As college students across the country begin to prepare for their final exams, some may be turning to “study drugs” such as Adderall, to help them hone in on their exam materials.
Adderall, or amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, is a combination medication normally used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, most college students who use it rarely do so with an issued prescription.
“If it’s something they want, they can get it. There are places on campus where students hang out and make themselves available to sell,” said Dr. George Comiskey, the Associate Director of the Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities and Facuty in the Community, Family Addiction Sciences
Dr. Comiskey says that on a college campus such as Tech, access to the drug isn’t an issue for students. It’s a habit that doctors say they’d like to see students break, but what appears to be most concerning however, is the withdrawal stage for those who do choose to take it.
“Whenever someone puts something in their system that works for them then that sets up for the potential for addiction because, ‘now it’s working for me I’ve got to have this all the time. I’m not as productive’,” said Dr. Comiskey.
Hunter Thomas, a senior Global Studies major at the university, says the few times he did decide to take the drug, he saw a drastic change in his ability to focus, but that it was something he knew he wouldn’t make a habit out of using.
“I had a final the next morning and I realized, ‘I need to study, okay I’ll take Adderall now and see how much I can get done over the night.’ And it worked very well, I did pretty well on the grade,” said Thomas. “I think I’d only take it if I was in a situation where I needed to get a lot of work done though. I wouldn’t use it in any kind of social context.”
Side effects of Adderall may include nervousness, restlessness, dizziness, headache, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, nausea, weight loss…For a complete list of possible side effects, visit http://www.rxlist.com/adderall-side-effects-drug-center.htm
You should only take Adderall if prescribed by your doctor.
