ADHD or otherwise known as Attention Defecate Hyperactivity Disorder is the leading cause in hyperactivity and impulsiveness in children and adults. There are many medications that are used to treat this chronic condition, such as Adderall, Ritalin, Quillivent XR, and others. These medications are strictly for those who have ADHD or other forms of hyperactivity disorders. But what happens when these substances are abused? How are they harmful if they just help you to focus? For what purposes would someone take Adderall, if it isn’t prescribed to them? To answer these questions, we must highlight and discuss different outcomes revolving around taking un-perscribed ADHD medications.

A large misconception about medications such as Adderall, is that its only purpose is to help you finish your school work, or to calm you. When in reality, it was created to treat hyperactivity and narcolepsy or overwhelming drowsiness in those who require assistance to focus on tasks. For example, those with ADHD have trouble completing thoughts they start, so by taking Adderall or Ritalin, it helps those people to finish said thoughts. When a person that is not prescribed ADHD medication takes Adderall or Ritalin, their already completed thoughts go into overdrive, not allowing them to sleep or focus on anything at all. Thus, making it dangerous for them, and damaging their ability to sleep properly and on time. Not only does it affect their ability to sleep, but it may also affect their ability to function if they do not have a disorder reliant on the drug.

The majority of those who take un-perscribed doses of Adderall are college students. “Approximately 19% of college students report recreational use of prescription stimulants” (Ward 60). Though, with the percentage of under 20, not many people are aware that taking non-prescription neuroenhancers are a growing problem throughout universities. Prescriptions stimulants usually are not as important a topic as normal drugs and alcohol, so they are normally overlooked, and not acknowledged as an issue. When, in fact, they way that the drugs are being used by students, can led to some dangerous effects.

Students will use Adderall for many different reasons, one being to stay up and party. But that can be dangerous, especially when mixed with alcohol. According to Ward, “Roughly 65% of students self-report alcohol consumption in the past month” (60). The problem with this, is that most medications are not meant to be consumed with alcohol. This includes Adderall. Adderall can be considered a depressant, so is alcohol. “Adderall can cause sleep problems and can raise the risk for depression or aggressive behavior” (Desmon). Two depressants coinciding with each other, is not a good thing, especially in young adults. Not only that, but “Adderall disguises some of the common signs of excessive alcohol consumption like slurred speech and lethargy” (Patterson). Drinking while taking Adderall could easily result in dehydration, vomiting, blackouts, or in the worst case, a coma. But partying isn’t the only thing that students will use Adderall for.Along with the increased risk of depression in those who use un-prescribed Adderall, comes the risk of suicide. Depression holds many different forms, including lack of sleep, but a side effect of Oral Adderall consumption is restlessness and trouble sleeping. These two together can lead to the possibility of suicidal thoughts, or suicide.

Another reason students may use un-prescribed Adderall, is to get their work done. In a study created by The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , “These drugs are used as study-aid medication to help students stay up all night and cram” (Desmon). There is an issue with this however, because the drugs not only help with narcolepsy, they can negatively effect those without it. Mcbride from BU-Today stated “The trouble is, they disturb your sleep, they can make you jittery, you may have racing thoughts, difficulty sleeping, and further difficulty concentrating. Using something like this, you may get more than you bargained for” (Laskowski). By taking Adderall to stay awake throughout the night, you may be putting yourself at risk for seizures, passing out, heart attacks, or “crashing”. Overall, taking Adderall in order to stay up and study, has proved futile. In an interview conducted on college students, it was said that most students “will research a paper obsessively, but endlessly postpone getting down to writing it. When they do manage to grind out essays, the results are, unsurprisingly, unconvincing" (Lane 13).  Not only do the students procrastinate on doing their work, but quality of the paper does not change with the use of Adderall, it may actually become worse. As stated by Christopher Lane, “we need to distinguish between “performance” and “understanding”” (13).

Not only is Adderall dangerous for your sleep patterns, but it also increases your risk of  heart problems and stroke if it is not prescribed and taken properly. In 2006 the US FDA identified “20 intonational cases of sudden death in patients taking either Adderall or Adderall XR; 14 cases were in children and six were in adults” (“Health Canada” 2). That was the end of Adderall inside of Canada at the time, because they banned it from the country for a few years after that.  Experts on DrugAbuse.com state that “The effects of Adderall on the body's heart rate can lead to cardiovascular problems, such as: Disrupted heart rhythm and Increased blood pressure” (Patterson). These can lead to strokes, heart attacks, and possibly death.

Among other reasons to take Adderall, another reason is weight loss. From personal experience, I know that when taking Adderall, when it is time to eat, you just don’t. The thought of eating will put you off so much that you may not eat at all during the day. Some people take advantage of that feeling and use it as a weight loss drug, instead of using it for its intended use. According to Addiction.com Staff, Adderall is viewed by college girls as a “dream pill” that “balances out alcohol calories” (Addiction.com). This is a dangerous thought process because they could cause themselves to become more susceptible to getting sick, feel weak, or get zero to no sleep, as well as become depressed when mixed with the alcohol they consume. You may lose weight, but it will most likely end up being an unhealthy amount.

College students are not the only ones who abuse Adderall on the daily. Younger students will also take Adderall un-prescribed “Among the 8th- and 10th-grade students sampled by the MTF survey during 2010 and 2011, approximately 3.7% of males and 3.1% of female nonmedically used Adderall during the past year” (Veliez 718). Not only are younger generations abusing Adderall, housewives often will steal from their children’s prescribed medication as well. According to Smith, “treatment centers from coast to coast report an increase in the number of patients abusing Ritalin and its pharmaceutical cousin Adderall, both of which have gained appeal as "off-label" fatigue fighters and diet aids” (Smith). As we all have most likely seen, this was also the case for moms on Desperate Housewives in 2004. An article written by Kyle Smith from THE PEOPLE, highlights the lengths housewives will go to in order to stay alert and thin. Kyle interviewed a woman named Ruth who is 39 and she states, “I got the entire house not only picked up but clean.., I was down on my hands and knees, moved the furniture, scrubbed the carpet” (Smith). So not only are college students using the drug to stay alert, but so are mothers across the country, many people are beginning to pick up a nasty, undescribed, habit.

Choosing to take drugs that are not prescribed can also lead to a dangerous addiction. Those who take the drug take it because it steadies their thoughts, allowing them to become comfortable, and really hone in on their work. But when someone considered as “normal” takes them, it could become a serious addiction problem. “The drug is potentially addictive to healthy people because it stimulates the release of dopamine, the brain’s pleasure chemical.” (Addiction.com). Addiction to the drug is easily explained, one takes the drug and feels good after taking it, after a while of this, the body will form a reliance on it and crave it, thus leading to being dependent on the drug.

A good question to ask, is where are these students getting the Adderall? The answer is fellow college students. College students will provide others with Adderall by selling or giving away the drugs. At the University of Kentucky, a survey was done of over two-thousand students, on their use and distribution of non-prescription drugs. These were their results, “Of the 2,139 undergraduate students who took our survey, 120 of them reported currently taking a prescribed ADHD stimulant. Of these, 63 students (52.5%) admitted to giving their prescribed medication away while 47 students (39.2%) admitted to selling their medication to someone without a prescription” (DeSantise 449). Normal college students are not the only ones who are at risk of using, or being coerced in to using. Many fraternity and sorority members are actually more likely to take non-prescription stimulants during their university days (DeSantise 451). It is not hard to believe that students will sell their ADHD medication for $5-$25 per pill. Especially when so many are looking to purchase them.

Some people would argue that with all of the side effects, why would we allow ADHD students and adults to take the medication, with all of the risk involved? The problem with this question is that normally, people with ADHD do not suffer from many of these side-effects, also, they do not normally abuse them because they are more aware of the consequences involved. In fact, when a person with ADHD takes Adderall, they may experience with problems such as, eating very little, and staying up later. But on the other hand, those that DO NOT have any disorders that would result in the use of Adderall, are more susceptible to the adverse side effects of the drug. Simply because the drug was not meant for them in the first place. Many of those who have ADHD have many good things to say about the drug. Take Jeff Rasmussen, a young boy with ADHD who made a website called ADHDKidsRock.com, that questions the anger over ADHD medications. In one of his articles he writes, “If I had asthma, my parents wouldn’t be getting slack for giving me the medications I need to function” (Rasmussen). From his perspective, the medication his parents supply him with help him to focus and study. There are many negative reactions to helping children with ADHD get the medication they need. One of which was, “My son has apparently been diagnosed with that so called ADHD and I refuse to think that is a condition, I think a lot of people don’t interact with their kids enough or spend time with them or discuss how their day has been, be a parent and interact with them, its a easy way out to dope your kids up”(Rasmussen). Many parents do not understand exactly what it means to have ADHD and what it is the medication is made of. While it is true that the ingredients in Adderall and other ADHD could get you high, it does not mean it will. In fact, for those with ADHD there is a high chance they will never feel any euphoric effects. Also, if there is a feeling of euphoria it is because the person who is taking the drug is abusing it (“Does Adderall..”). Honestly, there are little, to no harmful effects on those who are prescribed and have a true need for ADHD medications, I know this from personal experience. 

When I was younger, I had no idea about what ADHD was, or what it meant to be ADHD. All I knew is that most of the time I was put into the corner of the classroom for disrupting my classes. While it didn’t seem to be a big deal to me, it was a he deal to my parents, and when they couldn’t get answers from my teacher they took me to see a doctor. I was diagnosed and given Ritalin, the ADHD medication you normally start off with when you are first diagnosed. It worked. I was focused in my classes, and getting better grades than I was prior. The only problem was, while it was helping me to focus, it was not helping me to eat. My mother would ask the teachers as I was growing up to check my lunch plate to see what I had eaten, it was humiliating, but I just wasn’t hungry. We had gone back to my doctor to discuss the problem with the medication and he switched me to Adderall, and while it took a while to find the correct dosage, I was eating, paying attention in my classes, and getting better grades. For once, my life was calm and balanced out. I could focus all while being outgoing and making friends. Adderall is most likely the reason I got into my college of choice, I studied, I scored, and I made it. Now I am no longer dependent on my medication, I was never addicted to Adderall and I had no problems leaving it behind. Overall, ADHD medication has given me opportunities I never could have hoped for.

In conclusion, Adderall is meant only to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, and is not meant for those without ADHD. Those with ADHD will almost never experience most, if not all of the symptoms I have listed throughout this essay. While those without ADHD may believe it is alright to be taking Adderall un-prescribed, they may be putting themselves at risk for heart attacks, stroke, depression, and a serious addiction. While my personal experience with Adderall has turned out fine, I cannot say the same for those without ADHD, and cannot speak for their own experience, since it would most likely turn out entirely different. There are many different type of people who will abuse Adderall, younger children, teens, young adults, and housewives. While they may have their reasons for taking Adderall, it does not mean it will be safe, or effective.
