page 8 arrow Featured story page 9 UnprESCrIbED DAnGErS ... · page 8 3Featured story 3arrow 3Feb....
1
FEB. 12, 2014 4 ARROW 4 FEATURED STORY 4 PAGE 9 PAGE 8 3 FEATURED STORY 3 ARROW 3 FEB. 12, 2014 It’s past midnight. You’re cramming for the biggest test of the year, you’re ex- hausted, and that little blue pill is sitting there, taunting you. With a quick swallow, you now have the ability to stay up all night and actually focus on what needs to be done. Adderall, commonly referred to as the study drug, is prescribed to people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Adderall is an amphetamine, which is a group of drugs also known as stimulants. Amphet- amines are informally referred to as “speed,” “fast,” “up,” “uppers,” “louee,” “goey” and “whiz;” their street names all have a connection to staying awake and focused. SCHOOL USAGE According to www.drugfree.org, 7.4 percent of high school seniors in 2013 used Adderall for non-medical reasons. e number of users rises even more in college, where exams are not only more important, but where the drug is commonly mixed with alcohol to give the user the ability to party without getting tired. Also accord- ing www.drugabuse.gov, students who take Adderall for their exams generally have a lower GPA. Students can find the drug at parties, and many can also easily access it from friends. According to the New York Times, 10 percent of high-school age girls and 19 percent of high-school age boys are diagnosed with ADHD. Approximately one in 10 high school boys currently takes ADHD medication. With such a high per- centage of prescribed students, the drug is easily accessible in schools. Many stu- dents with a prescription sell their medication pills to friends who aren’t prescribed. “People have asked to buy Adderral off of me because they stress out over exams and they want to pay attention and stay awake,” junior Trevor Harrison said. “It upsets me because it’s wrong. I’m prescribed it, and people ask for me to deal out a controlled substance.” Adderall is the most common ampthetamine prescribed. Ritalin, Dexedrine, Dextrostat, Desoxyn, ProCentra, Vyvanse, and Benzedrine are also commonly pre- scribed for ADHD. “I’ve been asked by quite a few people to sell them Adderall,” senior Noor Youkhana said. “My parents always had the bottle to make sure I was just getting my prescribed amount. Even if I had the opportunity to sell them, I wouldn’t have.” When exams come around, many students go looking for ways to study all night and stay focused at the same time. e popular solution: Adderall. “I know a lot of kids who didn’t have ADD, but they would go look for kids who had ADD and were pre- scribed Adderall or similar prescrip- tions, so they could study for exams,” student teacher Kim Fissette said. “It spiked much more aſter high school into college.” SIDE EFFECTS Whether popping them or snorting them, amphetemine pills are slowly becoming an addiction. With phrases like “Adderall: candy for college kids” and “Adderall: can’t pass without it,” there’s no wonder students are always trying to get their hands on these little blue or orange pills. But just like any other prescription pill, there are many health side effects. According to slate.com, short-term side effects include increased heart rate, panic attacks, headaches, higher blood pressure, and irritability. Long-term side effects include insomnia, anxiety, depression and other mental and physical issues. Amphetamine effects are a lesser version of co- caine effects; the drugs cause alertness, a lack of appetite, and increased anxiety. Both drugs in- duce the same type of euphoric feeling, but the level of intensity is different. “I stopped getting my prescription filled for my Adderall,” Youkhana said. “It was leaving me with headaches, and made me feel down. Plus, I wasn’t feeling like I could study any longer or harder.” Not only are there dangerous side effects, but users can easily over- dose on Adderall. It doesn’t take a very high dosage to overdose; 120 milligrams is considered an overdose by FDA regulations, according to safetymedical.net. With about one in three stu- dents taking Adderall illegally, there should be more emphasis on its danger. However, adderall can be a lifesaver for people who are prescribed the drug, as it allows them to pay attention and work more diligently. “I’m prescribed Vyvanse, the highest dosage, and it helps correct my ADD so I can study,” senior Paul Conway said. “I think that if it’s used correctly, it can be a great aid to those who use it.” Conversely, people who are not prescribed the drug can face many consequences. In addition to health risks, illegal users could spend up to a month in jail on a felony drug abuse charge. “I think Adderall is more of a problem than a solution,” teacher Rick Farr said. “It has way more negative side effects than positive ones.” One of the biggest issues with Adderall is that most students don’t view it as a drug, but as a study aid. Alan DeSantis, a sociolo- gist at the University of Kentucky who studies the culture of ADHD drug use on campus, found that more than 50 percent of students on campus openly admitted to taking Adderall at parties or to study. “I see no point in a high schooler taking them for exams, since there’s no real distractions in high school,” Youkhana said. “I could see using it in college where there’s more distractions, but I see no use for Adderall now.” While Adderall usage is much higher in a college setting, it’s mak- ing its way into the high school scene. Students should educate themselves about the drug’s side effects to stay safe and aware. UNPRESCRIBED DANGERS DYLAN HAMILTON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TYLER WARNER REPORTER & Students take unprescribed medication to aid studying BRAIN ON ADDERALL NORMAL BRAIN *Red = Increased activity Adderall Statistics Some students fake ADD or ADHD symptoms to acquire prescriptions. 33% of people taking Adderall have developed a loss of appetite. Adderall overdose can alter brain chemistry permanently. In large doses, Adderall produces the same chemical effects on your brain as amphetamines. If used in excess, it can deplete the dopamine that the brain produces. 34.5% of college students have taken Adderall, while only 6.4% is prescribed to it. 1 in 10 teens have abused Adderall in their lifetime. l l l l l l U.S. AIR FORCE Professional poker players Students and teens Big time Adderall (ab)users l Did you know? Adderall and other amphetamines can be taken orally, or snorted, or injected. Did you know? Members of the U.S. Air Force take Adderall and other stimulants on long, fatiguing missions to keep them awake and alert. SHELBY DAIEK PHOTO SHELBY DAIEK PHOTO SOURCE: WIRED.COM SOURCES: SAMHSA.GOV & BRAINSTATISTICS.COM SOURCE: PSU.EDU MADELINE ROTARIUS PHO TO
Transcript of page 8 arrow Featured story page 9 UnprESCrIbED DAnGErS ... · page 8 3Featured story 3arrow 3Feb....
Feb. 12, 2014 4 arrow 4 Featured story 4 page 9page 8 3Featured story 3arrow 3Feb. 12, 2014
It’s past midnight. You’re cramming for the biggest test of the year, you’re ex-hausted, and that little blue pill is sitting there, taunting you. With a quick swallow, you now have the ability to stay up all night and actually focus on what needs to be done.
Adderall, commonly referred to as the study drug, is prescribed to people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Adderall is an amphetamine, which is a group of drugs also known as stimulants. Amphet-amines are informally referred to as “speed,” “fast,” “up,” “uppers,” “louee,” “goey” and “whiz;” their street names all have a connection to staying awake and focused.
SCHOOL USAGEAccording to www.drugfree.org, 7.4 percent of high school seniors in 2013 used
Adderall for non-medical reasons. The number of users rises even more in college, where exams are not only more important, but where the drug is commonly mixed with alcohol to give the user the ability to party without getting tired. Also accord-ing www.drugabuse.gov, students who take Adderall for their exams generally have a lower GPA.
Students can find the drug at parties, and many can also easily access it from friends. According to the New York Times, 10 percent of high-school age girls and 19 percent of high-school age boys are diagnosed with ADHD. Approximately one in 10 high school boys currently takes ADHD medication. With such a high per-centage of prescribed students, the drug is easily accessible in schools. Many stu-dents with a prescription sell their medication pills to friends who aren’t prescribed.
“People have asked to buy Adderral off of me because they stress out over exams and they want to pay attention and stay awake,” junior Trevor Harrison said. “It upsets me because it’s wrong. I’m prescribed it, and people ask for me to deal out a controlled substance.”
Adderall is the most common ampthetamine prescribed. Ritalin, Dexedrine, Dextrostat, Desoxyn, ProCentra, Vyvanse, and Benzedrine are also commonly pre-scribed for ADHD.
“I’ve been asked by quite a few people to sell them Adderall,” senior Noor Youkhana said. “My parents always had the bottle to make sure I was just getting my prescribed amount. Even if I had the opportunity to sell them, I wouldn’t have.”
When exams come around, many students go looking for ways to study all night and stay focused at
the same time. The popular solution: Adderall.
“I know a lot of kids who didn’t
have ADD, but they would go look for kids who had ADD
and were pre-scribed Adderall
or similar prescrip-tions, so they could
study for exams,” student teacher Kim
Fissette said. “It spiked much more after high
school into college.”
SIDE EFFECTSWhether popping them or
snorting them, amphetemine pills are slowly becoming an
addiction. With phrases like “Adderall: candy for college kids”
and “Adderall: can’t pass without it,” there’s no wonder students are always
trying to get their hands on these little blue or orange pills.
But just like any other prescription pill, there are many health side effects. According to slate.com, short-term side effects include increased heart rate, panic attacks, headaches, higher blood pressure, and irritability. Long-term side effects include insomnia, anxiety, depression and other mental and physical issues.
Amphetamine effects are a lesser version of co-caine effects; the drugs cause alertness, a lack of appetite, and increased anxiety. Both drugs in-duce the same type of euphoric feeling, but the level of intensity is different.
“I stopped getting my prescription filled for my Adderall,” Youkhana said. “It was leaving me with headaches, and made me feel down. Plus, I wasn’t feeling like I could study any longer or harder.”
Not only are there dangerous side effects, but users can easily over-dose on Adderall. It doesn’t take a very high dosage to overdose; 120 milligrams is considered an overdose by FDA regulations, according to safetymedical.net. With about one in three stu-dents taking Adderall illegally, there should be more emphasis on its danger.
However, adderall can be a lifesaver for people who are prescribed the drug, as it allows them to pay attention and work more diligently.
“I’m prescribed Vyvanse, the highest dosage, and it helps correct my ADD so I can study,” senior Paul Conway said. “I think that if it’s used correctly, it can be a great aid to those who use it.”
Conversely, people who are not prescribed the drug can face many consequences. In addition to health risks, illegal users could spend up to a month in jail on a felony drug abuse charge.
“I think Adderall is more of a problem than a solution,” teacher Rick Farr said. “It has way more negative side effects than positive ones.”
One of the biggest issues with Adderall is that most students don’t view it as a drug, but as a study aid. Alan DeSantis, a sociolo-gist at the University of Kentucky who studies the culture of ADHD drug use on campus, found that more than 50 percent of students on campus openly admitted to taking Adderall at parties or to study.
“I see no point in a high schooler taking them for exams, since there’s no real distractions in high school,” Youkhana said. “I could see using it in college where there’s more distractions, but I see no use for Adderall now.”
While Adderall usage is much higher in a college setting, it’s mak-ing its way into the high school scene. Students should educate themselves about the drug’s side effects to stay safe and aware.
UnprESCrIbED DAnGErSDYLAN HAMILTONEDITOR-IN-CHIEF
TYLer WArNerREpORTER
&
Students take unprescribed medication to aid studying
BrAIN ON ADDerALL NOrMAL BrAIN
*Red = Increased activity
AdderallStatistics
some students fake add or adHd symptoms to
acquire prescriptions.
33% of people taking adderall have developed a
loss of appetite.
adderall overdose can alter brain chemistry permanently.
In large doses, adderall produces the same chemical effects on your
brain as amphetamines.
If used in excess, it can deplete thedopamine that the brain produces.
34.5% of college students have taken adderall, while only 6.4% is prescribed to it.
1 in 10 teens have abused adderall in their lifetime.
l
l
l
l
l
l
U.S. AIR FORCE Professional poker players Students and teens
Big time Adderall (ab)users
l
Did you know?adderall and other amphetamines
can be taken orally, or snorted, or injected.
Did you know?
Members of the u.s. air Force take adderall and
other stimulants on long, fatiguing missions to keep
them awake and alert.
shelby daiek photoshelby daiek photo
source: wired.com
SOurceS: samHsa.gOv & bRaINsTaTIsTICs.COm
SOurce: psu.EDu
MADeLINe rOTArIuS pHOTO
