<http://fp.uni.edu/northia/article2.asp?ID=4696&SECTION=3>
The ivy league crack
Megan Twohey
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Meds used to treat ADHD new college NoDoz

A tough math class prompted Rich to take the drug. The effect:
"I could study for, like, eight hours straight," said the
University of Wisconsin-Madison junior.

Samantha, a Marquette University sophomore, popped it on the eve
of a big history test.

"I stayed up all night," she said, "and totally zoned in."

For years, students have used coffee, NoDoz caffeine pills and
other stimulants to help them through exams, papers and other
demands of college.

These days, some students are taking a study aid that can be
deadly.

Adderall, a medication for attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder has become popular among college students who don’t
have the disorder, according to students, college health
officials and an emerging body of research.

Adderall is an amphetamine and works like cocaine. Those who use
it can stay focused and awake for hours on end.

"If you can take a drug that allows you to stay awake through
finals week and concentrate on relatively boring topics, you can
see how the word would spread," said William Frankenberger, a
psychology professor at UW-Eau Claire. He led a 2004 survey of
students that found 14 percent had abused Adderall or another
ADHD medication.

But using the drug without a prescription is dangerous. The
federal government has classified Adderall under the same
category as cocaine, opium and morphine – drugs with a high
potential for abuse. Thus, Adderall is illegal to sell the drug
or use it without a prescription.

Side effects include insomnia, irritability and loss of
appetite. In extreme cases, the drug can cause paranoia,
hallucinations and heart attacks. Adderall and other ADHD
medications have been reportedly linked to the deaths of 25
people in recent years. United States Food and Drug
Administration advisers are recommending warnings on the drugs’
labels.

Between the 1940s and 1970s, before their addictive properties
were known, amphetamines were used to treat obesity, fatigue and
depression, according to a 2005 report by the National Center on
Addiction and Substance Abuse. Pilots used the stimulant during
World War II to stay awake. Dieters used it to lose weight
rapidly.

In the 1990s, amphetamines re-emerged. A growing number of
children were being diagnosed with ADHD, a neurobehavioral
disorder that makes people hyperactive and incapable of
concentrating. Adderall and Ritalin, an amphetamine-like drug,
were among the medications approved as effective treatments.

Between 1992 and 2002, the number of prescriptions for ADHD
medications in the U.S. increased 369 percent, to 23.4 million a
year, according to the National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse report.

In 2005, there were 31.8 million prescriptions for such
medications, according to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical
information and consulting company. The drug prescribed most
often: Adderall.

Colleges are now seeing waves of students who grew up on ADHD
medication.

Some of the students don’t need it, said Davis Smith, director
of student health at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Smith
has been gathering information about the use of ADHD medication
for the American College Health Association.

Smith said aggressive pharmaceutical marketing campaigns and
pressure from pushy parents have caused doctors to
over-prescribe the drugs.

Eric Heiligenstein, clinical director of psychiatry at
UW-Madison’s health services, agreed.

"We have students who come in and say they got it just by asking
for it at other clinics," he said.

When they don’t need it, some students misuse their medication.
So do students who are wary of becoming dependent. Instead of
taking it twice a day, as often prescribed, these students only
take it around exam time or in other high-pressure situations.

In 2000, UW-Madison surveyed 100 students with prescriptions for
ADHD medication and found one in five misused the prescription
regularly.

This has created opportunities for other students to get the
medication, Heiligenstein said. Students with excess pills are
often willing to sell them or give them away.

A survey of students at 119 colleges nationwide found that, on
certain campuses, up to 25 percent of respondents had misused
ADHD medication in the past year. The survey, published last
year in the journal, Addiction, found that rates were highest at
highly competitive colleges, colleges in the northeast and
schools with high binge drinking rates. Students with grade
point averages of B or lower were two times more likely to use
the drugs than students earning a B+ or higher.

Angie, a UW-Madison junior, said it’s common for students to get
Adderall from friends. She has paid $5 for a couple of pills. At
other times, friends have given her the drug for free.

"Doctors are just handing it out," said Adam, a freshman at
Marquette. "Friends are willing to give it away."

Doctors are supposed to review a student’s medical history
before prescribing ADHD medication. To make sure the student
won’t have a heart attack or another extreme reaction.

Students who get Adderall from friends have no idea how their
bodies will react. Adam, the Marquette freshman, said Adderall
gave him the energy to stay up all night. It also changed his
attitude.

"It’s almost like you enjoy the work," he said.

But the next day, he felt like he had an extreme hangover.

The effect on Rachel, a senior at UW-Madison, was much worse.

"Three hours after taking it, I started shaking," she said. "I
felt like my heart was bouncing out of my body. I lost my
appetite. I couldn’t sleep for a full two days. It was a
nightmare."

Rich, the UW-Madison junior, has taken Adderall for two years to
study for tests. During that time, his grades have improved.
However, he admits to feeling dependant at times. UW-Madison’s
health center is seeing a growing number of cases like his.

"We see a blend of psychological and physical dependence,"
Heiligenstein said. "Students take it, get better results and
feel like they can’t go off. They say, ‘I feel like I’ve built
my whole GPA on this. How can I stop?’"

Critics worry the drug is now being used like an academic
steroid, creating an unfair playing field on college campuses.