Common Motivations For Stimulant Use

The Clinton foundation reports that between the years 1993 and 2006, the magnitude of college students who use prescription stimulants, such as Adderall and Ritalin, has increased by 93%, which suggests that Adderall usage in universities are at a record high (Clinton 2015). According to the National Institute of health, cognitive enhancing drugs are pharmaceuticals that are taken to improve one’s memory, learning, focus, attention, and other cognitive skills (Mehlman 2004). Adderall is a central nervous stimulant that is prescribed by a primary physician for treating medical conditions such as narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Smith). Alan Desantis, a professor at the University of Kentucky, conducted a research

In this day and age, drugs are being prescribed without hesitation. In fact, many of these drugs are being prescribed for children with various disorders. One of these disorders is called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). An estimated five to ten percent of children are diagnosed with this syndrome (Taylor 11). One of the methods to treat this disorder is to use stimulants, specifically Ritalin. This method is controversial because it has many side effects and its long-term effects are unknown. It can also lead to addiction. Approximately two to three percent of elementary school children are taking some kind of stimulant to treat ADHD (Taylor 64). Since so many children are taking this medication, new problems have arisen.

Unfortunately, students are being deceived by the stimulant drug’s valuable qualities, masking the serious, detrimental effects that the drug induces. Even worse, contributing to Adderall’s extensive abuse across campuses, “instead of condemnation it is implicitly being praised and validated by parents and students who view these drugs as a means of academic

Summary: This article covers a wide variety of factors that result from the over abundant use of prescription stimulants on campuses around the United States. This includes the consequences of taking said drugs, specifically the medical, mental, and academic effects of stimulants. The author also points out four main reasons behind stimulant use on campuses. The first being the pressure of college life. Many students come into college thinking that it will be simple like high

Stolz explains that college students across the U.S. are taking advantage of the black market from the stimulate and using it as a study drug (2012). With easy access, students have no issue finding a source, whether it’s illegally from someone willing to sell their own prescription for quick cash, or getting it wrongly prescribed from a clinic (Stolz, 2012). Health clinics in colleges are a convenient source of medical care, but they are also providing an effortless opportunity for any student to obtain a prescription through misdiagnosis. Stolz (2012), discloses that students in college are able to simply walk in without an appointment, mention a few key symptoms such as trouble focusing and conveniently acquire a prescription for Adderall. The on-campus clinics eliminate the need for appointments and advanced prolonged testing with psychiatrists allowing the students to receive an ADHD diagnosis easily (Stolz

Nearly five years ago, Kyle Craig, a well-rounded and bright student at Vanderbilt University, took his life at the young age of 21. Kyle was described to be a “confident, but not arrogant” young man. He had a solid 3.5 grade point average and was extremely active in his fraternity. His parents said he was, “…a thrill a minute, focused, happy, achieving and social” (James). Kyle, in short, seemed to have it all together. What no one knew is that Kyle illegally looked to Adderall to keep up his “I’ve got it all together” act. Adderall is a stimulant prescription drug for those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD (FDA). Kyle took Adderall illegally and abused it much too often just to perform better academically and socially. While abusing the drug, Kyle slowly began spiraling into a dangerous state of psychosis that no one seemed to catch on to. That dangerous spiral led Kyle all the way in front of a train, taking his own life (James). Kyle is not the only young college student to suffer from the effects of stimulant or amphetamine drugs like Adderall. Almost 1,000 cases of psychosis were found to be linked to medications such as Adderall or Ritalin between the years 2000 and 2005 (FDA). Stimulant and Amphetamines are also known to heighten or produce suicidal and depressive thoughts (FDA). With all of these unsettling facts, 1 in 5 college students abuse these drugs and use them as study aids (CBN News). For the last

In today’s society, college students throughout the country without Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are turning to mixed Amphetamine Salts (MAS), which is the brand name for Adderall as their gateway to better studying strategies and presumably higher grades. Currently at the heart of the cultural imagination, lies the controversy over whether or not Adderall, in fact, improves one’s wellbeing. Although many believe that it does cure the attention deficit with which those suffer from, does this “magic pill” actually satisfy the task, or is it like taking a placebo and all in one’s head?

As the saying goes “Desperation can make a person do surprising things.” Not just in America but all around the world, getting accepted and attending a recognized college is almost impossible to achieve. In the United States College students have been subjected to an extremely competitive environment. The pressure to being successful can be almost unbearable because there isn’t a human being that’s perfect. Right now there are millions of students staring at their final exam review feeling hopeless due to the load of work. Willing to do whatever it takes to pass it. There is an alarming but popular trend among college campuses. It’s being used as today’s college steroid. According to a recent study from Brigham Young University, “Adderall is the most commonly abused prescription stimulant among college students” (Hanson et al.). A large number of students are wrongly using a very potent prescription medication called Adderall or known by students as the “study drug.” Adderall is well recognized drug or specifically known as a neuroenhancing drug which stimulates the brain to perform better. According to The Office of Alcohol and Drug Education at the University of Notre Damen, Adderall was first introduced around the late 90’s and approved by the Food and Drug administration as an alternative to Ritalin, another stimulant, which last twice as long than Ritalin.

Over medicating students with ADHD can affect their mental health. The medications that are commonly used to treat the condition are considered as a stimulant. Stimulants are defined by drugabuse.gov as increasing alertness, attention, and energy as well as elevate blood pressure heart rate, and respiration. Although the child is appearing to be attentive during class, are they mentally healthy and stable? The side effects of the medications range from

Today, college students across the nation live for the future. They dream of future gadgets and gizmos and medicine that can solve all of our problems. I am happy to say we live in the future, today. With the increase of modern technology, college students have had access to very effective prescription drugs. One hot topic of discussion involves the excessive use of Adderall. Described as an amphetamine mix, Adderall is prescribed to treat attention deficit disorder and has proven to restore the balance of neuro transmitters, fight tiredness, and provide mild euphoria. Recently, the drug has been popular among college students for off-label use, enabling them to study for hours with full concentration and without fatigue.

College students usually take prescription stimulants orally and illegally. College students are usually stressed out about getting the best grade they can possibly get in a class. Students usually don't get enough sleep because of the constant need to finish papers and/or he or she is procrastinating. There aren't as many college students who are experimenting and getting high nowadays rather, the motives for taking these prescription drugs is so that one can have more concentration while studying because their future rides on how well they do in college. More of adolescents are the ones who are experimenting and taking drugs that have not prescribed for them, just so they can achieve or experience a certain feeling (Hamilton, 2009).

The authors of this study used quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate the college student’s perceptions and use of illegal Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) stimulants. There are important differences between a qualitative research design and a quantitative design. Qualitative research is conducted in a natural setting seeking to understand a certain complex human behavior and then presenting a narrative description of that behavior. With a quantitative research design the gathering and analysis of data is expressed in statistical form. Both have their places in research and the characteristics of each are unique to the effort. This study was conducted with participants from fall 2005 through fall 2006, and the authors used 1,811 undergraduates from a large, public, southeastern research university in the United States. Many different ranges of upper class and

In an age where a college degree is becoming more of a necessity, the high stress levels and competitiveness experienced by students at colleges and universities can become to much to bare. In turn, certain individuals seek the help of study drugs, also known as nootropics, “refer to the out-of-accordance use of prescription stimulants like Ritalin, Vyvanse, and Adderall to increase mental focus when studying. These drugs are commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD) patients. When used without a prescription, however, they can be dangerous. But despite the risks, 1 in 5 college students use study drugs to get a short-term energy boost to plow through the dreaded all-nighters” (“Study Drugs”).

This a major aspect in ADHD with the attention span being so short, in most cases it means that the person has low dopamine levels and is treated for it accordingly. The stimulant are also designed to increase your focusing abilities and decrease the impulsive behavior. A new stimulant was recently used in a 1 year trial called methylphenidate, with this stimulant 80% of the adults tested said that the symptoms had reduced significantly. This stimulant did show a lot of promise 6-9 months after the experiment, but some patients began to develop cardiovascular problems that were unrelated to the stimulant, but with our knowledge today we couldn’t be sure that the stimulant didn’t play a role in the cardiac problems that followed, but these patient did previously have cardiac problems prior to the experiment so nothing to conclusive was made off of that. More evidence did show up proving the stimulants effectiveness, after comparing before and after charts of the brain through neuro-imaging you can see that the brain became more active sending out more electrical signals compared to before the experiment. Non-stimulants were approved by the FDA in 2002. Non-stimulant just like the stimulants proved effective against the symptoms of ADHD. A popular non-stimulant is Atomoxetine, this non-stimulant job is target a neurotransmitter norepinephrine and make this transmitter more available to the brain cells. Helping improve academic performance, classroom behavior, and

Transition: So those are the most common types of study drugs, and now to explore why non ADHD people would take.