Consequences of the Adderall

Profession: Medical Student

Submitted On: January 9th, 2021

Trigger Warnings: drug use

"As a medical student, I struggled for the first year and a half with learning all of the material. The volume just seemed enormous, and I had no idea how my friends were doing it. One day, while studying with my friend for Step 1, she popped a small blue pill. I asked her what it was, and she said "It's addie. What, you don't take it?" After telling her no, she was dumbfounded. That's when it all became clear. Adderall, ritalin, and other ADHD drugs were commonly abused to get through the high demands of a field like medicine. I had previously heard of some college friends taking it before cramming for finals, or read about how people who worked 90 hour work weeks in firms like Goldman Sachs used ADHD drugs to grind through the day. That was when I got hooked on to this wonderous blue pill. It started with a small dose, 5mg or 10mg, but then quickly went up to 40 and 60mg as Step 1 came closer. In pharmacology we learn that Adderall has the almost the same neurochemical effects as Meth, which just differs in chemical structure by the addition of just one methyl group. Now, I cannot function without it and go into a haze if I don't take it or take just a small dose. People talk about these drugs as if it is a magical pill that will solve all your issues, but don't talk about the consequences."

We appreciate the opportunity to share stories like these with our community, with the goal of destigmatizing the struggles faced within the medical field.