Relying on Adderall for the “A”

Alexandria Hudome | Contributor | The USD Vista

As the semester comes to a close at the University of San Diego, many students are gearing up for finals. Students stumbling home from Copley Library at the wee hours of the morning after a long day of studying and coffee cups stacked up on the tables seems to be a common scene during finals week for Toreros. With long days and late hours, some Toreros may be tempted to turn to something a little stronger than caffeine to cope with the struggles of being a student — Adderall.

Junior Caleb Bills struggled to understand all the concepts in his organic chemistry class, drudging over work until 3 a.m. nightly. When he finally got diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) this past fall and started taking prescription stimulants, he found it to be easier to stay up that late. He stated that it felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“I remember how much Vyvanse really helped me,” Bills said.

Vyvanse is a type of prescription stimulant that is very similar to Adderall.

“I was focused and everything (was) making sense in my head,” Bills said. “When the exam came I quickly and correctly answered many questions and received a much better grade on the exam than I ever had before.”

Between being a Resident Assistant, a student, an employee at Starbucks, and a tour guide on campus, Bills even found it to be difficult to find time for an interview. And he is not alone — college students are finding it increasingly difficult to juggle school with part-time jobs, extracurricular activities, and other responsibilities. That’s why the abuse of prescription stimulants, such as Adderall, has recently spiked on college campuses.

According to research by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 60 percent of Adderall nonmedical use is by 18-to-25 year olds, which is the typical college student age. A student with ADHD and a newly filled prescription can easily lend a pill to their friend when they have to stay up all night to cram for a midterm.

Junior Camille Hayward does not have ADHD, yet she is familiar with Adderall. She stated that since USD is a wealthy and competitive school, students feel forced to take it in order to perform well.

“Pressure and competitiveness (motivate students to take the drug),” Hayward said. “Acceptance into post-graduate schools is exceedingly becoming more difficult. The importance of having a good GPA for internships and jobs is constantly being stressed. One little pill, and you feel you can accomplish staying up until 4 a.m.”

This is the reality students face on a multitude of college campuses — USD is no exception. There’s too much work and not enough time in the day to get it all done.

Students without diagnosed ADHD have resorted to using prescription stimulants at increasing rates to improve their performances in school. This is most likely because those who have recently been on college campuses know how difficult of a topic it is to avoid.

Whether it is wrong for students to use Adderall without a prescription, Hayward expressed that she doesn’t find a problem with it.

“The academic competitiveness and pressure put on kids now, especially college kids, is absolutely insane,” Hayward said. “With all the things college kids are trying to balance, it’s hard not to take it when you’re exhausted, or overwhelmed, or stressed, and can’t afford to perform poorly on an exam.”

According to a survey done by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2016, roughly 7.8 percent of USD students reported use of prescription drugs that were not prescribed to them. This is notably higher than the national average, which is at 6.7 percent.

Kimberly Woodruff, the supervising physician at the USD Student Health Center, spoke about her professional experience with the problem, and USD’s course of action.

“We typically have one to two students a year that (come) to the health center that have taken an unknown dose of stimulants and are symptomatic with tachycardia and chest pain,” Woodruff said. “We typically transport them to the emergency room for further care and monitoring.”

Tachycardia is known to be one of the most dangerous consequences of Adderall abuse, with possible long-term effects on the heart. This is when the heart beats faster than normal while at rest. Symptoms include shortness of breath, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, chest pain, and even fainting.

Bills addressed the frustration he feels when he sees people buying Adderall on campus and using it non-medically, which Bills admitted he sees frequently.

“I’m mostly concerned for the people who use it because there are so many health risks that can come with abusing the medication,” Bills said. “I’m also frustrated with those who give their medication away or sell it because they are jeopardizing someone else’s life.”

Research from Recovery Brands, a company dedicated to promoting the positive impact of addiction treatment in the U.S., found that 63.4 percent of prescription stimulant abusers get the pills from their friends. Additionally, those with heart abnormalities must be especially cautious while taking prescription stimulants, as sudden death is a risk associated with Adderall. When students slip a pill under the table so their friends can use it recreationally, he or she very well could be putting others’ lives at risk.

On the other hand, students who are medically prescribed Adderall have found it beneficial to their overall academic performances. As a student diagnosed with ADHD, sophomore Miya Nutter is familiar with prescription stimulants as she uses her medication daily.

“I was diagnosed in the middle of my second semester of college, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but it was honestly a relief for me,” Nutter said. “Growing up I was always really insecure because I felt like I had the unexplained obstacle that interfered with school and day to day life, so an official diagnosis lifted a lot of that weight off of my shoulders because I knew there was a reason for some of these obstacles, as well as something that I could do about it.”

After her diagnosis, Nutter said she was hesitant to try medication at first.

“I was prescribed Adderall and given the option to receive extended time on tests,” Nutter said. “I decided to try the medication although I was a bit weary of it initially because my parents have always preferred natural homeopathic approaches before prescribed medication. I haven’t used the additional time on tests, but I am still taking my medication.”

Nutter was justified in her hesitation, as the drug doesn’t come without its risks. The most common side effect of Adderall is insomnia, according to the National Center for Health Research. Additionally, users can expect any of the following side effects: gastrointestinal problems, blurred vision, increased body temperature, increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, reduced circulation, and irritability.

When weighing the risks against the benefits, Nutter found there were enough benefits to continue taking her prescribed Adderall.

“Taking medication has helped me in numerous ways,” Nutter said. “I am so much more confident in my intellectual and academic ability because I feel like I am able to obtain the results of the hard work that I put into school. When I take my medication, I see positive changes in my day-to-day life, from driving, to organization, or even not misplacing my keys as often.”

Nutter said she isn’t pleased with the amount of people who take stimulants unprescribed.

“I think it enhances the stigma regarding stimulant abuse because of the frequency of use by people who aren’t medically prescribed,” Nutter said. “I think a lot of people who use the drug recreationally justify it because it’s obtainable through a prescription. Because of that, they don’t think it’s as serious.”

Yet, Hayward doesn’t find it unfair that those who aren’t prescribed Adderall get a step ahead of others academically when they take the drug.

“I think everyone has points in their lives where they can’t focus or just think straight,” Hayward said. “Just because someone doesn’t have ADHD doesn’t make them a bad person for needing to take something to help them study. Especially because it is so incredibly prevalent in college life, especially at such an academically challenging school like USD.”

Prescription stimulant abuse is not a topic to be taken lightly. Students who use it medically have seen its benefits, yet also understand its risks. Those who use it non-medically must come to understand those risks as well, and begin to make more informed and educated decisions when deciding whether to swap out their daily cup of coffee with Adderall.

Next time a student reaches for their phone to text their friend with ADHD during a long night of studying, they should consider the myriad factors that play into the prescription stimulant abuse phenomenon.