<p>This summer, my college D told me in a detached way that like quite a few of her friends she had bought and taken adderall in order to finish assignments, adding that it worked very well. Not knowing the name, I surmised it was a concentrated capsule of caffeine, such as my generation would take for the same reasons, and beyond telling her not to do it on a regular basis, I did not pursue the subject. Recently I learnt that it is a powerful drug used to treat ADD patients.
Although I've read plenty of posts written by parents worried about alcohol, smoking and all the usual suspects in college, I haven't seen any remarks about what an English paper called neuro-enhancers. So, have any other parents of non ADD kids heard similar stories?
How dangerous can this drug be? I'm also concerned about the ethical issue: it seems to me that there is little difference between this and athletes taking drugs to improve their performance.</p>
<p>My S told me that a friend of his took it (got it from another friend whose sibling take it) for their math final last year. The friend apparently told him that it made him (in his words) “whip through the final and got at least a 95”. My S was a little in awe that there was a drug that could do that, and of course I did my best to set him straight, but what really made the difference was when he found out the friend got a C on the final. </p>
<p>So in summary, it sounds like the drug may give one a false sense of well being but doesn’t necessarily improve performance!</p>
<p>Yes - I have heard of it. They say that it’s one of the hottest drugs (Ritalin and Adderall) on college campus.</p>
<p>A friend swears that in a few years they will be selling them OTC (at a lower dose) because it has been proven to enhance everyone’s performance, not just kids with ADD. That same friend has pointed out how unfair it is that a kid with ‘average’ grades with a prescription for Ritalin (not overly hard to come by - pediatricians here use the ‘try it and see it if works rather than spend a lot of $$ on testing’ approach to prescribing it) can boost their SAT score by 200 points simply by taking a drug. She advocates that there be a box on the SAT/ACT that one checks to say if he or she took one of these drugs. I will withhold my opinion on this - I suspect it will become a very hot topic in the very near future.</p>
<p>I’m a sophomore a rather prestigious and rather high-pressure university, and, contrary to what you might believe, use of Adderall is pretty low. This might seem counter-intuitive, as you might think that students with the most work would want to use ‘neuroenhancers’ the most, but this isn’t true for the following reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>‘Neuroenhancer’ is a misnomer. Adderall, Ritalin, and other ADD drugs really don’t do anything other than permit the taker to focus. If you sit down in front of a physics assignment, for example, and you take an Adderall, you will know exactly as much physics as you knew before taking it. The only difference is that you will be extremely, extremely focused on completing the assignment.</p></li>
<li><p>Adderall and Ritalin are essentially just amphetamines, and they have the same side effects. This includes nausea, chills, dry mouth, and, for larger doses, possibly even heart palpitations (this is a shortened list, of course). And, of course, like all stimulants, they have a come-down (imagine your mid-afternoon caffeine crash, except worse). So, essentially, you’re either extremely focused on the task at hand, or you’re uncomfortable.</p></li>
<li><p>Adderall and Ritalin have a high potential for addiction, and no intelligent, self-aware student wants to find themselves addicted to prescription drugs.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So, as far as ethics go, while steroids build muscle, ADD drugs just make you focus. They don’t make you smarter, they don’t make your work better, they just make you stop goofing around and actually get down to work. Everyone I know who has tried one of these drugs has gone back to good, old-fashioned self-control.</p>
<p>(for the record, all of this is based on research / accounts from my friends)</p>
<p>With the exception that it’s illegal, how would you view this as more ‘cheating’ than caffeine pills which you thought were okay? Would it not be cheating it if were legal? Personally, I think holding people back academically when they could be progressing is the unethical thing.</p>
<p>How dangerous can it be? It’s not Crystal Meth, it’s probably not great for you either. The only thing I could post would be a rehash on some Google search results.</p>
<p>I asked my college son about it when he got to college as quite a few parents in our town were getting their kids dxed as ADD/ADHD and giving them the drug when they were in high school. S1 says it’s “everywhere” on college campuses and kids take it to get them through midterms/finals, etc. and that girls take it to keep their weight down. I’m neutral about the whole thing except for cautioning the kids not to take other people’s perscription meds. If people want to medicate their way legally to whatever perceived end it’s their choice. Kids taking other people’s perscription meds is unlawful and probably dangerous. I doubt seriously whether a dose of amphetamine in a kiddo who doesn’t need it raises a standardized test score substantially.</p>
<p>I have ADHD. Say what you want about it, that’s it’s over-diagnosed (I agree), that it’s a made up disease, whatever. The fact is, my academic performance drastically improved when I started taking medication. My average from one semester to the next increased from an 84.6 to a 92.1. I don’t tell people I have it, no one besides my roommate knows I have the medication. But it does help me.</p>
<p>The generic name for adderall is amphetamine salts. That really tells you all. Previous generations found that amphetamines could really rev up academic performance. The same pitfalls are there for adderall. Not only is it illegal to take adderall when it is not prescribed for you, it does have side effects and can be addictive. For young adults at this very dicey time in their lives, involving them in any kind of contraband can be dangerous. Getting it illegally always has the risks that you don’t know what you are getting.</p>
<p>Apparently many scientists take Adderall because they believe it enhances their thought processes:</p>
<p>[20</a> Percent of Scientists Admit Using Brain-Enhancing Drugs — Do You? | Wired Science | Wired.com](<a href=“http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/20-of-scientist/]20”>http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/04/20-of-scientist/)</p>
<p>Adderall is a very effective drug if used as prescribed for those who need it. It is not cheating for kids that legitimately have ADD/ADHD to take this or another medication to help them focus. However, before being prescribed a reputable doctor will require a full physical, including an EKG. There are very dangerous potential side effects.</p>
<p>Since it is a prescription drug, it’s dangerous for anyone to take it without first consulting a doctor. I use to be on Adderall in high school for the same reasons but the side effects are unhealthy. For one, Adderall suppresses your appetite so you end up eating less which isn’t helpful neurologically or physically. I was underweight for the duration of taking Adderall. Not only that but I’d be up for 20 hours a day. Depending on the dosage, the side effects can be mild to severe.</p>
<p>If you’re caught selling or receiving Adderall illegally then it goes on your record as a drug charge. I don’t think any college student wants that starting off life.</p>
<p>Overall, I don’t agree with neuro “boosters.” No one should have to rely on a drug to help their performance.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Absolutely. A friend who thought she had ADD (even though she was tested for it and it came back negative) took some of her teenage daughter’s Ritalin and then proceed to have a heart attack that same day. Who knows whether the Ritalin precipitated the heart attack? Early heart attacks ran in her family but, to this day, she can’t help but wonder.</p>
<p>Requests for adderall are remarkably common on Columbia’s BoredatButler board. It’s become infinitely more popular, and almost couture, than marijuana.</p>
<p>Both my younger D & I take Adderall. Unfortunately it is practically a necessity , we do have ADD ( which presents along with other neuro traits) , and have dyslexia, it takes so much concentration and energy to read any amount of material, that not only can’t we process it- but we go to sleep!</p>
<p>But I would never take it if I had a better alternative</p>
<p>
[Do</a> ADHD Drugs Take a Toll on the Brain?: Scientific American](<a href=“http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=do-adhd-drugs-take-a-toll]Do”>Do ADHD Drugs Take a Toll on the Brain? | Scientific American)</p>
<p>As a health care provider, ADD patient and mom of children with same, the entire class of stimulants is very useful and effective for people with diagnosed ADD/ADHD. Both of my kids no longer take this class of medications and were fortunate to find other meds that worked as well for them before they went away to school. They felt a tremendous pressure ( which they communicated to their physician) to find an acceptable alternative because of the problems with other students wanting to take their medications, theft, etc. This problem begins ( at least in our area) in high school-groups of smart kids decided they will have to do no homework or class preparation with a little adderall or Ritalin. </p>
<p>Many of these drugs now have black box warnings because of the associated risks in taking them. Unmonitored use or concomitant use of these drugs with alcohol can bring about serious, if not life-threatening situations. </p>
<p>I have always told our two kids to not tell anyone they have any type of medication beyond Tylenol- all other meds. are locked in hidden containers we bought at specialty stores.</p>
<p>It’s widespread. A few years ago, the NYTimes did an article about it which stated that an estimated 20% of Columbia U. engineering students were using it rregularly. The article said that some professors also use it. </p>
<p>I’ve no personal experience, but apparently a large part of the diagnosis of ADD is dependent upon the symptoms reported by the patient. Smart kids figure out what symptoms they should claim to get a legal prescription.</p>
<p>My brother died as a result of (ab)using legally prescribed prescription drugs, I don’t think I can advocate (ab)using prescription drugs that were NOT legally prescibed. That is just plain stupid. A couple hundred points on the SAT or my health … it’s an easy choice, IMO.</p>
<p>Even though we hear that drugs are well tested and that the FDA process is stringent I always worry about the longer term effects, I worry that something taken today will impact twenty or thirty years down the road. These drugs are so widespread in our culture and I worry for the kids in the future that took them when young. Is it cheating? Hopefully no sane parent gives their kids drugs to improve test scores in the absence of a true disability.</p>
<p>A couple of months back The New Yorker magazine did a well-researched article about the phenomenon of Ivy League students using and abusing ADD prescription drugs, with many of them doing so in order to do several extra-curricular activities and complete their schoolwork without sleeping much. Scientists were also interviewed. Impression I had from the essay that males were more likely to do this than females, and that some of the adults who were using such drugs were really fooling themselves about the quality of the work they did while on the drugs. Real learning is cumulative, over time.</p>
<p>It is everywhere at my son’s school (Ivy). read the New Yorker article or send me your email address. I have it in .PDF. I was shocked at the extent of the use/abuse of these drugs.</p>