ADHD Drugs and Its Effect on the Social Community
Hoa Pham
English 102
April 20, 1999
The Usage of Amphetamines and It’s Effects to the Community
Amphetamine is a group of powerful stimulant drug commonly used to control people with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). It also known to be used by many people illegally to speed up their metabolism, giving them a boost of energy and alertness. With the busy life of a college student, amphetamines are often used to keep students up late at night to study or partying[LMC1]. The distribution of legal amphetamines, such as Ritalin or Dexatrine, in the college campus is often through students who are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. When legal amphetamines are not to be found, students often turn to illegal, homemade amphetamine—which is twice as powerful and dangerous. I personally feel that amphetamines should be more controlled. A prescription of Ritalin can be easily obtained from a small local clinic, without any examination. If that cannot be done, homemade substitutes can be bought for a minimal cost.
Amphetamines are potent psychomotor stimulants. Their use causes a release of the excitatory neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline from storage vesicles in the central nervous system. Amphetamines induce feelings of power, strength, self-assertion and enhanced motivation. The release of dopamine typically induces a sense of euphoria, which may last several hours. There follows intense mental depression and fatigue. Amphetamines deplete the neuronal stores of dopamine in the mesolimbic pleasure centers. When initially taken, amphetamines produce feelings of well being, increased competence, and alertness. High doses of amphetamines can cause tremors, sweating, heart palpitations, or anxiety. Exhaustion and depression follow when the effects of amphetamines wear off. Serious mental illness including paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, and violent behavior may occur after prolonged use. Weight loss may be drastic since chronic use reduces appetite, resulting in a gaunt, wasted appearance. Individuals seeking mood elevation, increased alertness, or improved athletic performance commonly abuse the usage of amphetamines.
Amphetamines often come in the forms of Ritalin and Dexatrine, which are drugs prescribed to people with ADD and ADHD. ADD, once called hyperkinesis or minimal brain disfunction, is one of the most common mental disorders among children. It affects three to five percent of all children, perhaps as many as two million American children. Two to three times more boys than girls are affected. On the average, at least one child in every classroom in the United States needs help for the disorder.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a neurobiological disorder, which means the symptoms of ADD are caused by chemicals in the brain that are now working properly. As a result, people with ADD have problems with attention and learning that may cause significant problems both at home and school.
“Imagine living in a fast-moving kaleidoscope, where sounds, images, and thoughts are constantly shifting. Feeling easily bored, yet helpless to keep your mind on tasks you need to complete. Distracted by unimportant sights and sounds, your mind drives you from one thought or activity to the next. Perhaps you are so wrapped up in a collage of thoughts and images that you don’t notice when someone speaks to you.” (Denny 82)
This is how it is like if you have ADD.
According to research, people with ADD benefit from low levels of stimulant medication that stimulate activity in the central nervous system. These stimulant medications come in the form of amphetamines, which is highly addictive and strong. Though this drug has many negative aspects to it, the benefits of medication often seem to outweigh any risks. “Some parents and professionals are enthusiastic supporters of using stimulant medications. Indeed, they are concerned about the ‘side effects’ of not giving medication when it is needed.” (Denny 33)
So why prescribe a dangerous drug? How can we be so blind to the implications of the widespread prescribing of stimulants? The usage of drugs for ADD is a form of technological fix that is described in Alvin Weinberg’s essay. In Alvin Weinberg’s essay “Can Technology Replace Social Engineering?,” Weinberg provides a series of technological solutions to some of the social problems in the world during the mid-1960s. The problems that Weinberg acknowledges include world population, deterioration of the environment, educational systems, decaying cities, race relations, and poverty. Weinberg suggests that these social problems can be circumvented or at least reduced to less formidable proportions by the application of the Technological Fix, rather than by the methods of social engineering. A good example of this is controlling world population through the Intra-Uterine Device (IUD). Before the IUD was invented, birth control demanded very strong motivation of countless individuals. Even with the pill, the individual’s motivation had to be sustained day in and day out. But the IUD, being a one-shot method, greatly reduces the individual motivation required to induce a social change. The answer to the question “Can technology replace social engineering?” is that technology will never replace social engineering, but it will provide to the social engineer broader options, to make intractable social problems less intractable. Perhaps, most of all, technology will buy time—that precious commodity that converts violent social revolution into acceptable social evolution.[LMC2]
The invention of amphetamines is a great example of a technological fix. People that have ADD take drugs such as [LMC3]Ritalin and Dexatrine to keep their mind focus in order to concentrate, which is the simple solution to the situation. A solution that only technology can bring about. Another solution to this problem is through intensive counseling, which is a form of social engineering. Social engineering is replaced by technology because counseling takes up too much time and is expensive.
The problem with amphetamines is that it is [LMC4]often abuse and misuse[LMC5]. “Estimates based upon incomplete figures suggest that seventy tablets of amphetamine and amphetamine-type drugs are produced legally in the United States for every man, woman, and child.” The production of this drug exceeds the amount actually used in the medical field. As a result, the circulation of legal amphetamine is increased leading to its misusage.
Amphetamines in moderate dosage (5-10 mg) are capable of provide [LMC6]most individuals more alert, more wakeful, and less aware of fatigue[LMC7]. This is why amphetamines are widely used by truck drivers and students. “From a medical point of view, reasonable use of the drugs for this purpose would appear to be proper. In fact, within the limits of reasonable fatigue, amphetamines could be life-saving in night-driving situations involving a few extra hours.” (Russo 71)
At Clemson University, the usage of amphetamine is quite common due to the busy schedule of an average student. Take me for example. From Monday to Thursday, I wake up around 9:00 AM. My classes run from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. After class, I usually play outdoor an activity such as Frisbee or soccer till around 5:00 PM. After that I would go eat dinner and sit around relaxing till around 8:00 PM. By that time, I would usually have some kind of fraternity event that I have to attend, which usually runs till about 12:00 AM. That’s when I start doing my schoolwork. I do not always go through my day in that order—I often try to get my schoolwork done before going on with my day. Nevertheless, there are definitely too many things that are squeezed into one day. I often get about 3 to 4 hours of sleep a day.
Many students go through the same problems as I do when it comes to time management. As a solution, some students turn to drugs such as amphetamines to substitute for sleep. Since an [LMC8]average one student in every classroom have[LMC9] ADD or ADHD, one can obtain a month’s supply of amphetamines simply by telling that person to go the pharmacy to [LMC10]get a refill.
I have personally experimented with amphetamines. I have been diagnosed with Ritalin for ADD[LMC11] since I was 8 years old. The drug kept me under control till I was around 13 years old, when puberty kicked in. That is when I found myself frequently in a depression state for no particular reason. My doctor then prescribed me Dexatrine, a slight modification of Ritalin, and lowered my daily dosage. I now no longer take Dexatrine everyday, only when I need it. It is during my senior year in high school when I realized the power of the drug I’ve been taking for the last 10 years of my life. Instead of taking the normal dosage of 5 mg of Dexatrine a day, I began taking around 20 to 30 mg. With 20 mg, I was able to stay up for 48 hours at a time to study, play sports, party, and any other activities that usually can’t fit into my schedule. Not only did I not sleep, I did not eat either—I just did not have the appetite. The worst thing about taking a large quantity of Dexatrine is that when the drug wears down, you feel extremely tired and weary. That is when I would take more Dexatrine to boost up my energy level again. If I stopped taking them, I would fall asleep abruptly and sleep for a whole day. I once stayed up for 4 days straight and slept for 2 days after that.
I no longer take as much Dexatrine as I use to mainly due to the after effects. Amphetamine is a very powerful drug. 10 mg of Dexatrine and Ritalin is comparable to 10 tablets of No-Doz or 6 tablets of Vivarin (over-the-counter caffeine pills). Illegal amphetamines, such as crank or meth[LMC12], are twice as strong compare to Ritalin.
[LMC1]1 It sounds weird to say partying.. try saying what effect the drug would have to someone at a party.
[LMC2]1Nice comment!!!
[LMC3]1You have already stated the drugs and how they work.. from now on you can just state Ritalin and Dexatrine and I think people will know what you are talking about.
[LMC4]1Change this to “they are”
[LMC5]1It makes sense to be in the singular form.. but I think it would read better in the plural form.
[LMC6]1Providing?
[LMC7]1You provide most individuals with what?…I understand what the drug does, but you might want to re-word this sentence so that it follows the flow of the paper.
[LMC8]1Don’t you mean “on”?
[LMC9]1I’m not sure if I follow the sentence.. but I think has might be a little better.
[LMC10]1You tell them to go to the pharmacy “AND” get you the refill.
[LMC11]1You can’t be diagnosed with ritalin, but you can be diagnosed with ADD and you take Ritalin
[LMC12]1If these are names of drugs I think they should be capitalized