Do you use prescription stimulants or caffeine?

[pithy84]

Do you use prescription stimulants or caffeine to study? What about on test day? Do you have ADHD and use stimulants every day? Please share.

I do not use prescription stimulants. I drink a small amount of caffeine as soda, but I don't drink coffee.

I was considering using modafinil (Provigil) for my MCAT, and my doctor indicated that he would be willing to prescribe it. I don't have ADHD, but I do have trouble focusing intensely for 3.5 hours.

I decided not to use modafinil for two reasons: First, I have a lot of anxiety, and second, it is like $10 per pill if you buy it legally from a pharmacy. My insurance would not cover it, and honestly they shouldn't cover it because I don't need it for medical reasons. Unless med school qualifies as a medical reason, heh.

I did not ask my doctor about Adderall or Ritalin, those are Schedule II controlled substances.

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[Cawolf]

I have a poorly managed coffee addiction that developed over two years of working overnights.

I worked 1800 - 0600 either 3 or 4 days a week and lived a "normal" life other than that. I transitioned from there to working 36 hr and 48 hr shifts with constant sleep interruptions. So I still drink a lot of coffee. . .

Or was it the three years I worked at Starbucks?

I don't know. Either way I drink it a lot!

 

[TheOneAndOnlyJamesFranco]

Ah caffeine is scary because I use it to study... but probably won't for the test because I don't want to be peeing every other passage, but then again I can't be withdrawaling..

Ive experimented with prescription meds for other things, but I don;t think it would be helpful for a test like the mcat? I'd get too tunnel visioned and think too skitzy or shallowly

 

[quicheduty]

One thing I'm never doing again are caffeine pills. The one time I took them I stayed up all night, exhausted...
I'm actually trying to lower my caffeine intake. I have caffeine addiction (headache by mid-morning if I don't get some caffeine in my system). I have trouble focusing and sitting still but I've recently been getting into taking a walk during a study break. It makes me less restless and I think it's better in the long run if I'm not dependent on so much coffee to not fall flat on my MCAT books and KO, lol

 

[SN2ed]

If you normally drink coffee or take medication for ADHD, then take it. However, I wouldn't make some special exception for preparing for the MCAT or taking. This is especially true if you're thinking about trying something new for your test day. Why would you even think about making some unknown change when you've already gotten that far without it?