I used to tell myself I was using Adderall for the right reasons. Really, I lacked a genuine personal investment in my education. It’s not news that a terrifyingly large number of people, especially college students, use prescription stimulants to boost cognitive enhancement and party harder. In a culture that glorifies competition why not take something to provide an extra edge on the next exam, or presentation?
Now, an ongoing shortage of Adderall has become problematic. It affects legitimate patients of ADHD.
In an interview with Reuters, Ruth Hughes, chief executive of Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) expressed her concerns. “No one seems to have much inventory to get us through the months ahead. Someone needs to own this problem and take the initiative to fix it,” she said.
The Drug Enforcement Administration regulates the amount of the active ingredient in Adderall produced each year to prevent a surplus of production – as well as abuse. The government agency regulates the amount of ADD/ADHD drugs that are produced, according to a recent article in the New York Times, which noted, “Officials at the Food and Drug Administration say the shortages are a result of overly strict quotas set by the Drug Enforcement Administration.”
But the shortage of Adderall is straining the lives of already stressed out students who depend on the drug, as well as those who have developed an addiction to it.
“It seems that students are relying on the drug to stay focused and alert when they study, and many others are abusing it to stay up all night to cram before a test,” said Aegis Medical Sacramento representative Karly Armbrecht, to the California Aggie, UC Davis’ student newspaper.
“Not [being] able to have access to [Adderall] as a grad student is terrifying. It’s terrifying,” said an ADHD-affected student named Caroline Smith in an NPR interview. “I know it’s going to affect my ability to do well in school.”
A 2007 study by DeSantis and Hane recognizes justifications for the the illegal use of ADHD stimulants.
- I’m doing it for the rights reasons
- Crack is for losers, Adderall is for winners
- It comes from the medical establishment therefore it’s safe
- There’s no high
- There are no external/societal side effects
And the kicker:
- I’m only self-medicating.
But really, Adderall is a psycho-stimulant defined as a Schedule II drug due to its high potential for abuse and dependence. While students are continuously busted for alcohol and marijuana, there seems to be an unspoken agreement that taking stimulants is okay, as long as you’re studying.
With a work hard/play hard attitude, we take Adderall to stay up all night Thursday studying. When Friday night comes around and we’re exhausted, we take more Adderall. Before you know it, you’ve developed a dangerous side effect, amphetamine induced psychosis.
Our generation takes amphetamines to get school work done, sacrificing our passions to social narratives of success. We consume wine by the case, fill butt buckets at an alarming rate, and produce papers with mechanical efficiency—and we believe it to be glorious.
“Without the aid of the drug, I wouldn’t be functioning in school and work at the same level as those around me,” wrote Kelsey Bell in a TNGG article last year. “I can’t afford not to take this medicine, given the current job market.”
Adderall helps us power through that paper, helps us memorize those facts we’ll forget in a semester, but with a complex shortage issue, can we find a way buckle down without those little “smart pills”?
What are your suggestions for staying focused without Adderall? Tell us in the comments!
I was diagnosed with ADHD in college at my doctor’s urging — I was actually quite resistant to the idea of regularly taking any kind of drug that could alter my brain like that. But once I started adderall, I saw a significant upshift in my productivity. It proved to be a tremendous help. I had made it through 20 years of my life without it, but it was hard. Now, when I’m OFF the drug, the difference is truly staggering, which makes this shortage even scarier and more frustrating to those of us who actually take the pill for reasons beyond cramming for all-nighters. It’s harder to do my actual paying jobs without it. I’m forced to go on a wild hunt, bouncing around every CVS in the Boston area, in an attempt to find one that will fill the script.
So basically, it totally sucks. But good article!
Well written article, you point out correctly that this has become a major problem on college campuses nationwide. AddieUP is a natural alternative supplement that works well, you can get it online at Addieup.com, it combines stimulants and nootropics.
How about for the people that are going to lose their jobs (and subsequently their homes, etc.) because of these barriers that have been created by clueless law makers and the greed of the big drug companies. I was diagnosed with a sleep disorder and cannot function without this med. I am in Georgia and am having the same issues. However, no one notified the pharmacies of the shortages so they could notify patients ahead of time. In fact, they (CVS, Walgreens) still don’t know why they don’t receive the drug they have ordered. I have also read that the big drug companies do something called pay to delay – meaning they pay competitors to withhold (not produce) the cheaper drugs to keep it off the market while the more expensive/newer drugs are used instead. But they don’t realize those expensive drugs are not covered by insurance therefore it comes out of pocket. This has got to be illegal. Especially the physical crisis that can come from abruptly stopping such a medication. Unfortunately, one’s death is usually the only way to make such injustice stop.
what sleep disorder do you have? i have been diagnosed with sleep-phase delay for years- on top of that I have anxiety and attention issues. adderall is really the only thing that helps me concentrate on anything. I have used it only on occasion when I had a great amount of coursework to do that I was subsequently behind on due to my attention issues (NOT because I was partying!). I have also used it to help regulate my sleep patterns. I have avoided asking my dr for a script because I do not want to become reliant on a medication & because I know it is a hard script to ask for out of the blue. I tried therapy and have seen sleep specialists but nothing works as well. I’m concerned now, when I’m realizing that I’m going to be a pathetic excuse for a person forever if I don’t correct my attention issues that there are no meds available. But I’m interested in knowing none-the-less how well a consistent script works for someone with a sleep disorder. thanks.
Great and important article. As someone who has a prescription for Ritalin I see the difference between myself on the drug and people who are abusing it. And hello its totally obvious.
Me on Ritalin: Calm, centered, patient, serene, can-do attitude, with occasional sweaty palms
Other People on Ritalin: “roidy” on-edge, hyperfocused, creepy, impatient, overly chatty (or dead silent)
Me Not On Ritalin: exactly like the above symptons of someone abusing it.
See the problem? I don’t even advertise that I take it because people assume that its the reason I get good grades or achieve things. When actually it just puts me on a level playing field.
Did Adderall sponsor this post?
Is Mullen, who funds this site and is one of the largest corporate advertising companies in the entire world, promoting the use of Adderall by sponsoring this story?
Actually the purpose of this article is NOT to promote Adderall but to provide a wake up to call to the thousands and thousands of students dangerously abusing Adderall. I was one of them, and it nearly killed me. I also wished to call attention to the multi-million dollar ADHD therapeutics market that has certainly profited from the abuse of psycho-stimulants. Many people go around from doctor to doctor, gathering multiple prescriptions for the same drug- and this goes unregulated. I’m not sure why this was edited out, but my original article quoted the DEA blaming the “marketing decisions” of the drug manufacturing companies for the shortage.
So no, I do not support Adderall.
Great job on aggregating a bunch of stories from other websites! So the Next Great Generation just rips other sites off and aggregates content? Sounds pretty great!
“NEXT” IS ABOUT RIGHT
ANYONE WHO WRITES FOR THIS WEBSITE IS A SELLOUT AND A FRAUD. NEVERMIND THE READERS.
Hey troll, actually Mullen has nothing to do with the content on this site and the writers are not employed by Mullen. All content is original and all sources are referenced. It is called blogging journalism. Look it up. Or better yet, let’s see some articles you have written?
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