HEALTH CENTER SEES INCREASE IN ADDERALL USE

Many Buy Medicine to Aid in Studying

As finals approach, health officials expect many students will try
different measures to stay awake for late nights and stressful cramming.

The usual stimulants include coffee and caffeine pills, but in the
past five years, college campuses have seen an increase in the use of
Attention Deficit Disorder drugs, according to Timothy Honigman,
Student Health Center chief of staff.

"We started recognizing more requests for medication from students who
hadn't been evaluated," Honigman said.

Steven Scales, a mass communication junior, said he takes the ADD drug
Adderall to help him with studying.

"It helps me focus during finals. It's amazing," Scales said. "I've
only taken it twice, but the one time I took it this semester, it was
the best studying I've ever done."

He said he gets the medicine from a friend who has a
prescription.

"Everybody knows who's on [Adderall], and you can find people who are
very willing to give it away," Scales said. "I tell people I take
black market Adderall because that's basically what it is."

Scales said everyone he knows on the medicine has excellent grades and
has recommended it to other students. He said these people do not have
learning disabilities, but their lives tend to be busy and full of
distractions.

"They just have a lot going on, and Adderall helps them focus," Scales
said. "The friend who told me about it has a 4.0."

Lauren Gauthreaux, a communication disorders junior, takes a similar
drug known as Dexedrine.

"I just take it for studying and when I know I'll have a full day,"
Gauthreaux said. "I can sit there for four hours with my head in a
book and get things done."

Honigman said ADD drug abuse is a nationwide problem, and many
students do not know how serious it is to distribute and sell their
medicine.

"These medications are controlled substances, and if you sell it, it's
a felony," Honigman said. "The drugs are addicting, and it's unwise to
use them without a doctor's consent."

The Student Health Center conducted a survey in the summer of 2001 on
ADD after the center recognized the increase in medication requests.

Honigman said the nonscientific study asked five questions during a
two-week period to students visiting the center.

Out of 277 students who responded, only 4 percent had ADD, 2.9 percent
were on prescribed medication, 50 percent shared their medicine with
friends and 15 percent admitted to using medication as a study aid.

"After the survey, we came up with a protocol for the center to give
guidelines on diagnosing students," Honigman said. "We also ask for a
copy of their original evaluation and ask them to see the person who
gave them their evaluation and check in at least once a year."

He said the extra steps to prove a student has ADD may be troublesome
to those who only want a prescription for abusive uses of a drug.

"Those who know how important [the medicine] is won't mind doing all
of this," Honigman said.

He also worries about students who are taking ADD drugs to stay awake
for classes and whether they will continue to use the drug beyond college.

"Where does it end?" Honigman said. "What about that marketing
presentation they have to give to their boss down the road?"

Honigman's advice to students with prescriptions for ADD medications
is to keep it a secret.

"I've had students come in because their medicine was stolen, or
people always ask them to borrow it or offer to buy it from them," he
said. "I can't refill it after that happens unless it's been a month."