The Abuse Of Prescription Neuro Enhancers

In the 1960s and ‘70s, the military ordered amphetamines and shipped them out to soldiers in Vietnam as a stimulant to keep them awake and aware for longer periods, while in the United States these amphetamines such as methamphetamine and cocaine became a recreational drug used in parties and a way to “be cool”. Compare this with today’s cognitive enhancing smart drug, which is still an amphetamine: the military is testing these smart drugs on soldiers to make them more effective with less sleep and prolonged battle and in the States, people use them off label to avoid jetlag or to write 9 page papers in 2 hours. In both these scenes, these drugs have received little coverage until they became popular and their effects became realized. “The effects of chronic, high doses of amphetamine are toxic; it can cause psychosis, depression and cognitive deficits, which are sometimes irreversible”, says Maia Szalavitz of Time Magazine (Popping). Although Piracetam and Modafinil are not amphetamines, drugs like Adderall and others used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are amphetamines and are very popular in the cognitive enhancing world. That is why nootropics are dangerous; hardworking students and

Steroid abuse by teen athletes and abuse of performance-enhancing supplements like creatine is also on the rise (Performance-enhancing drugs and your teen athlete, 2008, The Mayo Clinic). Although some teens may feel jaded and certain that they know ‘drugs are bad,’ and drugs fry your brain like the famous fried egg in a pan in the popular television commercial immortalized during the 1980s, many well-educated teens and young adults do not see the same risks inherent in prescription drugs or drugs that make them feel better or run faster (The Partnership’s fried egg message, 2008, Partnership for a Drug-Free America). “For a sizable group of people in their 20's and 30's, deciding on their own what drugs to take - in particular, stimulants, antidepressants and other psychiatric medications - is becoming the norm. Confident of their abilities and often skeptical of psychiatrists' expertise, they choose to rely on their own research and each other's experience in treating problems like depression, fatigue, anxiety or a lack of concentration. A medical degree, in their view, is useful, but not essential, and certainly not sufficient,” reports the New York Times, citing incidents of young adults

In a society where quantity of work overpowers quality of work, there is no wonder why "neuroenhancing" drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin are on the rise of consumption. As more people adopt the idea that these drugs are cognitively beneficial; the more they secretly use them for non-medical reasons. Margaret Talbot, a writer for The New Yorker, looks more into this problem in her article, "From Brain Gain: The Underground World of "Neuroenhancing" Drugs". Throughout this article Talbot focuses on a new trend of drug use, such as Adderall and Ritalin, for non-medical intentions. She focuses mainly on the increase of drug use by scholars and public intellectuals throughout her article. Talbot successfully proves to her audience that non-medical

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

Cognitive enhancing drugs, or nootropics, are a category of substances that have been purportedly shown to positively impact a user’s cognitive performance in areas such as memory, creativity, motivation, and attention1. Some cognitive enhancing drugs (CED) include common medications such as Adderall, methylphenidate, modafinil with the majority of these substances, either prescribed to patients who have attentional disorders such as ADD and ADHD or memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s due to these positive impacts on cognition. CEDs can additionally be obtained online or in store as over-the-counter supplements2 and are not only restricted to prescription medications. Due to the shown cognitive enhancement these

Margaret Talbot “From Brain Gain: The underground world of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs” aims to illustrate how the use of neurotransmitters are in the college setting in attempt to aid college students with their busy lives. Using an unbiased tone, relatable people, and comparisons to convey her message, she creates a very realistic view of the current use or abuse of “brain-boosting” drugs.

Our American culture sets a big emphasis on education, high GPAs, and outstanding business performance in the professional environment. In order to excel, there is so much pressure and expectation that college students today are more vulnerable to experiment and get hooked on smart drugs like Adderall, Ritalin, and Modafilin. College students are not taking these drugs to get high but to increase their concentration, energy, and time for studying.

Studies indicate as many as 34% of students at institutions of higher education in the United States of America have used Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) stimulants illegally (Desantis and Hane par. 5). This alarmingly high number begs the questions: Are these drugs dangerous? Do people think that it is acceptable to use neuroenhancers? More interestingly, though, could these drugs potentially academically benefit their consumers in an academic environment?

p. 223). No matter the reason why students are misusing the stimulants, it should not happen. The medication is for people who really need it, not just want it. The way these students are able to get away with this misuse of stimulant can lead to serious consequences. Stimulants should only be used to treat ADHD behavior and college students who just want to enhance their cognitive skills do not need stimulants. It is disgusting how these students use the stimulants for various reasons such as losing weight, enhancing their cognitive skills or for any other reason, other than the purpose that was intended to be used

Stimulant medication could be the miracle drug, or the most harmful thing to hit the younger generations. Medications such as Adderall and Ritalin are playing a prominent role in many adolescents’ lives, or the lives of people close to them. There is an “underground market” for medications like these, and the market is growing quickly. Whether just to make sure they pass that next test, or if they really believe they need it, stimulants’ popularity is soaring, and not just among adolescents but doctors as well. Stimulant medication / therapy is being prescribed at a growing rate, leading to many cases of misuse and diversion that can severely affect the users entire life, and play a very unclear part in any other substance abuse they

Whether partakers of performance enhancers are professional sports figures or weekend warriors, the decision to engage in their use, deal with the possible consequences, and its ethical propriety, rests in their

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”).

I believe that students who take nonprescription medication for enhanced cognitive ability have an unfair advantage over students who choose not to take these “smart pills”. Those suffering from disorders like ADD, ADHD, or even ADT may find these drugs useful to achieve normal brain function and should therefore take them. However, if a student consumes these substances simply to experience enhanced cognition, memory, and focus, this is the academic equivalent of an athlete taking steroids to boost athletic performance. I say this because nootropic chemicals prepare students to tackle assignments under abnormally brutal conditions such as extreme levels of fatigue or several days deprived of sleep. High doses of Adderall can keep a person

Attention Getter: "I reached into my backpack, grabbed an Adderall, and went to the bathroom. I smashed it on the bathroom sink and snorted it. I went back to my class and zipped through the rest of my exam, and it made all the difference." This student incident was found in a 2005 article published by Baylor University on the alarming use of “study drugs.”