need to add title here

Boosting Brain Power

April 25, 2010 5:00 PM

More people, especially college students trying to improve their grades, are illegally boosting their brain power by using prescription "smart drugs" like Ritalin and Aderall, meant for those with attention deficit disorders. Katie Couric reports.

Boosting Brain Power
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by hatchetgirl45 August 25, 2011 10:36 AM EDT
It is really sad to know that this day and age anything is possible anymore.By way of the internet or just word of mouth.And just think 10 yrs ago my daughter had to take this drug,and never heard of the abuse on taking the drug back then..What a shame.
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by robertsoley101 January 30, 2011 8:34 PM EST
First of all, I'd like to say that I am a firm believer in the use of psychopharmopseudicals,* (spelling?) IF the benefits outweigh the side effects. High doses of the medication abilify were able to help me to concentrate to an extent I had never been able to before and also gave me the motivation to strive for success. Unfortunately, involuntary movements occured and I had to stop taking the medication at the higher dose. I also have come to the conclusion that when we're given an ADHD/depression test, we're not taking it fairly; the way we should take the tests is that we should be given the medication, be checked for benefits, and then go off the medication to see if it helped improve any symptoms we didn't know were there. A person won't know they were depressed until they become undepressed! Then, it should be up to them to decide if they wish to live in the deficit that they now know they have; potential/societal standards. If you can get good grades because you're smarter than everyone else but you can still benefit from a stimulant--enabling you to get your work done faster and enjoy more leasure time, then it isn't fair to say a person can't improve their INDIVIDUAL self just becuase they are already well off; if they could be a doctor without the aid of stimulants, they could be the doctor who cures diseases which have trumped us with them. Who are we to say that only the weak are allowed to improve themselves? My grades are decent: 3.0/2.5 in college, but my brother and sister both have straight A's. This semester is going much easier for me because of the medications which I have put myself on with the help of my doctor. I have dreams: to become a psychiatrist and help those who feel ordinary to become extraordinary. If I weren't allowed to use these medications I would not be what I could be, and should be; I have great brains but they are trapped. I want to prosper. So does everyone else. Inform people about addiction; make it so people don't have to go to illegal measures to obtain the things that can help individuals to reach their dreams. When we're all doctors and engineers and we don't have to do any work due to extremely functional machinery our generation on this planet created through the use of mind enhancing drugs, the world will be a much better place. Of course, things like psychosis DO occur but with highly efficient individuals there will be the ability, enough time, and energy to take care of those who just can't keep up--- if a person can work triple shifts with provigil, enabling their sick family member to not have to exert themself, THAT would be a great step in human altruism.

P.S. As I write this, my daily dose of concerta has probably already been metabolized by my liver. Sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors!
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by stellascott September 18, 2010 7:52 AM EDT
THIS IS NEW? What happened in the 60's and 70's. Just ask Alice. Study with some white cross. I wonder what was taken to win the Nixon, Kennedy debate?
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by bloodhonest July 31, 2010 10:23 PM EDT
If we accept these medications for brainpower, we better lay off all those athletes...and while we're at it, let's give Mili Vanili back their award, too!
nobody is crying about caffeine, which side effects include heart arrythmias; it's the most popular cross-addiction there is.
everything we put into our body alters us metabolically. Huxley and Darwin would have a time, discovering what evolution has in store for us, genetically altering humans. Our choices will make some of out species strong and others, not so much. Huxley says our intelligence is genetic, but our emotions are not.
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by valocampo May 20, 2010 12:36 PM EDT
What is this 2003? pretty sure this has been covered a few dozen times.
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by jsembor1991 May 10, 2010 11:14 PM EDT
I am currently a college student at the University of Scranton, and am sad to say that i have heard of people at other schools (friends of friends) who have done this.
I am also sad to say that it is not a 'communications major', the script should have said 'communication major' to be correct (something the writer should have known, cosidering it must have been their own major in college).
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by sgtgorg May 7, 2010 7:58 AM EDT
This makes me want to go back to college so I can try out some of the new drugs. That's not fair that they got to try them out and I didn't. I had to work hard for my A's and B's.
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by drmbhete May 6, 2010 11:45 AM EDT
Not a single word about side effects! Not one word!! This is supposed to be a balanced story??
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by shelfgray May 1, 2010 3:09 PM EDT
What has not been addressed in the prior comments, and certainly not in the 60 Minutes piece, is the affect on students with Real ADD/ADHD. Students whose parents have spent years and years and tens of thousands of dollars on Neurological exams, Cardio/EKG exams, Psychological Testing, Educational Testing, tutoring, private schools, books, seminars and dietary supplements, only to have them move on to college and be badgered by roommates, sorority/fraternity members and classmates to share their medications. When students with true ADD take their prescribed medication it doesn?t move them from a ?C - to an A,? but rather from reading a paragraph and not being able to remember its content - to being able to read and comprehend an entire book!

ADHD students are being kicked out of colleges and high schools for submitting to the peer pressure of sharing their medications; while 60 Minutes basically glorifies the use and abuse by undiagnosed students, professors, the government and professionals.

Maybe, Katie should have interviewed an ADD student, one who gets hounded at exam time, or maybe a college administrator who sweeps this epidemic under the carpet, only to then demonize the students with valid ADD diagnosis.

I wonder if the intent of this segment was to justify the rampant use of these drugs, both prescribed and unprescribed, by journalists, professors, lawyers, doctors and countless other highly educated professionals. I wonder?
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by cshell0268 April 30, 2010 9:47 PM EDT
I'm very disturbed by the way this story was covered..it seems to me that 60 minutes was supporting the use of add/adhd medications for college students and who ever else may need to boost their brain.
Add/Adhd are very serious disorders, and for 60 minutes to allow college students to minimize that by letting them say.."I'd say it's not that hard, really, the symptoms of attention deficeit disorder is not able to focus and have trouble concentrating, you go in and tell any Dr. that..8 out of 10 times their going to say (o-o-o) you have attention deficeit disorder." is very upsetting to me. Due to the fact, that 60 minutes did not counter act by showing how serious Add/Adhd are. They allowed the disorders to be minimized.
I'm just going to call it like it is...Adderal and any other medication that boost the brain is speed. It's just legalized meth in a pill form and "by prescription only". You compare the effects of meth to adderal they are the same. OOOps, one is legal and the other is not. If your taking one, your boosting your brain and going to get ahead in life. But if your taking the other, your a "meth head". Hmmm...
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