Adderall...the Devil's Pill or Miracle?

[TylerDMD]

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Adderall, that little orange or blue miracle pill that allows one to sit down and study for hours on end. I took it for about 2 years and then decided the side effects weren't worth the declining benefits. It's a definite advantage (for a while) in an academic setting because it really does make you smarter and able to study longer. Anybody else have any thoughts on the subject in light of the recent news on increase cardio/cerebro vascular risks? I think everyone has some form of ADHD but I'm not sure this stuff is the answer.

Tyler

 

[aphistis]

I disagree that "everyone has some form of ADHD"; if that were true, by definition it wouldn't be a disorder. Psychiatric meds are just like any other sort; they have risks & benefits, and treatment decisions should be guided by which category outweighs the other.

 

[atlanta478]

Adderall, that little orange or blue miracle pill that allows one to sit down and study for hours on end. I took it for about 2 years and then decided the side effects weren't worth the declining benefits. It's a definite advantage (for a while) in an academic setting because it really does make you smarter and able to study longer. Anybody else have any thoughts on the subject in light of the recent news on increase cardio/cerebro vascular risks? I think everyone has some form of ADHD but I'm not sure this stuff is the answer.

Tyler

In many D-schools, especially during first two years, the “A - pill” is very popular. Some students tried it for a “tough” test and got the benefits that they couldn’t resist later. Some have seen the results on their fellow students. Students who used to be an average, all of a sudden, were getting much higher grades. Each person has to consider the risk and the benefits. For the long run, the risk looks much higher than the benefit, but this is just MY opinion.

 

[TucsonDDS]

People on this forum compain when somebody says they have someone look over an entrance essay and say that they are cheating but no one has a problem with people taking amphetamines to help study. I can't believe it, I guess there are a lot of hippocrites on these forums.

 

[DcS]

It's not necessarily that it makes a person smarter, it just allows increased concentration.

I don't think it was a big issue at my school. I'm sure it happens a little bit behind closed doors I guess.

I took it 1 time in undergrad from a roommate who has add. To me it was like having tunnel vision...I was able to study and nothing else seemed to matter. With that said, I felt so miserable coming off of it as it left my body I decided it just wasn't worth it. That was the first and only time I did.

 

[HermeytheElf]

I can't see the positives outweighing the negatives on this one. I just keep coming back to the whole "habitual use of amphetamines" thing...I don't know maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I tend to agree with tucson...using drugs to get a better grade in a class is getting dangerously close to cheating. Anyone see gross anatomy?...a med student was expelled for using speed(an amphetamine) to help him study longer. I know adderall isn't speed, but they are closely related.

 

[aphistis]

People on this forum compain when somebody says they have someone look over an entrance essay and say that they are cheating but no one has a problem with people taking amphetamines to help study. I can't believe it, I guess there are a lot of hippocrites on these forums.

I'll buy this argument when having someone else do your homework becomes an accepted method of treating a recognized disorder. Until then, no sale.

 

[DrTacoElf]

Its not cheating in my opinion. Do them if you like is my take but eventually its going to catch up with you.

 

[HermeytheElf]

The essence of cheating is attempting to gain an unfair advantage over someone else and that's exactly what taking adderall is. I would say taking adderall to help you study is comparable to a baseball player using steroids. It's not going to ensure that you hit the ball, but its for damn certain going to make things easier.

 

[darius99]

so what do u guys say about using past years' exams as a study aid in d-school? from several threads it seems that this is common practice, and some people imply that it is almost necessary just to get by at certain schools. i'd say this is cheating more than using adderall

 

[Rezdawg]

The essence of cheating is attempting to gain an unfair advantage over someone else and that's exactly what taking adderall is. I would say taking adderall to help you study is comparable to a baseball player using steroids. It's not going to ensure that you hit the ball, but its for damn certain going to make things easier.

If you take adderall and it completely changes your study habits and improves your grades, then guess what? You have a form of ADHD. Its not cheating.

 

[HermeytheElf]

Study drugs are a pretty controversial topic in higher education so it's understandable that people are going to disagree with me and that's fine. I'm not saying that you are a horrible person if you use adderall to help you study, but personally I am not going to abuse my body by taking drugs to gain a competitive edge in anything, whether it be sports or academia. If you don't see a problem with it and you aren't violating school rules, then by all means use it.

 

[superchris147]

Study drugs are a pretty controversial topic in higher education so it's understandable that people are going to disagree with me and that's fine. I'm not saying that you are a horrible person if you use adderall to help you study, but personally I am not going to abuse my body by taking drugs to gain a competitive edge in anything, whether it be sports or academia. If you don't see a problem with it and you aren't violating school rules, then by all means use it.

some of the kids in my class with the best grades use it, but i don't really consider it cheating. it might really make me mad sometimes, but if u really wanted to u could study all day long . . . period. and if you really can't then u either need to start taking it or u should just accept that u r not going to be in the top of your class.

i've never done it because i'm afraid of meth mouth, jk.

 

[ncalcate]

If I am not mistaken, we, as future dentists, will be able to prescribe narcotics for patients as well as other medications. Yet some of these future dentists are posting here saying that it is OK to take amphetamines that are not prescribed for them? I find that to be not only hypocritical but highly unethical.

If you are legitimately diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, then by all means take it. But if you are going around taking prescription drugs when that drug is not specifically prescribed for you, then I think you are crossing a huge ethical boundary. And I would think that most dental schools and dental licensing boards would tend to agree with me on this.

How could you possibly trust a dentist with the responsibility to prescribe narcotics for patients if that same dentist had just recently been taking prescription drugs (without a prescription) to intentionally enhance his/her performance?

 

[OrinScrivello]

I predict that this will be unpopular, but here goes....

ADD/ADHD, just like "alcoholism", is not a valid medical disorder. It is merely a marked change in one's ability to perform a given task with/without ingesting a chemical substance, which is a measure of one's willpower and concentration.

Drugs such as Adderol, Ritalin, Dexedrine, etc. are merely an easier path for parents to effect behavioral change in their children than to address the underlying lack of self-discipline.

The power of one's will is the only valid remedy to such problems of concentration and self-control.

 

[phremius]

I predict that this will be unpopular, but here goes....

ADD/ADHD, just like "alcoholism", is not a valid medical disorder. It is merely a marked change in one's ability to perform a given task with/without ingesting a chemical substance, which is a measure of one's willpower and concentration.

Drugs such as Adderol, Ritalin, Dexedrine, etc. are merely an easier path for parents to effect behavioral change in their children than to address the underlying lack of self-discipline.

The power of one's will is the only valid remedy to such problems of concentration and self-control.

chalk another one up for my douchebag's list.

 

[Rezdawg]

I predict that this will be unpopular, but here goes....

ADD/ADHD, just like "alcoholism", is not a valid medical disorder. It is merely a marked change in one's ability to perform a given task with/without ingesting a chemical substance, which is a measure of one's willpower and concentration.

Drugs such as Adderol, Ritalin, Dexedrine, etc. are merely an easier path for parents to effect behavioral change in their children than to address the underlying lack of self-discipline.

The power of one's will is the only valid remedy to such problems of concentration and self-control.

Swing and a miss.

 

[TucsonDDS]

chalk another one up for my douchebag's list.

You can sign me up too. ADD and ADHD are way overdiagnosed today. Sure a select few kids (I am talking children) may truely have it but overall I think it is a cop out for poor parenting skills. What happened to kids 20 years ago with it, they got a swat on the ass and all was good. Now parents are just looking for something to blame their lack of dicipline on and ADD is the catch-all diagnosis for this generation. Sure, some may say that since they are able to study longer, harder, better on Adderal then they must have ADD but I can only say no sh1t, you are on Amphetamines. They will make anybody study better, that is what they are designed for. Just because it is an FDA approved medication doesn't mean that you aren't on just a legal form of meth. I am not saying that I haven't taken any drugs, but I wouldn't ever use them to help me "study". I can tell you that if your patients ever found out that the only way you could get through dental school was by taking amphetamines you will probably lose half of your patient base. I know I wouldn't feel comfortable going to you.

 

[chachasimpson]

Jeez sign me up too!!! Don't start on the alcoholism either. I think that it is a perfectly valid medical disorder, and it's been shown that it runs in families.

With the whole amphetamines thing, I totally agree with ncalcate. It isn't too professional to take illegal drugs to enhance your performance. IT'S FREAKING AMPHETAMINES! A controlled substance! And do you know the consequences it can have on your oral health, let alone your whole body health?

 

[bpenly]

Adderall is perfectly fine for those who can't study on their own. Based on this logic, it would also appear that it is also perfectly ok to use roofies if you can't pick up the ladies on your own too.

Here is a good idea for unprescribed Adderall misusers who can't concentrate. Turn off the TV, video games, and unhook your internet connection.

 

[16846]

i've never done it because i'm afraid of meth mouth, jk.

Meth Mouth? That's one I never came across during my basic sciences in med. school. What is it characterized as?

 

[superchris147]

Meth Mouth? That's one I never came across during my basic sciences in med. school. What is it characterized as?

meth mouth is associated with methamphetamines and not amphetamines. methamphetamines cause xerostomia or "dry mouth". saliva helps protect your teeth from bacteria, therefore the xerostomia from methamphetamine use causes the drug addict to get rampant caries which makes their mouth extremely nasty. that's pretty much the basics of it

 

[darius99]

Meth Mouth? That's one I never came across during my basic sciences in med. school. What is it characterized as?

and it's apparently becoming very prevalent in the US (especially in the midwest i believe), as meth use is gaining in popularity now. there have been a good amount of articles on this in magazines like time and newsweek, so it appears that it's really on the rize

 

[OrinScrivello]

meth mouth is associated with methamphetamines and not amphetamines. methamphetamines cause xerostomia or "dry mouth". saliva helps protect your teeth from bacteria, therefore the xerostomia from methamphetamine use causes the drug addict to get rampant caries which makes their mouth extremely nasty. that's pretty much the basics of it

Don't forget the constant grinding and clenching which leads to cracked teeth.

 

[OrinScrivello]

sorry, duplicate post

 

[aphistis]

Just because it is an FDA approved medication doesn't mean that you aren't on just a legal form of meth. I am not saying that I haven't taken any drugs, but I wouldn't ever use them to help me "study". I can tell you that if your patients ever found out that the only way you could get through dental school was by taking amphetamines you will probably lose half of your patient base. I know I wouldn't feel comfortable going to you.

You've gotta be kidding. Let's extend this logic of "every drug within a given class is identical" and see what happens.

Vicodin for post-op pain? No way. Just because it's an FDA-approved medication doesn't mean that you aren't just on a legal form of heroin.

How about ester anesthetics? They're just legal forms of cocaine, and you can buy benzocaine off the shelf at Walgreens.

And then there are glucocorticoids--or, as you might know them, "a legal form of anabolic steroids."

Finally, just out of morbid curiosity, how many cases of "Ritalin mouth" have you treated?

If you'd really be that afraid of perfectly competent dentists who took/take Adderall, that's your prerogative...but speaking for myself, I'd much sooner visit them than someone who openly admits s/he can't tell two drugs in a class apart.

 

[nnjh]

In many D-schools, especially during first two years, the “A - pill” is very popular. Some students tried it for a “tough” test and got the benefits that they couldn’t resist later. Some have seen the results on their fellow students. Students who used to be an average, all of a sudden, were getting much higher grades. Each person has to consider the risk and the benefits. For the long run, the risk looks much higher than the benefit, but this is just MY opinion.

How do these kids get there hands on prescription drugs when they don't have a diagnosed disorder? Do they buy it off ebay or something???

 

[Sprgrover]

How do these kids get there hands on prescription drugs when they don't have a diagnosed disorder? Do they buy it off ebay or something???

Easy - just go to your GP or PCP (primary care physician), state your problem, and a buck says that you'll have a prescription in your hot little hand in no time. What do you think happens when a male patient seeks Levitra?

 

[TucsonDDS]

You've gotta be kidding. Let's extend this logic of "every drug within a given class is identical" and see what happens.

Vicodin for post-op pain? No way. Just because it's an FDA-approved medication doesn't mean that you aren't just on a legal form of heroin.

How about ester anesthetics? They're just legal forms of cocaine, and you can buy benzocaine off the shelf at Walgreens.

And then there are glucocorticoids--or, as you might know them, "a legal form of anabolic steroids."

Finally, just out of morbid curiosity, how many cases of "Ritalin mouth" have you treated?

If you'd really be that afraid of perfectly competent dentists who took/take Adderall, that's your prerogative...but speaking for myself, I'd much sooner visit them than someone who openly admits s/he can't tell two drugs in a class apart.

No-sh1t shirlock, of course they aren't the same drugs as you buy from your neighborhood crackhouse but they are both very similar drugs and both provide very similar physiologic reactions. And by the way I am 100% sure that I have far more experience with the effects of "ritalin" mouth than you do. The majority of the time the families of these kids that are on it are looking for an easy way out of raising their kids. This doesn't meen that some people don't actually have ADD or ADHD but I am not convinced that all these kids that are on Ritalin truely have the disease and I am even less convinced that the average dental student who is taking amphetamines need it to treat a condition other than lack of focus. How many children are on Ritalin who come from tight well functioning families that actually all sit down to eat dinner every night. Some but not very many that I have seen in my 10 years working as an RN. I think that students who need Adderall to do well in school are just like weightlifters who need steroids to do well in competition. I would like to be able to ride like Lance but unfortunately I am not able to get my Cardiac Output up to the 40lpm range and my VO2 max is just a little lacking, do you think it should be fair or legal that I take some Epogen so I can carry a little more oxygen and be more competative.

Medications all have their place, yes Vicodin is perfectly fine for post op pain as well as a myriad of other conditions. Ritalin has it's place also but not to give students an edge over other students. And I stick to my guns when I say I would rather not be seen by a dentist, neurosurgeon or oncologist that feels like they can't focus unless they are high on amphetamines, legally prescribed or not.

 

[Biogirl361]

I predict that this will be unpopular, but here goes....

ADD/ADHD, just like "alcoholism", is not a valid medical disorder. It is merely a marked change in one's ability to perform a given task with/without ingesting a chemical substance, which is a measure of one's willpower and concentration.

Drugs such as Adderol, Ritalin, Dexedrine, etc. are merely an easier path for parents to effect behavioral change in their children than to address the underlying lack of self-discipline.

The power of one's will is the only valid remedy to such problems of concentration and self-control.

Thank you! I agree. I saw this thing on the news once where some doctors were saying that kids who skip class a lot in middle/high school may have X medical condition... i was like... they aren't not going cause they can't... they are not going because they don't want to and are just being undiciplined/bad kids, flat out. Too many people are using so-called medical conditions as cop outs. Yeah I can't just sit down and study for hours either, but it is because the material is boring and there is more interesting stuff to do - you don't see me saying oh, it's because I have a medical condition. I also think many people confuse legitimate medical conditions with natural anxiety and the resulting actions induced by our stress-filled society. I think there are probably a SMALL number of people with legitimate ADD and other conditions, but the excuse has been taken way too much advantage of which is 1) annoying and 2) sad because it ruins it for the people who really are sick.

at the same time I do not think taking A to help study is cheating. cheating is stealing pertinent info (like taking pictures of exams) or bringing info into a test or getting information from someone else when you're supposed to know it on your own. Taking drugs doesn't just magically make the info appear in your head or do your studying for you - it just helps you do a better job on your own. like someone else said, anyone CAN study just as much without drugs, it would just take more willpower, its not like those people had more time or something like that. do you think people who drink huge amounts of coffee or pop to stimulate them to stay awake are cheating also?

someone mentioned something about old tests - using old tests to help study isn't cheating either as long as the professor freely handed back the graded exams the year before. If you didn't steal or illegally copy the exam then how is letting your friends look at it cheating? Yes it can be very frusterating - and possibly unethical - if only a select group of friends (ahem- frat people) have the exam and thus a useful study tool that others don't have... but it's still not cheating.

my .02

 

[Toothdoc2b]

How do these kids get there hands on prescription drugs when they don't have a diagnosed disorder? Do they buy it off ebay or something???

Its not too complicated... I actually helped write an article on these types of drugs in undergrad.... they are extremely popular. As for buying them... you can go to your local pot dealer. Everybody knows a guy or... knows a guy who knows a guy. If the pot dealer doesnt have it... he knows who will. The pills even range in price.... During the semester, theyll run from 2-5 bucks a piece. Come final time, theyll cost as much as 10 bucks depending on whether you are buying ritalin (cheaper) or adderall (a bit more)... and of course adderall ranges in dosage.... hope that answers your question... btw in case anyone is curious... effects do wear of with prolonged use and some people experience side effects while others dont. These may include but not limited to loss of hunger, increased bp, and dehydration. Those who choose to take it... well...

 

[gryffindor]

I just read through this thread and boy do I feel naive. And to think I spent all those years from high school onwards doing it the old-fasioned way - cramming & pulling all-nighters.

This drug does seem like an unfair advantage to those who are misusing it.

 

[LSR1979]

If you take adderall and it completely changes your study habits and improves your grades, then guess what? You have a form of ADHD.

Oh this is brilliant scientific logic here.

 

[Rezdawg]

Oh this is brilliant scientific logic here.

Thats the point, it wasnt meant to be scientific. Guess that flew over your head.

 

[Rezdawg]

I think that students who need Adderall to do well in school are just like weightlifters who need steroids to do well in competition. I would like to be able to ride like Lance but unfortunately I am not able to get my Cardiac Output up to the 40lpm range and my VO2 max is just a little lacking, do you think it should be fair or legal that I take some Epogen so I can carry a little more oxygen and be more competative.

I guess you treat dental school like a race or a competition. Man, that would suck to have you in my class.

 

[USAF_Dentman]

Sign me up, where can I get some?

After about 10-11pm, I just cant stay awake, no matter how hard I try..it sucks..

Lol

 

[TucsonDDS]

I guess you treat dental school like a race or a competition. Man, that would suck to have you in my class.

Actually I don't. I am more than willing to study with anyone that asks. I think that you have it backwards, the people who are treating it like a competition are the ones who find it neccessary to take performance enhancing drugs.

 

[Rezdawg]

Actually I don't. I am more than willing to study with anyone that asks. I think that you have it backwards, the people who are treating it like a competition are the ones who find it neccessary to take performance enhancing drugs.

Not if they have ADHD.

 

[geckel]

Who needs adderall........two cups of strong columbian in immediate succession will do something similiar. Probably a lot cheaper too.
From what I've learned kids with ADHD get the greatest benifits from adderall.....but they are supposed to be weened off of it gradually for a few years. It usually doesn't persist into adulthood.

As far as adderall being a form of academic cheating, I disagree. It just helps them study.....if the pill magically gave them all of the answers during exams then I would agree. But it doesn't so I don't. It costs them there health to a degree(insomnia, loss of appetite, loss of sex drive, and paranoia). If they didn't need it then they wouldn't take it. Just my two cents.

 

[lnn2]

btw in case anyone is curious... effects do wear of with prolonged use and some people experience side effects while others dont. These may include but not limited to loss of hunger, increased bp, and dehydration.

not including the shrinkage of dnutz.