News-Letter

Media Credit: Britni Crocker Hopkins students admit to using Adderall as a study aid.

Come exam time, many students no longer need to rearrange schedules or change their plans to make study time - they now have prescription drugs.

The use of stimulants such as caffeine and Ritalin to improve students' ability to study is nothing new, but a national trend shows an alarming number of students are relying on prescription drugs - sometimes illegally - to increase their ability to focus.

Adderall is a pharmaceutical psycho-stimulant intended to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD or ADHD). Many students have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and take Adderall as an approved way to medicate their hyperactivity. But just as many students use the drug and others like it for their ability to boost or accelerate concentration.

Some students were willing to speak about their use of the drug, but did so on condiditon of anonymity.

According to one freshman, so many students look to buy Adderall during finals week that recreational drug dealers began to deal this "study drug" as well.

"Last semester, I had to look around a little more to find out who had a prescription, but it was totally worth it," the student said. "I took it to help me study for my macro midterm. I was really behind in the class and I didn't understand the material, so I knew I'd have to pull an all-nighter, like 12 straight hours of studying. I wanted to do well and I figured that was really the only way it'd be possible."

The student took Adderall for the second time this semester, while caught up with rush activities.

"I got so behind on my schoolwork, I was getting all stressed about reading, so I took a pill of Adderall to help me stay up all night," the student said. "I would never consider taking it on a daily basis because it's not a good idea to become dependent - I try to limit my use to extreme situations."

Unlike this freshman, junior Avi Dunn has a legal prescription for Adderall, and he began using it last year after he was diagnosed with ADD.

"I took [Adderall] for the first time this summer and took a class and got an A. That was awesome. Fall semester, while I was taking Adderall, I got three As and an A-. That was a huge jump - I used to get Bs and Cs, and now I get all As," he said.

Continued...

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