Some Students Misusing Medications While Studying

College students coast to coast will soon crack the books in preparation for final exams.

But experts warn more college students are turning to potent attention deficit medications like Adderall and Ritalin, often without a prescription, to improve concentration during cram sessions.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center say these medications are designed to improve concentration in those with ADHD.

But while some students may perceive a boost in focus during study sessions, Scott Kollins, Duke Medical Center ADHD expert, says there are no data to suggest that use of these medications automatically translates to better scores on the next days exam.

"A number of these kids are using the drugs to enhance their performance, other people see that and think well I need to do that in order to keep up. The reality of that is that we have no real good data to suggest that these medications are actually doing what these users of them think theyre doing."

Whats more, experts say students who misuse attention deficit medications can set themselves up for unintended consequences. These could include mild effects such as difficulty sleeping, irritability, loss of appetite, but could also result in potentially life-threatening heart damage.

"There are significant risks to taking these medications not under a doctors orders and we just dont know whether or not they really do have any benefit, and the benefit that may be lore on college campuses is really not supported by any data at this time."

A recent web survey conducted by Duke University researchers showed nearly ten percent of the Duke student body illicitly used ADHD medications while studying.

Research also shows students whore members of social organizations like fraternities and sororities appear to be more plugged in to stimulant misuse.

Students with lower GPAs, or students seeking a competitive advantage, are also more likely to misuse stimulant medications.

Duke researchers are currently studying the impact of misuse of this class of medications in combination with other commonly abused substances such as alcohol. At the Duke University Medical Center, I'm Mike Garrison

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Tags:

• Duke
• University
• Medical
• Center
• psychiatry
• ADHD
• medications
• Adderall
• Ritalin
• misuse
• final
• exams
• studying
• Kollins

[MyUsagirl]

I used ritalin to study for a chemistry exam and only got a B in the class.

[jcorvi11]

BULLSHIT ^

[threadysparrow]

i am not a college kid at duke. but im an adhd college student at umsl. trust me this is trustworthy info. i need to go there to you guys and teach you about us