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The Study Drug

What was once a drug meant to be a short-term solution for sufferers of ADD (attention deficit disorder), ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive
disorder), and narcolepsy, has now become a medication abused by the masses for ‘educational’ and ‘brain-enhancing’ purposes. Being that
these prescription drugs for studying have carved their own place within our society (most commonly among college students), it is important
that we, as a community, understand the different types of study drugs, how they interact with the brain, and what dangerous side effects
study drugs may have.

The Different Types Of Study Drugs

While we will certainly have a better understanding of how prevalent study drugs are in work and academic culture in the future, certain
studies—like the 2014 study done in the US—conclude that some 20% of college students admit to using a study drug at least once in their
academic careers.

Now, when you remove the word study and replace it with ‘brain-enhancing,’ study drug usage spills out into work culture, where coders,
interns, aspiring lawyers, and anyone who needs to stay focused and process large swaths of information will take these ‘helpers’ to be the
most they can intellectually.

In which case, what kind of stimulant drugs are they taking and what should you know about them?

Adderall Aniracetam

Adderall is the combination of amphetamines and
dextroamphetamine and is, by far, the most popular study drug
around. Originally intended and approved by the FDA as a short-
term solution for those with ADHD, then eventually a band-aid
for ADD and narcolepsy, this medication is now used by the
masses for brain-enhancement and recreational purposes.
This drug is a member of the ‘racetam’ class and is used to curb
anxiety and boost creativity. Studies have proved that it can
improve cognitive function and help with focus, forgetfulness,
and low energy levels.

Being that most types of these drugs are stimulants, it is
important to understand that prolonged use can form a study
drug addiction and the side effects mirror other dangerous
stimulants; depression, anxiety, loss of appetite, weight loss,
psychosis, heart attack, and more.
It comes in both extended and instant release forms and is
prescribed often—enough so that pharmacies often experience
shortages of Adderall due to high demand.
Bacopa Monnieri
Bacopa Monnieri is a supplement meant to improve thought
processes, memory retention, and reading comprehension. It has
been proven to improve cognition and focus—although it is not,
by any means, a popular supplement. Few studies have been
executed on Bacopa Monnieri.

Donepezil

Ritalin Also known as Aricept, Donepezil is an FDA approved medication

used to treat patients with Alzheimer’s. A group of pilots took the
Also known as methylphenidate, Ritalin is the drug you could pill in a controlled study which concluded that it improved
effectively consider the trend-setter of study drug medication. memory function. All pilots were healthy prior to ingesting the
Introduced in the early 1990s, Ritalin is an FDA approved drug pill.
that is meant exclusively for people suffering from ADHD. It is the
most researched ‘brain-enhancing’ drug, with certain studies
pointing towards it improving cognitive function and memory
when taken in low dosages.

With that being said, other studies show that long-term use of
Ritalin can actually reduce the brain’s functionality and memory
performance. As with any other stimulant, it can cause sweating,
higher blood pressure and heart rate, weight loss, and a reduced
appetite, nausea, and blurred vision.

Vyvanse

Vyvanse is another amphetamine and it hit the market exactly a

decade ago, in 2008, when it was introduced as a new FDA-
approved medication to treat ADD and ADHD. Interestingly, it
was developed as an alternative to Ritalin and Adderall—once the
healthcare industry began to expose certain truths that
highlighted the previous ‘study drug standards’ negative effects.
Engineered to be a less intense, powerful, and euphoria-inducing
stimulant, it is quite popular in the US.

Being that it’s amphetamine-based and a stimulant by trade,

both addiction and dependency can occur. Long-term use can
impair the brain’s functionality, reduce memory performance,
induce abnormal sleep patterns, alter moods, and deplete
energy. With that being said, it is activated via digestion, so it
cannot be snorted, taken intravenously, or inhaled like Adderall or
Ritalin, eliminating the possibility for avid drug users to abuse the
substance like a narcotic.

Modafinil

Modafinil, also known as Provigil, is an FDA approved medication

meant to treat narcolepsy. However, people use it for a
heightened sense of awareness, improved cognitive function,
improved memory, quicker reaction times, and even weight loss.
Studies have been done on isolated groups (one such being
chess players) which showed that a low dosage proved the drug’s
efficacy. Outside of the US, it is thought to be the most popular
study drug—due in part because it’s widely available online.

While not having as large of a range of long-term effects that

other prescription drugs do, Modafinil can reduce brain plasticity
and hinder memory development in growing brains (youth). But
it is commonly agreed that it is not ‘as’ harmful as other study
drugs.

Concerta

Concerta can go by the name of methylphenidate hydrochloride

and it’s a stimulant approved for treating ADHD. Studies have
proved that Concerta can improve cognitive function and
sharpen the working memory, as well as heighten focus and
reduce fatigue. Typically thought to be a ‘lesser’ form of the
aforementioned study drugs, Concerta has yet to reach the same
level of popularity.

The FDA warns us of addiction and dependency risks regarding

Concerta. A stimulant by nature, the prolonged use can cause
addiction and the typical withdrawal symptoms will ensue;
abnormal sleep patterns, depression, anxiety, cold and hot
sweats, etc.

How Do Study Drugs Affect

The Brain?
Every study drug is going to interact with the brain in its own
way. Typically, amphetamine-based stimulants (the generality
for stimulant drugs) stimulate the neurotransmitters dopamine
and norepinephrine. As these neurotransmitter levels raise, the
effects are a heightened sense of focus, higher energy,
extended calmness, and bliss (the euphoria is due to the
stimulation in the brain’s reward center).

These neurotransmitters live in the prefrontal cortex, a region of

the brain responsible for executive functioning, which is why
these increases in cognitive performance ensue. Essentially,
these study drugs not only activate the parts of your brain
responsible for your ‘intellectual effectiveness but they also
work to nourish the reward center, which can produce
happiness and even aid the mentally ill in their struggles with
depression.

Lastly, this ‘hyper-drive’ gear it shifts the brain into then

advertently affects the body. The heart rate increases, driving
blood pressure upwards. The metabolism activates, breathing
shortens, and your body begins to act as if it is experiencing a
non-intensive form of exercise. Sweat can be a sign of this—as
stimulants raise body temperature.

This is why, when taking a stimulant, a patient must be vetted

to ensure they have no heart condition (or any condition) that
could pose a threat to their health when using a stimulant.

How Do They Affect It

Negatively?
The word amphetamine—found in most of the common ‘study-
drugs,’ should be enough to raise an alarm. What the
healthcare industry is selling here is a stimulant by definition
and can interact with the brain in the same way as meth. This
means, at their very worst, study-drugs can be triggers for
psychosis (investigate links between schizophrenia and study
drugs). Meaning those predisposed to this condition can take
only one pill and trigger a mental illness otherwise dormant.

Beyond that, in a larger sense, study-drugs pose serious

dependency problems. Not engineered for long-term use, the
prolonged use of these medications alter brain chemistry. A
brain ill-equipped to generate its own supply of dopamine will
begin to rely on these medications as a crutch, treating the pill
as the neurotransmitter itself, thus working less to generate its
own supply. When the drug is removed, the patient can have a
greater imbalance than before.

The medication then becomes a necessity for ‘normality’ rather

than an aid to help a condition, as the patient reels beneath the
pressure of extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety, a lack of
appetite, and reduced cognitive function and awareness. It is in
this threshold, this limbo between ‘need’ and ‘want’ that the
demon of addiction can make its entrance.

Anxiety person
Are Study Drugs Addictive?
There is a massive amount of work yet to be done regarding
these performance-enhancing drugs and addiction. For one,
Adderall and study drug addiction is not nearly addressed as
say, opioids for instance. Rarely does it make its way into a
headline—or if it does—it lurks in the shadow of the article
which speaks on the string of overdose deaths related to
painkillers.

Despite, studies prove that the effects of amphetamine-based

medication and methylphenidate functions similarly to
amphetamines (known as d-amphetamine) and cocaine. These
smart drugs create tolerance and then showcase characteristic
withdrawal symptoms like exhaustion, depression, altered
moods, psychomotor retardation, irritability, disturbed sleep
patterns, increased appetite, and so forth. If you ask science:
any stimulant can produce addiction via its very nature.

Its effects on dopaminergic transmission lead to the same

consequences. Thing is, being that it is taken orally, the
administration poses less of a threat for addiction as say,
cocaine. The road to addiction with street drugs can be a short
and rapid one, while performance-enhancing drugs for
studying may take years to have the same influence.

Still, over 100,000 patients entered rehab in 2016 for Adderall or

Adderall-related addiction. Overdoses have occurred. And the
drug can react to other substances and cause dangerous
health effects.

Conclusion
As these prescription stimulants become evermore popular, the risk of their abuse increases. Being that Ritalin, the anchor medicine, was only
introduced into American society in the 1990s, we cannot fully understand the long-term effects these ‘study drugs’ pose for users. What we
know is this: by their nature, these smart drugs are stimulants and stimulants pose risks of overdose and addiction.

The more we continue down this road, the more common these drugs are going to become. It’s hard to say whether they are an evil waiting
patiently to draw its blade or a miracle drug that will need better governing. Regardless, staying educated on the most common types of study
drugs is more important now than ever before.

Sources:

http://www.northeastern.edu/rugglesmedia/2016/04/21/why-are-college-students-relying-on-study-drugs/

https://publichealth.hsc.wvu.edu/media/4239/college_students_no-samhsa-logo.pdf

http://www.bemedwise.org/documents/GetTheFacts.pdf

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