<p>Just curious about this topic, as well.</p>
<p>How common is it for students to take substances to help with studying, tests, staying awake longer?
Has it become the norm at certain schools? </p>
<p>What do you all think about this? What do your kids think? Is it more common than we know but it's something kids don't talk about but do?</p>
<p>I don’t understand your interest in this. Are you asking where it’s OK? Or are you concerned?</p>
<p>When I look at stats on Niche, I see a lot of students talking about how this kind of stuff is common place. I’m curious if this is really true. No concern personally. I do know my oldest son said his biggest surprise/disappointment in his school was the drug use. </p>
<p>Well, most students don’t consider adderall, energy drinks, caffeine, etc to be “drug use”. </p>
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<p>Considering caffeine would fall into this category, I’d say it’s pretty gosh darn pervasive and accepted 
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<p>Is adderall a prescription drug? Is it common at your school, romanigypsyeyes? What exactly do kids use it for?</p>
<p>I am allergic/sensitive to caffeine and all other stimulants, and have been since my early 20s, so my energy has to be all natural.</p>
<p>My dh definitely has an energy drink to get him through his grueling physical job each day. He doesn’t like to have to use it, but at age 56, he is tired a lot, so caffeine is a staple.</p>
<p>I have various disorders ( including fibro which exhausts me & executive function disorder which makes prioritizing anything practically impossible), which are modified by medication.
Stimulants, do NOT increase my memory, however they help me to screen out distractions so that I have a chance at paying attention long enough to perhaps get the information down into my short term memory, long enough to write it down so that I can review it later.</p>
<p>I really don’t care if it is " acceptable" or not. I need certain things to function and yes I have tried alternatives.
Despite my insurance companies belief that ADHD should vanish after age 12, my physician prescribes medication for it.
If students are taking medications that are not legally prescribed for them, that is another issue.</p>
<p>Is that what you mean OP?</p>
<p>Why would they not consider Adderall to be drug use? Of course, it’s a drug and it’s very commonly abused. People think it increases their ability to focus. </p>
<p>Yes, it’s a prescription drug.
I have no idea who takes drugs and who doesn’t. It doesn’t come up. </p>
<p>What, exactly, is your anxiety about this? Are you worried about your kids using them? I don’t understand why they’d care if others are using them. </p>
<p>I’ll also “admit” to using Adderall. Not often and not prescribed- probably less than 10 times in my life. I drink so much pop that I’m pretty much immune to caffeine. I don’t think anyone in my friend group knew and it never came up. </p>
<p>That’s what I’m talking about-the comments from students that are taking, I guess it would be a substance like Adderall ,when it’s not their prescription. So yes, I was asking if it’s abused but something that kids just accept as a part of the stressful college life. I mean, in my college years, that just wasn’t on the radar, though there was always plenty of drinking. </p>
<p>No anxiety-I was very curious if what students on Niche were saying is true. And it appears to be an accepted thing these days that kids will, from time to time, take Adderall. My son was actually prescribed something like it, but I confess I didn’t let him take it because I was worried about addiction. There is a lot of alcohol addiction in my dh’s and my extended family. So, perhaps that would be a concern, yes.</p>
<p>I don’t know what “Niche” is but I wouldn’t taken anything said on any site as gospel. Generally, on review sites, only those who are dissatisfied will pipe up. </p>
<p>Niche is the other name for the site that I think you can’t post here-basically a site that students give feedback on colleges. I don’t just see dissatisfied students there at all. The comments are varied and interesting, IMO. Just didn’t know how reflective of reality they are!</p>
<p>My D has acquaintances from her high school who sell or give away their Adderall to their college peers. So, it’s out there. My friend’s GP husband is coping with an upsurge in requests for an ADHD diagnosis from college students and their parents, because they want insurance to cover the costs of Adderall. It may be “acceptable” to some. It’s not acceptable to all. I certainly would rather have my child get a B- undrugged than an A- drugged. But that’s just me. I also dont believe that reliance on “memory-enhancing” drugs is a good strategy for long-term success.</p>
<p>I do think you have to take these college info sites with a grain of salt, though.</p>
<p>“Well, most students don’t consider adderall, energy drinks, caffeine, etc to be “drug use”.”</p>
<p>You have got to be kidding. Yes, there’s no difference between getting an extra large coffee for your all-nighter, and taking Adderall that hasn’t been prescribed for you @@. </p>
<p>What on earth would possess someone to be nonchalant about Adderall? </p>
<p>A generation of kids who have been told they need it to focus are now sharing it with their friends. It’s everywhere.</p>
<p>Of course Adderall counts as a drug! It’s a mix of amphetamines. Older folks will remember these as “speed” or “bennies.” The fact that its pervasiveness lures the unsuspecting into thinking it’s not a serious drug is very disturbing. I don’t mean to sound all judgmental. But if you’re going to put chemicals into you’re body, you really ought to know what they are, what they really do, and what [the</a> risks](<a href=“Adderall - Wikipedia”>Adderall - Wikipedia) are.</p>
<p>Let’s be clear here. Adderall is a Class II Controlled Substance (same category as Cocaine). It is illegal and subject to criminal penalties to obtain Adderall without a prescription or to sell it to someone that it wasn’t prescribed to. </p>
<p>So not the same as Monster energy drinks…</p>
<p>Students who are using it other than prescribed are committing illegal acts and can run into big trouble with the law or college administrations. If providing it contributes to someone’s death or bodily harm penalties are even higher.</p>
<p>True. But the question was is Adderrall abuse prevalent on college campuses. From what I hear, the answer is a clear, “Yes”.</p>
<p>Adderall abuse is a big problem on high school campuses as well.</p>
<p>To the posters who asked, essentially, why do you care what other kids are doing? For me it’s because I want to have a reasonable basis to talk to my student about what he may encounter, and the risks involved. Understanding how pervasive and accepted using certain drugs is helps me to have useful and meaningful conversations with my sons.</p>