Study Drugs, Addiction, and Mental Health

By P. Casey Arrillaga, LCSW, LCDC

Prescription drugs such as Adderall or Concerta are often prescribed for ADHD as a way to improve focus and concentration, and so are sometimes known as “study drugs.” These substances may seem like a godsend for the struggling student or their parents, because they offer a way to bring good grades and academic achievement within reach of people who otherwise seem unable to accomplish such things. Unfortunately, study drugs also come with significant risk to those who use them and can lead to unforeseen consequences, including addiction and other mental health problems.

This is because study drugs are stimulants, including amphetamines such as Adderall, Dexedrine, or Vyvanse, and methylphenidates sold under the brand names Ritalin or Concerta. While amphetamines were invented in 1887, they have only been popular as treatment for ADHD since the 1990’s, about 100 years later.

Once they were introduced as study drugs, their popularity exploded and the age of diagnosis and thus stimulant prescription steadily dropped. By early 2000’s, the median age of diagnosis was 4-7 years old in the, with almost 70% of kids with and ADHD diagnosis receiving medication. By 2011, over 1 in 10 children had been diagnosed with ADHD.

This means that a generation of young people has been raised with stimulant use being normalized and offered as a way to improve academic performance. Anyone who grew up in the last 30 years and wasn’t given stimulants almost undoubtedly had classmates who were. It is not a big leap for people raised in this environment to think that if these pills make other students better in school, they might be worth a shot. Thus, pill trading became common practice among many people far too young to realize the implications.

Fast forward to college, and you have young adults under new levels of academic pressure looking for a way to improve their grades, and who are at the age when people are most likely to experiment with and abuse drugs. Having been around prescription stimulants all their lives, many try study drugs for the first time, often mixing them with coffee (another stimulant) or alcohol. Unsurprisingly, this is not a good idea. To make matters worse, such drugs use rarely has the intended effect, with the National Institutes for Mental Health finding that those who abuse study drugs in college end up with lower GPA’s. For many young people, this is not the worst of it.

Study Drugs and Addiction

It should come as no surprise that giving kids stimulants can have unpredictable effects. While early research said that giving children ADHD medications protected them from risk of addiction, within 10 years this no longer seemed to hold up, and the stimulants were declared to be neutral in terms of addiction risk. As more data came in and more nuanced questions were being asked, it came out that the later ADHD medications were prescribed throughout the teen years, the greater the risk that the teens would use and become addicted to other substances after being given the stimulant medications.

Something that muddies the waters around all this is that ADHD itself has been shown in many studies to be a big risk factor for addiction whether the medications are given or not. Some researchers suggest that this is because both problems stem from difficulty with impulse control and a stronger-than-average need for stimulation and novelty. Both addiction and ADHD are also considered mental disorders that are among the most easily passed down through generations. This is likely due to both strong genetic correlation and how both disorders can affect parenting and thus how the next generation is raised, which may set the next generation up for more anxiety, depression, and other conditions known to increase risk of impulse-control problems, especially in boys.

What all researchers agree on, though, is that taking study drugs that are not prescribed is much riskier. This is because people who don’t have ADHD are going to have a very different reaction to stimulants. Rather than calming and focusing the mind, such users are may find they feel high energy, become more impulsive, and may experience a euphoric feeling that will draw them back to using the stimulants again and again despite telling themselves that they will “only use them when they are needed.” The perception of need can grow and grow, leading to addiction and even tempting them to try “harder” drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamine.

Study Drugs and Mental Health

The use of study drugs by people diagnosed with ADHD seems to have mixed short-term outcomes for mental health. There is evidence for decreased risk of depression or a bipolar diagnosis but increasing risk of mania and possibly psychosis. Longer-term effects are less clear, with some studies saying the ADHD medications are beneficial and others saying they might be harmful. Some researchers argue that study drugs are harmful in a more general way for mental health because they reduce the plasticity, or flexibility of thinking, in juvenile and adolescent brains. Considering that adolescence is not over for the brain until 24-26 years old, this is a serious risk for people who are likely to make major adult life decisions.

The greatest risk comes for people who are using these drugs without a prescription and likely without even an ADHD diagnosis. In these cases, the effects are less known but are probably significantly worse. This is because doses are not medically determined, no medical professional is monitoring the effects, the person using the drugs may not really understand what they are taking, and most importantly, the types of drugs used to treat ADHD can have a drastically different effect on someone who does not have ADHD than on someone who does.

The Bottom Line

While there is still much research to be done, one thing is clear. Study drugs should never be used unless a proper diagnosis is made and they are taken exactly as prescribed. Any other use is taking a serious risk, most likely at a time of life when people are most vulnerable to addiction and other mental health issues. 

About The Author

P. Casey Arrillaga is the Team Leader for Education at Windmill Wellness Ranch, and he is the author of books including “Realistic Hope: The Family Survival Guide for Facing Alcoholism and Other Addictions”. His books, podcast, videos, etc. can be found at CaseyAuthor.com