When high school and college kids begin to reach their peak of workload along with anxiety over this workload, they are likely to be introduced the highly stimulating prescription drug called Adderall. It is formally prescribed to those with ADHD or narcolepsy (Patterson). ADHD is an attention deficiency disorder and narcolepsy is a sleep disorder, so it is evident that this drug would naturally do a very good job at countering the things that prevent teenagers and young adults from studying – sleep and distraction. A teen who receives and proceeds to take the opportunity to experience this drug will most likely have the initial reaction that is the greatest aid to get through a big test or paper, and they simply do not know how they ever worked productively without it. The previous statement correlates with the immediate feeling of reliance that people feel towards adderall after using. Taking this drug regularly can cause a vicious cycle to begin in their life. When in effect, it prevents one from feeling the signs of fatigue and as it wears off and the “crash” begins to kick in, an addict may easily resort to taking another pill to restore the high they felt before.
College students that are taking enough classes to be considered full time are two times more inclined to abuse adderall than people in the same age group that are part time students or not currently being educated. Out of all the people using adderall, over 90% of them are using it for purposes related to school work and studying (Yanes). When analyzing these statistics, a question arises: Is the abuse of adderall caused by professors overworking students, or due to the pure addictive chemicals that compose the drug?
It could be possible that the overuse of adderall among teenage students could have something to do with a workload that has become impossible for some people to naturally handle, therefore they need the drug to succeed. On the other hand, facts about the contents of this drug tell us that it is highly addictive. Adderall contains Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine which activate unnatural reactions within the nervous system (Drugs.com). Amphetamine contains dopamine which stimulates a discharge of chemicals which causes a “good feeling” or high for the person using, making it a very addictive substance (mount regis center).
One could concur that the beginning of a teens adderall usage is due to the fact that they are overworked or stressed and the actual abuse has to do with the addictive side and the high that they feel when on it. From personal observation of those around me as a freshman in college, I see many people taking this drug that would never try other drugs like cocaine, which has a very similar effect to the body. This small perception supports the statistics behind the use of this drug being used for study purposes because they otherwise would not be using it. The people using it for this purpose may not be aware that they also have motives to feel the high that adderall causes.
Not until recently did I find out what Adderall was or did to your body. In college I’ve noticed that it’s extremely popular here amongst the study body due to the stress of work and school affecting them. Honestly, it sounded like the miracle drug at first. But now that I read all of these side affects and addiction, it makes me nervous that some of my friends are using it. I wonder how this drug compares to weed.
I liked this post due to its prevalence to our lives as college students. It is the harsh reality that a lot of people turn to adderall when their work becomes overwhelming. Even though a lot of people don’t mean to get addicted, when does anyone ever? It’s sad to see that adderall has become the simple solution to college students’ problems of a lot of work. This also reminded me of a video I once watched when curious about adderall and the way it works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJRBsghMt8
Here is the link from my comment
I found this post very interesting and reminded me of an article about a Vanderbilt Student that abused Adderall in 2010. The article can be see <a href =http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/adderall-psychosis-suicide-college-students-abuse-study-drug/story?id=12066619. In this article it says how the student had become addicted to adderall and the way it made him feel. He ended up committing suicide by stepping in front of a train. People think because adderrall is a prescription drug that it can’t be addictive. In the article the parents of the student who committed suicide were told by his friends that everyone take adderall. That statement shows that students think taking adderall isn’t a problem. I agree with the article is a serious problem in college campuses.
Adder is not only effecting college campuses but also high schools across America. It is a huge problem for kids ho have stress over standardized testing. When this bad habit is formed they carry it with them to college where the stress that initiated the usage of drugs multiplies. It is a never ending cycle for us students. http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddessig/2013/02/10/when-study-drugs-kill-part-1-how-ambition-becomes-adderall-addiction/#292bb77437a2 This article supports the evidence you have shown. Some kids have the best intentions when taking these drugs.
This a huge problem at Penn State and at so many campuses all over the country. I know people who have taken it to stay up to study and then didn’t sleep for three days. It can have really adverse affects if you’re not prescribed it.
This post was extremely interesting. Thank you for sharing. I had no idea that adderall was so addictive. I was at Penn State over the summer for summer session and I have already come into contact with people who feel they need to use adderall to succeed in school. I was actually offered one by a close friend before an exam that we had to take. I denied, knowing that it was probably dangerous in some way or another. My friend told me that it wasn’t because there was “no way you can possibly become addicted.” She obviously had no idea what she was talking about. It is sad that people feel they have to take adderall in order to succeed. You are right. Perhaps there is simply too much work and the students do not feel they can complete it on their own. But after reading your article on how addictive adderall can really be, I know now that adderall is definitely never the answer for doing well in school. Thanks for sharing!
Adderall has definitely taken control of most college campuses in the country as many students don’t think about the consequences before using it. With all of this work being demanded by professors, students are just looking to get that extra edge. However, not many people know about all of the severe side effects that can come from Adderall, including vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, seizures, etc. You can read about all of the side effects here…http://www.rxlist.com/adderall-side-effects-drug-center.htm