Getting Hooked to Succeed: College Students Increasingly Abusing ADHD Medications

By Leslie Davis

College life can be overwhelming. There are long research papers to write, new subjects to master, social events to attend and life lessons to be learned. With so many activities going on, even the most focused student can easily get distracted.

Many students find a way to balance their class schedules, studies and social life through organization, getting enough sleep and prioritizing. Other students, however, become overwhelmed by the pressures of college life and turn to prescription Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) medication to help them focus.

A study in the Journal of Attention Disorders found that 31 percent of surveyed college students reported misusing ADHD medications by taking larger or more frequent doses than prescribed, or by using someone else’s medication. The primary motive for these students’ substance abuse was to enhance their ability to study outside of class.

Taking ADHD medication, whether prescribed or otherwise, can help students better focus on the material they have to learn, and can help them pull all-nighters without needing a break. For college students, this is often enough to get them started using ADHD medication in the first place. But getting hooked on the “benefits” of ADHD medication can lead to an addiction to prescription medication.

Recognizing the Signs of Addiction

If your child is attending college in another state or living on campus, it may be difficult to recognize if your child has become addicted to ADHD medication. If your child was never diagnosed with ADHD and thus never prescribed ADHD medication, you may not even have a reason to suspect misuse of the drugs.

But on large campuses with many students who have been diagnosed with ADHD, getting access to the drugs is as easy as going to the next dorm room. According to the study in the Journal of Attention Disorders, 26 percent of students diverted ADHD medication to other students. When doing this, most students are unaware of just how dangerous giving prescription medication to someone not diagnosed with ADHD can be.

Common ADHD drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall and Dexedrine are stimulants that can cause insomnia, nervousness, bursts of energy, reduced appetite and weight loss, and increased blood pressure. The misuse of prescription ADHD medications can also lead to tremors, irregular heartbeat and psychotic episodes.

These symptoms aren’t noticeable through weekly phone calls, especially since you may chalk up your child’s excited demeanor to a new environment.

While you may not be able to observe the physical signs of a prescription drug addiction, there are things you can keep an eye out for, even from a distance:

• Your child is often requesting money without telling you why, or is going through the money you provided more quickly than normal.
• You notice that your child has lost interest in hobbies, sports, or other activities she used to enjoy.
• Your child’s grades are slipping.
• Your child is regularly overly excited and hyper during phone conversations.
• Your child has become hostile or uncooperative.
• You begin hearing from your child less often, and go for longer periods of time without speaking.

Most users of prescription medication take the pills through swallowing them, but the stimulants can also be crushed and snorted or injected.

Treatment for Addiction

If you have a reason to believe that your child is abusing or has become addicted to ADHD medication or another prescription drug, do some investigating. Ask your child, or make a surprise visit to campus to find out for yourself. Letting an addiction to prescription medication go untreated can lead to a lifetime of substance abuse.

If you discover that your child is, in fact, addicted to prescription medication, finding an addiction treatment program will likely be necessary. Treatment for addiction, such as a residential treatment facility for drug rehab, can provide a safe place for your child to detox from prescription medication. Addiction treatment will also include individual and group therapy, as well as alternative therapies, that can help your child learn to navigate college without the use of prescription medications or other substances.

Remind your child that college is a challenging time for most students, and that it isn’t necessary to be the best student on campus – especially if this success comes with the cost of an addiction to prescription medication.