Drug News
Non-medical use of cognitive enhancers common in academics
By Sue Mueller
Apr 10, 2008 - 4:57:09 PM

TURSDAY April 10, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- A survey by the journal Nature found many healthy academics are using prescription drugs indicated to treatment of attention deficit disorders to boost their brain power.  Respondents were surveyed for their use of three drugs and or their attitudes toward use of these drugs for non-medical purposes.

The survey is informal and nonscientific and no one knows how trustworthy it is.  But the results seem to suggest that use of stimulant drugs in academics may be more common than thought.

The survey was triggered by a Commentary by behavioral neuroscientists Barbara Sahakian and Sharon Morein-Zamir of the University of Cambridge, UK who reported that their colleges were using drugs that enhance focus and attention, according to the survey report.

In the survey, 1,400 people from 60 countries were questioned about mainly their use of three drugs and their attitudes toward use of the drugs, namely methylpenidate or Ritalin, indicated to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and commonly known to college students as a "study aid", modafinil or Provigil used to treat sleeping disorders, and beta blockers, drugs used for cardiac arrhythmia that also have an anti-anxiety effect.

One in every five respondents reported they had used drugs for non-medical purposes to stimulate their focus, concentration or memory.  Early studies suggest that stimulant use is most common in people aged 18 to 25 years and in students. But this survey found no difference in all age groups.

Among those who took any stimulants, 62 percent reported taking Methylphenidate or Ritalin, compared to 44 percent taking modafinil and 15% taking beta blockers such as propanolol.  

Users also reported use of other drugs such as adderall, a drug similar to methylphenidate.  Some other drugs reported included centrophenoxine, piractem, dexedrine and various alternative medicines such as omega-3 fatty acids and ginkgo.

The most common non-medical reason for taking these drugs is to improve concentration, the respondents reported.  Other reasons included improving focus for a specific task, counteracting jet lag and others.

The frequency of using the drugs ranged widely from daily to no more than once a year.

Drugs like Ritalin are not free of risk and they can cause health problems including sleep difficulty, depression, high blood pressure, seizures and even deaths.  No one knows the long term side effects.

Approximately half the respondents reported unpleasant side effects including headaches, jitteriness, anxiety and sleeplessness.

The respondents of the current survey said they experienced unpleasant side effects including headaches, anxiety and sleeping troubles, but 69% said they would risk the side effects to take the drugs.

It is not completely known how people got the drugs. One third of respondents said they bought their drugs over the internet.  The majority said they got the drugs from a pharmacist, or a family member or a friend.

Some people used the drugs just because others were using it. They feel if they did not use it, they would miss some competitive edge in the academic world.

Neuroscientist Anjan Chatterjee of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia was cited by the journal as predicting use of cognitive enhancers is likely to increase as bioethical and psychological concerns are overcome and these drugs become more readily available.

When questioned about their attitudes toward use of these drugs, 96 percent of respondents believed people who had neuropsychiatric disorders with severe memory and concentration problems should be given cognitive-enhancing drugs.  

But nearly 90 percent of the respondents also said healthy adults should be able to take the drugs if they want to.  And 86 percent said healthy children under the age of 16 should be allowed to take the drugs for non-medical purposes.