<p>These drugs aren’t very widely used on my campus, at least that I’ve seen. Alcohol, nicotine, and–to a lesser extent–marijuana are far more popular.</p>
<p>My d and I were talking about this just last week and she was telling me that this is huge on her campus. She said so many kids are using Adderall to keep themselves awake to do homework.</p>
<p>D is unaware of any great use of Adderall at her school (although she admits to being out of that loop). Adderal probably doesn’t mix well with all that free-flowing booze. ;)</p>
<p>Very common. There are at least 5 people in my dorm hall of around 25 who took it during finals and at least 2 of them take it regularly to work on papers or whatever. My roommate used it so he could study from around 3 or 4pm to 10am the next morning when the test is, for example. I don’t use it but I don’t have any ethical problem with people who do (from a cheating standpoint at least) because it’s available for me to use too, I just choose not to.</p>
<p>edit: As far as being the most popular drug no. Alcohol if you count that is a solid #1, with weed being a sort of distant #2. Adderall might be #3.</p>
<p>edit2:
No not even close. They still did the work.</p>
<p>When I read your title, I so said “…adderall” in my head. </p>
<p>But then again, I don’t know anyone who actually does it, so…although I bet if someone did, and had it/talked about it, it could spread pretty fast. I could see that. If you’re that obsessed and in that much trouble before a final that you need to take unnecessary medication, personally I think you need to re-evaluate your life. It seems a little…sad, I don’t even know.</p>
<p>Generic Adderall (Mixed Amphetamine Salts) is actually fairly inexpensive in the US: $15 USD for 60 20mg tablets. I hear that prices on campuses can range from $1-$5 depending on campus/time of the year.</p>
<p>Generic is not as clean/jitter-free as brand Adderall.</p>
<p>Generic is not “xr”.</p>
<p>"Uh, there’s a big difference between some perfectly normal kid taking adderall to do better in school and a kid with ADHD taking adderall to be able to function in society.</p>
<p>With all do respect, I don’t tjink the difference is always as big as I’d like it. There are times when I think the difference is pretty grey. A lot has to do with the diagnostic criteria used, and the target symptoms. When the target syptoms are of purely inattentive symptoms, I thnk the difference canbe gray in some doctors hands. And yes, I know about the brain scans.</p>
<p>I’m going to agree with the above post. I don’t consider myself ADHD. I can engage in conversation, read a good book, listen to an interesting speech, etc no problem. But when it comes to doing accounting problems, reading a technical text, etc. I have trouble focusing. Its not a disease or a lack of intelligence, its just human nature. I’d rather check facebook or call a friend or watch the news.</p>
<p>The few times I’ve taken adderall, studying has become MUCH easier, and I’ve been able to focus on normally boring subjects with much less of a struggle. I also think it literally improves my cognitive abilities and functioning, and there’s been research to back this up.</p>
<p>I decided to quit messing with it because I’m afraid its a slippery slope. How long will it be until I decide that acing finals isnt good enough, and I have to take it before EVERY major assignment? How long will it be until I decide I need it every day at work to nail every major presentation? I don;t want to go that route.</p>
<p>So I do resent the people who take it, because I know most of them are just like me. Normal healthy young adults at a fairly difficult school in a very challenging major who want an edge.</p>
<p>Nova10: Could you cite statistics that marijuana is more abused than nicotine? I know marijuana is used (and abused) very widely, but since something like 25% (last I checked) of the population is addicted to nicotine and uses on an almost constant basis, I cannot imagine marijuana beating it out.</p>
<p>And yes, I use Adderall sometimes to help study. It gets stuff done. I would use other amphetamines instead, but this one happens to be legal, easy to get, and free of the attendant risks of illicit drug use such as cutting and impurities. ;)</p>
<p>I don’t feel particularly bad about it either. The drug works, why not use it?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I totally agree.</p>
<p>In our case, when our son was having difficulties as a young child, we refused to think there might be something “wrong” with him. We continued to believe that he would “grow out of it”. It wasn’t until it became painfully apparent that he wasn’t getting “better”, and that it was hurting him socially and academically, that we decided to have him tested. </p>
<p>But, since we didn’t really believe in ADHD or “drugging” our kid, we had him tested by the best - the pediatric neurological center at the Texas Medical Center. He went through 3 days of a battery of tests, cognitive, developmental and neurological. </p>
<p>At the end of it, the neuro-psychologist assigned to his case described his attention issues to us as - for a normal person, they can focus long enough to complete a task; for our son, any scratching pencil, any chair scraping on the floor, any distraction at all, was as if his name was being called out. That’s why he was always bouncing off the walls, he couldn’t calm his mind at any time.</p>
<p>After he began taking the medicine (ritalin at that time) his life changed. He could function in class, he could work on an assignment without having to be put out in the hall (which had been a daily occurance since kindergarten), he could have a friend over and work on a lego project. All the “normal” things that kids do, he could now do, he could have friends, he could feel good about himself, he could feel smart and confident.</p>
<p>I totally agree that it is not ok for a “normal” person to take an enhancing drug whether it be for academic performance or for athletic performance. But, for those who take adderall, or whatever, under a doctor’s care, for a specific diagnosed reason, it is not only reasonable, but necessary. </p>
<p>Anyone who truly has ADHD, or knows someone who does, can tell the difference.</p>
<p>" It is cheating, pure and simple, no different than if they had stolen the test answers.
No not even close. They still did the work."</p>
<p>And Barry Bonds still hit the homers, and Roger Clemens won four Cy Youngs. They play a difficult sport, where all kinds of people are trying to take their jobs, and they feel like they need “an edge” to stay at the top of their game.</p>
<p>“Nova10: Could you cite statistics that marijuana is more abused than nicotine? I know marijuana is used (and abused) very widely, but since something like 25% (last I checked) of the population is addicted to nicotine and uses on an almost constant basis, I cannot imagine marijuana beating it out.”</p>
<p>All of this data is readily available from the annual Monitoring the Future survey put out by the University of Michigan. (it’s alcohol by a mile)</p>
<p>(*it’s alcohol by a mile)
*
That is easier to believe-
One- alcohol is a lot more available than prescription medication.
And although some students apparently find Adderal boosts their academic productivity- it doesn’t make you sexy/interesting or funny as some people believe alcohol makes them.
Alcohol is just more fun- and isn’t that why they are in college?
To have fun?
;)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>We were so much like this. With youngest child, he was always the one “in trouble” in class–couldn’t sit still, distracted by everything. Teachers suggested having him tested when he was 4 and in preschool–of course the competent evaluators said that he was too young and wait to see if he had academic difficulties.</p>
<p>Well, he learned to control his behavior, never had serious school problems and graduated 3 in a class of over 300. When he went to college, a professor suggested he be tested and sent him to counseling. </p>
<p>He was given a 3 day battery of test here at home over Christmas break and was off the charts for ADD and auditory processing disorder. After starting medications he came to me and said “I can read a page of a book and go on to the next!”. He said he had always had to read a page 3 or 4 times before he could progress to next page. He thought everyone was like this. Gosh, sure wish he had mentioned that earlier in his school life!</p>
<p>For him, Adderall has been a big help—though it doesn’t come without side effects. I know he would be glad to trade his medication for the ability to function “normally” without it.</p>
<p>We resisted putting our child on any drugs for years. He struggled with school which eventually lead to a drop in self esteem. He felt like he was stupid. At age 14 we finally were convinced to try stimulants. The change was dramatic. Suddenly he could focus. His grades sky rocketed. He went from feeling stupid to realizing he actually was quite smart.
Does he like taking Adderall? No way. He hates it. He hates the way it makes him feel. He has tried different drugs and has settled on the one with the least side effects for him.
I know he would not be in college right now without meds. He knows they don’t do it all. He made the choice to attend a college with small classes. Part of him would have loved to be a some of the big state schools that his friends attend. But he realized for him that was not a match. He also knows he has to find a quiet place to study. He is also trying hard to remind himself to take advantage of the extra help his school offers.
Adderall alone is not enough.</p>
<p>There is a similar thread about “extra time”. I posted I can’t imagine trying to convince my 15 year old son that sitting longer to take a test is a good thing! He was diagnosed and has been taking medicine since age 4, but primarily for behavioral problems ( We were told he had the thickest “file” of my preschooler there). These have always overshadowed any academic problems he might have, perhaps because he is bright enough. I can’t tell you how many times people have been surprised by what he has learned. Anyway he’s 15 now, watching his sisters college search, and beginning to think about his own, but really struggles with the daily “decision” to take medicine (I still hand it to him every morning; as of last year, all he** breaks loose when he doesn’t take it.). I believe he will decide against it soon, in spite of the consequences. He is also a Black male and I would love to be able to spare him any additional risk factors. Sigh… I guess all this belongs on a different thread…</p>
<p>I can’t work up any <em>academic</em> objection to unaffected kids taking Adderall to boost study skills. Of course it’s not a healthy practice, but ethically comparable to steroids? Not in my book. The difference is that steroids really work. Whatever your current level of athletic skill, steroids will boost your strength and muscle endurance. In sports like weightlifting, that’s a huge advantage. But I just don’t believe that typical kids will get an equivalent brainpower boost out of Adderall. I’m happy to go head-to-head in an academic showdown with an Adderall abuser. Drug yourself to your heart’s content; I’ll still get the win. :)</p>
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