Cramming for exams and pulling all-nighters for students has become synonymous with drinking any and all forms of caffeine - such as coffee or soda - or purchasing over-the-counter caffeine pills. But college students are also introducing prescription drugs into their study habits.
The abuse of stimulant prescription drugs - such as Ritalin and Adderall - are on the rise among college students, according to a study issued in March by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, also known as CASA.
The study, called "Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse at America's Colleges and Universities," showed between 1993 and 2005, the abuse of stimulant prescription drugs rose to 93 percent, which is an increase from 1.5 percent to nearly three percent.
College students report they abuse stimulant prescription drugs because they believe these drugs will aid them with their studies, which allow for increased concentration and alertness, according to the study.
A Rutgers College sophomore, who wishes to remain anonymous, received a prescription for Adderall after informing his doctor he was worried he wouldn't be able to concentrate enough to keep his grades up.
"I went into my home doctor's office with the intention of getting a prescription not only to take but also to sell," the sophomore said. "I sell to one or two people per week, if that, and usually sell for $5 a pill. Around finals time, I sell to at least 20 to 30 people at most, and I'll usually charge double of what I normally ask for."
This student also refills his prescription once a month and finds it a challenge to study when not taking the prescription.
"I can't study or do my homework without taking Adderall," the sophomore said. "One night, I tried doing my homework and I threw my books down after a half hour and went to sleep. I was just so frustrated that I couldn't concentrate."
Apparently the student who felt he could no longer study without the use of a stimulant prescription drug is not alone.
The abuse of prescription drugs increased over the last three years, not just at the University, but also around the country said Lisa Laitman, the director of Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program for Students.
"There are two different types of abuse we see here: one is where students on campus are buying pills from their friends during exam time because they think it's going to help them study," Laitman said. "The other type of abuse we commonly see is when students are using the same drugs regularly for the high effect, not just for the concentration effect."
Laitman said Rutgers University Health Services has also seen students who have suffered from side effects of abusing prescription drugs.
"I've had students who have become addicted to [prescription drugs] and have had severe medical affects, such as not sleeping, not being able to concentrate and feeling like they are going crazy," Laitman said. "One problem is that students may actually have a reaction to them. There are risks always involved in taking prescriptions not prescribed to you. You need to have a professional asking you about your medical history because you may be vulnerable to certain medications."
Laitman recently received an e-mail from an administrator at a college in Connecticut where students wanted to add the use of prescription drugs into their code of conduct.
"These students were looking at it as when athletes use steroids," Laitman said. "You have athletes who make it unfair when using steroids and students making it unfair when using Adderall. They were looking at the situation in the same light."
Abuse of such stimulant prescription drugs can have effects after short-term usage, such as elevated blood pressure, increased respiration and heart rate, sleep deprivation and suppressed appetite, and potential physical dependence and addiction if used over a long period of time, according to the report.
If taken in high doses, abuse of stimulant prescription drugs can lead to dangerously high body temperature, cardiovascular failure or lethal seizures, an irregular heartbeat, and feelings of hostility and paranoia, according to the report.
So why aren't more higher education institutions taking action to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs on college campuses if the potential side effects of such abuse can lead to serious, life threatening problems?
According to the study, nearly four of 10 college administrators report one of the largest barriers to implementing policies and programs against substance abuse is "public perception that student substance use is a normal rite of passage."
Also, when administrators were asked what their institution's position was on who is primarily responsible for the prevention of substance abuse, two-thirds of administrators said they feel students are primarily responsible compared to 20 percent who said the school is primarily responsible.
In addition, parents often feel that they have a tiny role to play in the prevention of the abuse of prescription drugs, even though some parents are critical of how college administrators handle the problem.
In the abuse of prescription drugs is becoming more common, Rutgers College sophomore, Patrick Moloney, feels that it could end up becoming a problem. He also believes Universities should get involved in finding solutions.
"I do think Rutgers should do something, like some kind of marketing plan to make students realize they don't need to take Adderall to study," Moloney said. "Signs around campus would be a good start."
Rutgers College junior Aneil Sahota said he doesn't think students recognize the abuse of prescription drugs as a problem.
"I haven't seen any information about the effects of abusing prescription drugs, and I personally don't think it would stop anything." Sahota said. "More information provided by the University would probably get people thinking about it - maybe flyers, but nothing too overbearing."
Rutgers College sophomore Kristin Moran said she thinks students should know about the harmful side effects some students could face after abusing prescription drugs.
"Of the 25 to 30 people I know who take Adderall, I'd say about half of them need to take it before studying for an exam," Moran said.
"People should know of the side effects from abusing Adderall and other drugs," Moran said. "I think it is becoming a problem, especially just hearing that everyone else is using it. I think [Rutgers] should try to educate students of its harmful affects and let students know what could happen if they abuse these drugs."
Laitman agrees more public information should be made available about the harmful effects of abusing prescription drugs.
"It would be really hard for Rutgers to implement a program over the whole campus, but I always think we can do more," Laitman said. "Public Relations campaigns can be really affective and I always think there is more for us to do to help with this problem."
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