Midterms are on the horizon for U students, which means that long nights of studying and cramming are surely to come.
Many students feel they cannot focus enough, or maybe just need an extra boost to stay awake for a few more hours.
Some deal with this craving by consuming coffee, Coke or Red Bull.
Others go a different route, and take drugs like Adderall.
Adderall is an amphetamine prescribed for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as narcolepsy.
Adderall works to increase the flow of dopamine and norepinephrine, providing many the ability, even desire, to concentrate for long periods of time. Adderall is attractive to students because of this effect.
Adderall is alleged to be dangerous for those without ADHD. However, children as young as 3 are being prescribed ADHD medication.
It is curious that children so young can be identified as having a condition that, so far, has no unique biological fingerprint.
In addition, studies show that the United States prescribes far more ADHD drugs per capita than the rest of the world.
There is evidence that suggests that many are being prescribed ADHD drugs that they simply do not need.
Therefore, it doesn't seem much of a stretch to imagine that people without ADHD are doing just fine on this medication.
In addition, doctors have been prescribing Adderall long enough to know that no long-term health effects have reared their head.
I can't honestly give you my personal experience with the drug: I've never tried it, and I'm not really planning on it.
However, Joshua Foer, a journalist for Slate, gave it a shot earlier this year. He consulted with six psychiatrists about "the safety of using non-prescribed Adderall for performance-enhanced journalism."
He summarized their response by writing, "Theoretically, if used responsibly at a low dosage by someone who isn't schizophrenic, doesn't have high blood pressure, isn't on other medications and doesn't have some other medical condition, the occasional use of Adderall is probably harmless."
He found that he was much more productive, but felt less creative-a symptom many others report.
I'm not suggesting that students go out and buy Adderall on the black market in an effort to ace their tests. Buying any sort of pill outside of a pharmacy is a bad decision.
However, serious examination should be given to the real danger of Adderall. Why is selling Adderall to desperate students illegal while distributing Rockstar and Monster energy drinks on campus is fair game?
It seems that, when used in moderation, Adderall is as safe as NyQuil or any other over-the-counter drug.
Consumers should be allowed to decide whether this medication is right for them, just like they do with other over-the-counter drugs.
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