Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera, Concerta, Metadate, Dexedrine, Focalin, Cylert, Attenade. All are stimulants used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD). They are also all drugs that have been tried or used by 15-30% of college students to get ahead academically.

Now a new warning about these drugs comes from Health Canada: All of these stimulant drugs can cause psychotic reactions. A psychotic reaction is characterized by one or more of the following:

• Hallucinations
• Paranoia
• Delusions
• Disordered Thought

In March 2006 in the U.S., the FDA learned that as many as 6% of children may develop a psychotic reaction to these drugs- including cases of “hallucinations, both visual and tactile, involving insects, snakes, worms”. There was even a case of a 6 year old boy who started licking the table one day after his treatment started.

Health Canada is therefore mandating that the labels for all the above drugs be changed by December.

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As pharmaceutical companies come out with newer, more effective brain boosting pills (see an earlier post on ampakines), more and more people will be chiming in on the ethics of brain enhancement.

Just came across an article that says the UK’s chief scientific advisor “urges brain pills for all”. The article states that Sir David King has called for a removal of restrictions on “cognitive enhancers”. According to the article, he believes “smart drugs to make people think faster, improve their memory, and reduce tiredness will be commonplace within 20 years.”

Within 20 years? Studies of college students on U.S. campuses already show as many as 25% are using stimulant drugs like Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine to improve their concentration and get better grades.

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A recent Harvard University newspaper article suggests that many Harvard students casually rely on prescription stimulant drugs to get a competitive edge and boost brain power while studying.

The article further suggests that stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin "might be on their way to becoming the new coffee".

I’ve also seen studies that show up to 25-30% of college students in the U.S. are using stimulant drugs to get ahead academically.

Apparently, students are going to health clinics and lying to the doctors there to get their hands on the drugs. They, in turn, pass them out to friends. One student notes: "During exam time, I know I’ve got a steady stream of people who come to me and I don’t turn them away. In my experience I’ve found that if people know it’s available, not a lot is holding them back.

Unfortunately, most students of Generation Rx don’t realize the hidden dangers of amphetamines.

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