Using these schedule six medications as ‘study supplements’ has become generalised on Stellenbosch University campus. PHOTO: Wianda Gilliland.
The demand for Ritalin and Concerta surges during exam periods at Stellenbosch University (US) as students seek these stimulants to increase their focus and prolong their productive hours significantly, at the expense of various harmful side effects.
Concerta and Ritalin are brain stimulating medications that are used to treat people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
According to Stelkor pharmacist Heinrike le Roux, both the medications are made up of the same substance called methylphenidate, and that their differences lie in potency and duration of effect.
She also explained that the quantities of Concerta and Ritalin sold at the Stelkor pharmacy in the Neelsie are drastically higher during exam periods (May, June, October and November) in comparison to other months.
According to general practitioner of 24 years, doctor Gerrie van der Berg, Concerta and Ritalin stimulate brain cells by affecting certain chemical levels such as dopamine and adrenaline.
“The synthetic adjustment of these chemicals in the brain is what cause students to enter a ‘zone’ of complete focus, which allows them to cram for many hours on end,” he explained.
Both medications are classified as schedule six stimulants, meaning they have a high potential of addiction, dependence and abuse, which makes it illegal to use without a prescription.
Sport science honours student, Jay Stevens (23), started using Concerta in grade 11 when he noticed that he struggled to focus on his work.
“In grade 11, my marks were terrible. When I started taking Concerta and my marks improved almost immediately, just because I could sit down and concentrate,” the sport science student said.
“But I feel very down and depressed and sometimes really anxious when I am on Concerta,” Stevens said.
Elsa Mijburg (21) is an accounting honours student that uses Concerta and recently Ritalin. She is different from Stevens, however, since she is formally diagnosed with ADHD and has been taking Concerta daily since grade 9.
“I only really started to notice the severity of the side effects of Concerta in my first year,” she said. “My usual extrovert personality completely changes when I have the drug in my system. I become irritable and anti-social, which is not me.”
Mijburg, who has been achieving good marks since school, emphasized how she hates the side effects of these drugs, and hopes to gradually wean herself off these medications in order to someday not depend on them at all.
Students often take more than the recommended dose, which is very dangerous, according to doctors Julie and Van der Berg. PHOTO: Wianda Gilliland.
According to doctor Lynne Julie from Campus Health, using medications when you do not have the condition it is intended to treat is an unsafe practice.
“I feel that only people diagnosed with ADHD should be using the prescribed medication,” Julie explained. “It also gives someone an unfair advantage over other students who do have ADHD.”
Mijburg, however, said she does not really mind that it is unfair, but that people do not take the side effects seriously, and that is why it could be really dangerous to their health.
“People who use these medications must be monitored, as it affects your blood pressure and can cause heart palpitations or even a heart attack when used incorrectly,” Van der Berg said.
INFOGRAPHIC: Wianda Gilliland