With rapidly increasing pressure on the students of today’s incredibly competitive era, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder medications such as Adderall and Ritalin are becoming as commonplace in study groups as coffee. Although medical stimulants may appear to be the ideal solution to remain focused and perform well, there are many negative components involved in the use of these medications that students often overlook. Most detrimental of the negative consequences are the serious health effects that follow consumption. Additionally, in order to obtain drugs for a mental disorder they do not have, many students contribute to an illegal drug trade. Students who utilize these drugs ultimately experience unfair academic benefits over those who do not use stimulants.
As enticing as it sounds to swallow a “magic little pill” that promises to deliver good grades, many of the results that follow the use of these drugs are quite the opposite of magic. Between 1990 and 2000, Ritalin alone caused 186 deaths which were reported to the Food and Drug Administration MedWatch program, and these represent only 10 to 20 percent of the actual incidence. Prescription ADHD medications also increase the risks of insomnia, dizziness, blurring of vision, convulsions, transient depressed mood and numerous other consequences. Moreover, taking a medication which is not prescribed can cause unpredictable effects more serious than the listed side effects. Better focus during a test is not worth the risk of permanently endangering one’s health.
“Kids do not make it their priority to look at the long-term side affects,” said CHS counselor Tiffany Cozzi. “[Drugs such as these] do affect serotonin and throw of your mood…which can lead to depression.”
Despite the various costs of ADHD medications, students insist on abusing them and partaking in the illegal prescription drug trade that is sweeping the nation. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, medications for ADHD currently rank third among 12th graders for illicit drug use.
Without medical supervision, drugs such as Ritalin and other ADHD medications can become very addictive as they raise dopamine levels in the brain. This can change an innocent effort to do better in school into a full-blown drug addiction.
“People take Addrall as if it were coffee or red bull, but in reality it is a drug that gives students an unfair advantage over others,” said senior Ariana Vajdi. “I think people do not realize that cheating is more than just looking at someone else’s paper on a test; it is [any type of academic] dishonesty.”
Students who consume ADHD medication to get ahead not only jeopardize their health, but also leave others behind in the process. Provided that no one in the class is legitimately diagnosed with ADHD, if all students take the same test and some students do better simply because they have access to a pill, that is an unfair advantage that must be disciplined. Even of more importance, if the test happens to be the SAT or ACT, the edge that ADHD medication provides puts the sober and honest student’s entire future on the line. In a similar manner, these students may continue to misuse these pills in college when the pressure to do well increases.
With so many students striving for good grades and admission into elite universities, sound judgment is often ignored. In the modern student’s world, an ‘A’ can sometimes mean more than the student’s health. But before students decide to pop that “magic little pill,” they should consider the long-term consequences of a single bad decision.
