Kerrington Hill
Rhetoric of Health
Final Essay
There is no standard procedure for testing ADHD and the disorder is more common and diagnosed more frequently. To control ADHD, doctors can prescribe Adderall, an amphetamine that stimulates the brain by increasing dopamine, to help control ADHD symptoms. This drug has been used by many people worldwide and even people who have not been diagnosed with ADHD or prescribed Adderall by a doctor. The reason why the drug has been available to non-prescribed users, generally college students, ranges from the lack of extensive ADHD testing, to friends simply sharing the drug. However, whatever the cause of the drug being spread may be, problems have been created in many communities between two groups; the legally prescribed users of the drug, and the illegal non-prescribed users of the drug. These problems include debates over unfair advantage of prescribed users, and not always positive outcomes after using the drug. In this essay, I will come to a verdict agreeing that the drug Adderall should not be made available to the public without a prescription.
In the counter argument, stated by the non-prescribed users, more so college students, proclaims that people use ADHD medication to help them study, be more focused, attentive, and productive, stay awake, and help exercise. To go against these individuals I will make the argument that Adderall can be similar to athletes using steroids that are kicked off of teams because they obtain an unfair advantage. This happens to be the same general principle. You are abusing a drug to be above average not thinking about the costly detrimental outcomes that face them in the future. In continuance with athleticism, I will bring myself into my argument and state that I am a student-athlete that has been diagnosed with ADHD, have a prescription for Adderall, and have my prescription cleared by the NCAA. I have sympathy for individuals who have ADHD that are not able to obtain the drug or have to pay a large amount to obtain it because of this shortage. My case of ADHD is not severe but I understand that it is so much easier to get distracted, not pay attention, or focus when I am not on the medication. I despise the idea that many college students abuse the drug to stay up late to study or gain an advantage in the classroom, use the pill as a weight loss strategy, or any other excuse listed. People have asked me before to spare them some of the Adderall pills but I swiftly decline to prevent this abuse.
In addition, I would like to also mention in relation to the health issues, I was not able to use Adderall immediately after the testing because of having high blood pressure. It took me a few months to get my blood pressure lowered to a safer level before I took the medication. Most of the non-prescribed users of Adderall do not know if their blood pressure is at a safe quota because they have not been tested. Also, since most of them are generally college students, alcohol is most likely involved at some point during their week. Some students may have an urge to take the pill so that they can sustain energy throughout the night. Unfortunately, I have personally seen a friend become very ill and get rushed to the hospital because of dehydration and seizing out.
Ongoing, I have read that while individuals are benefitting from the use of Adderall, the victims are the patients who are in need of the drug that is not available to them. According to an article in The Controversy Behind ADHD, “this is not only creating an issue amongst patients, but also creating an issue and huge burden upon pharmacies, doctors and nurses”(Eakman). As stated by an article in The New York Observer, the shortage of Adderall is “wrecking havoc all over the country and amphetamine-starved denizens are finding themselves out of luck” (Kramer). These individuals that take the abuse of Adderall for granted do not see that addiction can be a possibility in store for them in the future. Adderall can be helpful or can be abused just as any drug can; hence people should not rely on it that do not need it for medical reasons. A website entitled The Republic - Columbus, Indiana, mentions that “any abuse of amphetamine may result in serious heart and blood pressure problems and become habit-forming, drug dependant, and withdrawal symptoms may occur after stopping the drug”(Melvin). The Republic article also agrees with my argument stating that, “abusing prescription stimulants can result in death, addiction, respiratory problems, seizures and cardiovascular tissues, such as irregular heartbeat” (Melvin). To back up my argument above of addiction and drug issues I will now bring in the negative results that come from the use of college students abusing the drug to study. In an article entitled, Ask a Patient, the individuals remain nameless, but one in particular, a 21 year old studying for college exams stated that his girlfriend took 30 milligrams within an hour of each other to study for her exams. “She didn’t sleep that night or the next day” (college student). the student stated, “the day after she only ate 2 eggs throughout the entire dosage and took a nap because she was exhausted and an hour later when I tried to wake her she did not respond and also had a blood pressure of 110” (college student). In an anxious concern he kept trying and it was not until 20 minutes passed he got her up and she was hyperventilating. “She could not talk or catch her breath for a minute or two and kept falling back asleep, we were ready to call an ambulance,” (college student) he stated, “she recovered shortly but had a head ache the rest of the day. I am concerned because she only takes this to study.” (college student) This was the experience of a college student that took Adderall to study. On the top of the article it also says for the individual to rate Adderall between a 1 and 5, 1 being the lowest, 5 the highest. He rated Adderall with a 2, more so not recommending to take the drug. Now, I will compare this to the result of an individual who was actually diagnosed and prescribed with ADHD. This 27 year old individual mentions that Adderall increased attention and motivation revealing that “this medication is truly heaven sent for true ADHD individuals,” (prescribed user) she continues with saying that “Although people are abusing this drug and giving it a terrible name it has worked wonders for me. You must be truly disciplined with this med if you choose to take the med-holiday-found this to be extremely helpful in controlling dependency and tolerance, but it has truly worked wonders (prescribed user).” She rated this drug a 5 in her experience with it, a 3 point difference than the student using it to study for an exam.
Overall, you cannot expect medication to solve and workout your issues, you have to develop coping skills to better organize yourself and make the effort. Some make it a priority in life to rely on drugs. ADHD is a chemical disorder that some individuals cannot help. For them, they need this narcotic to keep their mind from running a million miles an hour and not be able to get anything done. People who use the drug to help them in school, athletics or other selfish reasons put themselves at high risks and make life harder for people who actually need the drug. Regardless of the appeals of Adderall, it is not for everyone. The last thing a mother wants to hear is that her son died because he had high blood pressure and took Adderall or an NCAA athlete loses eligibility for using the drug without proper documentation. All of the Adderall tragedies can easily be avoided if the prescribed users will be more responsible with the drug and for the non-prescribed users to simply put the drug down.
Eakman, Beverly I., and Mary A. Block. "The Controversy Behind ADHD." Death from Ritalin the Truth Behind ADHD. Death From Ritalin. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
Kramer, Foster. "The Great Adderall Shortage of 2011 Rages On | The New York Observer." The New York Observer. The Observer, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 22 Nov. 2011.
Melvin, Lindsay. "Prescription Drug Abuse Rises on Campuses | The Republic." The Republic - Columbus, Indiana. The Republic, 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 23 Nov. 2011.
Patients. “Drug Ratings for Adderall.” Ask a Patient.” 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=11522>.
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