With finals, papers and the distraction of semester break approaching, UW-Madison students often look for ways to intensify their study habits. While many choose the conventional caffeinated methods of coffee or soda, some students turn to prescription drugs like Adderall and Ritalin.
These stimulants, meant for people with Attention Deficit Disorder, are often used by students who do not have prescriptions as a way to stay awake and concentrate on work, said Michael Fleming, professor in the UW-Madison School of Medicine.
\The amphetamines tend to keep you pretty clear and awake for long periods of time,"" Fleming said. ""I'd say 1 to 2 percent of students use [Adderall or Ritalin] pretty regularly, and I'd guess 10 percent use them every once in awhile ... It's a pretty common problem.""
While these drugs may help students stay awake all night to study, the side effects of extended use range from insomnia and edginess to more serious effects such as paranoia, nervousness, panic attacks and aggressiveness.
""It can make you quite agitated to where you can't sleep very well and you end up being awake all the time,"" Fleming said. ""So short-term it might help you stay awake for a few hours to study for a test, but long-term it makes your sleep patterns so disturbed you can't study at all ... It changes your focus, your memory and your ability to study for a test.""
Other common drugs used as study aids are caffeine pills, such as NoDoz and Vivarin. Both drugs are advertised as alertness aids and contain about as much caffeine as one cup of coffee.
Jared Main, manager of The Den, 555 State St., said students often buy caffeine pills, but that some restrictions apply for stronger drugs such as Ephedrine Plus. Stores are only allowed to sell two bottles per person per day.
""There's maybe a little [spike in sales] around test time, but it's pretty general that we have it and it sells,"" he said. ""It doesn't sit on the shelves for very long and the turnover on it is pretty good year round.""
UW-Madison junior Abby Rammien said she used Adderall to study her freshman and sophomore years. After trying it once with friends, Rammien said she eventually used it about twice a week.
""It just made me concentrate a lot more,"" she said. ""It made me want to read, want to learn, and it made me not hungry at all. I didn't eat or get distracted by food and that's really easy for me.""
Rammien said Adderall was easily accessible through friends, but she has since stopped using the drug.
""I couldn't go to bed very easily at all,"" she said. ""It was really hard for me to fall asleep. I decided I wanted to do stuff on my own ... It doesn't become addicting, but you feel like you need it to study if you've been taking it for a long time.\
