6 THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2011 WWW.THEPOST.OHIOU.

EDU

All Wired Up [ on Adderall ]

Students pop prescription pills to focus on finals and classes
Bridget Mallon The prevalence of college students who take fect that they think they want, they’re going to contin-
Staff Writer | bm257008@ohiou.edu drugs such as Ad- derall without a prescrip- ue doing it,” Koons said. “The rule of thumb with any
——— tion indicates that many don’t understand drug is that if you try a drug and you like the effect,
misuse of pharmaceu- ticals, said Terry Koons, the likelihood of you trying it again is pretty high.”
Editor’s Note: Some names have been changed to associate director at the Campus Involvement While Lauren has no plans to stop taking Adderall
protect students’ privacy. Center for Health Promo- tion. any time soon, she said some of the positive effects
“I think people don’t real- ize they’re abus- she experiences could occur because she expects
As finals week creeps closer, many students turn ing a drug because they’re us- ing a medica- them to.
to coffee, working out or study partners for support. tion,” Koons said. “What people don’t realize “I think a lot of it is placebo effect, if you tell your-
Others, though, see prescription drugs as the way to is that if I am being treated for ADD with one self you can accomplish something,” she said. “If you
get through. of those stimulants, the effects on my body gave me a sugar pill and told me it was Adderall, I’d
While Adderall is prescribed to people who suffer will be very different than someone who probably be able to focus just the same, but you can’t
from Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit is recreationally using it.” placebo yourself.”
Hyperactive Disorder, college students without pre- Koons said that the drug helps those with a While Lauren continues to take Adderall, Sarah
scriptions take the drugs hoping medical need focus, think said she hasn’t used it since Fall Quarter and has no
they will help them focus on school- clearly, stay on task and re- plans to try it again.
work. main settled. But people with “I’ll probably never take it again, to be
“For those people for whom Ad- It’s like you can do no medical need for Adderall honest. It’s kind of a waste of time, and I’d
derall, Ritalin or similar stimulants anything, you can will experience effects similar rather just drink coffee,” she said. “I think
have been prescribed, it is a very accomplish anything – to other stimulant drugs, such it’s over- rated, and I think there are other
helpful medication to facilitate them as cocaine. healthier ways that you can do your
being successful students at Ohio you’re superhuman.” “If you use it and you don’t schoolwork.”
University,” said Dr. Sheila Williams, LAUREN, need it, you’re going to get the Being in college, students are given the
a senior staff member at Counseling FRESHMAN same effect that you would get chance to define their habits and work ethic,
and Psychological Services and the from cocaine or methamphet- Amy Olander president of the Pre-Pharmacy
director of Outreach and Consulta- amine,” Koons said. “You’ll be Club said.
tions. up for a long period of time. You’ll be very wound up. “This is where you estab- lish study habits
According to the National Drug Survey on Drug You’ll probably become very tired at one point. Some and skills, so if you’re using Ad- derall now, are
Use and Health, full-time college students ages 18-22 people, depending on how much they use, could be you going to do it your whole life? You’re not
are twice as likely to use Adderall without any medi- up two or three days without sleeping.” prescribed it, and you shouldn’t put things in
cal need than part-time students or people not en- Regardless of their lack of medical need for the your body you don’t need,” she said.
rolled in college. drug, some students still feel it helps them in their While some students who have been pre-
In order to improve her focus during school, one day-to-day life. Lauren, a freshman who takes Adder- scribed Adderall actively sell it, sharing
OU student turned to Adderall. all at least once or twice a month, relies on it when prescription drugs with others or being in
“The first time I tried it, I wanted to see if I would she has a test or project and plans to use it during possession of pharmaceuticals that were pre-
be more alert to pay attention in my boring classes,” Winter Quarter finals. scribed to someone else is a fifth-de- gree felony
said Sarah, a sophomore who said she has taken Ad- “It’s like you can do anything, you can accomplish for which students could face up to 12 months
derall at least a dozen times. anything — you’re superhuman,” she said. “You can in prison and a $2,500 fine. To avoid medical
For Sarah, the effects of the drug were not always focus on everything at once. It’s anything you want to and legal penalties, Koons urges stu- dents to
exactly what she was expecting. Several of the times make it. It’s like you’re getting faster. If you want to not share any prescription drugs.
she tried Adderall, her focus was on unexpected sub- go up Morton Hill, it’s like you sped up that hill. You “Communicate to someone who asks you.
jects. can exercise better. You can talk better and more ef- Lets say that they know you are using a particular
“I find myself being more concentrated on other ficiently. It just makes everything better.” pharmaceutical, that ‘I need this,’” Koons said.
things, like I’ll clean for three hours straight or some- Koons attributes such positive opinions of drugs “(You should say), ‘I have a medical condition,
thing like that,” she said. “I have to be in the mindset such as Adderall to having a desired outcome the first and this is why I need the drug and I really can’t,
to study if I decide to take it. And most of the time, time the drug was experienced. based on my insurance policy, based on the
I’m not, so I become more concentrated or focused “The mind can do many things. I think part of it law, based on my own medical need. I can’t
on doing something other than studying.” would be, if someone is misusing it and getting an ef- physically give up my medica- tion.’”

Full-time college Data taken from a

students, ages 18-22, sample of 1,500 OU
are twice as likely to students in 2009
use Adderall without showed that 3.7% of
any medical need for it students had used a
than part-time students Ritalin or an Adderall-
or people not enrolled in type stimulant in the
college at all. previous 30 days.
According to the National Drug According to a survey carried out
Survey on Drug Use and Health by the Campus Involvement Center

Illustration by Danielle Zeisler

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