Finals week remains a stressful time for college students. A student may have three to five tests in a matter of four days. However, these tests, unlike most, can be worth up to twenty percent of a semester grade. That is a great amount of pressure on a student. With about six hours of sleep a night, eighteen hours of study never seems like enough. Then again, there may be a solution that allows the student to focus on the study so eighteen hours is enough. Better yet, maybe sleep is unnecessary. This is a reality for the 6.4 percent of college students that use unprescribed Adderall. College students all over the country take Adderall everyday to improve performance in school.
College can be a challenge with endless papers, tests, and other tasks. A pill that allows extreme focus helps accomplish necessary tasks. Adderall is a prescription medication given to patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Jaffe). However, this drug has become known as a “smart drug” around college campuses (“Daily News & Analysis”). About 6.4 percent of college students have taken Adderall without a prescription (Carver). At more competitive schools, about twenty-five percent of students have taken Adderall (Pantovich). Students take the drug with hope to improve a grade. However, in the long run, the student only hurts himself or herself.
Adderall can have serious side effects if taken without a medical reason. Adderall is a Schedule II drug, which means there can be a strong chance of abuse and dependence (Pantovich). The abuse of Adderall can be compared to the addiction people receive from the use of cocaine (Pantovich). The drug can cause lack of creativity (Pantovich). The use of Adderall is intended for patients with a disorder...
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...gical or physical dependence. Once injested, Adderall inhibits the function of monamine transporters by lodging into the transmitter and blocking it off. The main function of these monamine transporters is the re-uptake and recycling of catecholamine neurotransmitters. If these transporters are blocked, dopamine is unable to leave the synaptic cleft and becomes trapped. This prolonged presence of dopamine in the cleft causes the emotional and physical effects to become long term. Having these affects long term will cause the patient to become tolerant to Adderall. Tolerance is dangerous because a higher dosage will be needed in order for the effects to be felt. This is also dangerous for addiction because by having these effects long term, a person will get use to feeling a certain way and they will believe that they cannot function without taking Adderall.
Another persuasive technique we used was appealing to dramatic benefits of the post-treatment of adderall by having a student imitate exaggerated behaviors of short attention span and impulsive nature that resulted in poor grades. Then after the same student takes adderall, he portrays a completely different character and becomes very attentive and productive in his studies, which results to an A in his next assignment. This is critical in Singh’s “Not Just Naughty: 50 years of stimulant drug advertising”, as he emphasizes how drug advertisements commonly present a post-treatment normal reality of highly idealized “portrait of an ideal family—bright, at...
In a 2012 study published by the Journal of American College Health, by senior year, Adderall and other prescription stimulants are offered to two-thirds of college students. Furthermore, about 31 percent are taking the drug in hopes to enhance their concentration to get better grades (Zadrozny 2013). Students who take Adderall that don’t have ADHD report that they have a increased sense of focus, motivation, and concentration, which are all the ingredients you need to have for a successful all-nighter to help on providing an added boost before an exam. With characteristics such as difficulties in focusing, reasoning, problem solving and planning, ADHD is a neurobehavioral-based disorder and is associated with an insufficient amount of dopamine (Student Health: Drug & Alcohol Abuse among College Students 2015). Adderall is enticing to students because they believe it can help them perform enhance their academic skills. On the other hand, some students abuse the drug because simply for the high it gives
She uses many logical appeals to charm the readers’ sense of reasoning by relating some of the key points in her story to the average college student. She includes valid appeals like “Since in essence, this life was impossible, Alex began taking Adderall to make it possible” (para. 1), or “Alex recalled one week during his junior year when he had four term papers due” (para. 3). Margaret provides a lot of examples from Alex as to why students should be taking these drugs. They are becoming more and more widespread because school has only continued to get more difficult for incoming generations. The stress and despair is wrecking the hope of our society, making them feel as if they are only drowning in work every day of the week. More so, these just lead to damage amongst the minds of the college student, which is very negative to our society. They feel the need to take Adderall to better themselves academically and to help their state of mind. The image that society is illustrating by taking these drugs is that one cannot do anything on their own, that they need some kind of substance to help them. Talbot successfully displays the negative impact on students by providing these quotes and stories that degrade the character of any scholar. Margaret accurately describes the harmful effects of the use of Adderall by providing so many logical appeals that any student could relate to. Any of these appeals provided have the ability to convince her audience that neuroenhancing drugs only cause negative effects as opposed to being beneficial. Talbot seems to have a good background of knowledge on the subject. After all, people wouldn’t be reading her article if she didn’t seem
Duran had already been on probation with the medical board of California due to similar activity in the past. There are many ways to get Adderall, but one way is through psychiatrists who do not perform all the basic tests necessary for an adult to get a diagnosis first. A college student may know someone with ADHD and buy some pills off of that person. As crazy as it sounds it happens, and it happens a lot. Students are aware of what goes on but it is accepted because that person is only trying to get their grades up. A college student by the name of Cheyne spoke briefly about what he remembered the process to be like. In his case, he went through his primary medical institution and asked for the prescription. His primary care physician then got him an appointment with a local psychiatrist of whom then they could if applicable prescribe him Adderall. He said that all he really had to do was talk about his feelings and why he thinks he needs the drug, he ended up getting his prescription. Although Cheyne’s story does not and cannot apply to everyone who attempts to get a prescription for Adderall, many people will try. Cheyne actually has ADHD and Adderall indeed helps him, but that is because it adjusts certain chemicals within the brain. Amber Dance author of “Smart drugs: a dose of intelligence” writes that even athletes are trying to take Adderall in order to stay focused. Specifically, she talks about gamers who take Adderall to try and stay awake and focused to continue playing. Yes, there is some research to support the fact that Adderall and stimulants alike may have a small positive effect on people the majority of the information found that it affects people who do not have ADHD negatively
But Brown is not part of this 3-5% of the population. For Brown and others without the disorder, ADHD medications increase dopamine levels in the brain, giving the user a sense of euphoria similar to cocaine. Students at Northeastern University as well as other campuses are consuming these drugs for better academic performance and a cheap high on the college party scene. Students are taking Ritalin, Addrall, and the newest drug on the market, Conserta, either orally or crushing and snorting them to study, party, or lose weight. In some cases, kids are melting them down and shooting them up. According to Northeastern students, the drugs are very cheap and very accessible.
Adderall is a central nervous system stimulant composed of a mixture of amphetamine salts, dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. Amphetamines are thought to block the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine into the presynaptic neuron and increase the release of these monoamines into the extra neuronal space. (Developed, 2010).
In the article “Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs” (Yorker 2009) Margaret Talbot discusses the misuse of prescription drugs that enhance academic performance at the college level. First Talbot introduces readers to a young college history major at Harvard University named Alex who receives a description of a demanding, busy life which seems impossible to control without the safety unapproved adopted use of a drug named Adderall. After that Alex’s dependency on the prescription drugs cognitive enhancers is described when he asks his doctor to increase the amount of intake and the listing of his daily routine on using Adderall during a week that required him to write four term papers. Next Talbot describes a personal
As a college student, the amount of students on powerful meds for ADHD and ADD is shocking. It is a topic seen in every classroom and heard in many dialogues. Conversations can be overheard frequently about how easy meds are to get and how effortless it is to receive a diagnosis. However, while I know that a vast number of students are taking prescription drugs for ADHD, I don’t think that I ever realized the full extent to which this disorder was effecting America’s youth. It wasn’t until I spent my time volunteering as a paraprofessional in a fourth grade classroom that I felt I truly understood the weight that the number of ADHD diagnosis’s were having on our nation’s children. The supervising teacher I was working with told me that in her classroom of 22 children, six of them were on some sort of prescription medication for ADHD, and many parents that I spoke to tended to blow off the risk factors involved, remarking that the drugs improved their school performance. I was shocked at this figure, especially because after working with the children, even on the days that they forgot to take their medicine, I found that by using different methods of instruction, many of the children didn’t seem to have much less trouble focusing than the children who did not have ADHD. So when we were assigned this paper, I set out to disprove the myth that children who act out in school have must ADHD and need to be put on prescription drugs in order to do well in school.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, generally known as ADHD can be described as having a nonstop conversation with yourself. Constant racing thoughts, changing from one thing to another, not needing coffee because you already have a buzzed. Instead of walking, you are running. Standing in line for one minute feels like five hours. Always on the go and never looking back because, it would cause you to slow down. Imagine that always happening and not being able to control any of it. Unfortunately, this effects two to eight percent of college students dealing with ADHD and it is the most common learning disability that receives accommodations at higher levels of education (Musso and Grouvier 186). The stigma about ADHD is that it can only affect the individual at school. It actually is incorporated into every aspect of their life, making everything just a little bit harder. Each student enrolled in college with ADHD is taking on a huge responsibility and society needs to recognize the battles endured by these students everyday. One alternative that tends to help for decreasing the symptoms is medication, but that has its flaws like any other treatment option. Typical life characteristics for these students are to have minimal friendships, engage in risky behavior, make impulsive choices, and battle with another psychological disorder. The most common diagnosis paired with ADHD is depression, but more research needs to be done to confirm the correlation. As a society, it is important to keep an open mind and acknowledge that this is a disorder. These individuals cannot control the glitch in their brain, but they can only learn to live with it.
Over the last decade, a new epidemic has risen in America regarding the sustained trend in teens abusing and misusing stimulant drugs prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), specifically Ritalin and Adderall. There has been an increase in the number of teens diagnosed with ADHD and practitioners prescribing stimulants as treatment. These drugs are known in the teen community as the so-called “study drug”. An alarming high percentage of teens that are not diagnosed with ADHD are using this drug in attempt to achieve academic success as well as abusing it for recreational purposes. Due to the increase in teens being diagnosed with ADHD and being prescribed stimulants, the availability of ADHD stimulants has increased and are being abused and misused by other teens. In addition, caregiver’s lax attitudes as well as not supporting school safety prescription policies, has contributed to this disturbing trend in teens misusing and abusing the so-called “Study Drug”.
Ritalin is a risky drug. Taking this drug means having to take a dosage every four hours. Like any other medication, large doses can lead to addiction. At the end of the day, when the medication starts to wear off, mood swings occur and the sufferer becomes irritable. Side effects, which include insomnia, loss of appetite, stunted height, and irritability are brutal to the victim (Mann). Ritalin, if taken improperly, can increase a person's heartbeat and blood pressure. This can cause cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and premature death. If ADHD doesn't get treated correctly, or within the first couple of years, there are some serious long term consequences (Ciampa).
College years can be one of the best times in life. They are filled with the discovery of freedom and independence. However, they can also be some of the most challenging times a person will face. It is a time when the majority of the population discovers that they have a disability, Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD. ADD is discovered in college mainly due to the problems with time management, initiating, keeping or shifting focus, completing homework, and setting priorities (Quinn 1). College students who discover ADD must first be educated as to what ADD is, how it is caused and what type of treatments there are, in order to achieve all that they can in their college career.
In recent years, a new phenomenon has been sweeping through the country. People, mainly college students, are taking medications typically prescribed for ADHD in order to enhance their cognitive performance. In “Brain Gain: The Underground World of ‘Neuroenhancing’ Drugs,” Margaret Talbot chronicles the stories of people who have had firsthand experiences with these drugs and leads the reader to consider their implications and consequences. The very purposeful structuring, phrasing, and evidence all come together to craft a fairly convincing argument that these “neuroenhancers” are causing problems in which that the general populace is not yet aware.
Just this past weekend I was driving to go downtown with my friend and some of her other friends. I did not particularly know her other friends too well, but from what I knew they all seemed to have good heads on their shoulders. By talking to them I understood that they were taking challenging courses and were involved on campus, but they all seemed to be able to handle their classes and activities. It was when I heard one of them say, “I think I’m going to take Adderall tonight!” that I got confused. “Why? Are you going to study or something?” I asked. “No, I have just never tried it and I really want to,” they said. “Did the doctor prescribe it to you?” little oblivious me asks. “Ha! What, no? I bought it from a