Cauldron

Issue date: 2/9/06 Section: Front Page

Media Credit: www.textamerica.com

Media Credit: Chester Soria Two little pills of Adderall would cost as little as $10 on the street. However, some students are giving and receiving the medication for free.

After trying his first Adderall pill in March of 2005, senior political science major Matthew set out to get his own prescription two months later.

"The first time I took it was amazing," said Matthew, whose name has been changed at his request. He said that he sat down with a copy of the phone directory and began looking for a random psychiatrist. After unsuccessfully calling two psychiatrists, the third asked him to come into her office for an evaluation. After circling random answers on a questionnaire, Matthew was handed a prescription for Adderall 25 minutes later.

Most students endure stress throughout their college experience, and some rely on caffeine or energy drinks to push through studying. Recently, however, some students forgo the espresso and Red Bull, and instead opt for prescription stimulant medication.

Adderall is one of various medications prescribed to patients diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. However, unlawful use of Adderall as a study aid has become a health concern for campuses around the nation.


Adderall and UST

According to senior math and theology major Gabriel Castillo, Adderall has helped him through middle school, high school and now college. Over the years, Castillo has been prescribed medication, including Adderall and Ritalin, to curb symptoms of ADHD. He received his first prescription for Ritalin for Attention Deficit Disorder when he was in second grade. Since then, the American Psychiatric Association has stopped using the term ADD and recognizes the condition as ADHD.

Castillo, who is also president of the Student Activities Board and captain of UST's baseball team, said that many people are surprised when they find out he has ADHD. He said that he probably would not be where he is without the medication. "I don't think I would have gone to college or be able to go to church or pray," he said.

Castillo said that he understands the risks of taking Adderall and that he was fortunate enough to have parental support. "My mom made me research everything," he said. "A lot of people don't know what [Adderall] can do to you."

Even though Matthew said he also did his own research and understood the dangers of Adderall, nevertheless he accepted two prescriptions for Adderall from the psychiatrist he found in the directory. His phone-book psychiatrist wrote him a prescription for 240 milligrams of the drug; he obtained the maximum of 60 milligrams from his local pharmacy and the maximum of 180 milligrams from a mail order pharmaceutical service. His insurance covered all the costs.

When Matthew's psychiatrist moved out of Houston, Matthew was reassigned to a new psychiatrist who told him that he has suffered health complications as a result of his drug use. Matthew said that since cutting back on Adderall, he has taken an EKG that has confirmed heart damage. He said that he probably had the heart condition before he started taking Adderall, but using the medication likely made it worse.

Within seven months, Matthew said his weight went from 232 to 154 pounds. He could go days without sleep and found that his grades were not suffering. "[Adderall] was this wonderful thing that you want to share with friends," he said.

Although he later regretted doing so, Matthew said that he often found himself sharing his prescriptions with his classmates. Once, he said, he filled up a Starbucks mint container with pills and gave it to a friend. "She ended up giving one to her friend," he said. "I later got a call from a stranger who wanted to know if they could buy some."

With a typical street value of $5 to $10 for a 35 milligram pill, Adderall can also be used recreationally. A UST political science major who requested anonymity said she has seen Adderall abused by classmates. "I've watched a girl snort it," she said. "I saw her cut it up on her textbook and it creeped me out."

Considered a Schedule II drug by the Federal Drug Administration, Adderall has a high abuse potential and can cause severe psychological or physical dependence. However, the drug also has safe and accepted medical uses.


The drug

Adderall entered the market as a treatment for ADHD in the early 1990s, competing against Ritalin and Dexadrine. Adderall differed from medication already on the market because its chemical makeup created longer lasting effects.

"There is a lot of controversy with college students using [Adderall] to study," clinical professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine Richard Pesikoff said. "We go by the book. If you meet the criteria, then we can prescribe it. You should not [take] the drug purely for the purposes of staying up all night."

Pesikoff said Adderall users exhibit common and detectable symptoms. "The common side effects are insomnia and loss of appetite," he said. Users can also experience nausea, weight loss and paranoia.

"It's rare, but you can also have a stimulant psychosis," he said. "It's a brief phenomenon though because [the drug] is out of the system pretty quickly."


The University's response

According to Director of Security Darryl Bissett, no cases of Adderall abuse or distribution have been reported to the University's security office. "We have not come across any Adderall-related problems on campus," he said.

While there has been no officially recognized presence of Adderall or other stimulant medication, Bissett said that his office would follow procedure and report any infractions to both administration officials and local authorities. Bissett said a student found with Xanax in the fall of 2005 was arrested and charged with possession. "We will use the criminal justice system as well as institutional actions," Bissett said.

Possession of one to four grams of Adderall without a prescription is a third degree felony, Bissett said. Possession of more than four grams is considered a second-degree felony, he added. Bissett also said that possession with intent to distribute would carry harsher penalties. If a student is caught with less than four grams and intends to distribute it, he or she could receive a second-degree felony. Anything over four grams with intent to distribute would carry a first-degree felony charge.

"Just because charges are not accepted by the district attorney doesn't mean that action won't be taken in-house," Bissett said. "When you start facing a felony record, it's not going away ever."

Other University departments are being proactive regarding Adderall use at UST, including the recently created Health Promotion and Wellness office. "Our No. 1 focus is education and prevention," Amanda Alvey, the coordinator of that office, said.

Alvey said her office will distribute information on Adderall and other stimulant medication to students as soon as possible. However, Alvey said that she is uncertain whether Adderall abuse is occurring on campus. "I have not heard enough of it to be considered a problem at UST," Alvey said. "It's just been talk and hearsay."

Executive Director of Counseling, Wellness and Disability Services Rose Signorello said that prescription drug abuse is a problem, even if very few students are turning to Adderall. "It's a problem when one or two students misuse it," she said. "Using someone else's prescription is a serious matter."

She added that her department can best approach Adderall abuse through education and by providing information regarding side effects.

"Our services can handle short-term intervention and counseling," Signorello said. "Our role here is to provide confidential services. If someone came in with that issue, we would do an assessment and refer them to our community resources."

Regardless of University measures to prevent abuse, students can still engage in black market sale and illicit use of Adderall and other stimulant medication. Matthew, who despite his health problems still takes Adderall on a regular basis, said that he is making an effort to curb his usage.

"The bottle I have at home might be my last one," he said. "But part of me says I might just get another psychiatrist."

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