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Stimulants (also referred to as psychostimulants) or "uppers" are psychoactive drugs that temporarily improve mental or physical functions. Some examples would be a very common (ADHD) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or (ADD) Attention Deficit Disorder medicine, which can be injected, snorted or swallowed. These types of drugs are very commonly abused. Drug abuse is the patterned use of a substance, in amounts or methods that may be harmful to the user themselves, causing problems or distress. Stimulants are not always illicit. They can also be found in your Mountain Dew or even in your morning coffee. These drugs are especially prevalent on college campuses. Why do college students abuse stimulants more than anyone else, and what are the risks? Research has shown 44 percent of surveyed students stated that they knew students who used stimulant medication illicitly for both academic and recreational reasons. Based on their stimulant properties, it is believed that these types of drugs might also improve cognitive function in healthy people.

Prevalence
The most commonly used class of drug is stimulants. The amount of stimulant use has continued to increase over the last decade. The prescription of stimulant medication for maintained therapy has long been the most effective treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder. Studies have shown boys are 2-4 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or ADD.

Academic Doping

Just like a professional athlete taking performance enhancement drugs known as doping, academic doping is what experts are calling the use and abuse of stimulants among college students to help them stay on task while studying and bear heavy workloads. The use of stimulants is especially prevalent among students attending academically competitive colleges and students who are members of a fraternity or sorority. Students are frequently motivated to use the drugs by the amount of work laid ahead of them, not the result it will have on their body as a whole. Students say stimulants keep them awake, so they are not feeling restless while studying or doing homework. In the article, “Illicit Use of Prescribed Medication Among College Students,” a student mentioned, "Stimulant medication has a positive effect on academic achievement in the long run for me". Students also mentioned, "they experienced time pressures associated with college life and that stimulants were said to increase alertness and energy". Most students trying to keep their head above water are looking for any edge they can get. Not thinking too much about the risk, the easy access to psychoactive stimulants is their answer.

Availability on Campus
Stimulants are legal in the United States. Students have access to these medications; and if they don't, they know someone who does. There is no stopping one student from selling medication to another. According to Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) data, methylphenidate production increased nearly 900% from 1990 to 2000. With the introduction of Concerta and Metadate, the production of methylphenidate has increased by 40% from 2000 to 2002. In addition, the production of amphetamines (Dexedrine and Adderall) increased by 5,767% from 1993 to 2001. In a study conducted by Northeastern US University of 1,025 students, 16 percent of respondents reported abusing or misusing stimulant medication. Ninety-six percent of respondents who specified a medication preferred to abuse or misuse Ritalin (Methylphenidate). Men and women reported similar use patterns. With a higher number of these prescriptions being written, it is much easier for students who are not prescribed to get their hands on medication. Some ways students get stimulants include: stealing a roommate's medication, asking parents with prescribing powers or doctors who are friends of the family, lying to new doctors that they have previously held prescriptions, getting drugs from extended family members, and accessing online pharmacies that illegally dispense legitimate/counterfeit prescription stimulants. When asked whether they thought it was easy or difficult to obtain stimulant medications, 58 percent of the misuse and abuse group replied that it was easy or somewhat easy to obtain stimulant medications, whereas 28 percent of the total group (N = 1,025) thought it was easy, 62.6 percent did not know, and 5.3 percent thought it was difficult.

Drugs
Amphetamine pharmaceuticals such as Adderall or Dextroamohetamine are stimulants you can get over the counter from your doctor. They are used to treat ADHD and ADD. By taking these stimulants, you would see benefits in working memory and cognitive control. This is evident in most people and especially people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder. It Is know to improve performance on tedious tasks that require a lot of effort, such as schoolwork. Amphetamines are only said to be addictive when they are abused. They are also said to be dependency-forming.

Methylphenidate is another stimulant that is used to treat ADHD or ADD. Methylphenidate improves working memory and cognitive control, making performance on tedious tasks that require a lot of effort much easier. Some examples of this would be Ritalin, Concerta, or Metadate. At too high of dosage, methylphenidate can decrease learning by activating neurons not involved in the task at hand.

Eugeroics, such as Armodafinil and Modafinil, are stimulants that are used to treat sleep disorders, excessive daytime sleepiness, and narcolepsy. Eugeroics are non non-addictive and non-dependency-forming drugs. These medications promote wakefulness and increased alertness enhancing motivation and productivity.

Xanthines, such as caffeine, have been shown to improve alertness, performance and in some cases memory.

Effects
Stimulants are an over-the-counter meaning your doctor can prescribe them to you. People often make the false assumption that these drugs will not have a negative effect on their bodies. Students who use stimulants regularly and improperly cause the body to build an increased tolerance to the drug, requiring users to consume higher dosages to get the same effects. Recreational use of stimulants generally increases the dosage consumed; therefore, making this significantly more dangerous involving a much greater risk of serious side effects. Most stimulants are a Schedule II controlled substance that is required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have a black box label warning to caution patients about its potential for abuse.

Short-term side effects you might encounter when abusing Stimulants, such as Adderall,Ritalin,Metadate or Dextroamohetamine, include loss of appetite, headaches, nausea, weight loss, and difficulty sleeping. According to patients of these drugs, other side effects may occur such as anxiety, chest pain, increased blood pressure, joint pain and uncontrollable tics. These signs are said to diminish after the stimulants are regularly introduced into the body in small, therapeutic dosages, similar to a patient being prescribed the medication.

Long-term side effects from Stimulants are more uncommon because controlled studies have not been large enough to pinpoint long-term risk factors or determine differential risk by treatment assignment. Although not tested, findings suggest that cardiovascular complications, which have been associated with both normal aging and amphetamine abuse in young addicts, may appear earlier in older adults receiving maintenance amphetamine treatment.

Benefits
Although there are a lot of risks related to taking stimulant medication, there are also benefits associated with them. When healthy students use these drugs, they can experience many intellectual enhancements. This might include improved reasoning, perception, memory, and overall performance. With the heavy workload and high amounts of stress college brings, students feel the need to gain access to Stimulants. An article mentioned therapeutic dosages of amphetamine and methylphenidate improve cortical network efficiency, resulting in higher performance on working memory in all individuals.