Adderall: Cheating Perfected

October 12, 2008 - 3:00 pm By Anonymous

adderall_2.jpg(We have discussed Adderall a lot in the past few months and it has really opened our eyes. Adderall is used in ways we never imagined to do things we never knew it did. And now we find out it contributes to an issue we never considered: cheating. One finaly CollegeCandy writer discusses her experiences with the prescription drug.)

Adderall is many things. A relief for people with ADD and ADHD. A gift from Heaven (or that sketchy guy in your Bio Lab) for people with impending exams. An extremely effective (if not the healthiest) way to drop 5 pounds. An aid for those wishing to rage all night without the use of illegal narcotics. An incredibly un-ethical method of cheating.

Wait, what?

Yes. Adderall is our generation’s answer to the cheat sheet. It’s powerful, stealthy and available to only a select few. The exclusivity of this drug lends an unfair advantage to those who take it without being prescribed it. As a drug that was created to level the playing field for people who had trouble concentrating due to a DISORDER, it is now used to gain an edge in academia by people seeking to boost their learning capacity.

People like me.

As a frequent user of Adderall as a study aid (I do not have a prescription), I constantly enjoy the benefits of this unfair little pill. Do I need it to concentrate? No. But it sure helps me re-read entire textbooks and write 10 page papers in one night and feel great the next morning. And judging by the pill’s popularity among my classmates (and among my friends who have nabbed prescriptions and sell their extra pills for spare cash), Adderall is pretty much as commonplace as Starbucks at my campus library.

But how does this affect the structure of a competitive university setting? If the people who actually need Adderall to concentrate have no answer to my magic pill, aren’t they just back where they started–scholastically disadvantaged to those without ADD or ADHD? And what about those who can’t find or afford Adderall (the going rate on my campus is $3-5 a pill for 30 mg time release capsules. That adds up when you need 4 in one week)? They’re screwed over by those of us who have access to the drug; and while their academic performance wouldn’t suffer because of mine, if my grades were superior to theirs simply because I used Adderall to boost my ability, it’s cheating.

Why then, do I continue to use something that– in addition to being illegal and unhealthy– I consider to be thoroughly unethical? Because I know my classmates sure as hell aren’t going to stop using Adderall, and I don’t want my GPA to pale in comparison to theirs. I don’t want to place lower on a skewed curve. I don’t want to lose this unfair advantage.

What would you do?

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71 Comments on "Adderall: Cheating Perfected"

  1. Emily says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 20083:17 pm 

    Considering that Adderall can have the OPPOSITE effect on people who don’t need it, I would never consider using it. Although it sounds like you are getting the effects you like, you know it’s wrong.

    A student who genuinely needs it isn’t getting an unfair advantage by taking it. They need help concentrating. They couldn’t concentrate as long or do as much schoolwork as you or I could without it.

    You’re the cheater here, and obviously you know it or you wouldn’t have written the article.

  2. jen says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 20084:39 pm 

    i’ve only used it once but it was a godsend…i studied for 8 hours straight, killed my exam, wasnt hungry at all and the next day (my friend gave me a super long lasting one) cleaned my room, did laundry etc. WITHOUT FEELING TIRED AT ALL. it was amazing **sigh** but i only use it when i absolutely need to aka when i procrastinated studying until 8 pm the day before my intense bio final :/

  3. Wendy says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 20084:41 pm 

    honestly, i would love to get my own prescription of it…

    any ideas on how? i don’t really know how to attack this mission. eck.

  4. Casey says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 20085:09 pm 

    My manager was just fired yesterday for buying adderall from one of our employees. She had ADD and became addicted to adderall, her ADD symptoms have gone away but she still has a prescription, that is, when she can get to her family doctor and have it renewed (and her doctor is 3 states away) With the gas prices and economy how it is she hasn’t been able to get to her doctor, so she settled for buying from people at work. Since adderall is such a highly trafficked drug she can’t get a prescription from another doctor. Her boss found out about her addiction and drug soliciting and she was fired, sucks since the economy is in the shitter, and she has to pay for wedding which is 5 months away. I feel bad for her losing her job, but abusing drugs is ALWAYS wrong. No matter the benefits you get. How about you do your work in proper time like you’re supposed to, then your grade wont suffer and you wont have to worry about being a cheater. If you don’t do that, then obviously you’re not to worried or upset about being a cheater. There are alternatives to drugs and cheating, it’s called doing what’s right.

  5. Robin says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 20086:05 pm 

    “Why then, do I continue to use something that– in addition to being illegal and unhealthy– I consider to be thoroughly unethical?”

    It’s so easy to lose sight of ourselves in the college environment. But what’s it all worth? If you truly feel this way but can’t seem to change your behavior, wouldn’t you say there’s something wrong here?

    I’d rethink my priorities and make some environmental changes.

  6. giz says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 20088:07 pm 

    hope you get screwed over. even getting one pill from someone is considered just as bad as dealing drugs or buying them.

    sucks for you.

  7. snarktastic says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 20089:13 pm 

    i hope your college puts an asterisk on your diploma. while it’s not as bad as buying papers online, you’re giving yourself an unfair academic advantage. i don’t know how you can respect yourself or your grades. shame on you.

  8. Boo says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 200811:09 pm 

    If only university were about learning your stuff instead of learning how to pass exams!

  9. Mary Kate says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 200811:15 pm 

    Just as a side note-

    College is truly about getting an EDUCATION. therefore, if using adderall occasionally (i.e. not to the point where it is a health risk) helps you to thoroughly learn certain information, its not really a bad thing.

    obviously, you need to be able to study and learn things with out it, because reliance=addiction which is not healthy..

    thought i’d point that out

  10. Bethany says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 200811:17 pm 

    My roomie and some of my friends use it but I wouldn’t consider it. I couldn’t hand in an assignment that I completed under the influence of a drug that was not prescribed for me, I couldn’t respect myself or the grade that I got.

  11. Jess says:
    Sun, 12th Oct 200811:47 pm 

    Is it truly learning if it was done under the influence of something else?

  12. sarah says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 200812:37 am 

    i went to rehab for this after i overdosed, almost died, and was caught. the casual way you talk about this makes me fucking hate you

  13. Lily says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20081:24 am 

    way to blame others for your drug abuse. Typical liberal mind-set. Blame everyone else.

  14. allyoueatiscookies says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20082:25 am 

    it doesn’t matter what your gpa is dog, by the time you graduate we’ll be picking beets and eatin dust for breakfast

  15. Heather says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20082:32 am 

    i really dont care if other people do drugs, its really none of my business. i dont really consider it cheating though, since even when under the influence you still have to learn. i’ve never taken it, but it’s important to know this is NOT a new phenomenon. Many of our parents took pills in the 60s and 70s called white diamonds and black beauties, which have some of the same chemicals as those found in adderal. My point is, whether you agree with the use of adderal or not, this isn’t something special that our generation is doing.

  16. seriously says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20082:33 am 

    I can’t believe the responses that this article is getting. You all need to be responsible for your own selves. All the author asked was what people thought about the ethical issues behind the drug’s use, not for everyone to attack their personal decision. People use adderall to study, but is this any different from people using marijuana or alcohol (while underage) to relax?-both are illegal. If people are going to use drugs they are going to use drugs, and if people take responsibility for their own actions they should be allowed to do so in my opinion. Frankly this whole thing comes down to responsibility, people who take adderall for non-ADD or ADHD related reasons are doing so to get things done fast because they didn’t plan ahead. Not that that isn’t a totally normal or understandable thing, we all do it, but the issue is responsibility.

    Anyway, in response to the question asked, I think that people should have access to these things if they are held responsible. If you take the drug often, you can get addicted and that will be your fault and your responsibility (in an ideal world of course–I agree with lily on the liberal mindset–if you screw up the government shouldn’t have to take care of your health bills, etc.—but then this becomes a huge political conversation). I also think that people are really over-representing the effects of the drug, it can help you focus, but it is by no means a miracle cure and it doesn’t have good effects for everyone (in fact if you don’t need it, it probably won’t work well at all) Its not like you black out, you are still sitting down and doing the work. I don’t think its any more unethical than other things kids do, the instance of cheating in my classes is totally insane, and I would guess it is at your schools as well, and at least adderall users are sitting and learning the material. Yes college is supposed to be about learning, but let’s face it, college these days is more about getting out with a degree or propelling yourself to the next step (like grad school which has a much greater focus on actually learning). If you are concerned about learning, you should do it for yourself, and not worry about joe-schmo next to you taking aderall just to get through the class.

  17. Eliz says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20084:03 am 

    I’ve known plenty of people who were prescribed adderall, but when a test or long paper came up, would take more than they were supposed to so that they could stay up later and study/work on their paper. They’re not disadvantaged if they take a higher dosage than someone not prescribed the drug would use. I do not use adderall to study because I feel that I perform worse on a test when I have not gotten enough sleep. That being said, I do not believe that taking adderall is in any way cheating. If you continued to drink coffee in an effort to pull an all nighter so you could study more, would that be considered cheating? Obviously not. I can’t believe how many comments are trying to judge the author of this article. “I could not respect myself or the grade I received on a paper typed with the help of adderall.” Please, that self righteous bullshit makes me feel sick.

  18. cosette says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 200810:17 am 

    um expect that coffee does not equal adderall, Eliz. It’s a drug that’s illegal to buy and sell without a prescription. The two things are comparable. That being said, I don’t use it because I don’t want to be using it all the time. If you really need it to get your work done, then maybe you need to re-evauluate your study habits or classes. Are you going to keep using it after you graduate and need to stay up to get work done for your job? It’s a bad, slippery slope. And also, that last paragraph about your classmates is bullshit, sorry. It IS possible to go to a tough school and get good grades without resorting to adderall. If you can’t handle it without resorting to adderall, it’s probably a sign that you need to to make some changes.

  19. cosette says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 200810:17 am 

    are NOT* comparable, my mistake!

  20. jes says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 200810:45 am 

    Seriously, who gives a shit what other people do to themselves if it isn’t hurting you? Maybe you think its unfair that they’re getting an advantage, but no one’s on an equal playing field anyways when it comes to academic ability. There are many different levels of intelligence so how can you really gauge that? Plus I think college is really about getting you OWN degree, not competing with everyone else on campus…

    But my ethical standards are not and do not have to align with yours, and if someone’s doing something illegal, they are answerable to the law and the government if they get caught, but not to anyone else…

    I dont see everyone getting up in arms about underage drinking being “just morally wrong” like they are about using drugs… whether occassionally or not. Way to be a hypocrite, guys.

    So I think people need to chill..

  21. Eliz says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 200812:17 pm 

    Thanks Cosette, you must be right, my friends that I was referring to that upped their dosage when they wanted to get more work done don’t exist. I just made it up to try and prove a point to people I don’t know on a blogging website.

    Oh, except I didn’t.

    Also I hope the rest of your comment isn’t supposed to be directed towards me because I already said I don’t use the drug. I didn’t however mention that I do go to a tough school, and I do receive good grades.

  22. word to the wise! says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20081:28 pm 

    Oh, how i love the self-righteous asses who presume to know everything, (I wont drop any names here, to be nice, lol) and who stand atop their soapbox and dream up metaphors to illustrate their non-points…

    Its almost like being in church again.. :)

    Please get back to me when you get your physch degree and can factually illustrate how substance abuse patterns develop and progress in narcotic and non-narcotic drug users, and then please demonstrate exactly how these fit into world-accepted ethics and moral standards. (not just your own, rememeber!)

    Until then, lets leave the allusions (not ‘illusions,’ note-) to the professionals and quit with the ignorant comments about what will happen to people who do or do not use adderall and their study habits. You really have no idea what you’re talking about.

    Plus you’re making yourselves look rather stupid.

  23. word to the wise! says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20081:29 pm 

    psych*, sorry.

  24. beentheredonethat says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20082:02 pm 

    it’s amazing how quickly these comments get so personal…is everyone responding to stereotypes?

    and taking adderall to study may not be exactly cheating but it ain’t good for you….and actually if you use it..do you really only do it once, or just for big tests? Yeah right

  25. s says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20082:06 pm 

    I dont think is is cheating at all. Cheating is having answers on the test. Adderall just gives a boost to help you do better on a test. Either way its not hurting anyone.. people need to calm down

  26. Jacks says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20084:06 pm 

    At the end of the day it’s your decision whether or not to abuse a drug to help you study.

    And the problem is, in the article you mention that you feel it is completely unethical. So really, you need to ask yourself if it’s worth it. Because you can probably get the same grades without the drug, and really, there is nothing that is ever going to assuage the your guilt.

  27. Ericka says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20084:15 pm 

    I don’t know that it’s a problem in and of itself, never having used it. But I do think it becomes a problem when the user his/herself is deeming the situation unethical and wrong. If you personally feel something (anything) is wrong… should you be doing it? Nobody’s making you do it, and clearly your subconscious is trying to tell you something.

  28. Lizzie says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 20085:07 pm 

    I take a milder version of adderall for my ADD, and I understand my friends who request I pass along a few pills every now and then. They react better to it than they would chugging energy drinks all night long, and since they don’t abuse it, I can accept it. Everyone does what they can during college, and if you are really in need of a small kick, then go for it.

  29. Cathy says:
    Mon, 13th Oct 200811:15 pm 

    i love it i use (unperscript) it i pass!

  30. N says:
    Tue, 14th Oct 20084:12 am 

    Lizzie – I totally agree. I busted my ass of to get into med school, and it doesn’t get any easier. I work hard, but I’m not smart, and sometimes, working hard isn’t enough. Even though I don’t take adderall or anything like that (wtf? it’s common? Not in the uk), I can see why people do.

    I don’t consider taking it unethical – no one’s getting hurt, well except maybe yourself and even then, you should take full responsibility. That said, if you use it on a longer term basis, without an actual medical need, then you’re stupid, plain and simple. To the people that sell the pills for extra cash…seriously?

  31. sarah says:
    Thu, 16th Oct 20083:49 pm 

    i didn’t blame anyone.

    but its a drug. how would u feel if this article was about using heroin to help you study? or smoking crack? or taking speed, which adderoll actually is.

    i dont care what other people do, bc if you abuse a drug you will find out what happens. if you dont abuse it, then who cares

    and as far as unethical when it comes to school grades? please. get over yourselves.

    i was trying to say that i know from first hand experience that adderoll is DRUG. im trying to help people out so they realize all bc it comes from a doctor doesnt mean its safe. people die. ok

  32. smerila_6 says:
    Sat, 18th Oct 20089:41 pm 

    I am a 39year old female with 4 kids and a husband. Going back to school online. I have been just draggng and have a hard time concentrating and remembering things. I can read the same thing over and over. I thought it was my age and being out of school for so long. I told my doctor and she tested me for ADD/ADHD and failed. Like all the other test I have taken. I will start Adderall XR on Monday. Will I get smarter and be able to remember things. I currently work in a factory and want a better life for me and my family. Yes, we all work and make a decent living I just want more from life. Maybe it’s a mid-life crisises…lol

  33. First Timer says:
    Tue, 21st Oct 20083:09 am 

    Best thing EVER this drug really assist me with my study I can go all day, I don’t waste time procrastinating or walking to and from the fridge eating or mucking around. I finish all my work for the week in a day leaving me able to go to the beach and chill and do fun things. I also get to skim a few kilograms of my body. It’s great. I feel sorry for the people who cant get their hands on it or are to scared to even try it. However it is a personal choice and it doesn’t conflict with my morals or ethics one bit. So long as you are aware that it is a serious drug and what the effects that it can have on your are, you really only have yourself to blame if something goes wrong. I wish I found out about this drug sooner. I think people should inform themselves by doing a little research on it and asking your friends how it affects them before taking this drug, just make sure it is your choice and not someone else pushing it on you. This drug really has helped me get through my first year of uni. I personally do not think this an abuse of a drug if you use it wisely and in moderation. Especially after my best friends Dad who is a local doctor prescribed it to him during his TEE (final examinations in Australia) to improve his study patterns. He is now at one of our most prestigious medical schools! Now thats food for though.

  34. sara says:
    Thu, 23rd Oct 20083:30 pm 

    I’m hesitant to try Adderall because drugs scare me, plain and simple. I always worry that I might take too much, or that my body will not react to it right, or it could be laced. That’s why I don’t use it, but I do drink lots of coffee.

    My views about using it to study though… I feel like if you can sit down and seriously study while using the drug, you are also able to do it without the drug. You just need to get the right mindset and find the place you concentrate best. Working at the library or with people who aren’t my friends (acquaintences from class) is best for me, because then I don’t get distracted in conversation. Honestly, I feel if you work hard enough at it you should be able to concentrate without the drug. For those who already use it, I feel like its mind over matter- you see that you are able to study, you shouldn’t need the drug to facilitate that.

  35. Z says:
    Thu, 23rd Oct 20086:21 pm 

    I don’t get it. For one Adderall is legal. Secondly, the “it’s a drug” arguement holds little water. A drug is anything ANYTHING that you take to alter your physiological state. Some are more powerful than others but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say a large portion of college girls take some sort of drug also known as birth control? They also may drink alcohol( a drug) caffeine(also a drug), possibly take some form of depression medication or sleep aid or NSAIDS(motrin advil etc) probably smoke. Those are ALL drugs. The main reason ppl poopoo drugs is their negative affects, not their positive ones. So if a drug could make you smarter, what’s so bad about that? Is there some rule I don’t know about that requires slow people to stay slow? If you could cure stupidity with a drug, why not? They say ppl who take Adderall like that don’t need it. But who said it was okay to give adderall to people who DO have ADD?. It’s still an amphetimine. Adderall is an amphetimine, plain and simple. You probably shouldn’t give it to anyone for any reason. The additudes towards it have to do with society. If it’s owned by a company and a doctor gives it to you, it’s okay? It can still kill you even if you got it through legal means. But no it’s not cheating. It’s only cheating if you didn’t study or learn anything and copy someone else. Choosing to keep yourself up with redbull so you can cram is not cheating. BTW redbull has a chemical in it that can potentially cause seizures. Also redbull mixed with booze can tax your heart. And all that crap is fully legal.

  36. Jan Eliza says:
    Fri, 24th Oct 20088:38 pm 

    I seriously love adderall. Thats all i want to say really. Get your hands on some. Seriously. I took it for the SAT’s and i got all in the 700’s. I was concentrated the whole time, and seriously i’m not even a great student. I think that it’s completely moral, because it’s really not a drug if you think about it..its just a concentration pill.

  37. bev says:
    Sun, 26th Oct 20089:47 pm 

    I think it’s unethical. The whole point is to level the playing field for those who *need* it. If you can’t get organized or procrastinate too much, that’s your problem and something you need to deal with.

    I took it a couple times, and felt awful about it. I also have friends who legitimately need it, and would feel bad if I took it…Especially since I would do much better than them because I took something I didn’t need and they actually did, making the playing field uneven.

  38. sam says:
    Sun, 26th Oct 200811:28 pm 

    i completely agree with jes. its your own decision to use it. if your hating cause you think its cheating then whatever dont use it. Whos to say that majority of people who resort to taking adderall, doesn’t have some mild form of ADD? its not like everyone gets tested for it as a youth usually only the sever cases and those kids who were failing kindergarten got tested. yeah its unethical and morally wrong to cheat, but those people are only hurting themselves in the long-run. Also, just because you take a pill its not like your guaranteeing getting an A on that test, your still doing the work. Anyways everyone whos on this damn forum has taken adderall for whatever purpose so lets all not bitch cause there’s much more important issues to worry about as a college student.

    Finally whoever(sarah)wrote: “i went to rehab for this after i overdosed, almost died, and was caught. the casual way you talk about this makes me fucking hate you”

    all i want to say is YOUR FUCKING STUPID FOR TAKING SO MUCH ADDERALL TO THE POINT OF OVERDOSING AND MAYBE YOU SHOULDN”T HATE OTHERS FOR YOUR STUPID MISTAKE. You also probably have much more important issues you should be tending to then bitching on this forum if your overdosing on anything.

  39. Easy killers... says:
    Mon, 27th Oct 20083:51 pm 

    This forum is really funny. It’s really tough to read through someone’s serious post when it’s littered with spelling and grammar errors.

    On that note:

    Is it unethical?

    Depends on the person.

    Is it cheating?

    No. Not in the sense that looking over the person’s shoulder in front of you is.

    Is it an unfair advantage?

    That’s simple, prove it.

    Is it illegal?

    Are you prescribed to it? If so, then obviously no. If you’re not prescribed, then one would consider it illegal.

    To the rest of you haters… Please don’t try and tell us you’ve never done anything *wrong* (illegal, unethical, immoral, etc. etc.). What’s right to you is not necessarily right to another.

  40. Laura says:
    Mon, 27th Oct 200810:31 pm 

    … oh wow. some of the comparisons here are just ridiculous. Yes. Adderall is a drug. Yes, so is a lot of other stuff. Yes, it is sort of like taking energy drinks, except it is illegal if not prescribed to you. It is a prescription drug for a reason. No, it is nothing like coffee or birth control! Coffee is legal… first of all… duh. and birth control is a legal prescription drug that nobody would take without a prescription anyways. It doesn’t harm your body in any way. Just because the majority of people are doing something doesn’t mean it is right. Smoke consistently, you will get lung cancer. You absolutely need to tan 3 times a week? You will get skin cancer and leathery skin. Adderall is a habit-forming drug that can lead to heart palpations, seizures, cardiovascular failure, paranoia, and hostility. There are support groups for people addicted to Adderall. It’s a huge problem, and absolutely unbelievable that people would think it is okay and the equivalent of drinking coffee. Get informed!

  41. Jane says:
    Tue, 28th Oct 20081:16 pm 

    Recently a lot of my friends have started taking Adderall to stay up and study. While I understand that they have difficult courses and need to concentrate, I don’t think anyone could come up with an argument that would convince me that this is ok. Any way you look at it, using a prescription drug that is not prescribed to you is wrong. I totally agree with Laura that just because a lot of people are doing does not make it right. Neither does the fact that it might not be hurting you right now. I don’t care if it’s cheating or not, it’s just wrong.

  42. First time user says:
    Tue, 28th Oct 20086:19 pm 

    Just want to point out that comparing two drugs on ethical grounds and using its legal status as a negative factor certainly has its flaws (for example, marijuana being on the Schedule I list of the Controlled Substances Act while cocaine is Schedule II). Sure caffeine is entirely legal but it is still a CNS stimulant just like Adderall. The only difference is that Adderall is more potent and has a different mechanism of action since it inhibits reuptake of monoamines in your CNS while caffeine increases cAMP in your cells and inhibits the adenosine receptors in your CNS. At the end of the day, however, you can get the same effects from caffeine as you do from an amphetamine like Adderall or even a different drug like cocaine for that matter (yes, even the psychosis, hallucinations, etc. if you take enough caffeine; but go take about five 200 mg extra strength No-doz tablets and see if you make it out of the ER alive when you maybe start seeing leprechauns and your heart goes into ventricular fibrillation). Heck, even Red Bull and moderate amounts of caffeine are prohibited for NCAA athletes (which really sucks when you want to balance good academics and athletics). The fact is that if you are going to judge others for using a controlled substance like Adderall illegally (which should really not be any of your business to begin with) then you should respect others’ right to make a decision for themselves on whether or not to use the drug.

    P.S. I do not use Adderall nor do I think it is a very bright idea to use the drug illegally since it is not unheard of for people to go down a slippery slope of excessive coffee use to non-prescription Adderall to cocaine use when it comes to reaching the ever higher academic demands placed on some students in certain college settings. Also, sorry for the medical lingo just wanted to express that the medico-legal status of this drug should not play that big of role in an argument as to whether it is ethically correct to use this without an Rx to increase academic performance (honestly, an argument can be made for either side depending on an individuals situation in life). And please don’t try the No-doz thing, I was just making a point and I don’t want to hear about some college kid OD-ing on caffeine pills during final exams (I think we all remember that cheesy Saved By the Bell episode with the caffeine abuse problem; or maybe you don’t and I’m just getting old).

  43. Ryan says:
    Thu, 30th Oct 200812:31 pm 

    Your an idiot, adderall is not cheating. So what it helps you do better on a test you probably have ADD then because it obviously is helping you concentrate. Cheating is having the answer or writing the answers down somewhere, not taking an adderall pill.

  44. Charles says:
    Thu, 30th Oct 20082:15 pm 

    Go for it! I use adderall to study at least twice per week. I believe god sent it to the earth as a gift for those who aren’t interested in studying subjects that have no revelance to their major but are still required. Everyone has mild ADD.

  45. kay says:
    Thu, 30th Oct 20083:51 pm 

    adderall is the shit… you all need to relax haha

  46. Ron says:
    Fri, 31st Oct 20087:42 pm 

    Why I take it…

    My two primary goals in college: Achieve a solid GPA so I can get a good job in my future, and to get a good education along the way.

    Typically I have a difficult time reading for over an hour consecutively because I find myself very distracted. This does two things to me. It hurts my GPA because I lose points for not being able to get those answers correct on a test that were explained in the readings. Another thing, it hinders my education because if I can’t get myself to read 150 pages in a row, I miss out on a lot of valuable information.

    By taking Adderall, my problems become solved. My GPA goes up, and I actually learn more in school. If I am going to spend $20,000/year for school, I have no problem taking Adderall if it means it’ll improve my quality of education.

    If you’re refusing to take Adderall simply because you think it is cheating: I commend you. Just realize a student with a 3.8 GPA on Adderall is going to get to get into graduate school over you with your 3.7 GPA off Adderall.

    Be smart, do your research, and live well with whatever decision you make.

  47. Julia says:
    Fri, 31st Oct 20088:41 pm 

    I have to take adderall because according to my psychiatrist, I have the worst case of ADD she’s ever seen. What annoys me to no end is when people ask to buy my adderall or want me to give them one for free because we are friends. I’m constantly a little freaked out to tell anyone I take adderall because I get harassed for it. I’m also kind of worried someone would still it. People don’t seem to understand that I need it to even do anything in the day. My brain whirls at 100 mph and I’m constantly distracted without it. I think it’s cheating if you don’t need it, and it does have different effects on people who don’t have ADD. I wasn’t prescribed it until college, and I have a 3.9 gpa. In high school, I was in all the honor classes, but forgot my homework constantly. Usually, it was finished homework I literally forgot. For people with ADD, it definitely helps you remember your homework or paper before you leave. It also helps you schedule your day better and make smart choices. Adderall is the only drug for ADD that didn’t leave me with horrible side effects like constant nausea or being angry.

  48. Bonni says:
    Sun, 2nd Nov 200812:47 pm 

    The thing that bothers me about this post, is how she knows it’s wrong and doesn’t care. Whatever it takes to get ahead right? I don’t know if it’s worth risking your health over a couple of grades?

  49. Brett says:
    Wed, 5th Nov 20087:36 pm 

    Ok everyone on here who mentioned the word illegal is a fucking idiot. Just because the government decides something is wrong u should blindly listen to everything they tell u and believe everything they say…good god get a brain and some independence…secondly, ADD and ADHD are psychological “disorders” Which arent scientifically proven to be any disease whatsoever. So according to the daddy’s little girls and goody goody bitches, everyone and anyone who places an adderall pill in their mouth is officially a drug user, unlawful, wrong, and a considerable worse person than them…seriously, fuckin idiots

  50. Reba says:
    Mon, 10th Nov 200811:21 pm 

    I am single mother of two back in college fulltime after ten years and until I started taking Adderall I was a mess. Now I can focus, and accomplish so much more! I don’t think that Adderall is cheating at all, if you can get good grades without it then you probably have a really great attention span and don’t have any need for the drug. Think about those of us who struggle with attention defeceit difficulties. I can’t tell you how many nights I have sat for hours reading and rereading the same paragraph!

    Right now Adderall is helping me to irmprove my life and if other people have a problem with that so be it. I feel like the author of this blog doesn’t actually believe taking Adderall is wrong, but that she has been guilted into thinking that way by the people who are opposed to using Adderall.

    Bottom line don’t abuse it. If you want it to do anything for you, you can’t take too much anyway. The more tolerance you build up the less effective the drug is, for academic purpoes anyway.

    If you are so vehemently opposed to any kind of drug use, instead of commenting on this blog you should write your own!

  51. marie says:
    Fri, 14th Nov 20085:06 am 

    Wow, you all are acting like the world is ending here. Calm down a bit and think about what you are saying. I do have ADD and I wasnt diagnosed with it until my senior year in high school, because that’s when it really started getting bad for me. Anyway, what I really wanted to say was , you guys make it sound like it’s the adderall that’s doing the assignments. Adderall HELPS you learn. It doesn’t learn for you. Its almost like saying that if someone went to a tutor before a test, then they cheated. All it is, is a focus aid.

    I dont know why I feel like I’m one of the only ones that have ADD that feels this way, but I guess it’s just because im already a really laid back person. Seriously though, just relax. If people that dont actually need a prescription want to abuse it, fine. Let them learn from their mistake.

  52. J Dog says:
    Thu, 27th Nov 200810:10 pm 

    It is absolutely impossible for me to push my self to finish a paper on a subject that has nothing to do with my major and simply exist’s as a trial by fire. For me to use adderall on classes like this, isn’t cheating or unethical in my opinion.

  53. Winter says:
    Mon, 8th Dec 200812:00 am 

    I take adderall because I have ADD. I got my BS degree WITHOUT the drug and I have a C average. I have started to go back for my Masters and I am SHOCKED at the vast difference in how well I am able to concentrate and study. My grades are already in the A/B category. For me, adderall brings me up to the level that others without ADD are at and therefore levels the playing field.

    If you use it and you don’t need it, your test scores aren’t a reflection of how smart you are, or how well you behaved responsibly by studying, or by doing all your work, or really understanding the concepts, or especially how worthy you are of the job your degree gets you. Your grade is really a reflection of how good the cheat method is that you used over another. So that ‘A’ someone may get is an ‘A’ for the method of cheating they used (hidden notes, copying from another student, using Adderall) rather than their true worth.

  54. Anon. says:
    Tue, 9th Dec 20084:54 am 

    Okay im not going to get into this debate about Adderall being ethical or unethical, only because half the people on hear don’t even know what they are talking about(not to insult anyones intelligence). Furthermore, that aspect can only be defined by whomever is analyzing the subject.No one has the exact same ethical views, it is all in the way our individual minds conceive things.

    Cheating is: To defraud,to foil, to deprive, or elude

    Adderall use in the since that this Blog implies:

    1. You are not taking property/rights by fraud.

    2.You are not keeping anyone, not even yourself from being successful because you actually learn the material that you study while using the adderall(If you want to get technical see text at bottom.)

    3.you are not avoiding or escaping anything.You still have to take the test you still have to study.You cant just take the adderall and expect to know the content of the material.

    Know the definitions of what you are arguing against people!

    In addition to argument 2: First, adderall has never been nor will it ever be known to magically deposit knowledge into the hippocampus of ones brain. The user still has to study to learn material like everyone else. The AD only improves the ability to concentrate. Second, If you want to make an “out there” comparison you could go as far as saying that studying under the influence of adderall is actually better than “cramming”,due to the fact that one is less likely to remember anything that was logged in short term memmory after the goal in which the “cramming” was for is accomplished. Lastly, not neccesaraly pertaining to argument 2, For those who feel that forgetting something is impossible for them, or that they never procrastinate CONGRATULATIONS to you, but let’s face it no matter how organized,self composed, or intelligent someone is we all procrastinate till the last minute occasionally. And if you don’t then let me know how you balance being a fulltime student and employee (without going into debt to pay bills) without procrastinating a single thing for either priority. Furthermore, on a lighter note, if you can do that and still maintain a social life then i would love to meet you cause your bound to be one intriguing human being!:P

  55. Anon. says:
    Tue, 9th Dec 20085:01 am 

    I forgot to do an argument for the definition: to deprive

    4. You are not forcibly taking anything from anyone. Unless you want to say somthing anout taking knowledge from what you are studying…but then everyone who studies (under an infuence or not) is cheating…HAHA when you think of it that way it’s kind of funny!

  56. Occasional User says:
    Tue, 9th Dec 20085:26 am 

    First off we can eliminate about 90% of these posts on account of ignorance. If you have never taken aderall, or even tried it, then you have no grounds to go around flaunting your OPINIONS like youre some kind of expert. How would you legitimately know what it is like to be on aderall if you have never tried it; its like sex or alcohol- you really have no idea what its like until you try it first hand.

    “Considering Aderall can have the opposite effect on people who dont need it.” – really, im pretty sure it has the EXACT same general effect on all people- increased focus, a heightened state of mind.

    I am currently a sophomore in college and take aderall to study for big exams and while taking exams, and im not prescribed. Since taking it I have seen improvements in scores and material learned, and the stuff i learned sticks with me much longer like from semester to semester. To sit at your computer and tell me that I am immoral and a drug abuser just blows my mind. Yes there can be downsides to the drug that occur from time to time but they are blown way out of proportion compared to the positive aspects of it. It is in no way an unfair advantage, it is readily available at just about all college campuses, and for roughly the same price as a redbull or a starbucks coffee.

    How could you seriously call it cheating, you learn more that those who dont take it and therefore preform better on exams.

    FOR THOSE WHO DO CONSIDER IT CHEATING AND AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE, I HAVE ONE GOOD ANALOGY FOR YOU(seeing as you have probably experienced it yourself firsthand): Say your at a bar with one of your male friends and you are both trying to pickup the same girl, only your friend is under the influence of the drug “alcohol” and you are not. Naturally his game is going to be a bit more smooth than yours giving him an advantage. When your friend ends up taking the girl home and you resort to another late night of DVR’d Seinfeld, WOULD YOU ACCUSE YOUR FRIEND OF HAVING AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE OVER YOU?

    i could go on for days about this seeing as i am on a pretty high dose of aderall right now preparing for 2 finals two days from now and having had 2 just earlier today. Also, I havent slept since sunday morning nor do i plan to sleep until after finals conclude on wednesday. so hypocrite- i hope you get plenty of sleep before your finals, because i will still be in a better state of mind come exam time.

  57. new user says:
    Mon, 15th Dec 200811:46 pm 

    I agree. Unless you’ve tried it say out of this conversation. This drugs affects people differently (and if you OD on adderall you’re an idiot). Do I consider it cheating? No. If you get addicted, then I recommend never ever trying drinking or any other drug cause this drug is truly weak shit. And trust me, I’ve tried things…

  58. Christina says:
    Fri, 26th Dec 20083:18 pm 

    I agree that Adderall is unhealthy for people who are not prescribed. I am a college student who has tried adderall twice to see the changing results in my study habits and procrastination. Adderall is known as a “miracle drug” in college, it helps students get A LOT more work done in a shorter time period, it also can make people have multiple epiphanies which I experienced the first time I took it. The second time I noticed my body did not react the same as the first time–pretty weird.

  59. weezy says:
    Thu, 19th Feb 20092:28 am 

    people who are willing to sacrifice their health and sanity deserve the boost that adderall gives them

    gotta do what it takes

  60. Bill says:
    Tue, 31st Mar 200912:40 am 

    boobs & fart.

    good conversation everyone.

  61. Brad says:
    Sun, 5th Apr 20098:11 am 

    Ok I have a question? If you have a friend that has ADD and has always done worse than you because of it. They get put on adderall to improve their scores so that they can get closer to where they should be. My question is… How would you feel if you truly struggled for your whole life with focus issues and you improved to get closer to your friend but your friend decides to illegaly take adderall to improve their scores? Wouldnt you be pissed? The matter of it is, adderall was tested on people who wanted to try to succeed in not just academics but life skills to see if their life changed any for the better just to get to the national average. That being said, adderall is given to people who struggle but have the ability to do better. The people who CAN study on their own and have done that for years, DONT FUCKING NEED IT!!! Stop using the drug to better yourself academically. Honestly, we live in a world where ranking is key. They take it illegaly to get ahead from everybody else. So I do not want to hear all the bull shit about getting an education. The only people in this forum that are allowed to say they want an education are the people who will have to pass their knowledge down to the next generation of scholars. Now this is not a free ride for people to use it illegaly. I just want to say that it is cheating if you can do it yourself. I do have ADD. But when I study with others who dont, I do not learn any faster. I dont get things done any faster. I guess what you could say is that it… LEVELS THE PLAYING FIELD! Just as it was intended.

    Here is another question for you illegal users. Do you really think that people with ADD are doing better than you? Go ahead and ask them their grades. Why not. You will probably find that you are still doing better than them. Now personally I could care less if I get a 4.0. It doesnt matter to me. I want to shoot for something close to a 3.0. I have never come close to achieving that. I would like to think that that score would be close to average. Well that could change now that you people are deciding that,”Oh, I must have ADD because I have a 3.6, HAHAHA, Im just going to take adderall because I think that I can get a 4.0 because I am so full of myself.” Honestly. Its not fair to me and others who truly struggle for you guys to use it only for studying, while the true needy use it for far more than that. Learn some responsibility. Are you afraid to go to the doctor because you might get rejected? If so, there’s your sign! You dont need it. And the author, I do not know you personally, but the idea for this forum is shit. You are promoting the use of adderall for study reasons only. Youre not directly contributing but you are, however, giving these people who have taken adderall before to just praise its name. And it also allows for people to just read this article and the posted comments promoting the use of adderall. Youre just making the matter worse. If you know that its wrong to take adderall because you dont need it, then dont. Dont put an open forum for anyone to leave comments which from what I have read have nothing to do with your question in the first place! Why dont you just realize that you dont need a freaking 4.0 to be successful. Prioritize. If you work and youre a full time student and in some cases even a single mother, than you should probably go ahead and take something off your plate. Whatever it may be. I have this and I dont really have an outside distraction other than having a girlfriend and I have a hard time focusing. Lighten your load. Abusing this drug is not only taking too much of this drug, but even before that taking the adderall when you dont need it is abusing the drug is it not? Adderall was intended to help people that were diagnosed with ADD. Period. End of story.

  62. MJ says:
    Sun, 26th Apr 20095:21 pm 

    hey ya’ll

    I’m in your university taking TONS of adderall, getting better grades than you, and becoming class valedictorian all on state funds that everyone else pays

    what it do

  63. Hello says:
    Tue, 20th Oct 20099:08 am 

    If you stay up from sunday morning to wednesday night strung out on adderall studying with no sleep you are going to do worse than if you had slept some.

    and adderall is just amphetamine, it wasn’t designed to help people with ADD, adderall was here before add was called add.

    also for me, supposedly i am adhd and bipolar my grades look like this:

    no adderall: 1.5-1.8GPA
    adderall: 4.0

    in my case, add isn’t really something that pulls me down overall, it’s a barrier stopping me from doing what I would normally. The adderall isn’t giving me another 2.5 points, I’m not smarter because I take adderall. I don’t need adderall so I can study for 12 hours at a time to overcome my laziness. I will fail something that only takes 15 minutes of work.

  64. Hello says:
    Tue, 20th Oct 20099:08 am 

    Adderall destroys road blocks for people with add. With adderall I will crush you, but not because it lets me study for 24 hours straight. If you have 5 people with add, and 5 without a hint of add, and give all 10 of them adderall. The 5 without add are not going to outperform the 5 with add.

    It returns to people their potential, with a convenient side effect of eternal drive and motivation, so ADD or not(also, no it does not affect everyone the same), if you take adderall, you’re will never tire and so be limited by your intelligence instead of your effort. And that is why people with ADD who take adderall have an advantage over people without ADD. It makes ADD people surpass their non-add counterparts.

    It’s like, say you and I are equal in everything except that I have add and you do not. So I am going to suck at school and you won’t, but if we both take adderall, we will be equal. If I take adderall and you don’t I will surpass you, even if in my true life example above.

    Say for example you(my twin who somehow didn’t end up with ADD) had a 3.8GPA, and I had a 1.8GPA. If I didn’t have add, I would have a 3.8GPA like you. If I take adderall, i’ll have a 4.0 GPA, but the climb from 1.8 to 3.8 had nothing to do with adderall giving me limitless energy. The limitless energy part of adderall only gave me 1/5th of a point. The part of adderall that destroys the ADD roadblock is why I was able to get to 3.8. That 3.8 is me minus the ADD, the 4.0 is me minus the add+ the energy/focus.

    I don’t like taking adderall, hate the way it makes me feel, I’ve been going to college for 6 years and i’m still a sophmore lol. If i had taken my adderall I would have been out two years ago. I wonder if this is normal

    I mean its been like 6 years and i’m still trying to go to school, if i didn’t care I would have stopped throwing my money away by now right? Clearly I want to pass 4 years of college,

    If i were you, I wouldn’t feel bad about it, schools should be handing that shit out in the cafeteria. They give it to navy and air force pilots to keep them alert/focused for long periods when they’re up in the air.

    It’s nothing to do with add, the only thing that can be argued against it is that you don’t have a prescription for it. The whole “well you nudged me out of acceptance because of your adderall” can go to hell, there’s nothing wrong with using any advantage available to you to get ahead. If a semi runs me off the highway on my way to the finals and I wake up in the hospital paralyzed and unable to speak then that’s an unfair advantage for you. WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH I guess you would do the moral thing and go lay in a hospital bed pretending to be paralyzed so everyone is on level ground.

  65. Dan says:
    Tue, 20th Oct 200912:35 pm 

    If you give anyone Adderall, aka “prescription cocaine,” they’ll “perform” better. And faster. And happier. That’s why people have been “self-medicating” with non-prescription cocaine for hundreds of years. But slap a label on it and put it in a pharmacy, all of a sudden it’s a miracle drug. I don’t know enough about ADD/ADHD to speak intelligently, but it smacks of big pharma making drugs to treat something that could better be dealt with through therapy. As for using it to get better test scores, A, it’s clearly harmful in the long run (when you stop using it or use it for too long), and B, why is this even an issue? Unless you know people or went to MIT, you’re going to get a shit job when you graduate no matter what your GPA was.

  66. golgi says:
    Wed, 21st Oct 200912:19 am 

    http://jhuneuroethics.blogspot.com/2009/10/cognitive-enhancement-debate-continues.html

  67. Kelvin14 says:
    Thu, 22nd Oct 20097:53 am 

    Were you there and did you see this item? ,

  68. Ganry42 says:
    Fri, 23rd Oct 20096:50 am 

        F&F both have substantial portfolios of loans. ,

  69. michaelnau says:
    Tue, 3rd Nov 20097:06 am 

    This article makes adderall sound awesome. I missed the diagnosis of ADD and the subsequent wave of drugs, but can now appreciate the advantages that this one seems to have. Whether you are diagnosed or not, the university system and the fast transit that students are now expected to make necessitates these drugs.

  70. Beverly says:
    Wed, 4th Nov 20098:54 pm 

    Can I just say, everyone should read Brad’s post. Repeatedly.

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