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 veggie
Registered: 07/26/04
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 Students pop pills to stay up late and cram 
#4986745 - 11/27/05 05:22 PM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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Students pop pills to stay up late and cram
November 27, 2005 - Detroit Free Press
Athletes aren't the only ones popping pills to gain a competitive edge these days.
College students are turning to prescription stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin to get them through late-night cram sessions, risking potential side effects and unknown long-term effects for a chance at a better grade.
"I would say it's pretty common," says Matthew Fleischer, a senior philosophy major at Vanderbilt University. "I know people who use it; I know people who call me and ask me if I can find some for them."
Thomas Williams, a sophomore political science major at Vanderbilt, says he knows students who exaggerate their needs for a prescription so that they can sell the pills.
He says some parents go so far as to obtain the pills for their children.
"It's that whole super-achiever thing," Williams says. "You always have to be fighting for an A."
Adderall is an amphetamine that is prescribed to improve focus and attention in people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. According to its manufacturer, Shire Pharmaceuticals, 40 million prescriptions for the drug have been written since 1996, making it the most prescribed ADHD drug. Ritalin, Concerta and Dexedrine are other popular stimulants used to treat ADHD.
The drugs have fallen into favor with people without ADHD, people who are looking for an occasional mental boost to get them through a long night of studying. Students say that while caffeine will simply keep you awake, prescription stimulants such as Adderall actually increase your ability to concentrate.
The popularity of stimulant use varies widely between college campuses. According to a national survey of nearly 11,000 students published this year in the journal Addiction, colleges with more competitive admission standards have the highest rates of nonmedical use -- up to 25%.
Overall, nearly 7% of students surveyed had taken a stimulant without a prescription. Many say that number appears to be on the rise. "I think there has become an attitude that medications like Adderall and methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) really aren't dangerous," says Dr. Carol Milam, psychiatrist at the Vanderbilt University Student Health Center.
But the drugs do have risks, and Milam warns that they may become addictive.
Side effects of Adderall can include loss of appetite, difficulty falling asleep, stomachache and dry mouth. The manufacturer warns that it's not recommended for people who have heart problems, high blood pressure, significant anxiety or a history of drug abuse.
This year, Health Canada, the Canadian equivalent of the Food and Drug Administration, temporarily pulled Adderall from the market after 20 people worldwide who were taking the drugs died suddenly. "These deaths were not associated with overdose, misuse or abuse," the agency noted.
After a seven-month study, the agency returned the drug to the market with a new label warning against the use of the drug by people with structural heart abnormalities. Another new label warns about the dangers of misusing amphetamines. In the United States, the FDA has not made any changes to the drug's labeling.
While students generally believe they benefit by using the drugs, some researchers aren't so sure.
Sean McCabe, a research scientist at the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center and lead author of the study in Addiction, says he's not convinced that the drugs give students an advantage.
His study found people who used the stimulants tended to have lower grade-point averages and were more likely to have used drugs such as alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine.
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dblaney
Human Being
Registered: 10/03/04
Posts: 7,894
Loc: Here & Now
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Re: Students pop pills to stay up late and cram [Re: veggie]
#4987152 - 11/27/05 07:54 PM (7 years, 5 months ago) |
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drugs such as alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine.
At least they grouped alcohol and cigarettes in with less socially acceptable drugs.
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