Can a high-energy diet pill really save your job? It seems that many people think so. Even as car manufacturers, clothing makers and other retailers are seeing a significant drop in sales due to the declining economy, diet pill maker Zoller Laboratories is reporting dramatically increased sales of their high-energy diet pill.

The diet pill’s reputation has spread from college campuses (where students have been using it for years to increase cognitive performance, alertness and drive) to the workplace, where employees around the country are now using Zantrex on the job to stay alert, positive and productive.

“People are worried about the economy and, frankly, they’re worried about whether they’ll have a job next year,” says Gina Daines, spokesperson for Zoller Labs. “They know that employers are being forced to make cutbacks and are paying close attention to employees’ performance. And it may sound callous, but if you’re an employer and you absolutely have to fire someone to stay in business, who are you going to choose? The guy nodding off at his desk, or the alert go-getter who actually gets things done? The choice seems obvious to me… and apparently to a lot of other people.”

A recent article by Reuters pointed to the growing use of “brain-boosting drugs” in the workplace. Long a trend at colleges and universities, where students need help to cram for exams, older Americans are now turning to natural stimulants to help increase their mental capabilities and maintain their focus. And according to many physicians and psychologists, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, boosting your ability to focus is really a “smart” thing to do. As reported in the December article, “We should welcome new methods of improving our brain function,” wrote Henry Greely of Stanford Law School in California and Barbara Sahakian, a psychiatry professor from the University of Cambridge (England).