Study drugs

Stimulants used by students and others to increase their ability to concentrate on work for extended periods of time.

• Caffeine
• Provigil
• Ritalin
• Adderall
• Dexedrine

• Addiction
• Overdose
• Allergic reaction
• Dangerous drug interactions
• Side effects
• Tainted drugs
• Doing business with dangerous people
• Putting money in the hands of criminals

Some would argue that study drugs, if used carefully, can be a lifesaver. Others would say that there is no excuse for taking them because good organization and time management skills would have prevented the need. Often, the need for study drugs comes up because of procrastination. Some people just bite off more than they can chew, or their teachers put more pressure on them than they should. Others have legitimate, and possibly undiagnosed, learning disabilities.

• Don't use them at all if it can be avoided. Don't bite off more than you can chew. As far as grades are concerned, settle for less if necessary.
• Try all of the legal stuff first, Red Bull or other drinks with caffenine and B vitamins work pretty well.
• If you want to use prescription drugs as a study aid find a doctor that will write you a prescription so that you can get them from a pharmacy. At least that way you will know that your drugs will be safe. They may be able to help you quit if you become addicted, but if they write prescriptions pretty freely there is a good chance that they will not.

The famous mathematician Paul Erdos turned to the use of amphetamines to help himself study.

There is a new class of drugs, called nootropics, that may have the potential to improve short-term memory though not general intelligence. They have different mechanisms of actions, many of which rely on increasing levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Nootropics are usually independent of the dopamine system (there are exceptions such as Selegiline) and are consequently uncontrolled, unlike most of the stimulant based drugs.

In my mind, it does not seem particularly unethical to use a study drug. It may be true that drugs such as Adderall boost concentration, allowing a student who takes them to work either less-distractedly or faster. But with these potential benefits come a slew of risks, which do not apply to traditional studying. These risks undermine the claim students who use study drugs have an advantage over their peers who don’t.

At the most basic level, unnecessarily taking stimulants carries the risk of immediate physical harm. A student who takes Adderall before a test could potentially improve their performance, or they could end up in the hospital and miss the test altogether. Study drugs such as amphetamines are also easy to become addicted to. The risk of addiction, which depletes a person in all sorts of ways, additionally undermines the potential benefits of study drugs for students.

Even if these more dire effects are absent, study drugs effects on information retention undermine the claim that they benefit students who take them. The stimulating effects of study drugs put the body in hyperdrive- for instance by increasing metabolism. As these effects wear off, the user experiences bodily exhaustion, which may include symptoms such as extreme tiredness, anxiety, and a difficulty to think clearly. All of these symptoms hinder a student’s ability to absorb whatever knowledge was supposed to be gained from completing the assignment in question.

Study drugs’ benefit of increased concentration is canceled out by the risks of death, addiction, and poorer comprehension. With all of these "AI tools," do students even take study drugs anymore?