Reminds me of Paul Erdős, who used amphetamines (think Adderall) for a similar purpose.
After 1971 Erdős also took amphetamines, despite the concern of his friends, one of whom (Ron Graham) bet him $500 that he could not stop taking the drug for a month. Erdős won the bet, but complained that during his abstinence mathematics had been set back by a month: "Before, when I looked at a piece of blank paper my mind was filled with ideas. Now all I see is a blank piece of paper." After he won the bet, he promptly resumed his amphetamine use.
The difference is that amphetamines, though potentially addictive and dangerous, can actually help you do math or programming. I'm skeptical that people can code better (if at all) while on LSD.
It's not that you code better or write math equations better... It's a temporary change in the state of your mind which helps you see things from a different perspective. Think of a time when you were stuck on a really hard problem and then went away from it for a while only to have the solution pop in your head... It's kinda like that, but on an entirely different level.
I've taken small doses of LSD (half a hit) with great success while coding or creating more traditional art. I find that the small dose makes it easier for me to imagine where bugs might be, visualize and compare algorithms, and consider both high level architecture ideas as well as low level details simultaneously. That said, I've only tried it a few times back in college, so I don't have many data points.
Larger doses work differently, and less directly for me. They tend to help me gain greater perspective on my life and my work. It can give me a renewed energy and excitement for what I am doing, or, conversely it can help me realize that I am on the wrong track, and will motivate me to make changes that help me live a more fulfilling life. I often end a strong experience with so much energy that I can't wait for the next day to begin so I can put into action everything I had been thinking about. I code vastly better when I have a deep understanding about why I am coding.
As with anything, these experiences have diminishing returns, so spacing them out over years has helped me keep them 'productive'.
You can manage to code while on LSD but it is very hard. After trying it a couple of times I decided it just takes out the fun from both LSD and coding.
I have ADD and am a coder. I am on Concerta (methylphenidate, a derivative of methamphetamine) and find that my interest in math, as well as programming, has increased significantly.
I've given dex to other programmers on occasion; they're often amazed at how much it helps them concentrate and get things done.
It's kind of like coffee that WORKS.
Hence my favourite programming beverage: grind your beans, sprinkle finely powdered amphetamine on the top of the basket, and make yourself a nice motherfuckiato.
I can confirm this. Concerta increases my performance, but I actually need it to function day-to-day. My ADD was only noticed at age 20 because despite suffering badly from it, I kicked ass in school. When I first took Concerta it was one giant ball of what the f*ck: was this vast quiet possible?
Err, no. Methamphetamine is significantly different from methylphenidate. Methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin, etc) is more closely related to amphetamine, but still not a derivative. It's like saying that thebaine is a derivative of codeine due to them being similar in structure.
If we're getting technical it's merely in the same family as methamphetamine. Meth causes a _much_ larger dopamine response which among other reasons is why people find it awesome and addictive.
The only reason why you wouldn't is because you can't always choose what draws you in. If you can keep your focus pretty much anything is possible; you're not handicapped in the same way as you would be on alcohol for instance. For some interesting reading, see this [0] about a SF bike courier who works while tripping.
I've played chess under the influence of psilocybin with a sober friend. I was massacred.
There are creative aspects to programming, and you might gain some insights that are applicable, but I'd save the implementation till you come down unless the dose was rather small.
It's not so much coding that can benefit, but conceptualizing the architecture of the system as a whole, which is where the greatest gains in efficiency and elegance are to be found.
After 1971 Erdős also took amphetamines, despite the concern of his friends, one of whom (Ron Graham) bet him $500 that he could not stop taking the drug for a month. Erdős won the bet, but complained that during his abstinence mathematics had been set back by a month: "Before, when I looked at a piece of blank paper my mind was filled with ideas. Now all I see is a blank piece of paper." After he won the bet, he promptly resumed his amphetamine use.