Prescription-drug abuse on the rise

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Sometimes coffee just isn’t enough. \nAfter their energy has perished and they’re in over their heads with finals, some students skip the caffeine and find other ways to stay awake. \nAccording to a Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse report, the percentage of college students abusing prescription drugs has increased dramatically over the past two decades, and officials believe students abuse pills to gain back the vigor that college has taken out of them. \nHeidi Cuda, the regional director for Iowa City, Iowa’s Mid-Eastern Council on Chemical Abuse, commonly referred to as MECCA, named Adderall and Ritalin as two prescription drugs commonly abused by students. The number of students taking these drugs increased 93 percent from 1993 to 2005, according to the national report. \n“They are stimulants; they give you confidence and make you more alert,” she said. “People take them to stay up longer, but they usually crash, bringing their energy level lower than when they started.” \nJane Caton, an addiction counselor in chemical-dependency services at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, said the crash often comes at bad times for some students. \n“College students I’ve helped told me that people have fallen asleep during finals, probably the final they took the pills to stay up for,” she said. \nCaton has worked with young adults who abuse and are addicted to prescription pills. She said that people abuse such drugs as Vicodin to calm anxiety, while others who abuse Ritalin want to speed up. \nThe addiction center reported that these drugs are easily found on the Internet, but they are also available with a prescription from a physician, said Iowa City police Sgt. Troy Kelsay. Still, others may purchase drugs from people who have a valid prescription, he said. \n“I see these cases across my desk all of the time; I would say moreso in recent years than in the past,” said Kelsay, who has been on the force for 21 years. \nHe noted some students misuse these drugs because they believe they’ll get in less trouble for taking prescription pills rather than other drugs, such as marijuana. \n“Marijuana is considered a fairly minor offense, a severe misdemeanor,” he said. “There can be hefty fines and time in prison for abusing prescription pills.” \nKelsay added, however, that it’s harder to charge someone with possession of pills. \n“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to identify marijuana, but it takes experience to see what pills really are when someone is telling you it’s just Tylenol,” he said. “Also, possessing these pills are not illegal if they have a prescription.” \nDave Barloon, a nurse practitioner at the University of Iowa Health Care Center Chemical Dependency Center, said some think pills are safer than marijuana because they can be prescribed and aren’t street drugs. In many cases, he said, students mix pills with alcohol, which increases their effect. \n“Although they can be prescribed, you never know how you will react to the pills,” Barloon said. “If you get a rash or a problem with your health, how will you go about getting help? How will you explain yourself?”