Adderall: A UCF Student’s Best Friend or Enemy?

With finals approaching, the use of Adderall/Vyvanse and other study oriented drugs is on the rise.

According to U.S. National Library of Medicine, Adderall is described as, “The combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine is used as part of a treatment program to control symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD someone with more difficulty focusing, controlling actions, and remaining still or quiet than other people who are the same.”

For college students, Adderall may sound like an easy fix to being able to cram for the big final easier. One UCF student we talked to, who for good reason wanted their name redacted, told us, “It’s easy, you find someone with a prescription, take the pill, and you are focused all day.”

When we asked if that student noticed any immediate side effects from taking the drug the student told us, “I never noticed anything too bad, I was a bit jittery, but never anything dangerous.”

Investigating the matter more, we talked to a UCF Pharmacist who was very helpful in explaining the side effects of taking the drug. “It kind of gives a euphoric type of high, so that’s why it’s important this medication is not abused…it can increase heart rate and blood pressure which could potentially cause cardiac arrest. The risk of that happening is a lot lower, but the risk of the increased heart rate is a lot higher.”

For UCF student’s having trouble focusing, we talked to UCF student Jonathan Webster, who was prescribed Adderall for over ten years before he stopped taking the drug this year. “I found I just didn’t need the drug to help me through my daily activities, which is what it is supposed to do. I have to focus a little more when I study now, but being drug free is better.”

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