Editor’s Note: Some names have been changed to protect students’ privacy.
As finals week creeps closer, many students turn to coffee, working out or study partners for support. Others, though, see prescription drugs as the way to get through.
While Adderall is prescribed to people who suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, college students without prescriptions take the drugs hoping they will help them focus on schoolwork.
“For those people for whom Adderall, Ritalin or similar stimulants have been prescribed, it is a very helpful medication to facilitate them being successful students at Ohio University,” said Dr. Sheila Williams, a senior staff member at Counseling and Psychological Services and the director of Outreach and Consultations.
According to the National Drug Survey on Drug Use and Health, full-time college students ages 18-22 are twice as likely to use Adderall without any medical need than part-time students or people not enrolled in college.
In order to improve her focus during school, one OU student turned to Adderall.
“The first time I tried it, I wanted to see if I would be more alert to pay attention in my boring classes,” said Sarah, a sophomore who said she has taken Adderall at least a dozen times.
For Sarah, the effects of the drug were not always exactly what she was expecting. Several of the times she tried Adderall, her focus was on unexpected subjects.
“I find myself being more concentrated on other things, like I’ll clean for three hours straight or something like that,” she said. “I have to be in the mindset to study if I decide to take it. And most of the time, I’m not, so I become more concentrated or focused on doing something other than studying.”
The prevalence of college students who take drugs such as Adderall without a prescription indicates that many don’t understand misuse of pharmaceuticals, said Terry Koons, associate director at the Campus Involvement Center for Health Promotion.
“I think people don’t realize they’re abusing a drug because they’re using a medication,” Koons said. “What people don’t realize is that if I am being treated for ADD with one of those stimulants, the effects on my body will be very different than someone who is recreationally using it.”
Koons said that the drug helps those with a medical need focus, think clearly, stay on task and remain settled. But people with no medical need for Adderall will experience effects similar to other stimulant drugs, such as cocaine.
“If you use it and you don’t need it, you’re going to get the same effect that you would get from cocaine or methamphetamine,” Koons said. “You’ll be up for a long period of time. You’ll be very wound up. You’ll probably become very tired at one point. Some people, depending on how much they use, could be up two or three days without sleeping.”
Regardless of their lack of medical need for the drug, some students still feel it helps them in their day-to-day life. Lauren, a freshman who takes Adderall at least once or twice a month, relies on it when she has a test or project and plans to use it during Winter Quarter finals.
“It’s like you can do anything, you can accomplish anything — you’re superhuman,” she said. “You can focus on everything at once. It’s anything you want to make it. It’s like you’re getting faster. If you want to go up Morton Hill, it’s like you sped up that hill. You can exercise better. You can talk better and more efficiently. It just makes everything better.”
Koons attributes such positive opinions of drugs such as Adderall to having a desired outcome the first time the drug was experienced.“The mind can do many things. I think part of it would be, if someone is misusing it and getting an effect that they think they want, they’re going to continue doing it,” Koons said. “The rule of thumb with any drug is that if you try a drug and you like the effect, the likelihood of you trying it again is pretty high.”
While Lauren has no plans to stop taking Adderall any time soon, she said some of the positive effects she experiences could occur because she expects them to.
“I think a lot of it is placebo effect, if you tell yourself you can accomplish something,” she said. “If you gave me a sugar pill and told me it was Adderall, I’d probably be able to focus just the same, but you can’t placebo yourself.”
While Lauren continues to take Adderall, Sarah said she hasn’t used it since Fall Quarter and has no plans to try it again.
“I’ll probably never take it again, to be honest. It’s kind of a waste of time, and I’d rather just drink coffee,” she said. “I think it’s overrated, and I think there are other healthier ways that you can do your schoolwork.”
Being in college, students are given the chance to define their habits and work ethic, Amy Olander president of the Pre-Pharmacy Club said.
“This is where you establish study habits and skills, so if you’re using Adderall now, are you going to do it your whole life? You’re not prescribed it, and you shouldn’t put things in your body you don’t need,” she said.
While some students who have been prescribed Adderall actively sell it, sharing prescription drugs with others or being in possession of pharmaceuticals that were prescribed to someone else is a fifth-degree felony for which students could face up to 12 months in prison and a $2,500 fine. To avoid medical and legal penalties, Koons urges students to not share any prescription drugs.
“Communicate to someone who asks you. Lets say that they know you are using a particular pharmaceutical, that ‘I need this,’” Koons said. “(You should say), ‘I have a medical condition, and this is why I need the drug and I really can’t, based on my insurance policy, based on the law, based on my own medical need. I can’t physically give up my medication.’”
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@ThePostCulture
