WASHINGTON—Full-time college students between the ages of 18 to 22 are twice as likely as their counterparts who are not full-time college students to have used the stimulant drug Adderall non-medically in the past year, according to new data.
Generally prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Adderall is often used for improved performance (i.e. to do better on tests) or for recreational purposes (to get high). The drug can be addicting to those who are taking it without medical supervision, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
College students who misused Adderall were more likely to have abused other drugs or to have engaged in binge drinking, the Office on National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) reports. Full-time college students who misused Adderall were almost three times as likely as those who had not used the drug non-medically to have used marijuana in the past year, eight times more likely to have used cocaine, eight times more likely to have misused prescription tranquilizers, and five times more likely to have misused prescription pain relievers. Also, nearly 90 percent of full-time college students who recreationally used Adderall in the past year were past month binge alcohol users; more than half were heavy alcohol users.
