Adderall and Ritalin are prescribed for patients who suffer from attention deficit disorder.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – It seems that a great number of college students are abusing Adderall, Ritalin and other medication usually prescribed for ADHD disorder. The reason behind this increased addiction is the fact that the medication helps the students focus on their studying. Doctors are advising the college students to put an end to this practice because the ADHD medication abuse can lead to severe health issues and addiction.
Adderall and Ritalin are usually prescribed for the attention-deficit disorder. The drugs are a stimulant that helps the patients focus on a subject for longer periods of time. College students are abusing Adderall and Ritalin, especially during finals when they feel the need to stay focused on studying.
According to Ramin Mojtabai, the lead researcher of the study that focused on the increased use of the ADHD prescribed medication, the number of people who have been misusing the drugs increased exponentially since 2011. The data of the study shows that ever since 2011, the use of Adderall spiked with 67 percent. Also, the emergency room has seen 156 percent more visits related to Adderall since 2011.
The Johns Hopkins mental health professor discovered that the age of the adults who are using the ADHD medication without having the medical need for it is between 18 and 25. It seems that they manage to obtain the pills from family members who own a subscription or from friends.
Judging by the age of the Adderall abusers, they are either college students that are trying to learn everything they can in the last minute or young people that are trying to focus on their new job. Dr. Mojtabai’s team also suspects that a part of the young people who use Adderall are doing so for recreational purposes.
The Drug and Food Administration of the United States stated that Adderall and Ritalin abuse can lead to serious health complications such as cardiovascular diseases, sudden heart events like a heart attack or a stroke, severe addiction and even death.
College students are abusing Adderall because the medication’s active ingredient is amphetamine. The drug makes them feel overwrought and helps them cram up before a difficult exam. What they aren’t aware of is the cost that they are paying for a good grade.
Amphetamine-based medication can cause addiction, heart failure and death. The Emergency room has been seeing plenty of cases of young people that overdose on the medication ever since 2011.
The biggest concern is that while the number of people that are taking Adderall and Ritalin has risen significantly, the number of prescriptions has remained approximately the same. This means that the ADHD medication is being sold illegally to a large number of people who end up in the hospital later on.
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