Prescription drugs.

[smugpug]

A friend told me that when she went to my university nearly everyone she knew was taking Adderall or some other kind of ADD medication.

After reading a number of posts mentioning the insane amount of hours spent in lab etc, I'm wondering how many people here get through it with meds.

[dendy]

I think that's a premed thing. Everyone I know gets by on coffee and naps in the "sleeping room."

[crazygirl2012]

Ha, I took Ritalin without a prescription once in college. Once. I decided to try it around 4am the morning of an exam. I crashed in the middle of the exam and got a C. Not a fun experience. I don't know of anyone in my program who takes it, but some probably do.

[porge1991]

Okay so some of my friends here at Oxford are really into modafinil in a big way. Apparently it keeps you awake and focused but in a really pure and natural-feeling way. Unlike some similar drugs where you are essentially shaking and focusing on the most inane things you actually want to do your work. So a friend of mine took it during some of his med exams and aced them and another friend who has lots of sports commitments sometimes takes it when she needs to work in the wee hours of the morning.

It sounds too good to be true to be honest. The problem is, it sometimes comes across like these friends are a little too dependent on it, and can't accomplish big tasks without it. That's my biggest concern, and that's why i'll never take it.

[ZacharyObama]

Okay so some of my friends here at Oxford are really into modafinil in a big way. Apparently it keeps you awake and focused but in a really pure and natural-feeling way. Unlike some similar drugs where you are essentially shaking and focusing on the most inane things you actually want to do your work. So a friend of mine took it during some of his med exams and aced them and another friend who has lots of sports commitments sometimes takes it when she needs to work in the wee hours of the morning.

It sounds too good to be true to be honest. The problem is, it sometimes comes across like these friends are a little too dependent on it, and can't accomplish big tasks without it. That's my biggest concern, and that's why i'll never take it.

It's legal in the UK. In the US, it's a controlled substance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modalert#Legal_status

[Resendes8909]

Ha, I took Ritalin without a prescription once in college. Once. I decided to try it around 4am the morning of an exam. I crashed in the middle of the exam and got a C. Not a fun experience. I don't know of anyone in my program who takes it, but some probably do.

It is a huge misconception that these drugs will help you study longer and do better on tests because they keep you up all night, and I commend you for not trying this again. I take stimulant medication similar to ritalin and I have taken it since I was about 17. I am diagnosed with adhd and a sleep disorder associated with adhd. These drugs are meant to be taken at around the same time every day to encourage a regular schedule, or work-time throughout the day and sleep-time at the end of the day. I have never taken the medication after about 12-1pm because that would disrupt the schedule I am so desperately trying to maintain. The idea behind the drugs are to encourage people to work in ways they are meant to, rather than having erratic (hyperactive) schedules. That lifestyle is not conducive to an 8-hour work days. But neither is staying up all night before an exam. That is not natural, yet I understand we all do it sometimes. While some people seem to strive by working through the night, it really can devastate the body.

Taking these drugs when your body is tired, at 4am, when you haven't taken the drugs before and do not know how you will react is also very dangerous. These are stimulants, and when mixed with other stimulants like a coffee, they can cause serious heart problems. They also adversely affect people who already have anxiety disorders.

They are also addictive when not taken properly and at the right dosage.

Obviously, there are reasons for medications being controlled substances.