<p>People always talk about Adderall at my college - to the point that it is regarded as a typical alternative to energy drinks or coffee for all nighters and exam preparation. How widespread is the use of Adderall and other similar ADD/ADHD medications on college campuses? </p>
<p>@preamble1776 </p>
<p>I’m not sure about other campuses, but at my school, which happens to be a known party school, the use of Adderall (and most likely similar substances) is only matched by the use of drugs or alcohol. And the students here drink and smoke A LOT, way more than I’d ever be comfortable around.</p>
<p>I’d never heard of Adderall abuse ever, and I live in a drug-rampant city. Of course I know it’s a thing, but I honestly never hear about it here. Of course, I go/went to a community college where most of my fellow students are in their 30s and returning to school who actually try, so I might have a skewed perspective.</p>
<p>This is an interest area of mine.</p>
<p>It probably varies by campus. [One</a> study](<a href=“http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JACH.57.3.315-324#.VIKleYcoz8E]One”>http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/JACH.57.3.315-324#.VIKleYcoz8E) at a large Southeastern public university found that about 34% of the respondents in their study had used Adderall or another ADHD stimulant without being prescribed it for ADHD. [Another</a> study](<a href=“http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13548500220139386#.VIKle4coz8E]Another”>http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13548500220139386#.VIKle4coz8E) at a small college found similar results - about 35.5% of the students had tried an ADHD psychostimulant.</p>
<p>However, most top research takes places at the kinds of top institutions at which students are probably more likely to to use ADHD medication to get ahead (because of stress, and also because of resources - the ability to afford to purchase it from friends). A national sample of over 10,000 undergrads [url=<a href=“http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.00944.x/full]found[/url”>http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.00944.x/full]found[/url</a>] that only 6.9% reported every using an Rx stimulant illegally in their lifetime, and only 4.1% had used one in the last year. They also found that rates were higher at Northeastern colleges and more competitive/selective colleges. Perusing more studies through Google Scholar reveals prevalence estimates that fall everywhere between 5% and 40%.</p>
<p>So the answer is that it probably depends on the college you go to.</p>