Adderall is an amphetamine (speed) and is a controlled substance, classified as a Schedule II drug by the federal government. That means that the drug, while medically useful, has a high potential for addiction. Addictive substances are controlled for a reason – they are dangerous. Students who take Adderall report being able to block out all distractions and focus more intently on study materials. Users also report mood swings, insomnia, panic attacks and instances of depression.

Adderall Abuse a Widespread Problem on Campus

The problem of Adderall abuse is garnering enough attention that NBC’s TODAY show used a hidden camera and an intern reporter posing as a student to find out just how pervasive the situation is. The reporter wasn’t in a college library for even one minute before he was able to find someone ready to supply him with the drug.

Feigning a lack of cash to buy, the reporter was advised by the other student to go online, find an ADD specialist and then pretend to have symptoms. The physician will be financially motivated to write a legal prescription, the college student predicted. And sure enough, the reporter easily obtained the sought-for prescription.

The NBC news team is not alone in trying to uncover how widespread the use of Adderall is on campus. University of Kentucky professor Alan DeSantis conducted research at his college and discovered that 30 percent of the student body had illegally taken either Ritalin or Adderall while at school.

The problem was even worse among students living in fraternities and sororities, according to the DeSantis study. There, Adderall had been consumed by 80 percent of upperclassmen and women. Yet the kids taking the drug see absolutely no danger. When asked to rate the danger of taking Adderall, students said it was slightly more dangerous than drinking a Mountain Dew but far less dangerous than drinking or smoking.

The Dangers of Adderall Abuse

Students see no problem with taking Adderall in order to enhance their grades. The perception seems to be that everyone is doing it and so must I in order to remain academically competitive. One student compared taking Adderall to professional ball players who take steroids to enhance their performance.

While Adderall or Ritalin may sharpen focus for students, the drug is not without dangers. There is evidence that the medications interfere with other brain functions. Several students interviewed in various research studies reported that while the drug seemed great at first, problems followed. One said that with increased abuse of the drug, grades actually dropped. Another reported that over the course of one year, they went from academic scholarship to academic probation to being asked to leave school. Not to mention that using such drugs without a prescription is illegal.

Students who want to feel good and perform well in school are attracted to the easily obtained substance. And most feel safe with a crowd of users all around them. But are grades really worth the risk?

Senior author of the study, David Berry, professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, describes how students can be quite successful in their attempts to fool clinical professionals. Berry, along with UK psychologist John Ranseen and graduate student Myriam Sollman, conducted an experiment to test how easy it was for healthy college students to fake ADHD symptoms and successfully pass clinical examinations for the disorder.

The researchers recruited 74 college students from the University of Kentucky to take a standard assessment for ADHD detection. The participants were divided into two groups: One group was instructed to respond to the test honestly, while the other group was instructed to make their best attempt to fake ADHD. The "faking" participants were permitted to review readily available information on ADHD and its symptoms by searching the Internet for five minutes prior to taking the assessment. They were also motivated to successfully pass the assessment with a financial incentive—the researchers would give the participants $45 if they passed the ADHD assessment (all participants were awarded the money at the conclusion of the study). As a control, the researchers also created a third group of students who were legitimately diagnosed with ADHD and had them take the same assessment.

For the ADHD assessment, the researchers used standard ADHD symptom checklists, neurocognitive tests, and symptom validity tests (SVTs), which are measures designed to detect feigned psychiatric and neurocognitive symptoms. After the participants completed the assessment, the researchers found that the "fakers" passed almost all of the measures for ADHD diagnosis. These normal, healthy students were able to feign their symptoms after being briefly coached with easily accessible information on ADHD prior to their exam. The "fakers" were particularly successful at faking their symptoms on the ADHD symptom checklists. The other ADHD tests showed moderate ability in detection of malingering, with the SVTs showing the best detection. Because the "fakers" were highly successful in feigning their symptoms, the researchers recommend that SVTs should always accompany clinical ADHD testing in order to avoid misdiagnoses, as well as thorough evaluation of patient’s emotional and cognitive medical history.

The study brings attention to a startling reality—why would anyone want to falsely be labeled with a behavioral disorder? Some people abuse the ADHD stimulant medications for recreational use; some may be searching for attention or sympathy; others use the stimulants to enhance their academic or professional performance; and some may engage in reselling the drugs to others. Furthermore, some college campuses provide special privileges to students diagnosed with the disorder, such as copies of professors’ lecture notes, extra time when taking exams or submitting assignments, or greater housing accommodations on campus.

ADHD is a legitimate debilitating disorder that affects thousands of children and adults across the U.S. The feigning of ADHD not only inhibits the available medical resources for ADHD treatment, but misuse of ADHD medication poses serious harm to people without the condition. Those who choose to abuse ADHD medications face the risk of severe adverse effects, such as increased anxiety, higher blood pressure, tachycardia, dependence, and even overdose.

Source: HealthDay, Some Fake ADHD to Get Meds, Special Treatment, August 27, 2010

“I never thought of myself as a drug addict,” said Lisa, a college student recovering from Adderall addiction. “I never did drugs, was always the ‘good’ girl in my family. When I went to college, my new ‘friends’ told me about what they used to help them: Adderall. I figured if they did it, it must be safe. Soon I was addicted. I learned how to lie to doctors to get more Adderall. My grades dropped. My social life plummeted. Here I was, a nice girl, lying, stealing, hiding my addiction.”

The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia has issued a warning that Adderall is the most commonly prescribed brand-name stimulant in the U.S. “We are seeing more and more college students seeking help for Adderall addiction,” states Mary Rieser, Executive Director. “With the frequency of parents demanding Adderall prescriptions for their children and a college culture that encourages its use, it is no wonder that Adderall use is on the rise.”

Adderall sales are roughly $600 million annually, and as of December 2007, doctors may prescribe a 90-day supply of the Schedule II drug.

Rieser explains, “A ‘Schedule II’ controlled substance means that the DEA regulates the drug. You can only get this drug by prescription, because the U.S. government has determined it has a ‘high potential for abuse’ that ‘may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.’” In other words, you can become addicted.

“The term ‘addiction’ unfortunately brings to mind images of people buying illegal drugs on street corners, running from the law, ‘criminals’ hiding to use their drugs,” continued Rieser. “And unfortunately Hollywood has often portrayed addicts as outlaws and ‘bad people.’ This is of course untrue, but since Adderall and other prescription drugs can be obtained legally by doctor’s prescription, you may have a college student who would never think of breaking the law or the next-door-neighbor housewife, both in the same position: addicted to a Schedule II drug.And addiction, whether it is to a prescription medication or a street drug, is the same thing—addiction.”

Symptoms of an Adderall overdose can include restlessness, rapid breathing, confusion, hallucinations, aggressiveness, unexplained muscle pain or tenderness, muscle weakness, and flu symptoms. These symptoms may be followed by depression and fatigue. Other overdose symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, rapid heartbeat, feeling light-headed, fainting, or seizures. Overdose can lead to coma or death.

Side effects of the drug include pounding heartbeat, increased blood pressure, severe headaches, blurred vision, insomnia, dry mouth or an unpleasant taste in the mouth, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss, or loss of interest in sex.

If you or someone you know is abusing Adderall, contact your local drug rehab center for help.

Now a new study is measuring the placebo effect impact on those not actually needing or receiving medication. Science Daily recently released a report covering research conducted by the University at Buffalo.

This study suggests medications such as Ritalin and Adderall to treat ADHD create a placebo effect. The contrast here is this effect is taking place in teachers, parents or other adults who evaluate children dealing with ADHD.

In this study, researchers believe caregivers who believed their ADHD patients were receiving ADHD medication tended to view the children more favorably and treat them more positively, whether actual medication was involved or not.

“The act of administering medication, or thinking a child has received medication, may induce positive expectancies in parents and teachers about the effects of that medication, which may, in turn, influence how parents and teachers evaluate and behave toward children with ADHD,” said UB researcher Daniel A. Waschbusch, Ph.D., lead author of the review, in Science Daily.

“We speculate that the perception that a child is receiving ADHD medication may bring about a shift in attitude in a teacher or caregiver. They may have a more positive view of the child, which could create a better relationship. They may praise the child more, which may induce better behavior.”

While it can be a positive thing if caregivers are treating children more positively if they believe the child is on medication. The problem could arise if the child’s medication is increased because it is believed to be effective when in truth, perception is skewed.