Popping Stay-Awake Pills a Harmful Habit

As a child, you may not have liked taking medication to feel better, but things really do change as we grow. People do become more accustomed to taking pills to get over a cold, to become more energized, or to stay ahead in school.

Ten to 15 percent of college students take and abuse Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) drugs to get a leg up in school but not without long-term consequences, according to a 2008 ABC News article.

Prescribed medications such as Adderall, Ritalin, and other prescribed amphetamine-like psychostimulant drugs actually have opposing side effects on those who are not prescribed them.

While these medications are intended to calm those in need of the drug, when Adderall is taken by those who shouldn't, it has not-so-innocuous side effects, even if taken casually.

Adderall, for those who don't need it, may cause a fast-pounding or uneven heartbeat, extreme headaches, increased blood pressure, chest pains, and even hallucinations. There is also high potential for drug dependency. Despite this, the statistics of users are mind-boggling.

A Yale University junior said Adderall helped him read the 576-page novel "Crime and Punishment" and write a 15-page paper in 30 hours, according to another 2004 ABC News report. College chat rooms are filled with anonymous students contesting that about two-thirds of their student body use these ADHD drugs just to stay awake and finish their night's work.

The levels of Adderall and Ritalin usage by some private and Ivy League attendees increase with prestige and difficulty of major. Everyone wants to be at the top, and they will do whatever it takes to get there.

Statistics obtained from the Daily Nexus in 2005 revealed that Adderall users have an easier time hiding their usage – “a fact that makes them less likely to seek treatment for dependency until they have developed a serious problem.”

Adderall is also easy to get and because it's FDA approved, it's easy to justify.

All ADHD drugs work by increasing the number of certain neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters, small molecules responsible for many brain actions, are responsible for controlling response and inhibition instincts. Specifically, molecules such as dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine are regulated by stimulant medications.

Students with ADHD are chronically under-stimulated and many daily sensations do not occur, although medications help. For students without ADHD, these medications over-stimulate and cause alternative and sometimes poorly thought-out responses.

Still, some students will do anything and everything to stay ahead of the game. South Alabama junior and Biomedical Science major Chandler Edwards does not approve of those who feel the need to take medications that would never be prescribed to them.

“I think it's a form of cheating,” Edwards said. “And it might be great when you get that A on your test, but the long term effects are probably devastating.”

While ADHD drug abuse is not the biggest problem in the world, it is worth discussing. Whether you decide to jump the bandwagon or stay strong, know that you have what it takes to do it all on your own and live guilt-free in the meantime.