One major change that happens when a student enrolls in college is the workload becomes much more of a burden. There are few nights where there are tests that require one late night in studying or homework that can be started at 11pm the night before, but majority of time there are subjects that require studying marathons. In order to make sure all the work is done and they receive good grades, students do what they need to make it happen: stay up until all hours of the morning. Energy drinks, soda and coffee are common for students to drink for energy; the alternative option is a pill called Adderall.
Adderall is a prescription drug that is commonly used for treating ADHD and narcolepsy. Students without the need for the drug use the stimulant to stay awake and concentrated during study and doing homework. According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Report, 6.4 percent of full-time students between 18-22 years old take Adderall for nonmedical uses compared to other people the same age who make up half of the percentages.
Student accounts from the book Student Life edited by Karen Miller explains the desired effects after taking the medication. Marquette University sophomore says that she stayed up all night zoned in the night before her test. Students use this drug to stay up in order to do well on a test or assignment, but don’t always notice what the drug is negatively doing to their body. According Student Life, the federal government place Adderall in the same category as cocaine and opium; drugs with a high risk of addiction.
College doesn’t get easier with the workload or the responsibility that students face, which makes it more common for them to become addicted to the drug. The dependency on a highly addictive drug in order to stay awake and concentrate on courses adds more the trouble to the life of a college student.
Side effects that are commonly linked with misuse of Adderall listed in Student Life involve insomnia and irritability and loss of appetite. More extreme cases cause paranoia, hallucinations and heart attacks. The book adds that Adderall and other ADHD medicines have been reportedly linked to 25 deaths in recent years.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency classifies Adderall as a Schedule II drug, which makes use of Adderall without a prescription a criminal offense. According to the U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, the prescribed user is only allowed to buy a 90-day supply of Adderall. Some students who legally buy the drug sell them to students or others for recreational use.
Students who use the drug for recreational purposes crush the pills and snort the powder or dissolve it in water and inject it in their bloodstream. This causes the user to experience a stimulated or euphoric effect.
Written in a report called Mol Psychiatry by Steven Berman, Ronald Kuczenski, James McCracken and Edythe London, Adderall abuse or continuous dosage in the late adolescent stage and adulthood is being associated with slowed growth.
According to U.S. law, it is illegal to manufacture, distribute or possess any controlled amphetamine substance without a prescription. If an individual is caught with more than five grams, he/she will be subject to a prison sentence between five to forty years.