If there’s one word students hear floating around campus during all times of the year it’s Adderall. Adderall is the brand name of a prescription medication used to treat a number of different things. However, it is most commonly used here at Keene State College to help students stay engaged. Here’s the twist: some students on this campus are using it to stay engaged with certain activities when there is no medical necessity for them to do so. The Equinox would like to tackle a prominent issue that we believe has been around this campus for a prolonged amount of time now.

Let us first clarify that our issue is not with Adderall itself, our issue is with how and why some students seem to be using it. There is no doubt that a number of the students on this campus have been rightfully prescribed to this drug and use it for the actual cause of staying focused. But, like any other drug, there is a high demand for Adderall by people who are not prescribed it. Students who are not actually prescribed to it are accessing it from friends.

The bigger issue at hand here is when and how students are using it. We believe an appropriate time for a student to use Adderall is when they have been prescribed it by a doctor and they need help focusing on their school work. Conversely, we believe an inappropriate time to use it would be before going out to a party. All too often we hear our peers joke about popping Adderall before going out so they can be alert and have fun much longer than they could without it. Our problem with this is there are dangerous side effects in taking a drug that isn’t prescribed to you, especially at a time that isn’t appropriate. According to an article on the Everyday Health website, the use of Adderall has surged in recent years. The article also states that the number of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) medications prescribed to children increased 45 percent from 2002 to 2010.

Photo Illustration / Administrative Executive Editor Jake Coughlin

Of these drugs, Adderall was the second most prescribed. These facts and figures prove that Adderall use is booming and it’s becoming something children are being exposed to at a younger and younger age.

There are a number of issues surrounding the drug itself. Perhaps most dangerous of these issues is the drug’s known ability to increase the risk of heart problems, blood pressure and stroke. Adderall can also impact someone mentally. It can lead to depression and severe mood swings, among other things.

With that said, we encourage people not to use the drug unless they have a serious need for it. Students who truly need and depend on the drug are oftentimes caught up in situations where their peers are asking to buy some of the medication off of them. We ask that the student body makes an effort to be more conscious of the fact that Adderall should be carefully used only by those who are prescribed to it by a doctor. If you feel you need help staying focused, consult a doctor about it instead of asking your friends to provide a drug for you.