Study reports seven percent
of college students have used prescription stimulants
for non-medical purposes
ANN ARBOR, Mich.--- Seven percent of college
students have used prescription stimulants non-medically
over their lifetime and 4 percent have used in
the past year, according to a study of 119 four-year
colleges and universities nationwide published
in the January 2005 issue of the journal Addiction.
The national study, based on data from the Harvard
School of Public Health College Alcohol Study,
found that past year rates ranged from 0% to 25%
at individual colleges and universities. Students
attending three historically black colleges reported
the lowest rate (0%) of non-medical prescription
stimulant use, and it was higher among students
who were male, white, and members of fraternities.
The study also showed that abuse of non-medical
prescription stimulants was higher among women
who are members of sororities.
The highest rates of non-medical use of prescription
stimulants are on college campuses in the Northeastern
region of the U.S., schools with highly competitive
admissions criteria, and those college campuses
with higher rates of binge drinking, the study
finds.
The study also found that students who use prescription
stimulants non-medically are more likely to abuse
other substances such as alcohol, marijuana, ecstasy
and cocaine. Non-medical prescription stimulant
users were over 20 times more likely to report
cocaine use in the past year and over five times
more likely to report driving after heavy drinking
than college students who had not used prescription
stimulants non-medically.
The higher rates of substance abuse and other
risky behaviors found among non-medical prescription
stimulant users suggests that the non-medical
use of prescription stimulants is part of a larger
cluster of problem behaviors among college students,
says Sean Esteban McCabe, Ph.D., lead author of
the study and assistant research scientist at
the University of Michigan Substance Abuse Research
Center (UMSARC). "They are more likely to
use other substances and they are also more likely
to engage in other risky behaviors such as driving
after heavy drinking."
Males were nearly twice as likely as women to
report the non-medical use. White students were
also more likely than Asian and African American
students to report non-medical use. Grade point
was also associated with non-medical stimulant
use. Students with grade point averages of B or
lower were two times more likely to use prescription
stimulants non-medically than those earning a
B+ or higher grade point average.
"While much is known about college student
use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and other
illicit drugs, we’ve not had a handle on
the abuse of prescription drugs. Estimating drug
abuse by only looking at illicit drugs makes the
problem appear smaller than it really is,"
says Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., lecturer, Department
of Society, Human Development and Health at the
Harvard School of Public Health, and a co-author
of the study.
One specific focus of the study was the non-medical
use of three prescription stimulants--Ritalin,
Dexedrine and Adderall--that are considered the
first-line pharmacotherapy for treatment of attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The rise
in medical prescriptions for stimulants to treat
ADHD in the United States has led to concern on
the part of some public health researchers.
Based on the findings of this study, the researchers
are encouraging colleges and universities to assess
their own schools to find out whether the non-medical
use of prescription stimulants represents a problem
on their campuses, says McCabe. "Any intervention
aimed at reducing non-medical use will have to
take into consideration that prescription stimulants
are a highly effective and safe medication for
most individuals with ADHD. Given the proven therapeutic
efficacy of prescription stimulants for the treatment
of ADHD, there is a need to balance the medical
necessity of these drugs and the risk for non-medical
use and abuse."
In addition to Drs. McCabe and Wechsler, the
article "Non-medical use of prescription
stimulants among U.S. college students: prevalence
and correlates from a national survey" was
co-authored by John R. Knight, M.D. (Harvard Medical
School and Children’s Hospital Boston, Center
for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research, Boston,
MA), and Christian J. Teter, Pharm. D. (McLean
Hospital Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Program
and Northeastern University Bouvé College
of Health Sciences, Boston, MA).
The study was supported by grants from the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institute
on Drug Abuse.
For general information, contact Sean McCabe
at 734-998-9500 or e-mail plius@umich.edu.
Information about The College Alcohol Study is
on-line at http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/cas/About/index.html.
Information about is UMSARC is at http://www.umich.edu/~umsarc/.
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