"study drugs" (adderall, ritalin, etc)- should they be accessible to everyone?

[junnleenfaah]

so currently the new trend at my school and i'm sure many other schools is the passing around of medical drugs [such as adderall and ritalin.. hope i spelled those correctly, lol] originally perscribed to those that have A.D.D/A.D.H.D/etc but now they're used as a "study drug" to help you concentrate better as you study..

obviously during school, its like the workload never stops and all it does is increase more and more and we all want to make good grades [who doesnt?] so we're constantly studying.. however, personally for me, i get distracted SOOOO easily by the smallest things. so what people do at my school is ask their friends for the study drugs to help them concentrate. i've used it once during finals week to help me concentrate better and it kinda worked.

so my question is, these drugs arent exactly harmful unless you mistreat them like any other drug.. so should they be made to be a product that is as easy to get as advil?

i'm kinda in the middle of what i believe. part of me thinks that it shouldnt be made so that everyone can use it because it really is made for the purpose of people with a.d.d and there are drastic side effects.. but then again, there's side effects to EVERYTHING so that makes me also wanna think that it should be made for everyone's use. the drug company would be happy because their business would sky rocket and the buyers would be happy because our grades would improve.

opinions? comments? anything?

[littlefishie]

I think it's stupid. People that don't have A.D.D or A.D.H.D shouldn't need to take drugs to concentrate. It's not like they physically can't concentrate. It's more a matter of laziness or apathy. And perhaps sometimes the effects are psychological. By taking the drug, you think that it'll help you concentrate, so in thinking that, you actually do concentrate. It might not have anything to do with the drug, except you think it does. And that's what allows you to concentrate better...

And who said grades will definitely improve? People should work for their grades. Not depend on some stupid drug.

I think it's rather pathetic.

[KendoTiger]

First of all, for all of the people who do abuse drugs, such as these for ADD and ADHD, making them available over the counter would just allow them to abuse it more. In parts of the US, they've had to move the advil behind the counter, because 13 year olds try to overdose on it ~ same with cough medicine.

I agree, you don't need these drugs to concentrate ~ why not just use caffine or something? I find it disturbing that you would take drugs you didn't need just because you liked the quick effects of it. The simple fact is that you did abuse the drugs, even if just for that one time.

What ^ is describing is called the placebo affect. I agree that it may be the cause of your "better" results studying, although part of it will probably also be that of the drug.

Since my cousin has ADHD, I personally think its disgusting to consistantly use medicine you don't need, just because you are too lazy to endure.

[junnleenfaah]

i wouldnt say i depend on it because i'm lazy but obviously no one here really knows me :P but in all honesty, all i do is really study, but its never effective studying no matter how hard i try. i can see why you say its pretty pathetic to use them, and i'll admit, yeah it can be, but when you're desperate.. i guess thats what a desperate person does. so call me desperate. who ever said i was perfect? honestly, i couldnt find any other way out that time

[epiphany]

taking these psychedelic drugs to help with studying is like althletes who take steroids to improve their physical ability...and that's illegal...so i don't see why it's ok to take drugs that are made for ppl with psychological disorders like ADD to improve your studying (which is not proven to be working...could just be a placebo effect). It's not right to use some kind to drugs when you dont have a disorder....and using drugs when you don't have to is, itself, a form of drug abuse.

[KendoTiger]

What I usually do when I'm in a pinch is make like ~ super strong "evil tea". Yeah, so I mix 4 teapots worth of tea ~ or about 6 teabags into 1 cup of water. Then I let it become bitter. It's a great wakeup when you're writing last minute term papers.

If you honestly have trouble concentrating, you might have a mild case of adhd ~ I'm just guessing though. Most people who say that they can't concentrate don't have a disorder. But anyways ~ you could always check it out.

For my cousin, when he was on medication, he would become so focused on something, he wouldn't even eat until he finished it. It was kinda scary ~ he would like, starve himself for the day, and fight you if you tried to force-feed him/distract him.

[katie323]

ADD has been changed to ADHD because it incorporates Hyperactivity in the disorder.

i don't think that "study drugs" should be accessible to everyone. Cos that would defeat the purpose of relying on ur on abilities, your own capability to focus on the task at hand and push the distractions away. I understand that everyone has a lot of things that needs to be accomplished, school projects, test, socializing, and bits and pieces of everything else. But if one is realli crunch for time, then i would stop wasting time. I would stop wasting time complaining at how much i have to do and just get it done. If i need to rest, then i will. It's all about time managment and if u aren't the best at that, then i think one should practice. But relying on a pill to keep u up or to help you focus when u are completely able to do it on ur own, that's just no kewl. That is just abusing the medicine that was designed to help certain ppl.

[lattae]

I am under the impression that ADD and ADHD are 2 different disorders. Which means that one can have attention deficit, but not necessary be hyperactive at all.


Actually, much of the "lack-of-attention-span" for the younger generation is due to the overwhelming amount of multimedia we get. It's like from young we are overly stimulated, by TV, video games etc. So when it slows down to something a little more mundane like studying, we get bored and distracted easily cos it's not stimulating enough for us.

I do believe that people should approach an expert for help if you truly have a condition. And I think statments like "Why don't you just deal with it..." is unfair to them.


As to whether one should use study drugs... hmm... I don't believe medication can cure something that is non-existant to begin with. I just symphatise with these people cos they are risking their health for this. Besides, even if you get good grades, will you be able to still have that pride to say "I've worked for this" or something along that line. I think the sense of achievement will be diminishes.

Each to their own....

[HarmonyCloud]

mm I agree with Lattae that a lot of the "lack-of-attention-spana" is due to the overwhelming amount of multimedia we get. I think I know that due to personal experience, for example now malls have tv's in them, that mainly just show advertising, and as my friend was talking to me at the food court I just couldn't concentrate on her and my eyes kept drifting to the Tv's _-_;;

I really don't agree with Study drugs, I think there are better methods to work on something like that. I am sure there are other ways to learn to focus, aside from having to take drugs, especially since most drugs are really not healthy for you, and have side effects, I am not really to enlightend with "study drugs" but I am sure there could be another option.

[junnleenfaah]

lattae, you bring up a really good point about the multimedia effect.. i never thought of that! and the effect seems to be very plausible because yeah, obviously studying isnt very appealing to most people [yes, MOST people not all.. i definitely have some friends who love to study. i, am not one of those people though :P] i guess us humans are never satisfied, huh?

[scarletwillow]

The inability to concentrate for the vast majority of us lies not in genetics or disorders but in our own massive stupdity.

Some people, like me, have a bit of a hard time concentrating perhaps. However, as I've said, that has nothing to do with a disease, and I don't think that's any sort of a sign for ADD/ADHD. Rather, when we lack the concentration, we lack the motivation: translation, we probably just don't give a damn.

[snowflake]

Hmm. I have never heard of such drugs. Maybe I’m just out of the loop already.
Actually I’m a bit of a slow learner myself and like most people studying bored me to tears. However, for the sake of passing my tests/exams, I tends to start early to avoid cramming last minute. There got to be ways to study other than taking drugs to help you concentrated.

[mliza]

they should do more research and develop another drug specifically for "normal" students and not use the one developed for ADD/ADHD.

but actually i don't think it'll solve the problem. in fact, it could cause another form of drug-dependency amongst students.

concentration is more of a process and the lack of it is not an ailment or a sickness. finding the causes of one's lack of concentration and addressing them would be better for you in the long run, than taking a pill.

[intoyou]

Ahh... studying -___-'' You know, I think I'd be the biggest prcrastinator in my school... serZ~ I sit myself down on my table, and get my things out, start studying for a good few 10min and omgsh like I'm sick of it already and do other things to avoid it... o_O'' The only subject I'm capable of studying for a good few hours is maths... Science and Geography, outta the question for me. My friends drink V or Red Bull to help them concentrate or eat fresh apples to keep them awake but drugs? I think you would get addicted to taking them permanently to study or something? xD

[azn_babii_gurl]

damn? study drugs??
if i heard of them earlier
then i wouldnt have suffered for my very last high school exams~
haha my fault that im in this third world country ><

[lattae]

I don't think those "study drugs" mentioned are for everyone.

If they are used to control ADHD/ADD, then it's probably bad for those of us who don't have ADHD/ADD. The side effects are too many, and it's simply not worth the risk.

[Pugwash]

Nah. Plenty of students excel in academics without the use of those drugs. If students used those drugs repeatedly, they will become relient on them and furthermore, it's the drug that's going to be the drive for these students, not so much themselves.

Anyways, if I were to come to your house and trash your computer, internet and all your precious belongings and left you with nothing but books, you'll study, trust me.

If I was some how allergic to MSN Messenger, the internet or hell, even the computer, I would definitely be a better student!

[lattae]

Anyways, if I were to come to your house and trash your computer, internet and all your precious belongings and left you with nothing but books, you'll study, trust me.
:glug: That's a very scary thought...

I think I'd sit there and sulk.

But you've brought up a good point. It's the distractions around us that we must get rid of. It's not some miracle cure!

[junnleenfaah]

i'm with lattae, pugwash. i'd sit and sulk.. and then i'd want to hit you for taking away all my things (=

hm okay, so i looked at my original post. and its weird how my thoughts have changed from half a year ago. now that i look back it, i'm kicking myself and asking myself, what the hell was i thinking?

and mid-terms are coming up once again.. i've been living off of caffeine to stay awake and study. *hops over to hyde's caffeine addicts anonymous thread*

i hate coffee though. but starbucks peppermint mocha? yum.

[Melvin]

i've been having lots of problems concentrating on study even before the exams... maybe these would help me do better.. :)

what's wrong with taking drugs, as long as used sparingly when we need it?

i think it all boils down to yourself... If you really hated studying, we had to totally brainwash you to study somethings.. Rather, i would say you have to learn to like what you are studying, or working at...

to make so many people dependent on a drug, just to keep them concentrated on their work.. what a powerful control the drug manufacturers would have!!!!