Andrew Crighton

News Editor

There has been an increasing trend over the past several years among college students, to use prescription medications like Adderall and Ritalin to increase their studying ability.The perception that these drugs can increase a student’s studying and learning performance has caused them to be taken outside of their intended medical use more and more frequently.

There have been reports that as many as 17 percent of all college students will use prescription ADHD medications for this purpose; and that likelihood increases with the amount of time an individual spends in a university.

Adderall and similar drugs are prescribed as a treatment for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder that help those with ADHD to focus and gives a calming effect.

Because they are stimulants, these drugs give users a heightened state of focus and increases impulse control. The belief that they can help those without ADHD to focus and power through study sessions may, however, actually be false.

In a study published in Brain and Behavior, a peer-reviewed journal that covers neurology and psychology among other topics, researchers found that those who are more likely to use Adderall and other drugs non-medically tend to have lower GPAs.

Jeff Buffington, a third year pharmacy student at ISU with almost a decade of experience in law enforcement, explained this.

“Even if you were to crash through an entire night… that information is hardly retained.”

The same study found that study drugs are not actual cognitive enhancers, they do not increase the ability to learn information and store it in long-term memory.

“There really is no magic pill to make things better,” said Buffington. There is no shortcut to the traditional learning strategies that lead to actual learning.

Study drugs don’t have the learning increasing effects that they are perceived to have, and using them non-medically can be fairly dangerous.

Buffington explained that Adderall is a metabolite of methamphetamine, which means that is chemically modified to have a less powerful effect on the user. It can still pose severe challenges and dangers to people who don’t use the drug with proper medical supervision.

Without consulting a physician, individuals have no idea how much they should take. Coupled with the fact that pills are usually bought from friends or dealers, you really have no idea how much you are actually taking, and if it’s actually the drug you may believe it is.

Adderall taken in high doses can lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, stroke or even change heart rate.

Adderall and other stimulants like it also have a real possibility of causing addiction and dependance.

Both Ritalin and Adderall are Schedule II drugs, meaning that you must have new prescription and cannot refill old ones, and have a high likelihood of addiction and abuse. Other drugs in this classification are cocaine, oxycodone, methamphetamine, morphine and opium.

There is a stigma that because these medications are prescribed by doctors, they are safer and legal to use. However, non-medical use of these drugs, even if you have a prescription is illegal.

High dose caffeine pills are also used by many college students, but they also carry their own risks. 

Buffington explained that caffeine also causes a release of dopamine, but it is not in the reward system like ADHD drugs. Caffeine is in general safer to use than ADHD medications as a study drug, one reason is that the drug can be self-limiting.

While an overdose of caffeine can cause severe cardiac issues, even heart attacks, the amount that it would take to cause such symptoms are usually preceded by symptoms like nausea and others that can tell an individual it is time to stop and cut back.

Buffington quoted one his professors, Chris Owens, about the nature of all drugs to close.

“Drugs aren’t inherently good or bad, they’re just drugs. The measure of if they’re bad or good really depends on how they’re used.”