One in 12 adults has taken "smart drugs" - with most trying them at work, a survey shows.
Neuroscientists said growing numbers of people were turning to medication in a bid to cope with workload pressures.
And they warned that the pills could cause long-term damage, with little research tracking the consequences over a lifetime.
"Smart drugs" are illegal to sell without a prescription in the UK, but not illegal to buy.
Among the most commonly used are Adrafinil and Modafinil, which are usually prescribed to patients with sleeping disorders, along with Adderall and Ritalin, which are both stimulants primarily used to treat ADHD.
The survey carried out for the Telegraph shows that 8 per cent of UK adults say they have taken the drugs to gain an intellectual "edge".
While most debate about the use of medication to boost attention span, concentration and energy levels has focused on university students, the most likely place for people to try so-called "smart drugs" was at work.
In total, 44 per cent of those who had tried off-label use of drugs such as Modafinil or Ritalin saying they first did so in the workplace.
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