Five dollars for one 15 mg pill can generate a “successful" eight-hour library cramming session, according to many college students. Students have found Adderall, generally prescribed for attention-deficit disorder, to be a beneficial study aide—increasing students' motivation to complete work and sharpening their focus. Meanwhile, students' suppliers- individuals who are actually prescribed Adderall- are making fast, easy cash by illegally selling their prescription pills.
Whether it is snorting Adderall before drinking to enhance the buzz, or taking it before pulling an all-nighter to study, students are widely misusing Adderall across college campuses. It has quickly become a norm—people ask in GroupMe chats, over text message, or through Facebook messenger to buy a dose of these proclaimed “study buddies.”
All students' identities will remain anonymous for protection purposes.
The Perceived Benefit Amongst College Students
Most students claim to take Adderall, or similar drugs such as Ritalin and Vyvanse, with the intention to complete a large amount of school work in a short amount of time.
“I try to take it [Adderall] as little as possible,” a sophomore from The College of New Jersey told Odyssey. “I save it for special instances when I am having a super busy week and need to do well on my exams.”
Adderall users often claim that the drug makes them feel motivated, but calm—different from the jittery side effects of coffee or energy drinks.
“Its beneficial because it allows me to be productive in a short amount of time,” she shared. “Anything I read, I memorize. I am also capable of more critical thinking when I take it. I understand anything I read, memorize, or experience on a much deeper level.”
The Suppliers
Finding Adderall on a college campus is quite easy—students can often buy it anywhere or from anyone. Typically, students will pay anything from five to $10 for one pill, depending on the strength, which can range from 15 to 20 mg.
Students may illegally buy Adderall from other students who are prescribed the pills and do not typically use their monthly-allotted 60 pills in full.
"In high school, everything was really structured,” a college graduate told Odyssey. "When college came around and the workload increased, it became difficult to balance social life and an education. I heard some of my friends were prescribed ADHD medication that helped them focus in their classes and get better grades. I decided I'd talk to my doctor about it, one thing led to another, and I started an Adderall regimen," he said.
"At first I tried to follow my doctor's guidance and take my medication on a daily basis. Once it became too much, I started sharing amongst my friends who were having difficulties in their classes.
"After a while, a lot of my friends started asking me for it. As the years went on, my friends began to offer me money for the pills. Since so many people were asking me about it, I decided it wasn't such a bad idea to take the money. It didn't feel like I was dealing prescription drugs, but if you take a step back and look at the situation, that's exactly what began to happen," he said.
"I started increasing my prescription purely to sell the drugs. I didn't really have a need for them myself. I really don't think it's that big of a deal. A lot of people get really sensitive about the topic and it's frowned upon in society. I think the real issue lies in the education system. Students are overloaded with rigorous amounts of coursework that drives them to make such rash decisions.”
The Serious Reality Of It All
Despite its rise in popularity as an alternative to coffee or energy drinks, Adderall misusage is not something that should be taken lightly. The drugs are amphetamine-based, meaning they can be habit-causing.
Adderall is a Schedule II substance, and is on the Administration's list next to cocaine, meth, and morphine. Schedule II substances are classified by the DEA has having a high potential for abuse--sounds a little more serious now, right?
"Adderall definitely has its purpose in the medical world," a sophomore from The College of New Jersey told Odyssey. "I have friends that cannot function socially or academically without it, but it is important to recognize that these people have MEDICAL need for Adderall and not just an academic boost," she said.
Short term side affects include sleeping difficulties, restlessness, headaches, irritability, depressed feelings, loss of appetite, and nervousness.
However, longterm risk of both psychological and physical dependence is a serious concern for frequent users that may discover they cannot function ideally without it.
"From someone that studies medicine and psychology, the neurotransmitters in your brain provide a critical balance for normal functioning and the body produces this balance naturally," she said. "When you bring outside sources of these neurotransmitters, such as dopamine (the neurotransmitter associated with attention), the body doesn't need to produce it anymore which lowers the naturally existing levels in the brain. So, in theory, it would have adverse side effects and more of the drug would need to be taken to be able to focus even in people that don't have AD/HD."
A Personal Account
"My older brother stated taking Adderall illegally in college," a junior at the The College of New Jersey told Odyssey. "After graduating, he lived at home and commuted to law school. He was very distant and easily enraged those three years, but the real trouble started after he graduated, passed the New Jersey and New York bar and started his new job. During those three years he lived at home we could all see his personality slowly start to change, but we just attributed it to stress. He moved out after graduation.
"The long term effects of Adderall abuse made my brother paranoid and violent. He lost his job after only two months for slandering, threatening and throwing things at his boss. He filed a restraining order against my parents because he thought they were trying to kill him for his insurance money (he didn’t even have insurance). He threw his phone into the woods, destroyed his computer and threw away his car keys because he thought the mob was trying to kill him (he thought his boss worked for the mob and his boss sent them to silence my brother). He posted on his Linked-in profile that my parents mentally abused him during his upbringing, that his real father is my uncle, and other outrageous lies that deeply hurt our family.
"My parents called the mental institution and they went to my brother’s apartment, evaluated him, determined he was unstable and committed him against his will. My brother stayed there for two weeks but refused to take any medication. His official diagnosis was drug induced psychosis. This only made him more violent and paranoid, but this did cause him to stop taking Adderall.
"He has been off Adderall for about six months now, but there have been barely any improvements in his behavior. He is no longer violent but he still paranoid and is now extremely depressed. He hasn’t left the house in six months, and has no contact with any friends or family. Even though he graduated in the top of his law school class and passed both the New Jersey and New York bars, he calls himself 'The Pharro' and is determined to become a famous rapper. The long term effects of Adderall abuse are serious and need to be acknowledged."
