On-campus use of Adderall somewhat common, unsafe

At the University of Mississippi, a sophomore business major takes Adderall without a prescription every week to help him focus on his school work. 

Matthew, who asked his last name be omitted for fear of legal reprisals, said he never has trouble finding the drug on campus.

“From what I’ve seen and heard, Adderall use is very common,” Matthew said. “Pretty much anybody on this campus can get an Adderall (tablet) at any time. Everyone at this campus should or probably does know somebody who is prescribed to it.”

Matthew said it gives him the motivation to study for hours on end.

“I take it whenever I need just to buckle down and really study,” Matthew said. “It just picks you up and makes you focus.”

Doctors prescribe the stimulant to treat attention deficit disorder, but it’s in high demand during finals week on college campuses across the country, where students pop it before all-night study sessions.

No hard data exists on the number of Ole Miss students who use Adderall without a prescription.

Substance Abuse Services Coordinator Amy Fisher said based on information gathered from various means she estimates around 10 percent of Ole Miss students take it illegally.

Student Health Center Director Barbara Collier said she believes it’s the most frequently abused controlled substance on campus.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6.4 percent of college students aged 18 to 22 reported nonmedical use of Adderall in 2006 and 2007. The study found that full-time college students aged 18 to 22 were twice as likely as their counterparts who were not students to have used Adderall non-medically in the past year. 

A 2006 study published in the Journal of American College Health found that of the nearly 2,000 University of Kentucky undergraduates surveyed, 34 percent said they had taken ADHD stimulants without a prescription.

Collier said students who have a prescription are generally not the ones abusing the drug.

“Frequently what we see is students who do not take it every single day and so therefore they have extra,” Collier said. “People either borrow it, steal it, and, in some cases, sell it.”

Students interviewed said the going rate is $2 or $3 a pill.

Collier said students frequently come in the Student Health Center and say they’re having trouble concentrating and want an Adderall prescription.

The Student Health Center does not prescribe controlled drugs, including Adderall, and won’t replace lost prescriptions, Collier said.

“We’ve always had that policy and it’s because of the abuse potential,” Collier added.

However, the Student Health pharmacy fills Adderall prescriptions.

According to WebMd, side effects may include weight loss, dry mouth, dizziness and headache. More serious side effects include shortness of breath, chest pain and fast heartbeat.

Sandy Bentley, director of the Student Health Center Pharmacy, said there may be serious consequences for students who take one of their friend’s Adderall tablets.

“The dose is so specific to the one person and Adderall has a lot of effect on the cardiovascular system,” Bentley said. “You’re putting yourself at the risk of having a heart attack or stroke just by taking the wrong dose.”

Adderall tablets range from 5mg to 30mg.

Bentley said there have been studies showing students who take Adderall short-term to cram for a test tend to have lower grades than students who don’t take it all.

“People who are taking it legally because they need it, their grades do go up,” Bentley said. “People who are taking it sporadically here and there tend not to be the best students.”

Adderall is a Schedule II controlled substance and possession without a prescription is a felony.

University Police Chief Calvin Sellers said campus police will occasionally run across Adderall, but he doesn’t think it’s illegal use is too common.

“If it’s one person using it for the wrong reasons then we’ve got a problem,” Sellers said. “I don’t think we have a real high number of people using it illegally.”

Sellers added that he may not know the extent of its use because it’s hard to catch people.

“It’s not something we would see,” Sellers said. “You don’t get to the point where you’re fighting or going out of your mind. You just stay awake several days at a time and you finally just crash, and we don’t get calls for folks that are going to sleep.”

Cpt. Randall K. Davis, commander of the Lafayette County Metro Narcotics Unit, said there have been several arrests for Adderall possession in Oxford in the past year.

Davis said people who get caught with Adderall typically have committed another crime.

“Let’s say if they get arrested for DUI and they happen to have four or five in their pocket or purse, then at that point it’s discovered later on throughout the DUI investigation,” Davis said. “That’s where we are contacted to come in and we take over the investigation on Adderall or any other controlled substance.”

There has not been an effort to focus on Adderall, Davis said.

“We’re going to give Adderall just as much attention as we give methamphetamine or marijuana or cocaine, anything that’s covered under the Mississippi Controlled Substance Act,” he said.

Davis said while illegal Adderall use was probably unheard of 10 years ago, now it seems to be growing trend.

“It’s definitely something that’s here and probably unfortunately going to remain constant as far as a trend,” Davis added.

Adderall isn’t only used for studying as some turn to it for recreational purposes. The survey of University of Kentucky students found that 7 percent of the students who used it illegally also took it for fun.

Matthew said he snorted Adderall on three or four occasions last year.

“I’ve heard snorting Adderall being compared to cocaine before,” he said. “I remember freshman year I snorted an Adderall extended release. I crushed up a little tablet and snorted it before I took a test. I don’t know if that really helps. It’s just kind of like an instant boost.”

Sara, a junior dietetics and nutrition major who has been taking Adderall without a prescription since her freshman year, said she once took a tablet before a night of drinking.

“Honestly I enjoyed that because you did get a good feeling and you stay up,” she said. “A lot of my friends are prescribed to it and they’ll pop one before they go out like a normal thing. But I don’t really find that too common.”

According to IMS Health, a health care information and consulting company, Adderall was the most commonly prescribed ADD drug with more than 16 million prescriptions filled nationwide last year.  Other common ADD drugs abused and used legally among students include Concerta and Ritalin.

People prescribed to these drugs may legally only receive a month’s supply at a time.

Ali Phares, a junior education major, has been prescribed to Adderall for ADD since her senior year of high school.

“Usually whenever I’m doing homework and I’m not on it I’ll read a page but then by the end of the page I won’t be able to pay attention to the words,” Phares said. “But when I take my medicine it’s more like I’m reading and wanting to understand it more.”

Phares said she has experienced loss of appetite and irritability when the effects are wearing off.

Ryan Bolton, a sophomore business major who has taken medication for ADD since he was diagnosed at age 5, said he doesn’t see illegal Adderall use at Ole Miss as being a problem because the benefits far outweigh the risks.

“When you take Adderall it just makes it so you can focus more,” Bolton said. “It seems like it’s not bad for you. I’ve never heard of anyone overdosing on Adderall.”

Bolton said he does not see the university addressing illegal Adderall use.

“I don’t see it being a huge problem that people are going to start dying because of,” Bolton said. “There are other drugs on campus that they need to be more worried about than something that makes their kids get better GPAs and makes their school look better.”

Cliff, a sophomore who has used Adderall illegally, also said he feels like the university has bigger problems to deal with.

“There’s a lot worse things going on than some kids trying to do well in school and taking some (Adderall) to help them study,” Cliff said. “They’re doing it for a good cause. I don’t really know too many kids that do it to get high.”

Abir El-Afly, assistant professor of pharmacology, said a major problem with the Adderall phenomenon is that students don’t realize the dangers involved.

“If we make them see the danger I’m sure most of them will decide not to go for it,” she said. “I don’t blame them. It’s a prescription drug so the only people who are educated about it will be the ones taking it.”

Substance Abuse Services Coordinator Amy Fisher said prevention and education efforts are being developed as more is learned about Adderall abuse. 

“Based on my experience, most students who use Adderall do not believe that it is an issue for concern, even if it is not prescribed for them,” El-Alfy said.

Fisher declined to comment due to confidentiality issues on the number of students treated for Adderall abuse at the University Counseling Center.

“Most students who abuse drugs use multiple drugs and Adderall may or may not be one of them,” Fisher said.

Fisher said treatment for Adderall abuse is the same as for other drugs and consists of motivational assessment, behavioral and cognitive interventions, and, if necessary, referral to more intensive treatment.

Chancellor Dan Jones said the risks and potential benefits associated with the use of Adderall are not completely understood.

“Research on this and similar drugs impacting brain function will continue,” Jones said. “In the future, through this research, we will understand more. In the meantime, students should be reminded there are medical and legal risks of possessing, distributing, or using this and any other prescription drug.”