It is claimed by many that the thousands of students currently enrolled in college will soon lead our nation to unfathomable heights. Unfortunately, what these people clearly don’t know is that these same university campuses, hosting the future leaders of America, also hold within dark secrets and dangerous habits. The use of neuroenhancers is nothing new. In fact, brain changing stimulants can be traced back to the creation of plant base medicines and even alcohol. Although recreational drug abuse is nothing new when talking about college, “modern students appear to take stimulants obtained illicitly to help them stay awake, study, and lose weight” (Seppa, “Stimulants Big on Campus”). These new chemically engineered pick-me-ups such as Adderall, Ritalin, Vivance, and multiple off brand drugs, have much more hazardous setbacks unannounced to many of the students that take them. Being a college student myself, it is easy to see, first-hand the effects Adderall has on different people. Although I am not here to incriminate anyone (myself included), I can say that Adderall is a huge problem on not only our campus, but campuses nationwide. Despite being a prescription written by physician’s nationwide, neuroenhancers have dangerous side effects, some known and some still unknown. Not only this, but the level of addiction of these drugs is the same as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine. Sounds like a great helper for studying, right? The worst part of all of this is how easily pertainable prescription for these medications are. A simple google search of “how to get an Adderall prescription in college” brings up close to two million results on what to say and how to act in order to be diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder and in turn be supplied with neuroenhancers from licensed doctors. So, who is really to blame for this crisis? Physicians? The students themselves? A complicated answer for a complicated question, however, as a student facing similar pressures, it is clear to me that to protect future generations from the same mistakes, more must be done to educate students on the repercussions of these stimulants.

Neuroenhancers have yet to be defined by “Dictionary.com” given the concept is still very new to society, however these drugs have taken the nation and media by force. Said to be an “emergent adverse health behavior” among college students, the illicit use of these drugs has amplified substantially over the last decade (Gallucci, 217). More commonly referred to as “prescription stimulants,” these are medicines created in pursuance of alleviated symptoms of ADD, ADHD, and other attention deficient disorders have quickly turned into a movement know as “smart doping” (Lakhan, 1). One survey estimated that “as high as 25% of individuals” most being of the male gender, abuse ADHD stimulants (Chau, 19). When interviewed many students stated the main reason for the use of non-prescribed medical stimulants, was in order to increased their executive functioning. Defined as “abilities that allow for planning, cognitive functioning, self-regulation, and goal-directed behavior,” executive functioning is what people with attention deficit disorders lack, and therefore what prescription stimulants make up for (Munro, 1.2). The way these medications work is by altering chemical balances in your brain which for people with disorders brings them to baseline readings, but for those without the same handicaps, overstimulates the brain. These effects are similar to those of very high dosages of caffeine, however at a much more addictive level.

The beginning of this problem starts with the over prescribing of these drugs. Since the rise of neuroenhancers, the number of people diagnosed with attention deficit disorder has increased dramatically. Although many questioned if this was simply due to an increase in ADD cases or actual wrongful prescriptions, after an Informa Healthcare study found that “American adults who are prescribed medication to treat the disorder has increased by 90% from 2002 to 2005” the facts were undeniable (DeSantis, 32). Simply by googling “how to get an Adderall prescription” I was able to find a wiki how seven step instruction manual on how to act and what to say in order to show symptoms of these disorders. If it is this easy to find information on the internet, then what is there to stop younger generations from doing the same? However, this problem has already encroached on the younger population. With many younger children (myself included) the first step in fixing behavioral problems is to prescribe these medications. In my case, my parents were informed enough to consider alternate solutions before drugging up their ten-year-old, however many other children are not as fortunate. Neuroenhancers seemed to be thought of as simple fixes for a multitude of problems, unfortunately, one of the main ones is behavioral deviance in children. Meaning, that given the lack of information many parents do not understand that giving their children these drugs is effecting their brain and personalities. Growing up children are always told to be themselves and love themselves for who they are, yet now physicians are prescribing medicines to change just that? Given so many people are placed on these drugs, perhaps one large reason college students believe it is okay to take stimulants that are not theirs is due to the fact that most people have it already.

This leads to a whole other problem, if prescriptions are so easy to get, these drugs must not be that bad for you right? Wrong. Medications such as Adderall and Ritalin have “significant risks and side effects” minimally known to scientist, yet, still unknown to the very students that take them (Farah, 41). In a study done by Medical Daily, “eight out of ten people don’t realize the harms of the drugs,” meaning more than three fourths the people who ingest these hazardous chemical compounds, are clueless when it comes to what could happen next (Rivas, “Adderall’s Effect”). This is very concern giving that the main side effects are “irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, anxiety, paranoia, headache, psychosis, and depression” but hey that’s fine, it’s a safe drug anyways right (Rivas, “Adderall’s Effect”)? Think again. Given these medications sit on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) schedule II list of substances (right alongside with heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine), they are classified “the drug as one with a high potential for abuse, with the ability to lead to psychological and physical dependence” (Rivas, “Adderall’s Effect”). No big deal, right? Well, this pretty much means you become emotionally withdrawn and in a constant state of unease and anxiety even AFTER this drugs leaves your system. Also, along with constant use of these drugs comes "development of tolerance and withdrawal symptoms” which normal look like “excitation and observable 'physical' withdrawal symptoms such as seizures or vegetative symptoms” (Heinz, 373). Nevertheless, when Informa healthcare interviewed multiple students about what they think the lasting side effects are, a majority stated, “there was nothing to worry about,” one male student even claiming that “It’s nothing like coke [cocaine] or anything like that.  Here you spend five dollars, study for like eight hours, and then all the effects go away” (DeSantis, 37). It is terrifying to think that the a (somewhat) intelligent person from our generation, the generation most commonly relaying on these stimulants, happens to also be some of the most naïve. Still, this nightmare gets worst. Although even I am concerned with the number of ill-informed individuals, this is not the most terrifying part. Despite this drug already being approved by the FDA and allowed on the market, the long-term side effects are still unknown to scientists. This is a common problem when it comes to newly developed drugs, no one can say what would happen in twenty or thirty or forty years and so on. If you are a risk taker and willing to take this drug with the off chance it turns your brain to mush by the time you’re sixty by all means go for it, just hope that the few exams you stressed over and that one long day you wanted to turn into an even longer night were worth it.

If that wasn’t reason enough to avoid brain altering chemicals don’t fret, there’s plenty more. Although not considered an actual side effect, there is a far more dangerous consequence of taking these drugs. The problem with stimulants, is that the way they work is by tricking your brain into releasing more dopamine at quicker rates. This neurotransmitter will excrete epinephrine, a hormone to make you feel exhilarated and give you a boost of energy, this seems harmless, yet what will you do when these prescription stimulants aren’t enough? In many cases, illicit users of these prescription stimulants turn to other, equally detrimental drugs. In a study done by Teter Mccade, of students that were frequent users of neuroenhancers, sixty percent admitted to binge drinking and twenty-one percent were found to be users of cocaine despite the knowledge of harmful effects more commonly known (. A similar study performed by Medical Daily even found that “non-prescription users of Adderall and other ADHD drugs were more likely to use alcohol and marijuana, to skip class more frequently, and to spend less time studying,” defeating the entire purpose of taking the drug in the first place (Rivas, “Adderall’s Effect”). What is crazy about our brains, is that they want what they want, we are chemically created begins relaying on signals sent from one point of our bodies. My point being, it isn’t always possible to be in control, so why increase your risks by feeding your body unnecessary chemicals?

In the long run whether these drugs are worth that little boost in school is solely up to you. But how would you feel if I told you this “little boost” wasn’t a boost at all?  Despite that the media has fueled the myth that nonmedical use of prescription stimulants increases academic performance”, according to the US National Library of Medicine, “new research has demonstrated that performance improvements related to methylphenidate administration in healthy volunteers are highly variable and might be dependent on baseline cognitive ability” sounds like a lot of science bullshit, right (Arria, “Nonmedical Prescription”), (Lahken, “Prescription Stimulants”)? Well basically what that means is taking drugs such as Adderall does not make you smarter, or remember more, or help you in school really at all. What these illegal stimulants you claim, “you need to take” in order to excel in school, actually do is tricks your brain into thinking you’re excelling at whatever you happen to be doing. Think of it this way, for those of you who have taken prescription stimulants like this before (which many of you probably have), do you ever find yourself cleaning your room when you should be doing homework, or spending fifteen minutes on one test question, or even writing a paper in under an hour but going back and reading complete nonsense? Seems pretty productive doesn’t it. As much as we all would love to believe that there is a pill we could merely take to increase our productivity, help us remember more and just perform better in general, that is simply not that case. It is scientifically known that the assumed effects of “smart pills” are a false promise, as research insinuates that prescription stimulants are more effective at correcting deficits than “enhancing performance.”

When talking about the topic of neuroenhancers, especially with college students it is important to understand both perspectives. When talking to those who believe in this use of drugs, especially students, it is important to first understand their counterarguments. Yes, the world is advancing and our society moves quickly, but that doesn’t mean drugs are necessary to keep up. Although some journalists, presents concepts such as “In a consumer society like ours, if people are properly informed about the risks and benefits of neuroenhancers, they can make their own choices about how to alter their minds, just as they can make their own decisions about shaping their bodies,” they clearly do not understand how uneducated both everyday people and scientists are when it comes to stimulants (Talbot, 1). To oppose the comparison of mind altering and body altering, I suggest you look at it like this. Long ago women would starve themselves and tightly wind their torsos with rope in order to get that perfect shape. Looking back now we realize how dangerous and ridiculous that is. This is what will too happen with neuroenhancers, we may not yet understand the dangerous of what is happening to our brains, but one day when more is learned not only about these drugs but brain function itself, everyone will realize this is another perilous error in the improvement of humans. Similarly, to this, some authors argue that “just as we allow patients to deny taking drugs, where a patient wishes to take a particular drug, she should not be prevented from doing so,” a ridiculous concept given this would make it legal for any person to acquire any drug they craved. If this seems like a logical concept, we may as well make heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine legal as well (Goold, 577).

The arguments do not end here. Given these stimulants are used mainly for academic purposes, many individuals deny that they are unscrupulous. When interviewed for the Journal of Substances & Misuse, an unnamed student even claimed, “It is a study tool. You don’t get high or anything like that. I take it to do good in school. How could that be bad?” Given her poor grammar skills I unfortunately do not think Adderall is really working to her advantage (DeSantis, 36). Despite this idea that since these drugs are being used for academic purposes they are less unlawful, I’m-doing-it-for-the-right-reasons argument does not hold up against the fact that taking these drugs is not only illegal but also illegitimate. These students clearly need to see that the ends do not justify the means.

Another popular justification for the use of illicit stimulants is the ever so classic, “comparison and contrasting.” Many students reason that given these drugs are not picked up in back alley ways from sketchy people drinking unknown substances out of brown paper bags then they are not drugs at all.  Stacey, a pre-med student also interviewed for the Journal of Substances & Misuse, claims “some kids take it [ADHD stimulants] to party longer or like coke [cocaine], but that is wrong, I don’t use drugs.” She then continues to say, “You can’t have a major like mine and use drugs...But if you take Adderall for school and to be a success, then it is a different thing” (DeSantis, 37). Now, is a person that doesn’t believe Adderall is a drug because they want success, really someone you want to be your doctor? Even further proof that prescription stimulants most definitely do not increase intelligence. 

In close, it is understood by most that college students taking illegal drugs is something that has happened and will continue to happen. I mean c’mon from the age we started watch television we all knew how awful cocaine, heroin, and all other “hard drugs” are, but when will the children and adult populations learn the repercussions of these designer drugs that are becoming more and more prevalent. These “users,” are for the most part students attempting to do better and be brighter yet are completely unaware that they are unintentionally harming their neurological functions. Given lack of education and negative spotlight from media, so many people are oblivious to how unsafe these drugs are and the potentially detrimental side effects. I myself understand how unreasonable it is to call for the annihilation of these stimulants entirely, despite the fact there are many alternative solutions for medications, many explained in a vlog “The Impact of ADHD on College Students Through Adulthood” by Robert Tudisco, for those who ACTUALLY need baseline readings, these stimulants do in fact help (Tudisco, “The Impact”). However, the lack of information portrayed to society is greatly harming not only our generation but also generations to come. I was luckily enough to grow up with a parent in the pharmaceutical industry giving me an inside view into what is harmful to our bodies and what is not, yet most children and people in general are not as fortunate. I believe that to keep these desperate students safe, it is necessary to inform them about the dangers of prescriptions stimulants just as we currently do regarding other drugs. Although I have tried to forget the awkward days of middle school, it is nearly impossible to forget the harsh information pounded into our young minds about aggressive drugs. Watching videos of young moms shooting up with babies in the background is most definitely an aggressive (yet clearly useful) way to teach young populace about the dangers of heroin. So, if this worked so well for other drugs, why are the dangerous of stimulants not presented to students before use begins. To protect the future of both our generation and future generations, we most increase the inclination of safe learning and educate ALL age groups on the consequences and side-effects of these so called “super drugs.”

It is a study tool. You don’t get high or anything like that. I take it to do good in school. How can that be bad?
