Stimulant Drugs

Giving children stimulant medication meant to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has no significant effect on homework completion or accuracy, a new small study suggests.

A new study finds college students who misuse prescription stimulants are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, compared with students not misusing stimulants. UPI reports students who misused stimulants also were more likely to have conduct disorder or substance use disorder.

A new survey has found that it is relatively easy for college students in the U.S. to illegally obtain stimulants and other prescription drugs on college campuses, HealthDay reports.

Long-term abuse of stimulant drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine may have a greater effect on the brains of women compared with men who were dependent on the same drugs, a new study suggests.

A growing number of workers in a wide variety of professions are abusing stimulants in an effort to stay competitive, experts tell The New York Times.

A new Government Accountability Office report concludes the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has contributed to a shortage of prescription narcotics and stimulants. Controlled substances such as narcotics and stimulants are regulated by the DEA because of the potential for abuse and addiction.

An estimated 17 percent of college students misuse drugs designed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to a new analysis of previous studies.

Almost one-fifth of college students say they abuse prescription stimulants, a new survey finds. The most commonly abused stimulants are medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, such as Ritalin, Adderall and Vyvanse.

Only 41 percent of college students say misusing prescription stimulants for academic purposes should be considered cheating, according to a survey at an unnamed Ivy League institution.

A new study finds smokers who are addicted to methamphetamine or cocaine can stop smoking while they are being treated for their addiction to stimulants, without adversely impacting their addiction treatment.

A quick Internet search of “pills to boost your brain power” will return thousands of hits. For high school and college students, the pressure to perform academically makes the idea of a pill that can help with attention or studying even more attractive, says one researcher.

Emergency rooms reported a 300 percent jump in visits related to stimulant abuse among young adults from 2005 to 2011. According to The New York Times, 23,000 people ages 18 to 34 visited the ER in 2011 after taking drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin.

One-fourth of teens have misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime, a 33 percent increase over the last five years, a new study finds. One in eight teens say they have taken Ritalin or Adderall when it was not prescribed for them, according to the study by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation.

More doctors are prescribing stimulants for students who are struggling in low-income schools, The New York Times reports. Many of these children, who do not have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, receive the drugs to increase their academic performance.

College administrators say they are concerned about an increase in prescription stimulant abuse among students, The Washington Post reports.

A survey of teenagers finds 22 percent of those taking controlled medications, such as painkillers or stimulants, misused the drugs in the past year.

Stimulant drugs designed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are not as likely as prescription painkillers to be diverted for non-medical purposes, a survey of 10,000 adults, ages 18 to 49, finds. Almost 25 percent of those surveyed said they had used prescription opioids for non-medical purposes, compared with about 8 percent who said they used stimulant medications for non-medical reasons.

Synthetic drugs—substances that mimic the effects of marijuana, cocaine and other illegal drugs—are causing a sharp rise in serious health problems ranging from seizures and hallucinations to death.