Student Adderall abuse on the rise
Blake Callahan
Issue date: 10/26/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 3 next >
With grade point averages dropping as quickly as the temperatures while the middle of the semester takes its toll, some students are succumbing to the combined pressures of a heavy workload and active social life, turning to prescription stimulants to help them juggle respons-ibilities.
A Loyola College junior, who wished to remain anonymous, has had four midterms and two 10-page papers due in the past two weeks. With these demands and trying to maintain a social life, this student often turns to Adderall to keep up with work and to reduce the desire for sleep.
"I'm not sure just how prevalent Adderall is on this campus compared to others but it definitely exists, and the pressures of college are the reason," this student said.
Though most admit that users are not the majority campuswide, some students nationwide are feeling the same pressures and are using Adderall to keep them on top of their game.
The amphetamines, Ritalin and Adderall, are used illegally to enhance studying by as many as 20 percent of college students nationwide, according to a study published in The Johns Hopkins News-Letter in November 2002.
According to an article in a 2004 issue of The Johns Hopkins Newsletter, Adderall was first designed 20 years ago as a weight loss medication and found commercial success in 1996 when the Food and Drug Administration approved its use for treating both Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder (ADHD).
ADD is characterized by developmentally inappropriate impulsivity and attention span problems and in some cases hyperactivity, in which the patient would be diagnosed with ADHD. These neurobiological disorders affect 3 to 5 percent of school-age children and approx-imately 2 to 4 percent of adults, according to the Children and Adults with ADD and ADHD website.
The site also says that for people who take Adderall as directed for ADD and ADHD the drug is both safe and effective.
A Loyola College junior, who wished to remain anonymous, has had four midterms and two 10-page papers due in the past two weeks. With these demands and trying to maintain a social life, this student often turns to Adderall to keep up with work and to reduce the desire for sleep.
"I'm not sure just how prevalent Adderall is on this campus compared to others but it definitely exists, and the pressures of college are the reason," this student said.
Though most admit that users are not the majority campuswide, some students nationwide are feeling the same pressures and are using Adderall to keep them on top of their game.
The amphetamines, Ritalin and Adderall, are used illegally to enhance studying by as many as 20 percent of college students nationwide, according to a study published in The Johns Hopkins News-Letter in November 2002.
According to an article in a 2004 issue of The Johns Hopkins Newsletter, Adderall was first designed 20 years ago as a weight loss medication and found commercial success in 1996 when the Food and Drug Administration approved its use for treating both Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder (ADHD).
ADD is characterized by developmentally inappropriate impulsivity and attention span problems and in some cases hyperactivity, in which the patient would be diagnosed with ADHD. These neurobiological disorders affect 3 to 5 percent of school-age children and approx-imately 2 to 4 percent of adults, according to the Children and Adults with ADD and ADHD website.
The site also says that for people who take Adderall as directed for ADD and ADHD the drug is both safe and effective.