Midterms are approaching as we reach the final few weeks of September, our schedules enveloped with mounds of homework, long hours at the library, and time set aside for extracurricular activities somewhere in between. As the school year progresses, it gets increasingly more and more difficult to stay focused on the task at hand, which sparks many college students interest in the use of “study drugs”.
These “Study drugs” refer to Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, Ritalin, Concerta, and Focalin, which are facing abuse from non-prescribed college students in hopes of improving their academic performance, specifically when it comes to last minute cramming or paper writing. This draws concern from Universities and medical professionals alike in regards to whether study drugs should be considered a form of academic dishonesty, as well as their legality and misuse. Study drugs are prescription stimulant medications that are used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which affect a person’s attention span, impulse control, self-discipline, and hyperactivity. More often that not, especially at Universities, study drugs are used improperly with a prescription or illegally without a prescription.
It seems that today on college campuses it is more likely you will find students popping pills for exams and papers than you will for partying. What a concept, am I right? Since Adderall’s initial release in 1996, prescriptions have more than tripled. A study from Brigham Young University concluded that the use of Adderall peaked near the end of the Fall semester to three times the average rate based on their analysis of over 200,000 tweets from college students across the board. The parallel that has developed between college campuses and the use of study drugs is uncanny today. Thus, I have made cheat sheet comprised of 7 things to remember when it comes to the abuse of the various stimulants used as study drugs.
1. They are real drugs, yet nobody thinks so. Adderall and Ritalin are DEA Schedule II substances which means they have a high potential for abuse and can lead to severe psychological or physical dependence. They are also considered dangerous (less than heroin, and more than Valium).
2. It’s all over college campuses. Nearly two-thirds of college students are offered Adderall among other prescription stimulants by their senior year. Half of this group is saying yes.
3. Most people get it from a friend. A 2012 study found that 74% of all college nonmedical users get their study drugs from a friend that receives a prescription. Students using stimulants non-medically with a prescription rises from 3.1% of freshman to 8.1% by senior year.
4. A prescription is easy to get. The tests administered to determine ADHD are self-reported checklists and can easily be faked. And the neuropsychological tests, in which patients are diagnosed by completing complex tasks, don’t fare any better when it comes to weeding out the fakers.
5. There are certain demographic factors more common in nonprescription users. Students with a history of drug and alcohol use are more likely to take stimulants for nonmedical reasons.
6. Adderall can be dangerous. Between 2005 and 2010 emergency room visits related to ADHD medications used non-medically tripled from 5,212 to 15,585 visits. This number almost quadrupled in young adults and nearly half these visits were due to mixing ADHD drugs with other drugs.