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Bridgeburner
Not spiritual at all.




Registered: 09/16/06
Posts: 20,010
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Teens: Popping pills for A's?
#7415901 - 09/16/07 08:39 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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http://www.dentalplans.com/articles/3326/
When Margot Smirniotopoulos went to class with questions about the drug Adderall, the 16-year-old Northern Virginia high school junior didn't have any trouble getting answers from her fellow students.
"I'd say that 70 percent of the juniors have used it once or twice," she said. "It's a very small percentage that I know who use it on a regular basis. But a lot of them have tried it when they want to concentrate and get things done. It helps them focus and relax on their task, instead of being all over the place."
According to health experts, Adderall has become the drug of choice among high school and college students looking to gain an "edge" come test time.
For some, the drug, traditionally prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other cognitive disorders, is a study aid used to stay awake longer for extra hours of cramming. For others, it's all about focus; the drug is used to wipe away peripheral concerns and focus on the task (or test) at hand.
Of course, as Anthony Rostain, M.D., M.A., a psychiatric specialist at the University of Pennsylvania, pointed out, Adderall is simply the most common among a series of drugs used for such purposes. In a way, it's almost become branded, like Coca-Cola, so that even those who are using another stimulant will simply refer to it as "Adderall," the same way previous generations referred to Ritalin and NoDoz, he said.
"Every year, there is another edge somebody finds," said Lisa Jacobson, who, as chief executive officer of New York-based Inspirica Tutoring, has dealt with students, parents and their questions about such drugs for years. "Then, after another year, more and more people do it, and it's no longer an edge - it's where the bar is set, so someone comes up with another edge.
"No one is necessarily trying to be malicious or competitive," she added. "The culture has really changed, so if you're going to stay on track, this is part of what seems to be required."
But that doesn't mean Jacobson advocates stimulant use - either in high school or college.
She works primarily with high school students, many of whom attribute stimulant use to the growing pressures of standardized tests, the high grades needed to get into college and, especially, that ultimate standardized test, the SAT.
Beginning in the third grade, students in every grade are required to take statewide standardized tests, Jacobson said. "The curriculum is so dense, so they have to get through all of this stuff so that they can do well on these tests ... so the teachers can get bonuses and the schools can get good ratings ... which makes their parents' property values go up," she said. "That is far too much pressure on these kids."
Which is why, Jacobson said, use of stimulants among high school students - while likely still below the 70-percent figure that high school student Smirniotopoulos estimated - is becoming "less and less rare." By the time students get to college, the Inspirica CEO added, such use is described as "rampant."
Official studies have had a hard time corroborating this statement. Eric Heiligenstein, M.D., clinical director of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin, said about 25 percent of students surveyed have admitted to using a drug like Adderall.
"But when you say one out of four use it, they say, 'Give me a break,' " Heiligenstein said. "They say that's laughable; it's a much higher number than that."
How are students getting the drug? Both Heiligenstein and Penn's Rostain agree that there is a black market for such drugs. More often, though - both in college and, according to Smirniotopoulos, in high school - the pills are acquired from someone who has a legitimate prescription.
Researchers estimate that 4 percent to 12 percent of school-age children in the U.S. and 4 percent of college-age students and adults have ADHD, said Maria Bain, Pharm.D., M.B.A., the co-chair of the Medications Channel for Revolution Health Group's Medical Advisory Board.
The street value of Adderall and other such stimulants runs between $5 and $7 a tablet, Heiligenstein said. With anywhere from 30 to 120 pills in a prescription, a poor college student could make a tidy profit.
"There are a lot of people who get a prescription, and it's a soft diagnosis [of ADD]," Heiligenstein said. "So if you have extra pills lying around, why not make a few bucks?" he said some may rationalize.
Unfortunately, doing so comes with risks to the user - both medical and ethical.
"Like your mother used to say, 'Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't make it right,' " Jacobson said, pointing out that stimulants' becoming "part of what is required" doesn't make taking the drugs right. In fact, Jacobson said that using stimulants like Adderall to get an edge is flat-out wrong. "It's straight cheating; it's the academic version of steroids."
Or is it? As Smirniotopoulos - who said she has never used Adderall or any other substance to enhance her academic performance - noted, these stimulants don't make users any smarter or increase brain capacity.
"I don't think it's wrong to use it," Smirniotopoulos said. "It's still your work; it doesn't make you smarter. It doesn't improve your scores as much as people think it does. It just helps you center and eliminates all the distractions."
But at what risk?
Because, while the ethical questions about Adderall and other stimulant use can be argued from both sides, the medical risks are much more concrete.
"The side effects are similar to other amphetamines'," Heiligenstein said. "Increased heart rate, decreased appetite, jitteriness, panic, headaches and stomachaches are side effects. And there are other, rare ones. People can get very wired and become paranoid or psychotic, or they can have cardiac problems if they have other cardiac disorders, he added.
"The highest risks are for those who may have underlying medical conditions or may be taking other medications that don't mix. Those people who are self-medicating usually ... don't know their drug interactions well enough to make this judgment."
Rostain pointed out several others risks, most of which stem from the effects users desire: more energy to stay awake, intense concentration on the task at hand and fewer distractions (such as hunger).
"One risk is sleep deprivation itself; another is not eating properly," Rostain said. "And high dosage usage over a period of time can cause irritability, loss of proper thinking ability, and it can cause mania in those who are prone to that. So there certainly are some dangers."
Should your children take Adderall? Jacobson always tells parents - who also can be sucked in by the allure of giving their children an "edge" or the fear of their children falling behind someone else's "edge" - the same thing:
"Parents are saying, 'Should I do it? The kids are asking me,' " Jacobson said. "And it's really a conundrum for the parents. So I tell them no, and that the best way to look at this is as a teachable moment. You just stop and say, 'No. I don't care if your six friends are doing it. Maybe they will get into better schools, but it's important for you to do the right thing.' "
"It is important to separate students who truly suffer with ADHD and need medication to focus and learn from students who are using the drug as a steroid for the brain and performance enhancement," said Russell J. Ricci , M.D., chair of the Mental Health Channel for Revolution Health Group's Medical Advisory Board.
"First, get a good diagnosis and be sure medication is indicated," he said. "For some students with ADHD - not all - as they get older, they 'like themselves' better and truly are more outgoing when off their medicine, but take it for short periods when they need help to focus and concentrate - this is a good mature use of the drug."
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Groomies
Ghost



Registered: 08/16/07
Posts: 1,119
Last seen: 7 years, 1 month
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Re: Teens: Popping pills for A's? [Re: Bridgeburner]
#7416004 - 09/16/07 09:13 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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weed helps me study when i was in school.
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jewunit
Brutal!

Registered: 01/11/07
Posts: 34,264
Loc: Ohio
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Re: Teens: Popping pills for A's? [Re: Groomies]
#7416082 - 09/16/07 09:51 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Apparently you never studied for an English class.
On another note:
Quote:
The street value of Adderall and other such stimulants runs between $5 and $7 a tablet
Sounds like someone has a shitty connection.
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Alion



Registered: 08/14/07
Posts: 462
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Re: Teens: Popping pills for A's? [Re: Groomies]
#7416354 - 09/16/07 11:35 AM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Groomies said: weed helps me study when i was in school.
Quote:
jewunit said: Apparently you never studied for an English class.
On another note:
Quote:
The street value of Adderall and other such stimulants runs between $5 and $7 a tablet
Sounds like someone has a shitty connection.
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Sebastian23
Stranger



Registered: 02/18/07
Posts: 808
Loc: Bay
Last seen: 15 years, 10 months
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Re: Teens: Popping pills for A's? [Re: Alion]
#7416615 - 09/16/07 01:21 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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They're touting Adderall as an academic miracle drug. Bullshit. It may help some kids concentrate, but it isn't what they make it out to be.
-------------------- "If the words 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' don't include the right to experiment with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn't worth the hemp it was written on." -Terence McKenna Marijuana Myths Debunked
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Mr_DeeMsTer
Mystic

Registered: 01/20/07
Posts: 211
Last seen: 14 years, 2 months
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Re: Teens: Popping pills for A's? [Re: Sebastian23]
#7416672 - 09/16/07 01:45 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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haha i used to get baked and take adderall back in high school, made me LOVE school.
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moon_glue
Orwell's Post9/11 Era



Registered: 01/20/07
Posts: 2,264
Loc: Earth, today...
Last seen: 8 years, 10 months
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Re: Teens: Popping pills for A's? [Re: Mr_DeeMsTer]
#7416878 - 09/16/07 03:05 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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lol i used to pop aderal and get all my homework done for weeks in one night. I could procrastinate, and do an enitre project the day before it's due. Always got an A on adderal night projects. And i loved every minute of it too =)
seriusoly though, it makes you LOVE mindless school work. and if you're still awake you'll spend the rest of the night organizing things until it's time to leave for school.
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fluffyshapes
lowly lotus



Registered: 04/02/07
Posts: 257
Loc: Georgia
Last seen: 6 months, 21 days
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Re: Teens: Popping pills for A's? [Re: Bridgeburner]
#7417993 - 09/16/07 09:21 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
b0red5tiff said: http://www.dentalplans.com/articles/3326/
Of course, as Anthony Rostain, M.D., M.A.,
hahaha. how many years of school do i need to have this title added to my name?
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CaptainLinger
A Fungus Amongus


Registered: 05/25/07
Posts: 1,756
Last seen: 3 years, 7 months
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Re: Teens: Popping pills for A's? [Re: fluffyshapes]
#7419758 - 09/17/07 01:41 PM (16 years, 4 months ago) |
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Quote:
Sounds like someone has a shitty connection.
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