Study Drugs

ApeXaviour

Reading an article on ABC news here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Health/story?id=814896&page=1
and I was astounded by the culture it portrays in some american universities with regard to the use of so-called study drugs. How little stigma there is and how it's pretty much taken for granted due to the enormous numbers of people using them. I'm talking of course of drugs like Adderall and Ritalin. Now personally I have not gone that far. I have similar motives, my attention span is my enemy when it comes to doing as well as I can in college. Everyday I'm going to study I often take things like ginseng, ginkgo biloba, eye-Q (fish-oils) and a whole lot of caffeine. The only tend to work so well.

I agree with an ethics columnist in the article when he comments that there is little ethical reason not to take these if you are a student whose priorities are to do well. Even if it is seen by some to give an "unfair advantage".
"If there's a pill I can take, you take this pill and I'll know French, you'd be an idiot not to take the pill,"

When questioned further however he goes on to state that he would object to his daughter using them purely on health reasons and not ethical ones.
Now the health reasons I understand somewhat. There is a potential for abuse as they have similar effects to amphetamines. However in the hands of a careful responsible adult, is their really any harm in a person using these for an academic boost?

DrIndy

Ritalin and those drugs ARE amphetamines.

The difficulty is that its short term gain only, your body adapts to them and thus you return to baseline after a short boost.

I am partial to fish oils when studying......

snorlax

plenty of smelly tuna so !:eek: exercise is pretty good for study. go for a brisk walk / job and then try studying. the mileage lasts a bit longer then caffiene and your body becomes more proficient at pumping blood around itself.

boxing actually is pretty good for it too. i get real sluggish if i don't take exercise.

oh yeah plenty of sleep (7/ 8hours, sleep deprivation is not good, neither is a hangover) and a proper diet (high protein foods like cheese/ ham as opposed to greasy MSG crisps and mars bars).

maybe you could try yoga?

John

Another vote for the exercise here. Even though I don't do it there are many studies that link exercise with an increase in cognitive ability.

And as Dr Indy said ADHD drugs are amphetamines (d-amphetamines to be exact). The dose in the tablets are low enough not to cause the effects that abusers of amphetamines look for (like euphoria, insomnia, appetite suppression, etc.) but there's always the danger of taking too much.

ApeXaviour

I should have figured there'd be a trin-head invasion :rolleyes:
You guys, only chick left to comment eh, from our health-sci school.

DrIndy wrote:

The difficulty is that its short term gain only, your body adapts to them and thus you return to baseline after a short boost.

If that is the case then I have difficulty understanding how they then work on a prescription basis?

snorlax wrote:

boxing actually is pretty good for it too. i get real sluggish if i don't take exercise.

I've actually joined boxing in college. My wrist has been hurting pretty bad for the past few weeks however and has prevented me from going. I had thought sprain but now I'm thinking possible mild fracture (well my mother is, damn radiographers.)

ANYway I think we've digressed a little from what I'd intended to discuss. So considering the importance some people place in their grades, what is so bad about them using these "study aids".
Here's another interesting article I found on this:
http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=8093

I agree with snorlax and john, good sleep and lifestyle patterns are important in general for ones mind and body. However for sheer cramming (lets face it, it's how most of us get by) it seems a "study-aid" such as this can be a lot more effective in the short-term.

DrIndy

Ritalin for ADHD does not work on the basis of normal concepts. It seems ironic that a stimulant such as amphetamines should aid in someone who is already hyperactive with ADHD - but in their case, it actually rebalances the neurochemistry which causes the distractibility and is thus effective in the long term.

Ritalin is widely prescribed in the USA, but much less so over on this side of the pond. These drugs have a huge abuse potential when hitting the black market......

There is a basis for Gingseng and Gingko biloba in aiding memory and interesting scientific evidence backed up with good trials to prove this. Gingseng however in overdose results in the ginseng effect where you get very high blood pressure. Gingko as well as increasing blood flow to the brain also thins the blood so is a very bad idea for someone to take this if they are on warfarin or aspirin or other blood thinning medicines as there have been reports of fatal bleeds as a result.

Almost everyone over 65 in the far east regularily boosts themselves with gingko.

Pet

I should have figured there'd be a trin-head invasion

Yeah, so far it's only Hamiltonians who have replied (and here I am adding to it)..

But that second article was very interesting. To be honest, it makes me want to try Ritalin myself, as I have a short attention span for study and find continuous study quite difficult. Remembering isn't the problem, it's just being able to keep reading in the first place.

Are there any health disadvantages, even with short-term use? I came across this article, which doesn't surprise me, but then again long-term use of any pharmaceutical-grade drug is unhealthy.
Do doctors in Ireland prescribe it?

AARRRGH

ApeXaviour wrote:

If that is the case then I have difficulty understanding how they then work on a prescription basis?

You put too much faith in the medical system. Something being prescription only can be due to bureaucracy, politics, idiocy or science.

Pet

Prescription just allows them to be controlled. If they are amphetamines, they can't just be given over the counter because people would use them recreationally. A drug being prescribed for somebody does not necessarily mean it's going to cure them, just that they may be allowed take it based on their symptoms.

snorlax

Pet technically i'm a James head. lucozade sport is good because it contains glucose, the brain can only use glucose as a source of energy and it can't use carbos or lipids.

John

Make sure you've enough calcium in your diet, calcium is essential for neurotransmitter release.

can you get them on prescription for studying?

ApeXaviour

Deleted User wrote:

can you get them on prescription for studying?

Not unless you have a genuine disorder (ADD/ADHD) afaik. As it is not approved for this. Probably due to the potential for abuse. There are "other" means of acquiring them however the legality of these are questionable at best.