Adderall is a Hit on College Campuses

The Newest Drug Craze is Hitting Colleges and Students Are Cashing In, but is it Healthy?

In American sports, athletes are being accused of using performance enhancing drugs in order to gain a competitive advantage. Their use of steroids is both immoral and illegal and people are in an uproar over the issue. On college campuses nationwide, a similar problem exists. Though it has yet to fully make its way into the limelight of the national media, the growing use of the prescription drug Adderall by college students has many health professionals troubled.

Often prescribed to people with attention deficit disorder (ADD), the drug can act differently in different people. For most college students, it has an effect that can be compared to that of speed. This legalized synthetic cousin of crack cocaine is a favorite of busy students because it allows them to focus for longer on their work. When taken at the right time, it can enable students to stay awake for extended periods of time. In general, students are seeing positive results from their use of Adderall. The dangerous downside of this is the fact that students who gain positive results from the drug often become dependent on it. Whether it be a dangerous chemical addiction or a psychological dependence that makes students believe they can not succeed with Adderall, the side effects can often be staggering.

Though its benefits are many, the side effects are not yet known to the fullest extent. When taken in large doses, it has been known to cause heart problems. For competitive and pressured college students, the rewards far outweigh the risks. The result is a dangerous game in which students become the football players and the performance enhancing drugs are not human growth hormone or steroids. Adderall has given some students a new competitive edge. With more and more students going to college every year and the entry-level job market becoming more crowded, students are happy and willing any product that will give them an advantage over the general public. Even forsaking the glaringly apparent risks, these pills are consumed like candy on college campuses.