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AndHisHorse comments on Rationality Drugs - Less Wrong
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Well, it's not surprising that drugs can help with cognition. But we've to be very careful about two things : the effects it has on other parts of the body, and the long-term effects, both to the body and to the brain itself.
The human body is a very complex and delicate machinery, and the human brain the most delicate part of it... it's very easy to create long term problems in it by trying to push it a bit too much. Just look at the professional sport players, and how badly they are damaged after a few years of taking drugs to enhance their performances.
That's why I tend to be very careful about not taking drugs, unless I already have a disorder that needs fixing, and unless advised to take them by a doctor I trust. Taking drugs to increase performances sounds a bit like overclocking CPUs. Sure they'll go faster... but at the risk of increasing bugs, and of a shorter lifespan due to increased heating.
Now if a drug is really efficient, with no side-effect, no long-term consequences, according to very strict peer-reviewed studies, then ok. But until then, my motto is "careful, your body is complex and delicate, we don't fully understand it, so unless you really have a problem, don't take drugs".
I am of the impression that the reason for the health problems of professional athletes is the degree to which they push their bodies (which, perhaps, might not be possible/feasible without drugs and supplements) rather than a direct effect from the drugs themselves.
Further, while I share your caution regarding the risks of causing damage to the body or brain through some unknown mechanism or weakness, there is a point at which I believe people would be best advised to take supplemental drugs. Further, whether or not you have a problem depends on your reference point: as a young man of moderate resources in a developed country, I am not of below-average health for the human race, but I am also not optimizing my physical and mental faculties. (For the time being, anyway).
And there may be some drugs which might reasonably be expected to provide a health benefit which outweighs the probability of "increasing bugs", which it would be rational to take given all but the most extremely loss-averse utility functions. I would say that a superior metaphor would be upgrading your CPU - the process may have unintended side effects, but it may not, and there is fair evidence that it will have some positive outcomes. The difficulty lies in weighing these expectations, which I think is inhibited by setting a hard limit.
Your impression approximately matches my research.