Health officials warn against Adderall use as study aid

Freshman Dan Shapiro has grown accustomed to repeatedly turning down the same proposition…. Freshman Dan Shapiro has grown accustomed to repeatedly turning down the same proposition.

“[People] will say, ‘I know a kid who has a prescription for Adderall. If you need any, I know someone who can give it to you,’” Shapiro said. “I always say no.”

With finals now in full swing, many students this week will face this same question: whether or not to take the stimulant drug Adderall in an effort to boost their level of alertness to study for exams.

In recent years, Adderall has become a popular study aid for students on college campuses across the United States, despite health concerns associated with recreational use of the prescription drug. On many campuses, including Pitt, a sort of black market has popped up for the sale of Adderall to students without a prescription who want to study late into the night.

Typically used to treat attention deficit disorders among other neurological conditions, scientists believe Adderall increases the flow of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. The chemicals then stimulate the central parts of the brain in a way that increases alertness and focus.

A 2008 survey conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, one of the most recent studies of Adderall use on college campuses, found that 6.4 percent of students had used Adderall on the past year and that students between the ages of 18 and 22 were twice as likely as non-students to abuse Adderall.

A more recent 2011 survey of students at 119 American college campuses published in the journal Addiction reported that 25 percent of students at “very competitive” campuses use Adderall for academic purposes.

Shapiro said that he knows at least five students who use Adderall as a study aid.

“They go to the library for eight hours and study which seems inhumanly possible to me. Then come back and tell me ‘I got all this studying done,” Shapiro said. “It seems like if someone tried it once they’re going to keep doing it.”

Shapiro said that while he would never try the drug, his friends’ Adderall habits don’t bother him.

“I don’t really feel upset when people use it because I do fine by just studying the regular way. If it helps them, it helps them. I don’t think it gives them an unfair advantage,” he said.

Freshman Chelsea Proulx said that she has only heard of friends using Adderall for recreational purposes, not to study.

“I’ve never heard of people using it to study. The one person I knew who used it, used it to stay up all night to party not study,” Proulx said.

Shannon Kellgren, Pitt’s Student Health Service Pharmacy manager, recognizes the potential benefits of Adderall for students who need the drug for medical reasons, but warns against recreational use of Adderall.

“Because Adderall is a stimulant, it may help the user to focus and stay awake, thus the interest as a study drug on many campuses,” Kellgren said. “Under the care and supervision of a clinician, this medication can be quite helpful to certain patients. However, there are many risks and side effects associated with this drug, so use should be carefully monitored by a clinician.”

She noted the most serious side effects associated with this medication include a fast, irregular heartbeat, chest pain, increased blood pressure, severe headache, numbness and blurred vision. Less serious side effects include headache, sleep problems, loss of appetite, loss of interest in sex and impotence.

Kellgren added that although rare, there are reports of life-threatening adverse reactions when taking Adderall, including heart attacks, seizure, stroke and sudden death in less than one percent of those who use the medication.

Kellgren said that when taking Adderall, it’s important to avoid another drug some students rely on during finals week.

“If taking Adderall, avoid alcohol,” she said. “Combining Adderall and alcohol may have deadly consequences. It is thought that the combination of the two may lead to more adverse cardiovascular effects and CNS [central nervous system] depression than either agent alone.”

Physicians at Pitt’s Student Health Services won’t provide Adderall prescriptions to students, but the Pitt pharmacy will fill Adderall prescriptions written by a student’s personal physician.

“Students must also remember that Adderall is classified as a controlled substance and possessing any such medication without a prescription is illegal,” Kellgren said. “Furthermore, the legal consequences of selling a controlled substance, such as Adderall, can be severe. It is a federal offense to possess a prescription that was not prescribed for you.”