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Nonmedical Use of Adderall® among Full-Time College Students

The NSDUH Report - - Nonmedical Use of Adderall® among Full-Time College Students

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Highlights:

  • Adderall® is the brand name for an amphetamine formulation that is prescribed for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and for narcolepsy. Under the Controlled Substance Act, Adderall® is classified as a Schedule II drug because of its high potential for abuse and dependence. Data for this report on nonmedical use of Adderall® was collected as part of SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Nonmedical use is defined as use without a prescription belonging to the respondent or use that occurred simply for the experience or feeling the drug caused.
  • Among persons aged 18 to 22, full-time college students were twice as likely to use Adderall® nonmedically in the past year as those who had not been in college at all or were only part-time students.
  • Nearly 90% of the full-time college students who had used Adderall® nonmedically in the past year also were past month binge alcohol drinkers and more than half were heavy alcohol users. Students under the legal drinking age who used Adderall® were also more likely to be binge drinkers or heavy drinkers than their underage counterparts who had not used Adderall® nonmedically.
  • Full-time college students who had used Adderall® nonmedically in the past year were more likely to be polydrug users in the past year than their non Adderall® using counterparts, that is, both drink alcohol and use other drugs.
  • In the past year, full-time college students who had used Adderall® nonmedically in the past year were more likely to have used illicit drugs than their non Adderall® using counterparts: almost 3 times more likely to use marijuana (79.9% vs 27.2%), 8 times more likely to use cocaine (28.9% vs. 3.6%), 8 times more likely to use tranquilizers nonmedically (24.5% vs. 3%) and 5 times more likely to use pain relievers nonmedically (44.9% vs. 8.7%).

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This Short Report, The NSDUH Report - - Nonmedical Use of Adderall® among Full-Time College Students, is based on SAMHSA's  National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) conducted by SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian non institutionalized population, age 12 and older.   SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health also provides estimates for drug use by State.

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This page was last updated on April 7, 2009.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.

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