Un-Prescribed Study Drugs
Students who take un-prescribed study drugs create an unfair advantage because there is inequitable accessibility to these medications among students. People with ADHD/ADD are able to obtain medications through prescriptions from their health care professional, but others are still able to obtain it non-prescribed through diversion. Diversion is the process in which people with a legal prescription for medications give it those without a prescription for non-therapeutic purposes (Vrecko, 1982). A study conducted by McCabe, Teter, & Boyd (2006) found that 54% of students with a medical prescription for stimulants have been approached to sell or give away their medications to those without a prescription. The division process to obtain non-prescribed
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Caffeine can be consumed through coffee, tea, energy drinks, or caffeine supplements. Regardless of the form in which it is taken, caffeine has some effect on cognition. For example, a study conducted by Warburton (1995) found that caffeine intake results in increased alertness, concentration, and memory. Admittedly, there are parallels between the effects of caffeine and study drugs in relation to improved academic performance. It is understandable why critics present this argument because if both are influencing cognitive abilities to a certain extent, then both should be treated equally. However, a line must be drawn. On the surface, the effects of caffeine and ADHD/ADD medications may seem similar, but on a neurological level, the differences are significant. As previously mentioned, study drugs bind to dopamine and epinephrine receptors whereas caffeine binds to adenosine receptors (Doyle et al, 2010). This can influence how long the effect of the stimulants will impact the body. For example, the effects of caffeine can last up to six hours (University Health Service. (n.d.)) in the body whereas Adderall can last up to 12 hours in the body (Brams, Moon Pucci & López, 2010). The differences are significant and it is too far-fetched for the two to be compared. A stimulant that is in the morning cup of coffee or tea should not be compared to medications that are legally prescribed to patients with neurobehavioural
Caffeine can be consumed through coffee, tea, energy drinks, or caffeine supplements. Regardless of the form in which it is taken, caffeine has some effect on cognition. For example, a study conducted by Warburton (1995) found that caffeine intake results in increased alertness, concentration, and memory. Admittedly, there are parallels between the effects of caffeine and study drugs in relation to improved academic performance. It is understandable why critics present this argument because if both are influencing cognitive abilities to a certain extent, then both should be treated equally. However, a line must be drawn. On the surface, the effects of caffeine and ADHD/ADD medications may seem similar, but on a neurological level, the differences are significant. As previously mentioned, study drugs bind to dopamine and epinephrine receptors whereas caffeine binds to adenosine receptors (Doyle et al, 2010). This can influence how long the effect of the stimulants will impact the body. For example, the effects of caffeine can last up to six hours (University Health Service. (n.d.)) in the body whereas Adderall can last up to 12 hours in the body (Brams, Moon Pucci & López, 2010). The differences are significant and it is too far-fetched for the two to be compared. A stimulant that is in the morning cup of coffee or tea should not be compared to medications that are legally prescribed to patients with neurobehavioural