Posted on23 June 2010.
University Daily Kansan, U. Kansas via UWIRE
Despite suspicions that getting a prescription for Adderall is fairly easy, little evidence has been able to support this claim until now. A recent study published in the Psychological Assessment Journal compared students with ADHD and others who pretended to have the disorder. Their results showed that anyone with knowledge of ADHD symptoms could pass as needing the medication.
As a freshman, Ayo Amadi struggled to focus on schoolwork. He decided to get tested for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. after only one visit and a series of questions, his doctor prescribed him Adderall — a drug highly sought by college students.
“He asked me how I’ve done in school, about my sleeping patterns and about my health, like how much I work out and how often I drink or smoke,” Amadi, now a senior from Parsons, said. “He didn’t run any actual tests. it was all on my input and what I said.”
While many college students seek the drug’s help to pull all-nighters for exams, or to simply get high, Amadi said he doesn’t like to take his medication because of the negative side effects he experiences.
“It gave me a pleasant buzz and helped me focus, but after the first month it gave me headaches and I didn’t feel good,” Amadi said. “After a while I realized I didn’t really need it.”
Myra Strother, senior physician for Student Health Services, said anyone claiming to have ADHD need to have documentation that they’ve had the symptoms since childhood. she said doctors need to look at multiple areas of the person’s life and should check up on their lifestyle.
“There’s no such thing as ‘I hit college and got it’,” Strother said. “Doctors need to think, do they have anxiety? do they drink too much?”
Strother conducts ADHD screening at Watkins Health Center on campus. she tests students to make sure there’s a possibility they could have the disorder. from there Counseling and Psychological Services performs a full evaluation that consists of three to five sessions at $15 each.
“It seems like it’s very easy to get Adderall on this campus, which is horrible,” Strother said. “I can’t imagine why anyone would go through the whole testing process when they can just get it from someone else.”
Whether students can fool doctors or buy the drug from others, Adderall is prevalent among college-aged adults.
But the drug that allows students to procrastinate until the night before a due date can also give users serious health problems. Potential side affects of Adderall include dizziness, pounding heartbeats and insomnia.
“For people who abuse the drug on a normal basis it’s really bad,” Strother said. “Drinking with it can hurt your liver, you won’t get enough sleep and people can get really anxious if it’s not prescribed to them.”
Strother said that psychologists need to be careful they don’t give prescriptions to those who don’t need it but can’t deny medication to those who do.
“I’ve seen situations where doctors give people the medication too easily,” Strother said. “But kids that actually have ADHD can be a lot more successful with medication.”
Read more here: kansan.com/news/2010/jun/22/study-its-easy-fake-adhd-symptoms/
Copyright 2010 University Daily Kansan