Students Turning More Towards Prescription Drugs

Whether it’s for improved grades or a bigger high, college students at Ohio University have been forking over their cash to cater to the latest narcotic craze among young adults: prescription drugs.
No longer is it cocaine and ecstasy being passed around college parties. According to the Center for Disease Control, four out of five of the most common drugs misused and abused by college-aged students are prescription drugs.

Many of these prescription drugs hitting the streets belong to the opioid family; depressants that bind to the receptors of central nervous system cells. That decreases the user’s perception of pain while providing a kind of high that can be intensified by alcohol.

Also common on the college scene are drugs such as Ritalin (Methylphenidate) and Adderall (Dextroamphetamine), stimulants used to treat ADHD. This common study and party drug increases levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, allowing for greater focus and a sort of high.

This abuse of Adderall continues to grow, as a national survey done by the University of Wisconsin showed that 20 percent of college students with Adderall prescriptions had abused the drug, shared it with friends or sold it.

OU sophomore Lindsay* is one of these students.

“I was prescribed Adderall when I was diagnosed with ADHD at age nine,” said Lindsay. “I don’t like taking it … when I got here I found out that I could make a lot of money off of selling them.”

Lindsay sells her prescription drugs to friends and acquaintances from $3 to $10 for a 30-milligram pill. “It all depends on how regularly they buy from me and how close to exams it is,” she said. “College is expensive and it’s nice to have extra money.”

However, Lindsay’s way of making money is a dangerous one. If caught selling or buying those prescription drugs on or off campus, students would be referred to the OU Judiciaries. The “manufacture, distribution, sale, offer for sale, possession or misuse of drugs or narcotics” is a Code A offense under the OU Student Code of Conduct, and is punishable by suspension or expulsion.

However, due to the small scale of most college aged prescription drug dealers and the relatively new business that it constitutes, judiciaries face only a few cases a year. According to OU Judiciary Statistic Summary, only three violations related to prescription drugs were reported during the 2009-2010 academic year.

Despite the data, prescription drug misuse and abuse has been shown to be rising drastically over the past decade in Ohio.

In the Oct. 2010 Ohio Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force’s (OPDA) presentation to former Gov. Ted Strickland, it was noted that between 2000 and 2006 deaths due to unintentional drug overdose nearly doubled from 11,712 a year to 26,400 a year.

Most of those overdoses have involved prescription drugs. In the OPDA’s report it shows that in 2008, prescription opioids were involved in 37 percent of unintentional drug overdoses, while heroin and cocaine overdoses combined only constituted 33 percent. That is in part, the report said, due to the easy availability of these drugs.

“[Prescription drugs] shouldn’t be easy to get, but they are,” said Children’s Hospital Pharmacist Rebekah Deioras. “With the combination of people selling their prescriptions, online pharmacies and the over prescription of opioids, they’re bound to hit the streets.”

In fact, in 2009, 13.9 million doses of hydrocodone and oxycodone were legally dispensed to the residents of Fairfield, Hocking, Perry and Athens County. That accounts for 52 pills for every man, woman and child living in these areas.

That abundance of drugs being prescribed and peddled allows for a younger and broader group of users. In a study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse in 2008, surveyed high school students found it easier to buy prescription drugs than to buy beer.

For people like OU junior Cassie*, who is using these prescription drugs recreationally, the availability of these medications allow them to support their habit inexpensively and easily.

“The availability is so good because the people want to get rid of them that bad, that’s why you don’t have to really search; it finds you. People text you, saying, ‘Hey, you know, I got this. You want it, you want it?’ I mean, that’s how available they are,” Cassie said.

Cassie takes three to four pills of OxyContin every week at up to $20 a pill.

“I started taking [OxyContin] when I had knee surgery,” she said. “If I don’t take them for a while, then it’s kind of like I’m underwater … just stressed and blurry and off.”

Cassie also uses the OxyContin to party. “If I don’t want to spend much money at the bars, I’ll take an extra pill … It’ll get you [messed] up pretty fast.”

What many casual or returning users of these drugs do not realize, however, is the price they pay for that party high or extra boost for studying.

“[Opioids] will wreak havoc on your blood pressure and your heart if you’re not supposed to be taking them,” said Deioras. “That combined with alcohol and you’re looking at a deadly accident waiting to happen.”

Drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin, when combined with alcohol, also pose grave health dangers. “These people are so stimulated … they keep drinking and often face alcohol poisoning,” said Deioras.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s 2009 survey of Emergency Departments, 27.1 percent of drug related visits involved nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals, while 14.3 percent involved alcohol in conjunction with other drugs.

Many users are also unaware of the addiction that they could face. According to The National Institutes of Health, “Some prescription drugs can become addictive, especially when they are used in a manner inconsistent with their labeling or for reasons they were not prescribed.”

“Most of these kids don’t even know what they’re taking,” said Deioras. “They don’t care.”

But the dangers of being caught or hurt don’t deter some students. “It doesn’t [affect me],” said Cassie. “I mean it does, obviously. Not in a bad way though. Basically, it’s not right, but I’m not stopping.”

Other students disregard the health and legal ramifications for financial gain. “It just helps people study,” said Lindsay. “They get an A, I’ll take their money … it’s not actually hurting people if it’s a drug that wouldn’t hurt me.”

To stem the flow of illegal pharmaceuticals, the ODPA suggested a four-pronged plan. They want to inform the public of the problem, increase cooperation between law enforcement agencies, regulate the prescription of possibly addictive drugs, and provide more treatment facilities for users who have already become addicted.

“One of the challenges of dealing with this epidemic is maintaining a balance between prevention, treatment, law enforcement, legislative needs and policy changes. Education is another key component in addressing all levels of this issue,” said Assistant Director for the Ohio Department of Public Safety and ODPA Task Force Chair George Maier. “But we will fight this public health emergency with every available resource.”

*Names changed to protect sources.