The
Paying
attention to Ritalin
Attention
deficit drug lurking in the study halls
Available by prescription only — or black market
Charles Mitchell
When Asif is ready to study for a test, he finds a quiet spot in the library,
arranges his textbooks and highlighters, drinks a cup of coffee and then takes
the prescription medicine Ritalin.
The second-year political science and economics major at the
The amphetamine, normally prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), has become popular among his friends as a study
aid, and some students say they've used it for years. Asif says he was
initially reluctant to take it, but this past semester, when he found himself
too far behind on his history reading to catch up, he decided to try the
tablets.
"I was in a desperate situation, so I was, like, `What the hell, I might
as well take it and see what happens,'" says the 20-year-old, who spoke on
condition that his real name not be used.
"I took it and it did miracles. I studied a lot. I did a lot of readings, a
lot of work and I remembered all of (what I studied)."
Some of Asif's friends snort the drug by crushing it into a fine powder, then
sniffing it. He prefers to swallow the pill.
First introduced in 1956, Ritalin (generic name methylphenidate) is prescribed
mainly to children and adolescents with ADHD, and is produced domestically by
the Quebec-based pharmaceutical firm Novartis. According to a report by health
information company IMS Health
The drug has garnered illicit fans, especially among undergraduate students,
because of its potential to increase alertness, improve attention span and
enhance concentration.
In
The drug, which stimulates the central nervous system and can create a
dependency if taken regularly, is not without dangers. Side effects can include
agitation, sleeplessness, abnormal heartbeat and heightened blood pressure.
In March, 2000, Ritalin may have played a role in the drug cocktail overdose
that took the life of a sophomore at
Asif, like other student users, does not have a prescription for Ritalin. On
the streets, he says, the drug sells for about $5 a pill under such names as
Vitamin R, R-Ball, or the Smart Drug. But he doesn't need to buy the product in
back alleys. He can obtain it from friends, he says, who acquire it through
black market channels via
Strict laws in
"It is prescribed for attention deficit disorder. When we prescribe Ritalin,
a student has to have that diagnosis," says Dr. Sara Taman, health
services director at the
The use of amphetamines, mainly speed, has always occurred to some extent at
universities,
In the case of Ritalin, its use came to her attention recently through an
international student.
"We had an American student who found it odd that we don't prescribe the
drug unless he had that diagnosis on his chart,"
Ritalin abuse has become prevalent at many American colleges and received
widespread media attention south of the border. A
Although
Use of the drug as a study aid is general knowledge in his campus dormitory, he
says.
In
"We hear from the students and have students constantly coming in asking
for Ritalin as a study aid.
"So it's fairly widespread and growing," says Dr. Norman Hoffman,
director of student mental health services at McGill.
However, it's not just university students. Hoffman is concerned about a
growing number of teenagers abusing the medication.
In 1996, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration warned about teenage misuse
of Ritalin, which is on the agency's list of top 10 stolen prescription drugs.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America reported that in 2002, some 2.1 million
teenagers across the
Now Canadian experts are hearing of similar misuse.
"I can recall a couple of times, when questioned along those lines, a
couple of teens have indicated that there was something like this going on,"
says Dr. Molly Malone, a child psychologist who works at the Hospital for Sick
Children and who routinely treats adolescents with ADHD.
The phasing-out of Grade 13 in Ontario, with the attendant pressure on students
to achieve high marks to win a coveted place in squeezed university programs,
may have encouraged Ritalin experimentation in high schools.
"Students are looking for anything that will help,"
"The pressure on them is high. Possibly now (with the so-called double
cohort) it may be more of an issue," she adds.
The pressure is high for Asif, too, though he is well into his university
years. The prospect of going to graduate school hinges on strong marks, but it
remains to be seen if Ritalin will make the final grade, or improve his.
"If it really helps to improve my grades, I don't know," he says.
"But does it help me to study?
"Yeah, it helps me to study."
Copyright 2003. All rights reserved.