determines the amount of talent I have, and does not change radically over time. Because I have ADD, I'm not able to use its full potential. When taking medication to correct 'the illness of ADD', I can use this part of my brain a lot better. So when solving a problem, I used only what was given to me naturally.
Theory 2: The ability to solve problems is static for every human being. When taking medication, I add some extra chemicals to my brain, which in addition to the natural amount of chemicals, give me more potential to solve problems. In this scenario, the drugs taken are an addition to my natural talent, and if I'm able to solve a mathematical problem, credits must be given to the additional chemicals too, and not to me.

Since I participate in international competitions where students all over the world have to show their skills, I was interested whether or not it is fair to use my (prescribed) medication, or am I technically 'cheating'. I'm really looking for an answer. It's of course, all for the sake of science, but I have my morals

If you can't picture my scenario make the analogy with an athlete which takes EPO on the one hand (a non-natural addition to the body) or receives massages from his trainer (his natural muscles get more relaxed, such that he's fit for his next contest). Hopefully someone knows how the thinking/learning process works in detail

Thanks for reading

Reputation Comments on this post:

Interesting and thought-provoking.. thanks for posting and hope to see you around more!