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Friday, March 29, 2024
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Students use Adderall and other prescription medications to enhance concentration especially during final exams.

Finals, stress cause some students to use Adderall, prescription drugs

As AU students face upcoming final exams and a seemingly endless pile of work, some said they turn to using prescription stimulants to stay awake and focus.

Prescription drugs, such as Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta, are typically prescribed to young children diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder and attention-deficit hyperactive disorder, but are now are being widely abused by adults, according to Dr. Barry Clark, a physician at the Student Health Center.

There are various unpleasant and dangerous side effects to using stimulant drugs like Adderall, Ritalin and Concerta, said Clark.

Side effects can include nervousness, stomach upset, insomnia, weight loss and potentially more serious effects, such as seizures, heart arrhythmia and personality changes, he said.

"People have actually been known to go crazy after taking these drugs," Clark said.

The Eagle spoke with several students, who wished to remain anonymous, about their use of stimulant drugs.

One freshman said he occasionally takes Adderall he obtains with a prescription he got in high school. The student said that after not being "motivated enough" to take his Adderall medication each day as prescribed when he was younger, he now takes 30 milligrams when he "foresees doing a significant amount of homework."

"The other day I had to drive eight hours straight, so I took one then," the student said. "I felt like I had mental focus but I was probably still tired enough to fall asleep."

This student also said that he has taken double the recommended dosage, which has left him "awake for a few days straight."

Several students reported teeth clenching, jaw soreness, vision blurriness, irritability, excessive foot tapping and insomnia after taking Adderall.

However, all students interviewed said they were not bothered enough by the side effects to stop taking the stimulants.

Stimulants like Adderall can be addictive, causing users to take higher and higher doses to achieve the same effect, Clark said.

Some students disagreed, saying they only take the drugs when they know they are going to need them.

"I don't think it's a physical addiction," a sophomore student said. "But I am addicted to the ability to focus that I get from it."

This student did not have his own prescription, but said it is easy to obtain Adderall from other people who have prescriptions for it.

Several students also reported knowing people who use stimulants to stay awake all night while out partying.

Clark said mixing of different stimulants and depressants can severely damage the heart.

"The more drugs you take in at once, the less inhibited you are going to be," Clark said. "You are going to be more likely to try more dangerous drugs in that state of mind."

For people who are not prescribed the drugs for medical reasons, Clark said caffeine is the safest way to stay up if you have to.

"Taking drugs is not the answer to getting work done," Clark said.

But many students say it is their answer.

"I procrastinate a lot and then have to get a lot of work done at once," the sophomore said. "It's probably not the best idea, but it helps me get by"


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