One of the most abused drugs on college campuses across the country seems to fly under the radar. The drug I am referring to is Adderall, whether called Adderall, Ritalin, or Vyvanse, it is used more than frequently.
Adderall is a combination of amphetamine aspartate, amphetamine sulfate, dextroamphetamine saccharine, and dextroamphetamine sulfate. It is prescribed mainly to patients with ADHD to help them focus. The reason it is so popular on college campuses is because when students are crammed with work or studying for finals it is often hard to focus for an excessive amount of time at once. So these students take it in order to spend long sleepless nights doing their work. A National Survey on Drug Use and Health report released in 2009 reported that full-time college students were twice as likely to abuse Adderall than part-time students (http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/17/health/adderall-college-students/).
The reason these work so well is because the stimulants “strengthen the brain’s brakes, its inhibitory capacities, so it can control its power more effectively, (Dr. Edward Hallowell, a psychiatrist and ADHD expert.)” Being able to allow your brain to control its power more efficiently allows these students to use more of their brain power on the task at hand.
Despite the widespread use of Adderall, it is considered a Schedule II substance by the DEA which ranks right next to meth, cocaine, and morphine. Some short-term side effects are sleep difficulties, restlessness, headaches, irritability and depressed feelings; as well as loss of appetite and nervousness. Even though many students know some of the consequences, they may not realize that not knowing the dosages could lead to an overdose. With all of these negative effects, I have also heard from people that taking it to study really does help. Overall, as long as college students need to cram in work there will be Adderall being abused; but I believe that colleges would be smart to try and spread the word about how to take it safely if students are going to try it.
Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/17/health/adderall-college-students/
It is very true and obvious for college students to see that Adderall is very commonly used on campus. People seem to take it without even thinking. I never knew that it was considered a schedule II substance like meth and cocaine. I think it’s definitely important for students to think about the many side effects that you explained before taking Adderall, or any drug, carelessly.
I agree with Kelli being able to focus is great but having to take drugs that are not prescribed to you in not a good way. I previously did a boss on drugs and how they can damage your brain cells and Adderall was one of them. There are other means for focusing that are less risky on your health. One idea that is cost effective and safer is to break up your studying. Take breaks in between studying and try not to cram before test. Penn State also have good resources with other ideas on how to better study habits and take notes effectively so you can take notes and still pay attention to the Professor teach.
http://dus.psu.edu/academicsuccess/studyskills.html
http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/03/01/list-of-things-that-kill-brain-cells-the-death-of-neurons/
I think it’s important that students are able yo focus and do their work to the best of their abilities, but to take drugs they don’t have prescriptions for to enhance their capabilities is reaching. It’s dangerous, because like you said, there is a risk of overdosing when one doesn’t know the strength behind the pill and the dosages that are safe. I personally feel like it’s not fare honestly. When you’re using drugs to do better while most of us have to simply work our hardest and try to learn better skills. Especially when said person doesn’t even have a disorder that recommends they use something like Adderall to focus. http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/05/02/is-taking-adderall-to-boost-college-brain-performance-cheating/ I found an article that even goes as far to call it cheating, but I can’t say I don’t kind of agree.