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He who controls the spice controls the universe... (Dune, IOW. Long story badly summarized, the "spice" produced on the planet Arrakis was vital to interstellar travel due to its effects on the human mind.)

I believe the Kzin books (various authors) also had a drug that might qualify; using it allowed the warrior species Kzin to be telepathic - leaving telepaths in an awkward position, as they were valued for their abilities but despised for their necessary addiction. (This was in the novella The Man Who Would Be Kzin.)

Don't worry about who else has done it. Yes, it's been done. Many times.

But not by you.

It's been done, but I don't find it to have been overdone.

As Brightdreamer says, Dune is the daddy of this trope but that doesn't mean you can't use it too. I certainly don't think it's been overdone.

I don't mind that trope, but it's best done when there's a cost associated with using it, and I really prefer that it not grant super powers.

Treecats and celery for that David Webber moment.

But other than that, do it well and I'd be fine reading it. Its not like it is popping up in every book.

Anything that has been done before that is done badly seems to be a symptom of it having been overdone.
Anything that has been done before that is done well will seem like a fresh take on the subject.

Just do it. It's worth a shot.

I think the important thing is to decide how central the notion is to the world/society using them, and then follow that to find how they might contribute to conflict in the story.

If it's similar to narcotics in the world today - it will be more of a side-note to the key premise, maybe something that one particular character is drawn to more than others. Social stigma, health concerns, questions of risk/reward, legal ramifications etc.

If it's central to society - social structures and institutions will have adapted to its presence, and it will be difficult not to be using them. Conflict might arise out of notions of human purity, or access to the source of the enhancements (i.e. Dune).

There are plenty of other options that you could consider, of course...maybe they're a secret known only to a few; maybe the drugs themselves are another life-form; or maybe the consequences of taking them are out of the ordinary (over time, users start losing the ability to talk). It's not overdone if you can find a new and interesting context!

I don't think it's overdone, Limitless the movie is one story that comes to mind that uses a narcotic to make protag smarter.

JalexM said:

I don't think it's overdone, Limitless the movie is one story that comes to mind that uses a narcotic to make protag smarter.

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And what a great film that is too! Highly recommended for a relatively fresh, and yet feeling true to genre, take on the topic.

Carlos Castenda's books beginning with "A Separate Reality" are an excellent source of information on how the Yaqui Indians of Mexico used psychotropic plants to seek knowledge. The descriptions of the hallucinations are vivid.

Andreas_Montoya said:

Carlos Castenda's books beginning with "A Separate Reality" are an excellent source of information on how the Yaqui Indians of Mexico used psychotropic plants to seek knowledge. The descriptions of the hallucinations are vivid.

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As someone who has used hallucinogens, I find the notion that their point is "enlightenment" as opposed to getting a "far out trip", overdone both in fiction and in the pro-hallucinogen movement. Most people who use any drug do it for the simple reason of "escape from reality" (, this includes alcohol).
I'm not opposed to pro-drug/pro-legalisation fiction, but it is often as unnuanced as the anti-drug/anti-legalisation propaganda.
I wish more people using drugs in their fiction would have respect for their good and bad sides.