Ritalin Finds New Niche On Campus Stimulant Being Abused By Students As “Study Drug”

Ritalin, a drug commonly prescribed to treat hyperactivity in young children, is now being used by college students as both a “study drug” and a way to get high.

The increasing availability of the drug may be driving its appearance on campuses, experts say. The amount of Ritalin being prescribed in the United States increased sixfold in the first half of the decade, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

“It’s probably easier for someone to prod a friend for Ritalin than to go out on the street and buy amphetamines,” said Dr. Eric Heiligenstein of the University of Wisconsin, an authority on the subject.

Experts caution it is difficult to quantify the extent of the usage and they see little evidence of widespread abuse.

Ritalin, or methylphenidate, is a psycho-stimulant made by Ciba Pharmaceuticals and prescribed primarily to treat hyperactive children.

It is “an amphetamine-like drug,” a stimulant that paradoxically tends to increase the ability to concentrate and therefore decreases behavior problem in children, according to Barry Reiss, professor of pharmacy at the Albany College of Pharmacy.

Abusing Ritalin is dangerous, the experts say. Among its side effects are cardiac palpitations and sleeplessness. It has the potential to be addicting if it is not used properly, Reiss said.

There is significant controversy over even its prescribed use. Supporters call it a useful tool for handling behavioral problems in children, but critics argue it is an over-prescribed and inappropriate substitute for good parenting.

There also is growing medical acceptance of the notion that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can afflict adolescents and adults, who can also benefit from Ritalin treatment.

Frank J. Doberman, clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Albany Medical College, described the disorder as “a chronic health condition” in which roughly one-quarter of patients with the diagnosis may require medication in adult life.

“Just because someone goes through puberty or goes to college doesn’t mean the disorder goes away,” Heiligenstein said.

The University of Wisconsin’s health center writes Ritalin prescriptions for roughly 80 to 100 students per year, a number unchanged over the last five years, Heiligenstein said.

New York’s regulations for dispensing the drug are among the most stringent in the nation and have sharply limited black-market availability, according to state health officials.

But Doberman said health professionals who prescribe Ritalin for students are aware of the risk that it will end up in the wrong hands.

“Students from elementary school onward are aware of fellow students who take stimulant medication and they are aware of the effects of the medication,” he said.

“At the college level, where you have students who understand that this may help them concentrate or study when they are fatigued, they will frequently seek out this medication,” he said.

A senior art major at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., uses Ritalin as a study aid and said he can always obtain the drug at little or no cost from friends who have a prescription.

A business major at the school, who has a prescription but stopped taking the medicine because it gave him an upset stomach, said, “People would ask me for it and I gave it away.”

Medical personnel at other schools said Ritalin is barely on the radar screen when compared to alcohol and marijuana use.