College Students Don’t See Danger of Abusing ADHD Drugs

University of Kentucky professor Alan DeSantis heard lines like the following this from countless students when conducting research for a book about Greek life several years ago: “I don’t use drugs. I use Adderall, but I don’t use drugs.” The students may not have realized it at the time, but they triggered his research into the prevalence of non-prescription use of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications on campus today.

DeSantis was interviewed on CBS’s 60 Minutes in a segment called "Boosting Brain Power" on April 25th. Several University of Kentucky (UK) students were interviewed as well, discussing how common and accepted it is to take Adderall, a psychostimulant often used in the treatment of ADHD, without a prescription on campus.

Jane Shropshire of the Business Lexington writes that because many students using the drug illicitly do so primarily to improve their academic performance, and because most of them know someone who takes the drug by prescription, they have developed a false sense that the drug carries virtually no negative consequences.

Many people may remember taking NoDoz, caffeine in a capsule readily available over the counter, to make it through an all-nighter when preparing for exams. However, Adderall isn’t a modern-day NoDoz. It’s a medication prescribed for individuals with ADHD to stimulate dopamine production for more highly focused brain function. Students diagnosed with ADHD benefit from the stimulant effect, as it allows them to focus for longer periods on tasks at hand.

Many students and adults with diagnosed attention deficits find that stimulant medication, prescribed by a doctor, makes a meaningful difference in their lives. However, according to the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, who was also interviewed on 60 Minutes, these medications can lead to addiction, psychosis, and other side effects widely considered unsafe and undesirable. With medical oversight, appropriate and safe use can be monitored. Without such monitoring, harmful effects could ensue.

In his research, DeSantis explores the stigma-free environment students have created for Adderall as well as the prevalence of its use. Here are some noteworthy statistics: 34 percent of UK students surveyed for his research project said that they took ADHD medications without prescriptions. When DeSantis looked at responses from juniors and seniors only, the rate jumped to nearly 60 percent. And when he isolated respondents who were members of fraternities or sororities, the rate of use approached 80 percent.

Interestingly enough, most of the suppliers are students with prescriptions for the medication who do not use all of their monthly pills. They are selling their extra pills or, in some cases, giving them away to friends.

An April 28 news report in the Brattleboro Reformer (Vermont) described the arrest of two individuals charged with selling the prescription drug Adderall. If convicted, they each could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Some may consider this discussion of illicit Adderall use trivial, given the seemingly perpetual abuse of drugs and alcohol on college campuses more broadly and the potential for related tragedies. Inside Higher Ed reported on April 26 that the president of a liberal arts college in Oregon was recently visited by state and federal authorities and told plainly that the college had to alter its permissive stance toward drug use. In the last two years, this small college has lost two students to heroin overdoses.

Regarding alcohol, broad social acceptance and easy access to it can make it seem deceptively benign and an easier alternative than drugs. Use and abuse of alcohol on college campuses has a history fraught with challenges that spans many generations.

Yet familiarity does not make it safe: according to a website maintained by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, approximately 1,700 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from unintentional injuries related to alcohol. Additional statistics are maintained for injuries, assaults, sexual abuse and other alcohol-related problems among this population. They are certainly sobering to review.

Many students with ADHD diagnoses have truly benefited from stimulant medication like Adderall, and many professionals can vouch for its beneficial effect in the right cases. We’ve seen the improved focus and motivation and the resulting positive changes in grades and accomplishments.

However, the increasing incidence of students choosing to medicate themselves without any evidence of an actual condition requiring prescription drugs warrants attention.

Campuses everywhere have drug and alcohol awareness programs to educate students about making wise choices. We just have to hope that the students taking drugs like Adderall without prescription understand that these programs apply to them, because there is very real risk attached to their choice to take such a pill casually. They do indeed "use drugs."