Facts About Study Drugs

The issue of study drugs, and the inherent resultant dangers has just entered the spotlight of modern news.  An exponential increase in use and supply/demand has lead to sudden publicity, with an estimated 55% of American university students having been offered some form of study drug. Some are completely legal - caffeine supplements, namely "ProPlus" and "NoDoz" are ways for students to safely stay alert and able throughout exam time, but on a more sinister note, abuse of prescription drugs such as adderall and ritalin is reaching an all time high.

Students with conditions like ADHD which these drugs are prescribed for are often pressured by peers into exaggerating their symptoms, and attaining a surplus of these drugs to sell. The value of these intellectual steroids sky-rockets around exam times, when students are desperate to study and in need of the energy and focus to do so. With tempting circumstances, and the safety of knowing these substances were made in a commercial environment, it is hardly suprising so many people have used them.

While they might seem like an easy option for study, these drugs are not without drawbacks. They have been linked to instances of cancer and neurological diseases in multiple studies, and the short term effects of their withdrawal symptoms are nothing to be scoffed at. Not only this, but the ethics of their use is questionable – are they paramount to doping in a sporting context? Universities have begun a wide-spread crackdown on such drugs, due to the unrealistic performance required by students that don't use them in order to keep up with their peers that do.