You know when life has its hard times when you’re up all night till the crack of dawn typing over a computer. It usually ends up that way with most college students these days. We often procrastinate in getting work done in order to turn something in the next day. But as long as the task is done we care nothing more than getting a grade, a good one at best. Sometimes we go to extreme lengths to stay up all night long and be focused and alert to work the late hours of the night. Maybe a little extra something might help like some coffee or an energy drink. That’s not always the case on a college campus when you can get a hold a pill you can get from your friend or roommate. And that is Adderall, a brand-name stimulant medication for individuals diagnosed with ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. There are those students who are prescribed to the drug and there are students using the stimulant to help stay alert and concentrate for academic studies and others are abusing the substance to party for long hours. Non-medical use of the stimulant drug is on the rise all over college and University campuses here in the United States according to according to a survey according to a national survey done at the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center. They did a random sampling at over 100 4-year colleges across the nation and reported that there is evident abuse of stimulant drug on college campuses and prevalence among particular groups. The report shows that Adderall abuse is higher among students who are male, fraternity or sorority members and students who had lower GPA’s. It was even reported that colleges in the Northeast with high academic admission standards. The drug seems to be easily obtained by virtually any student myself included by either getting doctors prescription or just getting from somebody who already is prescribed. A student can either buy it or just have the pill given to them, no matter, if that person feels the need for it. A news report by Henry Chung talks to college students about the pressures they face and why they use the drug in the first place.
Campus Research.
I did a study of my own on campus and found out it was much harder than I though to ask students a personal question like “have you ever abused Adderall?” I guess it kind of like asking a person if he or she is a drug addict, it’s a very touchy subject and must be handled with delicate care. Sending out emails was the worst, it seems if they do not know who are they really do not want anything to do with you so I went up to some people and got some answer’s. The usual question was always if you are prescribed or not and of course it would always be a yes or no and even “Hell yeahs!“ but always want an elaborations of their answers. So I would kicked it up a notch and ask those who were not prescribed if they have ever used or experimented with the drug. I would get answers from not a pill kind of person or that they don’t like the feeling of being “wired”” and some said they would use to stay awake for work or school. Using the drug to stay awake for work or school was a common answer. Some even said the just wanted to use it to “party” and prolong their drinking limits or so they say. Students using stimulants to help get better grade or those they have to work long hours and have little time to sleep. Some feel they feel pressured to use the drug due to the academic workload and the availability. However there are consequences for misusing the drug especially if your not prescribed.
A Risky Consequence
A student can use the drug accordingly or they can abuse the drug where they can put their life at risk. Mathias B. Forrester did a study in Texas on Adderall abuse emergency phone calls that were made to the poison control center during a seven-year part from 1998-2004. The demographic for the call were mainly children and adolescents comprising of 69% and 66% percent of the call made that were about Adderall abuse and school adolescent calls alone were 22%. Male patients counted up to 60% for medical and non-medical drug abuse. The clinical effects of both abuses prove to be neurological and then followed by gastrointestinal and cardiovascular. With chronic abuse students will start to feel “ adverse clinical effects of chest pain, hypertension, tachycardia, nausea, dizziness, numbness, and tremor.” Non-prescribed students do not realize these clinical effects due to the fact that a doctor has not told them or they have not researched before consumption of the drug. Hopefully it is not to late to seek help or counseling to help either reduce abuse or find another alternative to keeping alert and awake than to mistreat ones‘ health.
A Safer Solution?
If the drug is not good for than why do they still prescribe it to students and children in the first place. Adderall is made by the Shire Pharmaceutical Group mainly, but now is being made by other generic brands fro consumption by children and adults alike according to Forrester. Basically were giving the population a variety to choose from to get their fix and not just from one source alone. So as you know it Adderall will be available over-the-counter at your local CVS or Walgreens were anyone with an ID could make a purchase of the stimulant drug. People non-prescribed Adderall it is up to them find another source of energy instead of stimulant drugs like Adderall or Ritalin, coffee seems to be a good substitute but it can only go so far as to what an energy drink can do. According to an article by Rutuja Jathar some energy drinks contain the same amount or more caffeine than a cup of coffee along with B vitamins “and several other herbs mixed with carbonated water and sometimes high amounts of sugar.” So when you drink a Redbull or a Monster just knows that those several herb ingredients added like guarana, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and acai are just another way of saying caffeine and more of it. Some companies even put various ingredients to help create “several psychological as well as physical effects on the human body. “ And even increase endurance and muscles in the body but can be dangerous in copious amounts consumed that can include irritability and anxiety. Side effect of caffeine includes insomnia, high blood pressure and infertility. I could not imagine being 19, 20, 21 years old with high blood pressure and unable to produce children, not that I should produce right this minute but maybe someday. The risks in life are immanent and dealing with the stress of a college workload can have its hardships. A student has to choose wisely on using stimulants like Adderall or drinking a caffeine driven energy drink like Redbull to help for late night cramming, and take consideration that this substance maybe legal but it also must be respected and used properly.
Adderall XR photo courtesy of AP
Texas State photo courtesy of Studentreview.com
Ambulance photo courtesy of NBC
RedBull photo courtesy of TSB Magazine
