Finals pressure encourages Adderall abuse
The Food and Drug Administration reports that “rapid heartbeat palpitations, increased blood pressure, restlessness, insomnia, seizures, depression, headache, and stroke” are likely side effects experienced when taking Adderall illegally, and still it is the number one abused prescription drug on college campuses. December has arrived and finals are drawing closer, leaving many KU students to turn to Adderall for their all-night-long study sessions. According to a survey of 100 KU students, 43 said they plan on or will be using this drug to help them study for this semester’s finals.
Adderall is a prescription medication used for the treatment of narcolepsy and attention deficit disorder (ADD), and while it tends to calm these patients, the drug has the opposite effect on those who don’t suffer from ADD. Instead, non-prescribers who obtain the drug illegally feel more awake and concentrated, leaving students to think that they can accomplish more schoolwork while under the influence.
Much like steroids in the world of college athletes, Adderall is considered the stimulant of the academic world. Once students obtain a positive effect from the drug—for example, an A on an exam after no sleep and no next-day drowsiness, they may become dependent on the easily accessible drug.
Universities around the country are dealing with Adderall abuse, and KU is no exception. One KU student who would like to remain anonymous confessed that he is an illegal user. “I always thought that taking [Adderall] was stupid, until my work-load got heavier. Now in order to sit through about four to five hours of work a night, I have to take one or two.” This KU student’s friends are users as well. The facts that this seems to be such a trend at KU—and universities across the nation—is further demonstrated in the survey results, which found that 67 of 100 KU students know someone who has or does use Adderall to study or for other recreational purposes. KU’s Alcohol and Other Drug counselor, Vivian Davis-Martinez, was unavailable for comment at press time.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that full-time college students ages 18 to 22 were twice as likely to use Adderall than students who are not full-time. On the same note, NSDUH found that illegal Adderall use was highest among college students with an average household income of less than $20,000. This may suggest that students who come from a lower household income generally feel more pressure to succeed.
Adding fuel to the fire, MSNBC explains that Adderall is also used as a weight loss drug, seeing as it acts as an appetite suppressant as well as a mental stimulant. Adderall prescriptions have jumped from 4.2 million in 2002, to 9.5 million in 2007, making it evident that the drug is gaining popularity, and quickly.
Based on the rise in illegal use of the drug, law enforcement agencies across the country are cracking down. Since the popularity of illegal use of this drug has gained attention, one can be prosecuted not only under state, but federal laws as well, for illegal possession of Adderall.
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