Study Drugs, Addiction, and Mental Health

March 27th, 2023

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