RNS: Exams and stimulant abuse, April 2008
TIME: 2:05
URL: www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2008/hmstimulant.htm
U-M Health Minute: Today’s top health issues and medical research
Stress may lead students to stimulants
Academic crunch-time can cause young adults to misuse some drugs
Suggested lead: The misuse of prescription and over-the-counter medications among high school and college students is at an all time high. And experts at the University of Michigan Health System say stimulant abuse can lead to serious health consequences for these young adults, if parents aren’t vigilant. Here’s Andi McDonnell with more.
End-of-semester exams and papers can take a toll on students. And this added pressure often can lead to students turning to potentially harmful substances to stay awake and alert.
Dr. Jennifer Christner (M.D.), an adolescent medicine specialist at the University of Michigan Health System, tells us…
“Recent studies have shown that there has been anywhere from 5 to 35 percent of college students misusing stimulants around stressful times with academics. There is also some evidence that high-schoolers, anywhere from 8 to10 percent, can misuse stimulants during these stressful times.”
About 25 percent of high school and grade school children also have been approached by friends to use their medication. This causes children to be more susceptible to misusing medications that are not prescribed to them, a decision that can be damaging to their health, Christner says.
“It is never a good idea to use anyone else’s medication, whether it’s a prescribed medication, [or] over-the-counter medication, absolutely not.”
Misuse of stimulants can lead to depression, irritability, stomachaches and headaches. Serious abuse of these drugs can lead to very dangerous side effects, including hypertension and stroke.
And then there’s the growing popularity of energy drinks, even among younger children. These too can be harmful to a child’s health. Christner explains…
“There is harm when you’re taking more than one or two of these drinks a day. I think some of the harm is very similar to what we see with the stimulant medications, so you can have at first, in general, you have heightened awareness and you can probably focus a little bit better but then again too much of this medication, it’s basically caffeine, leads to jitteriness, anxiety, again the increased heart rate and they more serious side effects of high blood pressure, hyperthermia and stroke.”
Concerned parents can also take steps toward preventing their children from overusing stimulants. Ask kids what they would say and do if they were offered medications from their friends, and give your college student a call during stressful exam times, just to check in.
Christner also advises family members to look out for depression, irritability and other warning signs of stimulant abuse.
Andi McDonnell, U-M Health System News. |
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