The Adderall epidemic: What students need to know about the study drug

Adderall is a type of amphetamine developed for people with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). This drug acts as a central nervous system stimulant, counteracting ADHD and narcolepsy by affecting chemicals in the brain and nerves responsible for hyperactivity and impulse control. For people with ADHD, this drug calms them. For people without attention problems, the drug can trigger hyperactivity.

 Image source: nydailynews.com

Adderall, along with other ADHD prescription drugs like Ritalin, has earned the moniker the ‘study drug’ for its reported positive effects on focus and concentration. Students without ADHD are taking the pill and most of them are abusing it. For these students, enhanced mental performance is just a pop of pill away, and they’ve learned how to lure doctors to thinking that they’re showing symptoms of ADHD when in fact they’re just under academic pressure. The study drug “has become to college what steroids are to baseball.” Competition in America’s college has never been tougher and students drink Adderral to get them through all-nighters, cramming, projects, and gruelling exams.

 

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Taking drugs the body doesn’t really need could pose serious health risks. Like cocaine, Adderall is a Class 2 controlled substance, meaning, it’s more addictive than Class 1 drugs like heroin or LSD. It has a high potential for severe psychological and physical dependence, dragging the user into downward spiral to clinical depression. Users, having been addicted to Adderall, may need to fight withdrawal symptoms such as nightmares, fatigue, and hunger; they may suffer from seizures or heart attack, or may even die.

  

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Learn to conquer academic pressure by reading David Charlow’s guide to educational success posted on this blog.