In a society that values high grade point averages and thinks that everything, from hair loss to erectile dysfunction, can be fixed instantly by swallowing a pill, many healthy college students nationwide rely on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medication, like Adderall, to get better grades.
For those with ADHD, Adderall keeps them calm, but for the average student, it provides razor-sharp attention, greater focus and stronger short-term memory. This orange cocktail of amphetamine stimulants also boosts energy levels, and is typically sold for about $3 to $10 a pill.
Taking a ride on the “A train” or hanging with “Dennis the Menace” has become a staple in some students’ academic routines. Some skip classes and homework for weeks, take an Adderall to help them cram before a final exam and crash afterwards.
“The problem is that with student schedules and academic pressures, students don’t feel rested and will do anything to stay awake when they’re trying to study, especially now, during finals,” said Susan Haney, clinical program coordinator for Student Health Services.
A 2006 National Institute of Drug Addiction study shows that the more competitive the college, the more incidents of stimulant abuse, and a 2002 University of Wisconsin study found that as many as one in five college students have illegally used prescription drugs such as Adderall.
Students, no matter their major, seem to be relying on these “smart pills” because they’re not hard to get and it is one of the “more difficult drugs (for UPD) to detect,” University Police Chief Dolores Stafford said.
So, if engineering majors and slackers alike are taking these “smart pills” and are not getting caught, using them to improve academic performance doesn’t seem so wrong, right? Wrong.
“Adderall has dangerous consequences,” Haney said. Side effects include impotence, insomnia, irregular heartbeat and signs of overdose include vomiting, seizures and nausea. After a day or two, withdrawal effects, like depression, come in waves.
Also, some students take Adderall one time to study and then lose confidence in their own abilities to do well without it, according to the NIDA study. Then they get addicted, and since “the stimulant in Adderall only lasts a few hours,” students will continue to take the drug and crash harder every time.
Adderall is a Schedule II stimulant, which means selling or distributing the drug is illegal, but come finals time, Adderall becomes as easy to bum or buy from friends as it is to get orange tic tacs from CVS. But those prescribed Adderall shouldn’t give their pills so quickly to their friends.
“Many people are being diagnosed with ADHD, and Adderall truly helps those people,” Haney said. “Those who really have ADHD should keep (their Adderall) for themselves; otherwise they won’t have it when they really need to control their symptoms.”
Even though as Haney said, Adderall “truly helps” those with ADHD, an advisory panel urged the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year to place strong warnings on all stimulant drugs like Adderall. The study found 49 cases of heart attacks in adolescents, which was 24 percent more than expected. Also, the FDA has received about 20 reports of sudden deaths in adults and children taking Adderall.
Haney suggested some alternatives to riding the “A train” to keep you focused during finals, like a good night’s sleep and eating healthy amounts of protein.
“Everybody is cramming now, and it gets hard to keep on track,” she said. “But students should find time to get enough hours of sleep and should stay away from carbs and junk food, which give you a surge of energy, but then you come down and feel even more tired.”
What students really need is “to feel pulled together,” Haney said, and Adderall and other stimulant drugs are only temporary fixes with dangerous consequences.
-Brittany Levine
“Weekly check up” is a regular feature in the Life section. If you have a health topic you want to know more about, e-mail [email protected].
