Stimulant Use in Academia

25 de marzo de 2020

4 min de lectura

Performance-enhancing drugs have moved out of the world of sports and into academics. Students increasingly report using stimulant medications to improve their focus and excel academically. However, using prescription medications in this way can lead to unintended consequences.

What Are Stimulant Medications?

Stimulants are a class of medications that are commonly prescribed to treat symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Ritalin, Adderall, Vyvanse, and Concerta are examples of stimulants. Some of these medications are prescribed to be taken multiple times per day, while longer-acting pills can be taken just once per day.

Stimulant medications change the levels of certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. In particular, they block brain cells from taking up dopamine that has been released. This results in more dopamine available for neurons to use. For people with ADHD, stimulant drugs correct a natural imbalance in dopamine levels. This can improve symptoms such as inattention, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity.

Stimulant Use in Academic Settings

When prescribed for ADHD, stimulant medications can significantly improve attention and everyday functioning. However, these medications are commonly used among people who don’t have a prescription or medical reason to take them. Unlike alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs commonly used by adolescents and young adults, stimulant medications aren’t used to get high. Instead, the number one reason given for using stimulants without a medical reason is to stay alert or concentrate better. The belief that these medications can help with test taking and academic performance has led to a significant upswing in stimulant misuse in the United States.

In the general U.S. population, 6.6% of adults reported using prescription stimulants, with the majority using them as prescribed for medical purposes. The pattern of stimulant use looks different among adolescents. Adolescence is the age at which people are most likely to be prescribed stimulants for ADHD, but it is also a time of higher substance misuse. Recent reports show that 8.1% of adolescents use stimulants for medical reasons, but more than double that number -- 16.7% -- had tried stimulants for nonmedical reasons. It’s not just high school aged adolescents misusing the drugs. Up to 20% of college students also report using stimulants that they’re not prescribed. Men, members of Greek organizations, and students who consume other substances recreationally are more likely to misuse prescription stimulants.

So where are people getting the stimulants they misuse? More than half get the drugs for free from friends or relatives, many of whom have prescriptions for ADHD. Others buy the drugs from dealers at high schools or universities. For people who have a prescription, there is a big financial temptation to sell their medications. For example, Ritalin pills cost 25 to 50 cents each with a valid prescription. Their street value is significantly higher, from $2 to $20 per pill.

Impact of Non-Prescription Stimulant Use on Health

In high schools and college campuses, there is a widespread perception that occasional stimulant use for academic purposes is a safe and even beneficial thing to do. However, these medications come with significant side effects. Some of the most common side effects include:

· Difficulty sleeping

· Weight loss

· Decreased appetite

· Higher blood pressure

· Headaches

· Stomachaches

· Dizziness

· Irritability

· Moodiness

· Nervousness

In more serious cases, stimulant medications can be dangerous. They can cause heart problems, physical dependency (with frequent use), paranoia, and even death. These types of side effects have risen as more people take stimulant medications recreationally. For example, the number of emergency room visits due to prescription stimulants among adults has increased from 13,379 in 2005 to 31,244 in 2010. Taking stimulants recreationally can be particularly dangerous for people with pre-existing health conditions that may exacerbate the side effects of these medications.

Misusing stimulant medications also increases a person’s likelihood of using other substances. For example, 97.3% of adolescents who used prescription stimulants for nonmedical reasons also used alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs. Numbers are similar among college-aged students. Given the potential for harmful interactions between alcohol and stimulants, this places people at increased risk for medical harm.

Finally, there is little evidence to suggest that recreational use of stimulant medications actually improves academic performance. For people with ADHD, using stimulants corrects a brain chemical imbalance. Taking the medications as prescribed can help with studying and maintaining good grades. Although people using these medications for academic enhancement report feeling hyperfocused and able to study for long periods of time, this may not actually result in improved academic outcomes.

In fact, people who started using stimulants in adolescence have lower academic achievement and are at higher risk of substance use problems as adults. This suggests that misusing stimulants can actually cause academic harm, rather than providing a boost to academic performance. Raising awareness of the damaging side effects of stimulant medications may lower abuse of these drugs in academia.

Source

Información general, no consejo médico

Este artículo no puede tener en cuenta tu historial de salud ni tu tratamiento actual. Habla con un profesional sanitario cualificado antes de cambiar nada de tu cuidado.

Lee nuestro aviso médico →

En esta página

What Are Stimulant Medications?

Stimulant Use in Academic Settings

Impact of Non-Prescription Stimulant Use on Health

Source

Pon en práctica lo que lees

Controla tus medicamentos, consulta un síntoma y habla con personas que viven con la misma enfermedad, todo en Healthread.

Descargar la app

Sigue leyendo