In
addition to the many drugs that college students are experimenting with
recreationally are the drugs that college students are experimenting for
reasons other than fun. College students
are said to abuse drugs that are prescribed for people with Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). These
drugs, usually Adderall and Ritalin, are amphetamine salts and methylphenidate
respectively. They cause either a block in the release of dopamine,
norepinephrine, and serotonin or the increase in the release of these same
neurotransmitters. The result of these
drugs is that students focus for long periods of time which is used for
studying and increased productivity.
A
study was done that measure the amounts of these drugs found in the wastewater
on a college campus. The study is among
early tests on the epidemiology of water and could lead to further tests around
colleges and athletic housing. The
amount of metabolites in these drugs and their alternatives that could be found
in urine was noted and tested for in the wastewater during a total of 9 time
periods of high or low stress during each of two semesters. Their sample was
476 college students from a United States school. It was documented whether or not they have a
prescription to any of the mentioned drugs.
The
trends that were found showed that high periods of stress such as midterms and
finals weeks showed greater use of amphetamines than during low stress periods
of time. After the first midterm weeks,
the trend in the level of amphetamine use drops back down to the base that was
originally measured. In the spring semester, the level of amphetamine use did
not drop back down after midterms.
During the finals week of the second semester, the largest proportion of
amphetamine use was measured.
The
study ultimately was the first to study wastewater and find a correlation
between amphetamines and the academic stresses of college life. More testing could always be done to find
more information, but this was an interesting new way to try and make
assumptions about college non-prescription drug use. It is especially interesting because the drug
is used during times of academic duress rather than as a recreational high.
Daniel A. Burgard, Rick Fuller, Brian Becker, Rebecca Ferrell, M.J. Dinglasan-Panlilio, Potential trends in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) drug use on a college campus: Wastewater analysis of amphetamine and ritalinic acid, Science of The Total Environment, Volumes 450–451, 15 April 2013, Pages 242-249
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