Spring Break
'Academic steroid' used on campus
Nadine Anheier, Staff Writer, Michael Leahy, News Editor
Issue date: 4/4/05 Section: News
Dave's friend James got a prescription for Adderall six months ago after describing common symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) including difficulty concentrating, anxiety and restlessness.
"I was so surprised at the ease with which I could get it," said James, a student whose name has also been changed. "I literally talked to the nurse practitioner for five minutes," he said.
His prescription costs $20 per bottle and should last him a month, but usually a bottle lasts him much longer, because he says he could not possibly take the three 20 milligram doses that his prescription calls for each day. The only time he says he needs it is when he is studying or in school. James lets his friends share whatever is left over.
Though it helps him focus and he has a prescription, James is still uneasy about taking it.
"It seems like it's something that I shouldn't have," he said, "like I'm doing something wrong even though it's prescribed, and I dunno if that's good or bad."
He described feeling like a baseball player who takes steroids. He said the edge it gives him with his education sometimes feels like cheating.
Some at UMKC weighed in on Adderall and its use or misuse.
"Adderall belongs to a class of drugs called amphetamines," said Roger Sommi, a Pharm-D expert in psychopharmacology and UMKC professor.
"...Ritalin is in that class...methamphetamines are in that class...it covers a wide degree of territory. The drugs are stimulants....pretty much what you have are drugs that block things and drugs that stimulate things."
According to Sommi, people with ADHD generally have a deficiency of dopamine in their brains. Adderall helps normalize this deficiency.
Quigley pointed out that though it is helpful for some, Adderall can also make it harder for the brain to function in others.
"For people who don't really need it, it can have the opposite intended effect - a quick burst of energy, and they can't sit still...they're far more likely to experience that than added focus," she said. "It can cause irritability, heart palpitations, being up for two to three days - there's just way too much of a certain chemical."
"I was so surprised at the ease with which I could get it," said James, a student whose name has also been changed. "I literally talked to the nurse practitioner for five minutes," he said.
His prescription costs $20 per bottle and should last him a month, but usually a bottle lasts him much longer, because he says he could not possibly take the three 20 milligram doses that his prescription calls for each day. The only time he says he needs it is when he is studying or in school. James lets his friends share whatever is left over.
Though it helps him focus and he has a prescription, James is still uneasy about taking it.
"It seems like it's something that I shouldn't have," he said, "like I'm doing something wrong even though it's prescribed, and I dunno if that's good or bad."
He described feeling like a baseball player who takes steroids. He said the edge it gives him with his education sometimes feels like cheating.
Some at UMKC weighed in on Adderall and its use or misuse.
"Adderall belongs to a class of drugs called amphetamines," said Roger Sommi, a Pharm-D expert in psychopharmacology and UMKC professor.
"...Ritalin is in that class...methamphetamines are in that class...it covers a wide degree of territory. The drugs are stimulants....pretty much what you have are drugs that block things and drugs that stimulate things."
According to Sommi, people with ADHD generally have a deficiency of dopamine in their brains. Adderall helps normalize this deficiency.
Quigley pointed out that though it is helpful for some, Adderall can also make it harder for the brain to function in others.
"For people who don't really need it, it can have the opposite intended effect - a quick burst of energy, and they can't sit still...they're far more likely to experience that than added focus," she said. "It can cause irritability, heart palpitations, being up for two to three days - there's just way too much of a certain chemical."
