Danny: The first time I used it I studied for five hours straight because I was genuinely enjoying it. It was just a good feeling.
Laura: That’s Danny.
Laura: He first started using smart drugs when he was studying for his HSC.
Laura: Danny is one of many students turning to smart drugs to cope with the pressure to succeeded at school.
Laura: A recent Headspace study found that close to 85 per cent of students feel that they are overwhelmed when it comes to study.
Danny: I did have a pressure from family and peers as well as teachers. I didn’t want to let them down and I just needed to be a bit more focused and I didn’t have the best focus at that time”.
Laura: Dr Akshay Athavale, a clinical phycologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital says prescription drugs are often misused by students to enhance their cognitive ability.
Dr Athavale: So smart drugs are often referred to as prescription drugs that are used for a reason other than what is intended. Prescription drugs commonly used as smart drugs would be things like in terms of brand names, things like Ritalin or Concerta, or generically they would be called Methylphenidate or methamphetamines or modafinil.
Dr Athavale: The way they work is that they act as a stimulant. So, they modulate the chemicals in the brain, the neurotransmitters and they and they increase those levels in the brain in that setting. They can also improve memory to some extent and improve your retention to some level.
Dr Athavale: Since 2002 up until 2009, the rate of prescription of these drugs have increased by 85 per cent and about 30 per cent of these drugs are not being used for their intended purpose. So a large portion of them are being diverted for use or sale in colleges or whatever else.
Danny: I got it through a mate at school. He was prescripted it. I first bought five, noticed it was very effective and then bought another 10.
Laura: Student drugs might seem like an easy solution, but really, how effective are they?
Dr. Athavale: I think a lot of people look to these drugs and think ‘this is a holy grail and it’s going to help me and I’m going to do much better’.
Dr Athavale: But in reality, any benefit you are going to get is going to be marginal and you’re putting yourself at significant risk when you take these drugs, particularly for an indication that’s not prescribed by a doctor. So I think increasing public awareness that these drugs are not going to be the saving grace, and trying to find other ways to deal with the stress or work demands or university study demands is probably the way to go.
If you or someone you know it struggling to cope, you can contact lifeline on 131114.
Music: CSUS (Copyright free)
By Taylah Hurst & Laura Chung
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