RUNNING HEAD: ADDERALL ABUSE IN UNIVERSITIES

Adderall abuse in Universities

Brianda Guereque

Arizona State University

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Adderall abuse in Universities

The Drug Adderall has been used to treat people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity

Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy for over twenty years. Adderall is now also known as a study

drug amongst university students. The misuse of Adderall in University students has been and is

a growing problem, comes with dangerous side effects, and more restrictions should be placed on

the drug.

University students get piles of work that put them under huge amounts of stress making

them turn to a solution that often times, they do not know much about like its adverse side

effects. Us students, are expected to be able to perform excellent in school, have an internship,

have a social life as well as be able to work. I am a fulltime student who can understand the

struggles that come with balancing school and a social life. So much is expected from us in such

a small amount of time. Many students have turned to the addictive study drug, Adderall in aid

of their long nights. Students seem to think that Adderall makes them smarter and are unaware of

the serious consequences when it is not monitored by a doctor. The number of Adderall

prescriptions has decreased but more and more cases of its misuse are being seen in hospitals,

which means that prescriptions are being illegally shared. Adderall is most often used during

midterm and finals week, as a way to last the long nights of studying awake. However, there are

overachievers that take it a lot more frequently, increasing the risks that comes with it.

Adderall is a combination of two stimulant drugs, amphetamine and dextroamphetamine.

It is a schedule II drug because of its addictiveness when it is misused. To get it prescribed

students basically just have to convince the doctor that they do need it, by possibly even faking
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their symptoms since there is no real way of telling if the patient does need to be treated for

ADHD. Students can also just get a hold of someone who has a prescription and is willing to

share it or sell it, which is extremely easy to find. Adderall comes in a tablet but some people

who want immediate effects crush up their tablets and snort it, which is even more dangerous.

The ADHD drug, Adderall is also known as speed, uppers, black beauties, Addys and pep pills.

This information was obtained from Addiction center, from where I learned that full-time college

students are twice as likely to abuse the drug.

Many of the Adderall users seem to think that it is not a dangerous drug since it is

prescribed and it is not off the streets but it is far from the truth. Adderall can be just as

dangerous when abused. In the article A Rising Epidemic on College Campuses: Prescription

Drug Abuse by The Clinton Foundation, Adderall is addressed as addicting. It is stated that

prescription drug abuse causes more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. When 81 college

students with ADHD where in a study, they revealed that 62% diverted the medication to

someone without a prescription. Students do not seem to truly understand the adverse effects of

drugs like Adderall. This information was obtained from the Clinton Foundation, which

addresses drugs misuse. Some of the less severe side effects are appetite loss, weight loss, dry

mouth, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and insomnia. The dangerous ones are

dyspepsia, transient blood pressure elevations, tachycardia, elevation of blood pressure,

nervousness, emotional lability, agitation, anxiety, somnolence, dizziness, twitching, speech

disorder, photosensitivity reaction, urinary tract infection, hallucinations, stroke and even sudden

death. Signs of Adderall abuse are as simple as when students start to take more than the

recommended dose or is snorted.

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I am not against Adderall, in fact I believe that it is a great drug when used properly. To

people with disorders such as ADHD, the drug has a calming effect because it increases

dopamine in the brain and they are truly helped by it. I think that it is incredible that science

can impact peoples life in such a great way. However, that is not what the problem is here. The

problem is that it is being misused by students and in the contrary when this drug is used by

people who dont have ADHD, once Adderall wears off, more likely than not the user will feel

unmotivated and depressed and those are only a few of the many short term adverse effects. In

addition, long term adverse effects arent fully known yet. I think that something has to be

done and something is wrong if us students have to start looking for ways out of problems

where sleep is not afforded. As a student, it is easy to get a hold of Adderall prescriptions

illegally and in fact students are the most common victims of these type of drugs and by their

sophomore year 50% of the college students have been offered a prescription drug like

Adderall for nonmedical purposes. Many resulting in an overdose. It is a sad situation many

University students live in and immediate action needs to be taken.

It is necessary to bring awareness about drug misuse amongst students to Universities

by people who have knowledge. Informational campaigns for young adults should be instituted,

explaining the drugs adverse effects at least twice a year. Flyers should also be given out to the

students that do not have the time to stop by and learn about the drugs. I think that instituting

small campaigns like these would be a great way to bring awareness. Universities should

provide free classes such as yoga, meditation and massages to help relieve the students

academics stress. Us students should avoid caffeinated drinks and instead workout, eat healthy

and keep an organized agenda to avoid missing assignments due dates. In the same way, drugs
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such as Adderall should be monitored in the same way that prescription painkillers have in

recent years. Prescriptions should be entered into a database that a physician could check to

make sure a patient isnt receiving multiple medications from multiple physicians, a warning

sign of abuse or diversion, as a way to fight the abuse of this dangerous study drug.

Living in a fast-paced society makes it hard to take care of our health but it for sure is

not impossible. There are ways to manage our academic stress such as reading a fun book by

the pool, going to a yoga class and hanging out with friends to have a fun night out. It is

important to always take at least an hour off a day where we just clear our mind doing

something we truly enjoy. A lot more awareness should be spread to students of all grades but

more specifically incoming freshmen who are completely clueless about the dangers of study

drugs such as Adderall. More importantly, Adderall needs to have more restrictions so students

cannot go doctor shopping and obtain the same prescription from several physicians at the

same time. It is time that we as a school take a stance against drug abuse. Enough lives have

been lost due to overdoses that could have been avoided. Lets better our lives and even better,

lets save lives. Lets stop losing loved ones and make a change for the better.
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References

More college students are using Adderall to stay up and study. (2016, February 17).

Retrieved October 09, 2017, from http://www.futurity.org/college-students-

adderall-1107612-2/

A Rising Epidemic on College Campuses: Prescription Drug Abuse. (2014, January 12).

Retrieved October 09, 2017, from

https://www.clintonfoundation.org/blog/2014/01/12/rising-epidemic-college-

campuses-prescription-drug-abuse

Gladu, A. (2016, May 16). Using Study Drugs To Get Better Grades: Why You Should

Think Twice. Retrieved October 10, 2017, from

https://www.hercampus.com/life/academics/using-study-drugs-get-better-

grades-why-you-should-think-twice

Center, A. (2017, September 07). Adderall Addiction and Abuse - Prescription

Amphetamines. Retrieved October 10, 2017, from

https://www.addictioncenter.com/stimulants/adderall/

The 7 Best Adderall Alternatives in 2017 (and Beyond). (2017, July 18). Retrieved

October 23, 2017, from https://corpina.com/best-adderall-alternatives/

E. P. (2017, May 25). Adderall Abuse. Retrieved October 25, 2017, from

https://drugabuse.com/library/adderall-abuse/
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