The "Smart Drug" - Adderall
By Susan Wang '22
What is on your mind when you see “the highly-addictive drugs on college campuses?”
Perhaps you are drawn to thinking about alcohol, marijuana or club drugs. In fact, the drug under discussion in this article is none of the above. Students who abuse said drug are often not driven by a needed high or buzz instead it is the simple but strong motivation: to get good grades that draws people to Adderall.
Adderall is the prescription medicine for ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, and Narcolepsy, overwhelming drowsiness during the daytime. However, it is also known as the “smart drug” on many college, or even high school campuses. Abusing this medicine for examinations is best comparable to an athlete using steroids to gain a competitive edge in athletic events. Though Adderall may improve the user’s short-term cognitive performance, it also induces substance use disorder (SUD)－a disorder that undermines abusers’ health and daily life. Once the abusers stop consuming the drug, they experience withdrawal symptoms such as depression, sleep problems or in extreme cases, sudden death.
However, a recent study from US National Library of Medicine suggests that Adderall has limited influence on healthy individuals’ intellectual performance. According to researchers, “Adderall had minimal, but mixed, effects on cognitive processes relevant to neurocognitive enhancement (small effects), and substantial effects on autonomic responses, subjective drug experiences, and positive states of activated emotion (large effects)”(Weyandt 1). The findings reveal that Adderall mainly contributes to cheerful moods rather than cognitive enhancement. Such results are contradictory to the common beliefs about the drug, which inspires further studies on the non-medical use of Adderall.
Above all, it is obvious that Adderall and its abuse should not--and never will be--the easy replacement for hard work. That is why I do not suggest you bomb the figurative test of life by taking the “smart drug!”
Works Cited
"Dextroamphetamine and Amphetamine." Medline Plus, medlineplus.gov/.
https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601234.html
"Substance Use Disorder." Medline Plus, medlineplus.gov/.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001522.htm
Weyandt, Lisa L et al. “Neurocognitive, Autonomic, and Mood Effects of Adderall: A Pilot Study of Healthy College Students.” Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 6,3 58. 27 Jun. 2018, doi:10.3390/pharmacy6030058