Using Prescription Medication For An Academic Edge
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-07-26/using-prescription-medication-academic-edge
In high schools and colleges across the United States, students are illegally using prescription drugs. Medications like Adderall, Ritalin and Focalin are commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. But in recent years, more kids are using these drugs non-medically in hopes of gaining an academic edge. Nicknamed the “study drug,” Adderall can result in increased energy and intense focus. The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified it as a Class 2 controlled substance -– just like cocaine and morphine -- because of its addictive nature. Diane and her guests talk about Adderall abuse and what’s being done to address it.
Guests
Amelia Arria
director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland.
Judith Warner
author of "Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety" and "We've Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication" and a columnist for Time.com.
Dr. Robert Dupont
president of the Institute for Behavior and Health and former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Doug Young
community outreach director for the Lower Merion School District.
Comments
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I think this is a great topic, and it has directly affected my life. I went to see a psychiatrist a few years back for what I thought was ADD (I was having great difficulty getting things done). The psychiatrist immediately prescribed me concerta during our first session, and asked me how strong I wanted it. I was confused because even though I think I'm pretty smart I did not go to medical school and do not know how to prescribe medication. I started on 36mg and after a few weeks went up to 54mg (I am only a 5'3" woman so it seems excessive). I was later switched to adderall with non time released 20mg three times per day and then eventually 3 20mg XR per day. I know there are a lot of people abusing these drugs, but the fact that psychiatrists are prescribing them very irresponsibly should also be addressed. In the end I was diagnosed with OCD by another doctor and was told the adderall severely exasterbated the OCD symptoms. It cost me a lot in my personal and Academic lives.
I think this is an excellent topic for discussion on your show today. I had never encountered prescription medication use or "study drugs" in my time at college (I graduated in 2010). Last year I started tutoring privately at a local university in Washington, DC, and I couldn't believe what the culture was like. One student in particular who I tutored for an entire year would use Adderall nearly every study session, supposedly to help her concentrate. The additional reason that she would take it is that typically when I would I arrive to tutor her, she was high from smoking pot, and I suppose she believed the Adderall would kick in and get her mind focused again. Very often she would crush the Adderall and snort it for more immediate effect.
I would love it if the panel could address the use of drugs such as Adderall alongside recreational drugs such as marijuana. It makes sense to me that there would be a correlation.
Been going on for a solid 10 years.
Some years back I read a story about a future where getting a job in finance required - unofficially - to have a brain implant that was obvious to interviewers by a lump on the scull.
Current articles in newspapers, journals and popular magazines are about research in to drugs and implants that augment humans for both athletic improvement and intelligence.
I was stunned when my doctor suggested that I had ADHD when I was 24 years old. I couldn't possibly have ADHD! That condition that I wasn't even sure was real, and that only the hyper kids who did badly in school had? No way. The psychiatrist he sent me to explained that girls get looked over a lot when it comes to ADHD diagnoses because they frequently don't display it the same way that boys do. Girls will be unable to focus on tasks they find daunting, and will look for distractions from those tasks, which is precisely what I did.
My life changed positively so much after I was put on the ADHD drug Vyvanse. Suddenly I had a clean room, could complete daily tasks I had found incredibly daunting, and could concentrate on my studies more deeply than I ever had before. Vyvanse was an incredible tool that helped unclutter all the emotions and thoughts in my head, making tasks seem linear rather than a mountain of unpleasantness that I couldn’t possibly climb.
I ended up asking my psychiatrist what makes me different from a methamphetamine addict in that I need to take my ADHD meds every day in order to function optimally. He said that first my brain chemistry is truly different, and without altering it I engage in self destructive behavior. I need my medication in order to be the healthiest I can be. I wouldn't tell a cancer patient to not take their medication just because they're ashamed of their condition, would I? Second, he monitors me very closely, and will only give me a new prescription for a month's supply of meds after he has seen me for our monthly appointment. People like me do need these drugs to function as healthily and productively as we can. The people who abuse these drugs are not only harming themselves, but they're also harming people like me who do need them by adding a stigma that people who take ADHD drugs are not taking them for legitimate reasons. I don't deserve that, and they don't deserve the harm they inflict on themselves.
Why should wealthy people strange to me family help me during hard times? Why not my family? My friends? the concept of "family" is gone???
We have a pill for this, a pill for that, and we wonder why people are addicted to prescription drugs.
Somehow big pharma has convinced us that we need a pill of everthing in our lives, to wake up, to go to sleep, to be alert, to calm down, it goes on and on. Then we complain about people taking drugs.
It really is shameful how drug dependent we are for things that really don't require drugs. Much of this simply requires discipline and the willingness to do the work to achieve. ADHD is a made up ailment for the lack of discipline. Why didn't we have this condition 50 years ago?
I've heard that a lot of professors and researchers are also abusing Adderall in order to compete for tenure and grants, which leads me to wonder whether or not college students can really expect to have positive role models.
It seems to me that the underlying problem is that our society has unrealistically high expectations and expects people to function as machines. Unless we are willing to slow down and value humanity we are not going to assuage the fears of those in their twenties who feel as if they will never measure up.
It will take a concerted effort on the part of parents, teachers, and employers to step back and admit the insanity we've created. We've reached our limit and I'd like to see more emotional support for a balanced life.
Lovingly referred to as "Study Skittles" in my tenure. It's the PED for the modern college student
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jlynwood:
I honestly think that you don't truly understand the nature of the illness. The reason we didn't have ADHD 50 years ago is that we did not recognize it. That doesn't mean that people didn't have it; it just means that those individuals were treated as less than and blamed for their problems as character effects that could be overcome if they "just tried harder."
If you've never struggled with the inability to focus, you probably won't understand. While I think big pharma has oversold the concept that a pill will fix it, those with ADHD are not "fixed" by a pill alone and work very hard to find additional ways to cope with their brain chemistry.
It would be more helpful for others to develop more compassion rather than just hurdle insults without first trying to understand the chemistry of the disease.
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Do these drugs actually work to heal ADHD or do they simply cover the symptoms and what are the implications on the amount of prescriptions given based on this?
Are longer acting drugs like Vyvanse as abused as much as Adderall?
Also, I think different students learn in different ways and we tend to prescribe a "one method fits all" approach in the classroom. Some people do not test well even though they may be able to teach others the material. Others do not learn by sitting still at a desk all day and need physical stimulation to integrate the material.
Human beings are not designed to sit all day at a computer or desk, yet we expect students and adults to function that way without issue. It seems to me that we value profit more than people.
At some point the system is going to break down. Our youth are the first to cry for help because they are vulnerable, and I think perhaps the abuse of Rx stimulant medication is a sign that our system is broken.
Also, I think different students learn in different ways and we tend to prescribe a "one method fits all" approach in the classroom. Some people do not test well even though they may be able to teach others the material. Others do not learn by sitting still at a desk all day and need physical stimulation to integrate the material.
Human beings are not designed to sit all day at a computer or desk, yet we expect students and adults to function that way without issue. It seems to me that we value profit more than people.
At some point the system is going to break down. Our youth are the first to cry for help because they are vulnerable, and I think perhaps the abuse of Rx stimulant medication is a sign that our system is broken.
Does Adderall interact negatively with other drugs such as alcohol?
My brother is schizophrenic - though it did not fully manifest until he was 20 or 21. Throughout high school he was prescribed (irresponsibly in my opinion) adderall, ritalin, etc... He certainly abused the stuff and I've often wondered if this exacerbated the schizo symptoms or worsened the problem.
Have these medications been tested for help with the early stages of Alzheimer's? In the 80's there was a drug called Hydergene (spelling?) and vasopressin that were being used to focus during study.
I wasn't a great student in high school or college. My study style was "cramming" the night before the exam and I managed to get by with a 2.25 GPA. My final year of college I was turned on to adderall by a college classmate, my GPA while on adderall rocketed to 3.75. I didn't change my study habits while using the drug. I haven't used the drug since my graduation date. Thinking back I wish I would have been on the drug my entire academic career.
Isnt the cavalier attitude of the students who are "sharing" their prescriptions coming directly from the cavalier attitude of those who are prescribing?
These medications are so widely used by adolescents and young adults. I would like to know the long term health effects that these medications cause on those who have prescriptions as well as illicit users. By health issues, I mean changes in cognitive function and cardio-vascular issues as well as effects on sleep, etc.
@ruthiemomma
Perhaps I do not understand the nature of the illness, however, before we blamed every misdeed or misbehavior on a condition, people took responsibility for their actions, these "ADHD" people learned to cope; and you put the hammer on the nail when you said "they tried harder." Some of those people are extremely successful. They took responsibility for their own lives. it may have been difficult, but they did it without a pill.
When you give a person an excuse for everthing, they are not responsible for anything, and a pill is the magic cure.
This subject is a sore one for me.
My son was diagnosed with ADHD late, at age 18 (he's 24 now), way too late to treat the impulsive behaviors developed as a result of the disorder. He is now a four time felon partly as a result of the drug abuse he started while trying to make himself feel normal as a young man, partly as a result of not getting the coaching he needed on how to deal with the impulsive behaviors that come with ADHD.
Here's my biggest concern: People who have serious ADHD need their drugs as badly as a diabetic needs their meds. Without them, it is nearly impossible for them to function on the level that is expected from society. They are not stupid people by any measure (my son has a very high IQ - he just passed a free online Logic class offered through Stanford). They just can't focus on what they need to focus on, and what makes it worse, is that they KNOW they are making mistakes and bad decisions and could do better. If only they were oblivious to it they may be able to handle the failures a little easier. So what I am saying is, when a person is diagnosed with ADHD, the entitlement programs available to poor people should be made just as available to an ADHD person as for a Diabetic person. If this could happen, the need for some to access the street vendors would be reduced. It's expensive to get a doctor to medicate appropriately. It's expensive to pay the counselor to coach someone with ADHD on how to function. It's expensive to get the drugs. If you need it, you really NEED it. It is not available unless you buy it on the street.
Please address the links between Adderall and the tendency to bipolar.
The prescription use of Adderall cost my daughter 2 years off college, being diagnosed with bipolar disease resulting in thyroid damage and a scarred face from the Lithium she did not need and over $10,000 (which I am glad we had to spend on her) and years of pain and heartache to us. She has now graduated from a prestigious university with a 3.51 average while working and is continuing with her education. Her brain is slowly healing. She was "crazy" and is now becoming a normal woman. We still pay for twice a week psychiatric care so she can continue to heal and grow. She is a courageous woman who will do well after many years of trauma.
I really am offended at the way this topic is often portrayed. There are people who misuse drugs of all the time, but it always seems as if these conversations turn those with ADHD and legitimate prescriptions into drug dealers responsible for the students who are choosing to take drugs illegally. The result of this is that those who do have ADHD and have made it through high school and college and grad school get looked at with unjustified suspicion from most health professionals. The assumption is that if you're smart enough to do well in school then you don't have ADHD. It's a catch 22, in order to keep everything ADHD under control you take the drugs but if you have then kept everything under control then you must have an alternative motive to be taking the drugs. I am in graduate school with ADHD and have been asked by medical professionals if I was sure if I was enrolled in the graduate program and when I plan to grow out of it and there's always an insinuation of drug use because I am on top of things in my life yet still take ADHD meds. I just thought I would add this perspective which seems absent from all of these conversations.
I happened across this issue on NPR, and am aware that stimulants can increase ones ability to study; however, not mentioned are the real measures that the SAT is designed to show. The SAT is a test of political values; namely, a person that has the cultural values of a white middle-class male, and one that will defer to arbitrary hierarchies. Large Corporate entities are the clients of the Colleges, and use standardized testing to screen the entrants for those who require the least attitude adjustment to produce a diligent, hard working Professional that will both see and maintain the Employers doctrine.
People are not aware that if they simply study for the test, and remember the information within, they will likely pass the test. Another part of the test is that it screens for those who have studied prior to taking the test, and therefore will both see and remember the “trick questions” in the test. The fact that the student has the desire and discipline to study for the test is a major theme in the test design: it is meant to show the student who will engage in disciplined work.
These are important as both school and College are meant to socialize children, and accustom them to scheduling, enduring boredom, and accepting instruction. All of the prior attributes serve employers in hierarchical organizations; organizations that many College graduates will no doubt go on to work in.
Due to the above facts, then, if a person is middle-class, or has parents that are College graduates, likely that child will both enter, and be successful in College. For those who are neither of these in status, then study for the test, and take note of the socio-political alignment of the study material. Id they can internalize the apparent value system, then they will likewise do well on the entrance exams.
I am a college student at the University of Tulsa and have countless experiences with these types of drugs. Myself and many of my peers regularly take "study drugs" to help us get ahead in school. It is not a magic bullet that will make you ace every exam, instead it helps you focus while studying for the exam. Drugs like these make it easy for students to blow off their academic responsibilities until the night before because they give students near-superhuman focus and allows them do get all of their studying done in one "all-nighter." These drugs are not the equivalent of academic steroids because if you didn't know the material before you went into the exam, regardless of what you have taken, you will not do well on the exam.
More disturbing, is the tread of partying while on study drugs, it masks the feeling of being drunk resulting in very intense, belligerent behavior. Since individuals do not feel as drunk as they normally would, they keep drinking more and more alcohol until the put themselves in life threatening situations.
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Dear Diane Rehms,
Would you please have your guests comment on the regulatory impact on People with ADD and ADHD. I have two daughters in their 20s who have severe ADHD. Because of the legitimate focus on regulating Adderall and Ritalin, there are increasing shortages of these drugs for people with ADD and ADHD. In addition the cost of these drugs are becoming prohibitively expensive. What is being done to reduce the shortages and finding alternative medications that are not controlled substances?