SIKESTON — Any high school or college student knows the stressful grind a student goes through in the days preceding and ultimately the night before a big exam or the due date on a big class project.
With the late hours and large task ahead of them, most need something to help them concentrate. While some turn to sodas and coffee, others use prescription drugs — such as Ritalin and Adderall, prescribed for those with Attention Deficit Disorder — to get that extra focus.
“Some students abuse those types of medicines that aren’t being prescribed to them,” said Bob Lefebvre, a counselor at the Southeast Missouri University Center for Health and Counseling. “They are stimulant medicines, and any medicine like that will keep you awake and alert for awhile.”
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 1,767,000 people ages 18 to 25 reported using Ritalin, or methylphenidate, for non-medical purposes.
Riley Lape, a Sikeston Senior High School graduate who is now a freshman at Westminster University in Fulton, said it’s something he’d heard of, although not the norm.
“They’ll say ‘Oh my gosh, I haven’t studied for my final, I need a Ritalin so I can stay up and study,’” he said.
Dr. Richard Logan Jr., a pharmacist at L&S Pharmacy, said these amphetamines, which are stimulants, can have adverse effects when taken by someone they aren’t prescribed to.
“They include rapid heartbeat and increased blood pressure — which brings up increased stroke possibilities,” he said. Although some people purchase them on the street, Logan noted that students are often “just helpful” and give some of the medicine to their friends if they ask.
And when mixed with energy drinks, such as Red Bull, an individual faces “double stimulation effects,” which also carry health risks, Logan said.
Nurses in the emergency room at Missouri Delta Medical Center haven’t encountered any such cases yet, said Sharon Urhahn, director of marketing.
“But they’ve all been educated on it and read up on it,” Urhahn said. “They’re prepared to handle it.”
Lape and fellow SHS graduate Aly Friend, who is a freshman at Mizzou, said they tend to rely on caffeine when needed.
“We’ll make late-night coffee runs,” Friend said. “And sometimes we’ll drink Rock Star and Red Bull (energy drinks).”
Lape said what he typically sees in his classmates is “mostly chugging coffee and slamming Red Bulls just to stay awake in class.”
Although caffeine is a much safer option, Lefebvre warned that, when ingested in large quantities, caffeine can also be dangerous. In fact, caffeine abuse is quite prevalent on the SEMO campus, he said.
“After a point, if you keep doing that, it’s just like anything and can get toxic,” he said. “It’s not a strategy that is going to be effective after a few days — your body will eventually crash.”
Although Lape and Friend do turn to caffeine, both said they try not to pull all-nighters and cram. “Usually I just try to study days before the test and kind of get prepared over time,” said Lape.
That’s what Lefebvre said he and other counselors recommend to students. He also noted student anxiety isn’t only related to classwork — it’s a broader realm of performance anxiety, that can include athletes or those involved in music.
“Those things are usually related to peoples expectations and their fear of failure,” he said.
When students come in with that problem, they are counseled on time management and setting reasonable goals. And when it comes to classroom work, counselors advise students avoid cramming.
“A lot of people try to study up to 30 minutes before the test, and that’s not an effective way of remembering things,” Lefebvre said. “We encourage them to go for a walk or find some way to relax before the test.”
