Controversy of College Students Using Ritalin and Adderal - Research Paper Example

The Controversy of College Use Ritalin and Adderall MENG YAN ENL 213 Steve Lindeman Jun 21.2014 Abstract Ritalin and Adderall are prescription drugs used to treat children and adults suffering from attention deficit disorder and ADHD. Recent studies assert that college students use Ritalin and Adderall to enhance their focus on studying and getting a good grade. College students use Ritalin and Adderall without the physician’s prescription and in ways that are inconsistent with the prescribing physician’s instructions. This research introduces and analyses Ritalin and Adderall with respect to their acquisition, consumption trends, benefits, and harmful effects using Medical Center of Syracuse University (or other university) research and Syracuse Medical Center research. The research establishes the risks of using Ritalin and Adderall illegally and recommends the establishment of strict laws to limit the illegal acquisition and use of prescription drugs in colleges. Thesis: The Ritalin and Adderall are the prescription drugs with the prescript. Even though it can help student focus on studying and get a good grade, it brings the risks of using that illegally. The policy maker should pass new stringent standards to limit getting those ADHD drugs in campus and prevent using those drugs illegally. Introduction: In the recent past, the rate of using Ritalin and Adderall drugs within colleges has increased considerably causing a wide research about the possible effects of these drugs. Even though there are some high school students use the Ritalin and Adderall for their academic, the nonmedical use of those prescription stimulants is more rampant in college. According to the result of the research “Non-medical use of prescription stimulants among US college student”, 4.1% to 10.8% of college students were reported that using prescription stimulant nomadically during 2012. Although the drugs may be beneficial while used to improve the grades of learners within the learning environment, especially for students with the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it is clear that these drugs can be abused within the public domain hence have negative consequences (Partridge, Bell, Lucke & Hall, 2013). The fact that these drugs are now available outside the health facilities makes it a big challenge to control their abuse within the public. The Ritalin and Adderall are prescription drugs with the prescript. Even though it can help student focus on studying to get a better grade, there is the risk of using the drugs illegally. Ritalin and Adderall are psycho-stimulant drugs that are commonly administered to people with the symptoms of ADHD to aid in improving their brain performance. For a long time, these drugs have been used to improve the attention of patient of the ADHD as one of the ways of stimulating their performance within the learning environment. Studies show that these drugs are now available for use even by students without the syndrome. College students use these drugs often during the exam period as one way of improving their performance in the final examinations. In the last ten years, it is obvious that the rate of using Ritalin and Adderall in the US has increased and it’s becoming an ethical issue as these drugs are used without medical prescription (Lane, 2010). College students have a very heavy academic demand, some students use Ritalin or Adderall illegally since they want to increase focus and energy. Prescription Drugs in the US: Prescription drugs include those drugs that the public can purchase only after a professional doctor suggests to them. The Federal drug administration provides that such drugs be used by the doctor’s prescription to avoid any form of abuse that may result from its use. Prescription drugs have side effects that often may be consequential especially during over-dosage or even under-dosage. Ritalin and Adderall are both prescription drugs that can only be purchase under the recommendation from a doctor because they have serious consequences if used out of doctor’s advice. The side effects of these drugs include hallucinations, changed or blurred vision, seizures, weakness or numbness in the leg or arm, fast or pounding heartbeat, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. In serious cases, these drugs may cause death of the person (Eickenhorst, Vitzthum, Klapp, Groneberg, & Mache, 2012). Unfortunately, the college students use these drugs without considering the side effects of these drugs on their body. The drug control laws in US terms the use of prescription of drugs without doctor’s prescript as an illegal act that is punishable by the law. The Analysis of Ritalin and Adderall Ritalin is a psycho-stimulant drugs that common use the trade names of Concerta, Methylin, Ritalin or Equasym XL. Originally, Ritalin was approved for treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and narcolepsy. The drug contains methylphenidate, which is the active component in the drug. In the medical sector, Adderall refers to amphetamine mixed salts or variants thereof used for patients with ADHD and narcolepsy. The off label use of this drug includes treatment of depression, obesity and sleep cycle disorders. Increases amount of dopamine and norepinephrine between synapses in the brain, thus increasing the brain activity. It is legally approved for use in the United States and Canada. These drugs are highly addictive especially in long-term use, and usually the patients are asked to withdrawal slowly to avoid after withdrawal side effects (Eickenhorst, Vitzthum, Klapp, Groneberg, & Mache, 2012). As compared to Ritalin, it has fewer side effects on use and is designated friendlier during the dosage period. Adderall which is typically prescribed for children and adults with ADHD is increasingly popular for it’s off label uses and some of the side effects include a decrease in appetite, insomnia and increased anxiety. Interestingly, most of the college students are well aware of the recreational use of Adderall and the potent brain stimulant has become popular among students. Most students believe that the drug can enhance their focus and prepare for tests even though there have controversies around the stimulants. It is reported that the stimulant has cocaine like effects on the body although the effects of Adderall on non-ADHD patients have not been studied. There are questions whether taking Adderall for weight loss provides short-term solution to many critics and the long term effects on the brain and neurotransmitters. Moreover, there are questions whether the drug changes nutritional habits and whether there are other potentially life threatening effects that have not been detected. Benefits of Using Ritalin and Adderall Ritalin and Adderall are used to treat people with the ADHD symptoms due to the problem they have with concentrating in class. When people take them, the drugs increases the amount of dopamine and norepinephrine between synapses in the brain, which is equivalent to increasing the brain activity. One benefit of the drugs is that they increase the person’s alertness and focus. This is an important perspective for college students who require paying attention to what they learn in class. With this kind of alertness, they can concentrate in class and understand what the instructors say during the lectures. This can be directly linked with the performance of the students, which is the final goal of students. Secondly, the drugs improve the focus in human beings, which enhances the ability of college students to concentrate on their studying. Another important aspect is that the user experiences increased energy, making them active that more than normally. Finally, these drugs reduce tiredness and depression in users, hence making able to work for extra hours (Eickenhorst, Vitzthum, Klapp, Groneberg, & Mache, 2012). Disadvantages of using these drugs Although these drugs are used as brain enhancer, the prescription is related with serious warnings for users. Medical experts have particularly complained about the availability of these drugs in the black market. One problem of using black market drugs is because there is no professionalism in the administration of these drugs. The drugs themselves cannot be trusted and hence may pose a great danger to the lives of the users. Apart from this, these drugs require professional prescription, which is often not available to the public. For this reason, the users of these drugs do not have any knowledge on the side effects of these drugs on the users and do not bother to identify whether the users have the ADHD diseases (DeSantis, Webb & Noar, 2008). As a result, those who buy these drugs in the black market do not know the danger of using Ritalin or Adderall. Therefore, they use the drugs without taking any precaution and hence have higher risks of suffering serious problems. The side effects of these drugs can at times have very serious problems to the users of the Ritalin and Adderall. Adderall is known for causing weight loss, insomnia, headaches, irritability, increased muscle tension, increase heart rate, blood pressure, and dry mouths to the patients. These side effects are far much serious when the patient uses these drugs for a long time and then stops. On the other hand, Ritalin is known to have side effects such as drowsiness, insomnia, nervousness and insomnia. For long-term use, Ritalin can lead to Psychosis, a condition that affects the brain of the user. Many scholars have announced condemn the use of these drugs in enhancing the academic performance of many students. They agree that the side effects of these drugs can affect the education of the students rather than even improve it (Underhill & Langdon, 2013). For instance, if a student suffers from headaches as a side effect, their concentration will be affected and thus it will be for nothing using these drugs. A more serious problem is that the drugs are addictive making it a big challenge for many users to stop the habit. Adderall is very addictive as compared to Ritalin. In medical practice, the drugs users are experience slowly withdrawal to ensure that they reduce the addiction effect and they do not suffer from serious consequences. Availability of those drugs in the black market makes it easy for the college students to access these medicines and to sustain this behaviour. The drugs are sold for as cheap as $5 making it affordable for any student. Therefore, college students without ADHD can access these drugs easily and then they cannot stop since they are addicted and the drugs can access easily. Therefore, they become long-term users of these drugs in the end and they suffer from long-term effects of these drugs such as loss of appetite weight loss and psychosis. Therefore, the students who finish school and do not intend to continue using the drug are forced to keep the habit since they are addicted (Jardin, Looby & Earleywine, 2011). Others stop the drugs immediately and hence suffer psychological disorders such as depression, which are dangerous for their health. Therefore, it is clear that addiction of these drugs brings is a great disadvantaged for the community and society as well. Another problem linked to the use of these drugs in college is the unfairness that comes with the use of these drugs by those students who do not have the ADHD problem. These drugs are administered to ADHD patients to help them improve in their performance in the academic and to help them perform like other students. The access of non-patients is unfair as they frustrate the efforts of the society to provide the chance for the ADHD patients to perform like other students. Many scholars blame this problem on the emphasis of success in education rather than the value of the learning process. Most college institutions emphasize on the student score and condemn failure in the final examinations. This is against the principles of learning and this kills the real meaning of education to enable learners to acquire practical skills and to change lives (McCabe, Knight, Teter & Wechsler, 2005). Some of the side effects from Adderall include an increase in blood pressure and heart rate as well as slight risks of sudden death thereby making critics to argue that it is morally and medically questionable. Moreover, there is little argument that the drug is essential in reducing appetite and most pharmacies currently struggle with the challenges of meeting prescription demands (Jardin, Looby & Earleywine, 2011). However, the demand for the drug is usually high around final weeks among college students because they believe the drug is a study aid particularly during stressful times such as midterms even for students who are not even ADHD prescription takers. Students believe that the drug motivates and aids them to focus on the future but at times, it can make them distracted and turn their focus on wrong things such as social networking sites. It is worth noting that drugs such as Adderall cause nervousness, headaches, sleeplessness and decreases appetite and FDA warns that amphetamines have a high potential for abuse and can lead to dependence. Interestingly, there are also reports indicating that Adderall users may always experience serious cardiac problems yet college students still use them because they are likely to know their peers who have taken the drugs since their childhood has neuroenhancers (Underhill & Langdon, 2013). Adderall is a stimulant composed of mixed amphetamine salts that were initially prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder but have been currently adopted as cognitive enhancers. It is apparent that although the use of both Adderall and Ritalin has not been approved as cognitive enhancers, college campuses have become laboratories for experimentation with neuro-enhancement. Students are guaranteed of maintaining intense focus while losing any ability to sleep for several hours. College students feel that they always have busy schedules that do not allow them much time to study for their exams and therefore yet exams are always around the corner. The students further believe that the drugs may help them to concentrate during classes and meetings even though some could notice the effects of the drugs such as feeling awkwardly quiet at times. Some students assert that it may be hard to eat lunch when on Adderall because of awkward feeling and may at times miss some vital classes or meetings (Jardin, Looby & Earleywine, 2011). Most students go for the drugs because of their lack of awareness of a twenty-four-hour work cycle especially what an individual can physically do in a week while achieving their goals. What comes out clearly is that students using Adderall only aim to be among the best but not actually the best or perhaps doing better than they would otherwise. The frequent users of these drugs are white male undergraduates at highly competitive schools that are also likely to belong to a fraternity have a G.P.A of 3.0 or lower. These kinds of students are likely to report that they have smoked marijuana or used cocaine but are generally deemed as decent students at schools who believe in being great students (Underhill & Langdon, 2013). Some students take Adderall because they see their friends take and they do not want to be at a disadvantage to everyone else who thinks that Adderall is amazing even if they are not prescribed. Some students remain enthusiastic about Adderall even though they have slight critique of it because they perform obsessively different tasks they intended to do. Such kind of students think that writing a paper on Adderall may not make their points more direct and stronger than if they did it without Adderall. The students think that working on Adderall may make them write several pages instead of a few sentences. It is therefore apparent that not all students support the use of the drug as a way of sharpening their focus or concentration. However, students using the drugs feel that taking the brain boosters for nonmedical reasons have acceptable risk and such competitive anxieties are really felt in the workplace (Underhill & Langdon, 2013). This may just be one of the hotly debatable issues that see small advantages producing disproportionate rewards because the usefulness of being smart and learning more quickly is given the first priority by students. Most students taking the drugs believe in taking advantage of every possible edge and are worried about their academic outcome. Conclusion It is quite clear that people especially college students can easily acquire and use prescription drugs like Ritalin and Adderall in an illegal manner. This emanates from the presence of drug traffickers, black market traders, and relaxed rules that manage the manufacture, distribution, sale, consumption of Ritalin and Adderall in America. As such, the federal government should change the regulations since they do not prevent the illegal distribution of Ritalin in an effective manner. In the case of Ritalin (methylphenidate), moderate and liberally permissive regulations may be relevant for healthy adults seeking to use the prescription drug for the right purposes. However, the recent trends indicate that healthy college students are adopting illegal measures to acquire and use the prescription drug without the physician’s prescription and in ways that are inconsistent with the prescribing physician’s instructions thus exposing the users to the dangers of amphetamine and methylphenidate compounds. It is evident that the demerits of the illegal use of Ritalin and Adderall among college students supersede the merits. Indeed, it exposes the college students to legal risks for the diversion of prescription stimulants, health risks for skipping doses and not treating the disorder appropriately, and academic risk of skipping classes and recording low GPA. This calls for the establishment of strict regulations that will prohibit college students from accessing, misusing, and diverting the untended use of Ritalin and Adderall in America. Policy makers like the Congress will have to make new rules to govern the manufacture, distribution, and consumption of Ritalin and Adderall among college students. The strict regulations should limit the access of Ritalin and Adderall in campus prevent the illegal use of Ritalin and Adderall, and prevent the easier access and abuse or overdose of Ritalin and Adderall. In formulating these rules and standards, the policy makers should define who should prescribe Ritalin and Adderall, the distributors of the prescription drugs, the cost, the right to access the drugs, and the limits to the consumption of Ritalin and Adderall. The policy makers should consider using the proposed taxation approach to cognition enhancement drugs on a case-to-case basis. References Desantis, A. D., & Hane, A. (2010). Adderall is Definitely Not a Drug: Justifications for the Illegal Use of ADHD Stimulants. Substance Use & Misuse, 45(1/2), 31-46. doi:10.3109/10826080902858334 DeSantis, A. D., Webb, E. M., & Noar, S. M. (2008). Illicit Use of Prescription ADHD Medications on a College Campus: A Multimethodological Approach. Journal Of American College Health, 57(3), 315-324. Eickenhorst, P., Vitzthum, K., Klapp, B. F., Groneberg, D., & Mache, S. (2012). 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