As a new semester approaches, UNCW students will rely on study aids, like coffee and energy drinks, to get them through a few all-nighters. But for some students, caffeine isn’t enough.  

Adderall is a stimulant often prescribed to people, students and non-students, who have Attention Deficit Dissorder (ADD).  According to a survey conducted by the Abrons Student Health Center, 12 percent of UNCW students took Adderall, without a prescription, in 2012.

UNCW students aren’t alone; full-time college students aged 18 to 22 are twice as likely to use Adderall nonmedically than their counterparts who are not full-time college students, according to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health report.

Dr. Wendy Donlin, an experimental psychologist and assistant professor at UNCW, says some students don’t feel that abusing someone else’s precription is as harmful or risky as abusing other drugs, like ecstacy.  “

I have no opinion on whether using adderall as a study aid is cheating, but if it isn’t precribed, it is certainly illegal,” Donlin said.

Two UNCW students, whose names have been changed to protect their identities, recall their experiences taking Adderall nonmedically.  

“My roomates were just reckless,” said Cole.  He lived on-campus his freshman year, and two out of his four roomates had Adderall prescriptions.

Cole said his roomates would start taking Adderall at 10pm the night before a big test, and they stayed up all night.  They often shared their pills with friends, and introduced Cole to the drug.

“It was only when I had to get work done or if I had a big test,” Cole said.  But the drug wasn’t always helpful.

“Adderall just made me fidgity.  I was very excited,” he said. “It made me want to do something, but most of the time it was something I love to do.  It just made me want to do other things.  I’d say it helped me more than it hurt me.”

Another UNCW student, Nate, found Adderall helpful.  He takes his friend’s prescription pills to while studying for exams.  His grade point average is above a 3.0, and he said the drug helps focus for long periods of time to help him do well on papers and tests.

“It makes me super zoned in, like a zombie,” Nate said. “I eat a big meal before it because I know it will make me not want to eat.”

However, loss of appetite is not Adderall’s only side effect.  According to the Food and Drug Administration, common side effects include head aches, insomnia, and increased heart rate.  For people who already have heart problems, taking Adderall could cause a heart attack or stroke.

Though many students may crave a chemical boost as they work diligently to complete their assignments this semester, they must ask themselves what’s more important: a few hours of intense focus, or their own health and safety.

Although UNCW tracks the number of arrests and disciplinary actions that involve drugs on campus, its difficult to track study drug abuse specifically. Last year, there were 116 drug abuse violations at UNCW and 11 arrests involving drugs. It’s unclear how many of those involved study drugs.

According to UNCW police, Students who use Adderall medically can avoid police involvement by keeping pills in their original bottle and having a copy of the prescription on them.