Lee Sang 1

Tabitha Lee Sang

Mr. Munoz
Eng. DC, Per. 5
9 December 2014
The Study Steroids
There is a major test tomorrow that determines whether you pass or go on academic
probation. You are exhausted from lack of sleep, and you have not even viewed the contents of
this pivotal test. Your roommate offers to give you a brain steroid that will allow you to stay
up all night and improve your focus (Getting an Edge - Use of Stimulants and Antidepressants
in College NEJM). Out of desperation, you take the pill and pass the test, unlike your peers
who did not get an added boost from a prescription amphetamine. Physicians and colleges need
to be more vigilant about prescribing amphetamines and monitoring the diversion of prescription
amphetamines for ethical reasons as well as major health risks.
Stimulants are drugs that increase the alertness of the user causing increased attention,
heightened energy and elevated blood pressure (What Are Stimulants?). Amphetamines are
stimulants that doctors usually prescribe to people suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, or ADHD (What Are Stimulants?). The most common type of prescription
amphetamines are Ritalin, Adderall, and Dextroamphetamine (What Are Stimulants?). In
2011, the College Life Study found that 4.1% to 10.8% of college students used prescription
stimulants for nonmedical reasons (Center on Young Adult Health and Development | University
of Maryland School of Public Health). Students who are using prescription stimulants for
nonmedical reasons either obtain these drugs by buying them off the Internet, feigning symptoms
to get a prescription, or sharing with the 5.3% of college students that have a prescription for

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ADHD medications (A, D, F). 61.7% of students diagnosed with ADHD and treated with
prescription stimulants reported diverting their prescription stimulants (Center on Young Adult
Health and Development | University of Maryland School of Public Health). Diversion is illicit
sharing, selling, and trading of prescription medications (Center on Young Adult Health and
Development | University of Maryland School of Public Health). A new study done by the
Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) found that 18% of students at one Ivy League school
admitted to misusing a prescribed stimulant to finish an assignment or study for a test (Study:
Some Ivy League Students Dont Consider Stimulant Drugs Use Cheating).
At the Ivy League school, a survey of 616 sophomores, juniors, and seniors not
diagnosed with ADHD found that students took stimulants to write essays (69%), study for tests
(66%), and focus for exams (27%) (Study: Some Ivy League Students Dont Consider
Stimulant Drugs Use Cheating). Students use these drugs to increase attention span and
wakefulness so that they can study better and longer in order to improve their grades. Students
use of amphetamines to help study is commonplace. On the website reddit.com, user jmorrismd
posted an article called [Guide] How to properly use stimulants as study aids (Center on
Young Adult Health and Development | University of Maryland School of Public Health). He
gave detailed information on the benefits of taking these drugs for academic and recreational
purposes (Center on Young Adult Health and Development | University of Maryland School of
Public Health). On April 3, 2014, jmorrismd posted this article and, since then, 91% of the
people that read this article upvoted it (Center on Young Adult Health and Development |
University of Maryland School of Public Health). In an interview with NBC News Amy
Robach, aired on TODAY, an A student from one of the nations most prestigious schools
admitted to using the drug Adderall (Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on

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smart Drugs). She reasoned that if everyone else is doing it, why shouldnt I get the
advantage (Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart Drugs)? Another
student, under the pseudonym Mike, explained that Adderall has given him the boost to work
non-stop for 10 hours a day (Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart
Drugs). When asked how his parents would feel about his use of prescription stimulants to get
this study boost, he responded Its like a dont ask, dont tell kind of thingThey dont
wanna know. Theyre paying for that report card (Steroids for School: College Students Get
Hooked on smart Drugs). Mike compared amphetamines to steroids, observing that
[b]aseball players take steroids to be the best and students take Adderall to be the best. Its
steroids for school (Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart Drugs).
Using stimulants to improve academically is as unethical as athletes using steroids to
improve physically. Using prescription amphetamines to improve ones grades is cheating
because it is unfair to the student who took the effort and time out of the day to study without the
use of prescription amphetamines. The PASs survey found that roughly 40% of students
believed that using drugs to improve academically is unethical, 33% believed that it was
admissible, and 25% did not have an opinion (Study: Some Ivy League Students Dont
Consider Stimulant Drugs Use Cheating). Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and
behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Childrens Medical Center of New York, points out that while
colleges focus on correcting alcohol and illegal drug abuse, they fail to rectify misuse of
prescription amphetamines (Study: Some Ivy League Students Dont Consider Stimulant Drugs
Use Cheating). Dr. Adesman stresses that [b]ecause many students are misuing prescription
stimulants for academic, not recreational purposes, colleges must develop specific programs to
address this issue (Study: Some Ivy League Students Dont Consider Stimulant Drugs Use

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Cheating). Colleges need to be more vigilant and stern when dealing with the diversion of
prescribed amphetamines as evident in a TODAY hidden camera investigation at a prestigious
college (Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart Drugs). A TODAY
intern visited the college library and within 30 seconds found a student that offered to sell her
Adderall (Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart Drugs).
During the same TODAY hidden camera investigation, when the intern told the student
that she did not have enough cash to pay for the drug, the student suggested feigning symptoms
to get a legitimate- and legal- prescription (Steroids for School: College Students Get
Hooked on smart Drugs). In order to be diagnosed with ADHD, one must meet the criteria in
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American
Psychiatric Association along with having six or more symptoms of ADHD, which include
forgetfulness, procrastination, disorganization, and impatience (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) in Children). Adults investigated for ADHD may also be asked to fill out a
questionnaire along with evaluating ones performance at work, school, or in relationships
(Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children). Testing for ADHD is not
extensive enough because symptoms for ADHD are easy to replicate. Mikes account verifies the
ease at obtaining a prescription for amphetamines (Steroids for School: College Students Get
Hooked on smart Drugs). He recalled that [He] went to a doctor and told them [he] couldnt
focus And by the end, [he] walked out with a prescription. It was incredibly easy (Steroids
for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart Drugs).
The easy access to and abuse of prescription amphetamines comes with serious health
risks. According to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
"emergency room visits for non-medical use of stimulant among 18 to 34-year-olds tripled

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between 2005 and 2011 (Study: Some Ivy League Students Dont Consider Stimulant Drugs
Use Cheating). Aly, a freshman honor student struggling with school work, took Adderall and
within weeks she became addicted (Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on
smart Drugs). She said that not only did she become addicted to this Adderall but also
dependent on it, "because you'll use it one night to study for a test like [she] did and the next
thing you know, you're using it every night to study for a test" (Steroids for School: College
Students Get Hooked on smart Drugs). She suffered from mood swings, insomnia, panic
attacks, and depression (Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart
Drugs). Other side effects one might experience using prescription amphetamines include:
sleep problems, agitation, abdominal pain, anorexia, and irritability (Getting an Edge - Use of
Stimulants and Antidepressants in College NEJM). Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the
National Institute on Drug Abuse, added that prescription amphetamines may also hinder
creativity (Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart Drugs). After taking
Adderall, she went from "being on an academic scholarship" to "being on academic probation
within six months" and finally "being asked to withdraw...All because of Adderall" (Steroids
for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart Drugs).
While physicians should be more attentive when monitoring college students use of
prescription amphetamines, they should not completely ban these drugs from them. Doctors
prescribe amphetamines to treat ADHD, an impulsive behavior" (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) in Children). ADHD is the most common psychiatric disorder affecting 4%
to 10% of young people in the United States, and about half of these young people with ADHD
continue to have it into adulthood (Getting an Edge - Use of Stimulants and Antidepressants in
College NEJM). All adults with ADHD also had this condition when they were children

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(Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children). However, this condition is
sometimes not apparent at a young age because young people are able to compensate until they
reach the demands of college (Getting an Edge - Use of Stimulants and Antidepressants in
College NEJM). Adults with ADHD find it difficult to focus and to perform everyday tasks
(Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children).
Using prescribed amphetamines in order to improve academically can physically harm
the individual. The use of prescribed amphetamines for academic purposes is not fair to the
student who manages his or her time and effort to achieve what another student achieved simply
by taking the prescribed amphetamines one night. Students who take prescribed amphetamines
for non-medical purposes risk becoming addicted and/or dependent on these drugs along with
subjecting themselves side effects, ranging from mild to severe. While physicians should not
stop prescribing these drugs to college students with ADHD, physicians should work on making
more accurate tests for ADHD. Colleges also need to dissuade students from diverting and
misusing prescribed amphetamines.

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Works Cited
"Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children." Mayoclinic.org. Attentiondeficit/hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Treatments and Drugs. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec.
2014.
Center on Young Adult Health and Development | University of Maryland School of Public
Health. Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants What college administrators,
parents, and students need to know. Medicineabuseproject.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec.
2014.
"Getting an Edge - Use of Stimulants and Antidepressants in College NEJM." New England
Journal of Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
"[Guide] How to Properly Use Stimulants as Study Aids /r/Drugs." Reddit. N.p., n.d. Web. 12
Dec. 2014.
"Steroids for School: College Students Get Hooked on smart Drugs." TODAY.com. N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
"Study: Some Ivy League Students Don't Consider Stimulant Drugs Use Cheating." Boston.com.
The New York Times, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
What Are Stimulants? Stimulants.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.

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