More Students Abusing ADHD Meds for Brain Boost During Final Exams
By Hugh C. McBride
It's final exam season in high schools and colleges across the nation, and if you are the parent of a teenager or young adult, you may have noticed an increased sense of urgency when it comes to academics.
And while you probably won't complain about any event that causes your child to put down the game controller and pick up a textbook, experts are advising parents to be on the lookout for a disturbing activity that is being undertaken in the name of academic performance: the abuse of prescription medications that are usually prescribed to combat the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Serenity through Stimulation?
Because ADHD often manifests as fidgeting and an ability to remain still, many people assume that the prescription medications that treat the disease work by slowing the body down. But prescription ADHD drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall are actually stimulants, which increase brain activity and alertness.
The British website Net Doctor describes how this apparently counterintuitive approach results in a lessening of ADHD symptoms:
- Methylphenidate [the primary active ingredient in Ritalin] works by affecting some of the natural chemicals that are found in the brain.
- In particular, methylphenidate increases the activity of chemicals called dopamine and noradrenaline in areas of the brain that play a part in controlling attention and behavior.
- These areas seem to be underactive in children with ADHD. It is thought that increasing the activity of these chemicals improves the function of these underactive parts of the brain.
In his May 8 article in The Maneater (the student newspaper of the University of Missouri-Columbia), Will Guldin reported on national statistics that appear to indicate a pattern of abuse of ADHD medications among college students.
"The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, released in April, stated seven percent of all full-time college students aged 18-22 use Adderall," Guldin wrote. "This was almost twice the percentage of reported usage among the same age group not attending college full-time."
Boosting Brain Power, Risking Health
Because ADHD drugs boost brain functioning and increase focus among ADHD-diagnosed students who were once highly distractible, their neuro-enhancing abilities have proved to be an attractive option for students who feel they need an extra boost during study sessions and at test-taking time.
"You just can't get distracted on it because you're so focused on what you need to get done," Sara Buxton, a junior at the University of Vermont, said in a May 7 article on the website of Vermont's WCAX-TV NEWS.
Dr. Jon Porter, director of the University of Vermont's health and wellness program, told WCAX that the pills do, indeed, work the way students think they will. "It has the ability to make people focus and attend to a task," Dr. Porter said, though he emphasized that the drugs aren't risk-free.
"Heart rate increases, blood pressure increases," he told WCAX. "If you take it awhile and you can't sleep, your personality is affected."
Other side effects related to the abuse of prescription ADHD medications include the following:
- Stomachache and headache
- Dry mouth, loss of appetite, and weight loss
- Depression, anxiety, and irritability
- Hallucination and other psychotic episodes
In addition to health risks, the abuse of ADHD prescription medications can also result in criminal penalties. Using prescription ADHD medications without a prescription, using ADHD drugs for recreational or other unapproved purposes, and selling or otherwise transferring ownership of one's prescription ADHD medications are all illegal.
Not a New Problem
The trend of student abuse of prescription ADHD medications for study purposes is not a new phenomenon. An Aug. 1, 2005 New York Times news service article said that the misuse of prescription ADHD medications on college campuses had become "almost as commonplace as No-Doz, Red Bull and maybe even caffeine."
The news service article also reported on a 2005 study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia, in which it was revealed that the abuse of prescription medications by teens had tripled between 1992 and 2003.
The problem of student abuse of prescription ADHD drugs was also addressed in a May 10, 2007 article by Ann Griswold of the University of Florida's Health Science Center News:
Undergraduates, as well as high school SAT-takers, are increasingly turning to prescription stimulants to boost concentration during long study sessions and all-nighters, according to drug abuse experts at the University of Florida, who cite a rise in the number of teen patients they see who openly admit to having conned unnecessary prescriptions from doctors.
Ten percent of college students use stimulants illegally at some point in their college years, a 2005 study by the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research Center revealed, and many get them from friends who were legally prescribed the drugs. And according to the federal government's Drug Abuse Warning Network, the number of emergency room visits stemming from illicit use of pharmaceuticals jumped 20 percent between 2004 and 2005.
"Experts fear the trend is only growing worse," Griswold reported.
Keeping Your Child Safe
Keeping your child safe from the abuse of prescription drugs is often a matter of remaining both vigilant and open in your interactions with your child:
- Discuss both the health risks and criminality of abusing prescription medications.
- Be sure your children understand that using unapproved substances for their "brain boosting" potential is not an acceptable way to achieve academic success.
- Make sure that your children aren't showing signs of being overwhelmed by academic pressures – and if it looks like they are struggling with this stress, consult with a family physician or school counselor to get them the help they need.
- Establish and maintain a pattern of open and honest communication with your children. If they feel that they can ask you about drugs without risking your wrath, they will be less likely to get their information from less reliable sources.
If you discover that your child is abusing a prescription ADHD medication or any other drug, don't assume that this behavior is merely a "phase" that every teen or young adult passes through – but don't overreact or become confrontational, either.
Adolescents and young adults who engage in substance abuse need help, not punishment. Depending upon the nature and severity of your child's involvement with drugs, your options may include outpatient therapy, a residential drug rehab program, a wilderness recovery program, or a therapeutic boarding school for students with substance abuse issues.
