Students across the nation are abusing medications in hopes of gaining better study habits, and the University’s Student Health Center is looking out for a new trend that has been spotted at other institutions.
The concentration-enhancing effect of stimulants used in ADHD medications can be created using combinations of over-the-counter pills, making pulling an all-nighter easier and reducing the risk of legal consequences from using another student’s perscription.
Combining ephedrine, caffeine and aspirin, known as ECA stacking, can create the Adderall effect and is written about on bodybuilding websites as a way to increase metabolism and lose weight. Another combination of pseudoephedrine — found in Sudafed, and other cold medicines — and coffee is also rumored to help with studying.
Roy Fontenot, staff pharmacist at the Neighborhood Walmart on Highland Road, said while Adderall and other ADHD medications target certain receptors in the brain that increase concentration, pseudoephedrine targets different receptors, and the body reacts to it the same way as it does adrenaline.
“Pseudoephedrine is what’s called an alpha antagonist, and it causes a fight or flight response in the body,” Fontenot said. “It increases blood pressure and heart rate, and decreases appetite.”
Fontenot said theoretically, the combinations of drugs would have some of the same physiological effects as Adderall, but he does not recommend students take them for uses other than they are intended.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, ECA stacking was not found to be harmful rather, it worked as a weight-loss aid.
Adderall contains amphetamine, which is why it has such strong effects on users, according to the Mayo Clinic, a research hospital.
The Mayo Clinic also reported that pseudoephedrine and ephedrine can have side effects such as nervousness and insomnia, and an overdose can cause seizures and irregular heartbeat.
University Health Promotions coordinator Sierra Fowler said pseudoephedrine is used in making methamphetamines. Sales of it therefore are heavily regulated, she said.
“They have a system in place, called NPLEx, so that when you go to a pharmacy you are only allowed to purchase certain amounts of it,” Fowler said. “It’s real time as well, so if you buy some in Louisiana and then go to Texas, it will be tracked.”
The purchase of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine also require a government-issued ID, and only 3.6 grams per day, or 9 grams per month, can be purchased, Fowler said.
“Trying to use Sudafed to help study is really very dangerous because [it is] meant for short-term use,” Fowler said. “As far as ECA stacking, one of the recommendations is not to use ephedrine with caffeine because that’s a direct complex and you are opening yourself up to an increase in heart problems and blood pressure.”
Fowler said that when a patient is put on an ADHD medication, they are monitored by a doctor and their medication is tailored to the individual person. The danger of using over-the-counter drugs to help with studying, she said, is increased by the lack of medical supervision.