The Risks and Ethics of Taking Study Drugs

[Nevadanteater]

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With the information flood and computers trying to overtake whatever is left of decadent human intelligence, it seems that we do need the next best thing to help us compete against the machines and information.

I was interested in this discussion until you made it here.

Ummmmm? I'm all about the drugs, but really?

This sentence screams amphetamine (over)usage.

Anyways, speed pretty much sucks. If you've ever had to work/live/deal with a tweaker you'll understand why it isn't the wonder drug you're selling it as. If you're using it as a performance enhancing drug, good for you. Hope things don't turn all Jesse on you...

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljtuGoIIKGs[/YOUTUBE]

 

[BlitzSleep]

Personally, I am not even implying that taking these drugs by students who have the disease is unfair. I don't think that is the case even with students who don't have the disease because otherwise we can claim that caffeine=cheating as well. So you misunderstood.

I was just wanted to clarify that no matter how much you take, you can't achieve an unfair advantage. All this drug does is stops me from being so impulsive and allows me to sit down for a couple of hours and study or read. That is all it does. What would taking 3-4 more do? Will I sit and be less impulsive even more? I'm not sure if you can be less impulsive when you're not impulsive at all during that period of time.

Even so, intelligence is something that can be enhanced without artificial stimulants or chemical dependency.

Where do you people come up with this fallacy that it "makes you smarter?"

s'not worth it mate..

you might dig it at first, but prescription stimulants are basically toned down version of meth. they rot your teeth and dry your mouth and turn you into a weird attentive and somewhat aggressive animal .

Rotting teeth a side effect from ritalin? Are you sure you just never brushed your teeth? Cotton mouth is a very common side effect, but it's strange because I do not have that side effect? That includes being aggressive. Maybe you, or probably "a friend of yours" (please don't mind the sarcasm) shouldn't be taking it due to the fact that you don't have ADD/ADHD.

 

[Dirt]

I don't really know why but I find ritalin/adderall threads among the most entertaining on SDN.

 

[ScienceJunkie]

I trust the government in place right now to legalize drugs that will not harm me, and if in the long run it will -tobacco- there are warnings. And if there are warnings and I know it will harm me I probably wouldn't do it.

bahhhh, bahhhhhh....

 

[ChemGrad08]

I was actually addressing his admitting to using illegal substances.

Not a he; and I said someone I know, which is true, I'm afraid of drugs.

 

[calnation]

Rotting teeth a side effect from ritalin? Are you sure you just never brushed your teeth? Cotton mouth is a very common side effect, but it's strange because I do not have that side effect? That includes being aggressive. Maybe you, or probably "a friend of yours" (please don't mind the sarcasm) shouldn't be taking it due to the fact that you don't have ADD/ADHD.

Less saliva equates to poorer dental health. I didn't mean to say people on stimulants are more aggressive in a violent sense, but rather in a social sense. People on uppers are much more likely to interrupt others and just come across as somewhat confrontational (i.e. they are more prone to get into heated debates and end up rattling off). I understand that this might not be the case when it's used to treat add/adhd. I was only making an argument against using it unnecessarily as a "study aid", because that only leads to abuse. Sorry If I Offended.

"Psychological effects of amphetamines could include euphoria, a sense of well being, increased alertness, increased concentration, increased talkativeness, increased energy, excitability, feeling of power or superiority, repetitive behaviors, increased aggression, and in rare cases paranoia. Effects are similar, to cocaine, especially when insufflated, injected, or vaporized."

 

[bozz]

these are the most pointless threads. Half are naysayers that have never done drugs yet judge them as "weak minded" or that they are better than them because they dont take drugs. The other half is just protecting what they think is the right decision.

But the fact is not everyone has time to go workout to get more energy. Some of us work and have families to take care of. So I would not be so quick to judge someone if they are weak or not. Are you a weak person if you use caffiene to study? Of course not.

But really it is none of anyones business. If people want to take drugs let them. And if you think its "morally" wrong get some other hobby other than preaching.

lol, so I take it you are on these drugs

 

[bozz]

This discussion is so pointless

Damn... Wouldn't you rather have sexy time than contemplate ways to get an edge over technology? Jeez.

 

[Maxwell Edison]

Where do you people come up with this fallacy that it "makes you smarter?"

Where did you see me claim that they do?

 

[brianmartin]

I think it's pointless to discuss the "ethics" of mind altering substances. There is no ethical problem. Each person makes their own choice about what they wish to do with their body/mind, and agrees to accept the positive and negative effects.

With amphetamines, you are using a physiologic credit card. All that energy and focus comes with a price, which is fatigue and inattention when it wears off, as well as an altered personality that many don't like. The elevated BP has negative effects down the line, etc. If you use amphetamines daily, you will become tolerant and literally NEED them to stay functional. Eventually, most daily users reach a point where they taper off or quit completely.

I see no "ethical problem" with taking some of these drugs occasionally, to help with getting a big project done, or studying for an important test. The only possible ethical question is that not everyone has access to them, but then again lots of people get it so it doesn't seem to be an issue.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

WTF??!??

If your whole life revolves around school and doing that well in your grades, well then you deserve to OD on dangerous study drugs because that's just ***king pathetic.

 

[Excelsius]

Less saliva equates to poorer dental health. I didn't mean to say people on stimulants are more aggressive in a violent sense, but rather in a social sense. People on uppers are much more likely to interrupt others and just come across as somewhat confrontational (i.e. they are more prone to get into heated debates and end up rattling off). I understand that this might not be the case when it's used to treat add/adhd. I was only making an argument against using it unnecessarily as a "study aid", because that only leads to abuse. Sorry If I Offended.

"Psychological effects of amphetamines could include euphoria, a sense of well being, increased alertness, increased concentration, increased talkativeness, increased energy, excitability, feeling of power or superiority, repetitive behaviors, increased aggression, and in rare cases paranoia. Effects are similar, to cocaine, especially when insufflated, injected, or vaporized."

Do not generalize on limited experience. People on caffeine are jumpy too. In terms of "social" aggression, have you thought about that it is possible that people who are inherently pushy (and do not have ADD) would be more likely to take these drugs to gain an advantage? Therefore, you would need to do a double blind experiment to show any link between aggression and these drugs, to rule out the attraction of "aggressive" or "bold" people to these drugs in the first place.

I am not taking any drugs. I don't even drink coffee. But what you described above, in terms of being confrontational (reasonably) or interrupting others (depends who), does fit my personality. I often do not have the patience when some people keep blabbing on about a simple thing so I do interrupt their idea so that they can move on to the next, if they have one. If you find yourself being often interrupted, don't automatically assume the worst about the other person.

Lastly, ratio of the lengths of your fingers can say more about aggression than how much Ritalin you take. Let's not make any silly claims about drugs just because some politicians think they shall be illegal. Marijuana is illegal too, but every lawyer I know (and others in the upper echelons) smoke it like cigarettes. A year ago there was a gathering of lawyers, congressman, judges, etc, in an environment where some drugs were served in small quantities. This gathering was about legalizing certain drugs. Do you think any of them got arrested despite the knowledge of the immediate enforcement people? That's a rhetorical question.

 

[calnation]

Do not generalize on limited experience. People on caffeine are jumpy too. In terms of "social" aggression, have you thought about that it is possible that people who are inherently pushy (and do not have ADD) would be more likely to take these drugs to gain an advantage?

Word, I understand what you're saying. I'm only speaking from my personal experience, and obviously I'm no expert. I also don't have any experience with people taking stimulants to gain a competitive advantage in school. I only have experience with people taking it recreationally and to treat various disorders.

Thing is, I'm a very lax guy. But in my past experience, taking uppers had caused my personality to be affected in the ways that I was mentioning. Not only that but I've had friends who tried adderall, ritalin, strattera to treat various psychological disorders and I've seen the it affect their behavior in the same way. Any stimulant, not only prescription stimulants, will have an effect upon your behavior. Even caffeine. It's only much harder to manage when it's stronger and lasts all day. Like adderall xr.

 

[Aidan]

I was diagnosed with ADD when I was little, and throughout lower level schooling (up to highschool) I made the choice that I didn't particularly need the drugs for it, because I could fight my urges to not study. I didn't have a very good GPA in high school; ended up having to go to a community college before university. Shortly after starting community college I realized I couldn't do this, and re-thought my previous stand against ADD meds. I ended up seeing a psychiatrist and explained him my diagnosis. He spoke with who was my pediatrician when I was younger, confirmed my diagnosis, and prescribed me Adderall. I've been taking it for a couple years, I don't experience the things most people talk about, like the ability to not sleep for a day and just study for 12 hours straight or whatever, but now I feel "normal." I mean, I can study like a person without ADD who is not on Ritalin or Adderall. People who don't have ADD and are on Adderall are still at an advantage over me.

But yeah. I don't tell people I have ADD because if I did, they would ask to buy my scripts. And that's not something I'd participate in. All in all, I don't particularly think it's unethical to take Ritalin or Adderall if you have a scrip for it, but if you're taking it illegally you may want to be careful. That would suck to ruin your chances of admission because of some stupid drug charge.