As students prepare for the dreaded exam week, they will inevitably turn to reliable substances to stay awake for extended periods of time. While most will battle the late nights of studying by consuming obscene amounts of coffee and caffeinated soda or by maintaining a consistent sugar buzz, others will turn to the more dangerous options of prescription drugs such as Ritalin and Adderall.
Adamant that traditional methods lose their effect too easily, these students are taking the low road to fighting fatigue. Because accessing the drugs is most commonly accomplished through friends who are prescribed them due to Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medical conditions, students who are not supposed to be using them seriously risk their health. Being medically tested and approved to take Ritalin or Adderall is the only way to escape side effects including severe heart problems, high blood pressure, seizures and in some cases, impotence.
Furthermore, the possibility of addiction that threatens to leave students in a post-finals predicament might also mean turning to harder drugs to avoid withdrawal. Though a number of those who take the drugs during exam week do not regularly participate in illegal drug use, recent studies such as the one done through the University of Michigan prove that taking the drugs for non-medical reasons can lead to alcohol or marijuana abuse, or even experimentation with ecstasy and cocaine.
Some claim the availability of the new study drugs are generation-specific as a result of more and more young people being diagnosed with ADD and prescribed medications.
As this trend continues, appropriate uses for the drugs become misunderstood and people begin to believe the drugs have few, if any, harmful effects. Not to mention that students who are taking the medications prescribed to others never see the harmful side effects listed on the label by the Food and Drug Administration.
Similarly, the growing hysteria over drugs like Ritalin and Adderall may cause doctors to be more reluctant to prescribe them, causing those who actually depend on them to have limited access.
Though the highest levels of study-drug abuse are found on college campuses, counselors are now discovering increased use among high school students. A few of these students are even taking the drugs for weight loss purposes. However, the drugs appear to be used most often while high schoolers prepare for crucial future-determining tests like the SATs and ACTs. Perhaps these students are just following the example of stressed college students who make it seem like there is no alternative.
For most, turning to Ritalin and Adderall is based on the pressure to make the grade. Students are becoming less concerned with achieving their own personal success and more absorbed with meeting the competitive standards set by their fellow classmates. Instead of reaching their potential through honest hard work, increasing numbers of university students believe taking drugs to study is the only way to get the necessary edge over their counterparts.
Beyond the previously listed reasons that illicit use of these drugs is harmful, there are more obvious justifications for avoiding them. Ritalin and Adderall cause chemical imbalances in the body, deprive the user of healthful sleep and more importantly, are an artificial contributor to increased academic performance. For students in the midst of exam week stress, the abuse of study drugs is not given a second thought. However, students must force themselves to question if the risks of earning high grades under the influence are worth outdoing the students who earn them legitimately.
