Annotated Bibliography

Works Cited

Carroll, Linda. "College Students Get Hooked on ‘smart Drugs’ - TODAY Health - TODAY.com." TODAY.com: Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, Al Roker, Natalie Morales - TODAY Show Video, News, Recipes, Health, Pets. MSNBC, 17 May 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43050779/ns/today-today_health/t/steroids-school-college-students-get-hooked-smart-drugs/>.

Like baseball players who use performance enhancing drugs, Adderall is becoming the steroid for college students.  Students feel like they must use Adderall in order to keep up with all their work.  While using Adderall, students feel find and think there are no problems, but continued use leads to negative side effects that are harmful.  Adderall may help you focus on something, but it hinders other cognitive skills such as creativity.  But, students are too easily able to get an Adderall prescription from a doctor and parents do not see the warning signs because they are proud of their child’s academic achievements.  

Ferri, Richard S. "College Students and Adderall: What's Going On?" Medscape Today News. Medscape Nurses, 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/750902>.

When used appropriately, Adderall can be an effective drug with good outcomes.  However, when used for nonmedical reasons, Adderall can have bad side effects.  Despite these bad side effects, college students continue to use Adderall because they feel as if they cannot survive their classes without it.  A problem exists because college students are not properly counseled about the negative side effects of using Adderall.  Students think nothing is wrong with taking the drug, but they must be educated in order to understand the implications of their actions.  

Galiana, Ramon. "College Students Use, Abuse ADHD Drug Adderall." The Miami Hurricane [Miami] 17 Sept. 2008. Print.

This Miami newspaper includes quotes from several people questioning why it is wrong or unsafe to take Adderall.  Stimulant use can be good for the most overstressed students who would not be able to do their work otherwise.  If Adderall is something given to you by your doctor, then it can’t be a bad thing.  Although Adderall use may be okay for a person who is prescribed the drug, negative side effects can be dangerous for those who use Adderall without their own prescription.

Jacobs, Andrew. "The Adderall Advantage." The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 July 2005. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/31/education/edlife/jacobs31.html?pagewanted=all>.

This newspaper article from the New York Times describes Adderall use from the perspective of a college student named Angela.  Many students like Angela are beginning to think that using stimulants like Adderall will make them perform better in school.  The widespread use is causing controversy because some people believe that Adderall gives students an unfair advantage, especially those students who use the drug without a prescription.  Also, more students are feeling pressured to use Adderall to "keep up with" the rest of their class.

James, Susan Donaldson. "Adderall Can Cause Psychosis, Vanderbilt College Student Commits Suicide - ABC News." ABCNews.com: Daily News, Breaking News and Video Broadcasts - ABC News. ABC News, 8 Nov. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/adderall-psychosis-suicide-college-students-abuse-study-drug/story?id=12066619>.

Kyle Craig, a successful student at Vanderbilt University turned to Adderall use as a stimulant.  Kyle saw those around him using Adderall and getting better grades so he decided to try the drug.  He soon became addicted and abused the drug.  His abuse led him to develop a psychosis and he lost interest in many of his old activities.  The abuse of Adderall and the psychosis led Kyle to commit suicide.

National Center for Biotechnology Information. "Dextroamphetamine and Amphetamine - PubMed Health." Dextroamphetamine and Amphetamine. The United States National Library of Medicine, 1 Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000166/>.

This source provides the medical perspective of the drug Adderall.  The website includes an extensive list of the side effects of Adderall, including vomiting, nausea, chest pains, and various others.  This source also describes how Adderall is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and should be used by following precautions.   The overall purpose of this source is to provide viewers with a complete  medical explanation of what Adderall is and how it should be used.

McCabe, Sean E., John R. Knight, Christian J. Teter, and Henry Wechsler. Non-medical Use of Prescription Stimulants among US College Students: Prevalence and Correlates from a National Survey. 31 Aug. 2004. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74786/1/j.1360-0443.2005.00944.x.pdf>.

This source is a research paper that describes the use of stimulants among college students.  This article describes what types of people are more likely to use stimulants, such as Adderall, and in what areas of the country Adderall use in colleges is most prevalent.  This paper further shows a correlation between Adderall use and other behaviors, such as alcohol consumption, smoking marijuana, and other behaviors.  This paper was written based on a self-reported survey from randomly selected college students.

Schwartz, Casey. "Adderall Concentration Benefits in Doubt: New Study." The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast, 20 Dec. 2010. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/12/21/adderall-concentration-benefits-in-doubt-new-study.html>.

Many people think Adderall is a pill that makes them smarter and perform better on tasks.  However, Adderall use can actually make people think they are doing better than they actually are.  In a University of Pennsylvania study, participants were given Adderall or a placebo pill and asked to perform different tasks.  The participants who thought they were taking Adderall attributed their outcomes to the pill, even if they actually only had a placebo.  Therefore, the question remains of whether or not Adderall actually helps.   

Talbot, Margaret. "Brain Gain." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/04/27/090427fa_fact_talbot>.

One student named Alex uses Adderall as a stimulant to help him do his work in college.  He is able to stay up all night to focus on his work and complete all of his goals.  The ability to focus so well seems like a good outcome, but Alex soon began to notice odd side effects of his Adderall use.  He would become jittery and feel like a zombie unless he continued his Adderall use daily.  Many other students like Alex are beginning to take Adderall.

Trudeau, Michelle. "More Students Turning Illegally To 'Smart' Drugs : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. National Public Radio, 5 Feb. 2009. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100254163>.

Adderall use is becoming more prevalent among college students.   Students have little trouble finding Adderall because it is illegally sold and shared by those with prescriptions.  However, this widespread use is becoming a problem because there can be many negative side effects.  In addition, college students can become addicted to using Adderall and become dependent upon it for the motivation to do work. 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nonmedical Use of Adderall® among Full-Time College Students. Rep. National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2009. Print.

Full time college students are more likely to use Adderall than students who are not full time.  Students who use Adderall without a prescription are also more likely to abuse other medications, such as pain killers, do illegal drugs, and drink heavily.  Adderall use can lead to other harmful behaviors because it tends to be abused or become addicting.  

WebMd. "Drugs and Medication- Adderall Oral." WebMd Better Information Better Health. WebMd, 2005. Web. 18 Oct. 2011. <http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-63163-Adderall+Oral.aspx?drugid=63163&drugname=Adderall+Oral>.

This source is an online medical resource which provides extensive information on the drug Adderall.  The use of Adderall as a stimulant and to treat sleeping disorders is described.  Also, the side effects and precautions while taking Adderall are listed.  Additional information is provided on what interactions Adderall can have with other substances and what to do in case of an overdose.