Addiction is a disease, and an addiction to amphetamines like Adderall and Vyvanse is no different. The misuse of controlled substances is an epidemic that is affecting college students and harming this upcoming generation.
Both Adderall and Vyvanse are central nervous system stimulant medications that are primarily prescribed to those diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
The addictive traits that Vyvanse and Adderall contain correspond directly with stimulating neurotransmitters in the brain. People diagnosed with ADHD or ADD, have a decreased level of such neurotransmitters and require a boost, but in people with adequate levels, their brains become overstimulated and this affects the chemical composition of the brain and personality.
People who are prescribed these drugs and don’t feel it necessary to take them sometimes provide the medication to the unprescribed.
“You buy them from people who are prescribed them and aren’t taking them,” Tori Everest, a senior individualized studies major, said.
People who are not prescribed to these specific amphetamines may choose to take them in attempts of feeling more focused and energetic. Because of the side effects that increase mood levels, the risk factor of addiction is exceedingly high.
Short term effects that amphetamines can have on some people are migraines, insomnia, nausea, mood swings and increased anxiety. Abusing amphetamines can also lead to suffering from debilitating mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder, depression and aggressive behavior.
The increase in amphetamine addicts ages 18 to 25 years old can be closely linked with the high pressures of college expectations in schoolwork and social life or new jobs that require increased time and effort.
“There’s this overall need or want to excel and be the best you can whether it is scholarships or GPA. [These unprescribed medications are] perceived an easy path to success,” Lilly Spruill, a mass communication major, said. “I have seen people use it. I remember a kid in my class admitting to being on in when talking to me. It did shock me but also not really because people do it a lot.”
Students will take these amphetamines as a way to focus on their work because they feel that they can’t otherwise and soon enough they are relying solely on the use of Adderall and Vyvanse to do their work.
“To me there is more pressure put on students than there needs to be,” Tori Everest, a senior individualized studies major, said.
On Winthrop’s campus, Health and Counseling Services may be able to deal with the mental health problems that accompany the abuse of Adderall and Vyvanse, but they are not qualified to treat substance abuse itself.
Dr. Gretchen Baldwin, a licensed psychologist at Winthrop, refers students suffering from substance abuse to the local Rock Hill substance abuse treatment facility, Keystone.
Photo: Tate Walden/ The Johnsonian
