Of the 69 respondents to the survey, 31 indicated that they had used study drugs (44.9%). 12 of these participants are prescribed ADHD medication. Most of these participants take their medication everyday or several times a week, indicating that they are prescribed many pills. This ubiquity of ADHD pills coupled with the easily acquired social capital on college campuses facilitates the widespread illicit use of psychostimulants in this environment.
In the process of gathering background information for the purposes of this study, one student who is prescribed Vyvanse was interviewed. The student gave the following insight about the culture of binge studying: “I take my Vyvanse to stay ahead of the curve in terms of work. That way, I can stop taking my medication leading into midterms and finals when everyone wants ADHD meds, and sell them the extra pills to make a good amount of money. I started doing this after a friend who has an Adderall prescription told me he was able to buy an Xbox One, a PS4, and Beats headphones soon after he started selling some of his prescription.” The question about selling prescriptions was omitted from the survey created for this study out of fear of making respondents uncomfortable and discouraging them from submitting their answers. Here are some more student thoughts regarding the use of study drugs. |