by Katie Kretschmer, Graduate, Columbia University

When you think of prescription drug abuse, you may think of celebrities such as Heath Ledger and Anna Nicole Smith, who both died from misusing drugs, or Rush Limbaugh and Matthew Perry, who have admitted addictions to Vicodin. But prescription drug abuse is not just a celebrity issue. College students need to be aware of prescription medication abuse on campuses.

Of 519 students polled by Student Health 101, 63% said they know students who use prescription drugs on campus for �nonmedical� reasons (for example, to party), and about one third said they know students who seem to either be addicted or have been addicted to these drugs.

The American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment from fall 2009 found prescription drug use to be fairly low among students they polled: 8.1% said they had used painkillers, 4.7% had used stimulants, and 3.6% had used sedatives that hadn�t been prescribed to them in the past year.

Partnership for a Drug-Free America reports that some perceive that prescription drugs are �safe� to use without a prescription to get high or �self-medicate� because they are medicines made by reputable manufacturers. The problem is that many students aren�t aware of the dangers of these meds, especially when combined with alcohol or other drugs, and some even think they are safe to take �just once in a while.�

Effective Medicine Put to Risky Use
Painkillers, or opioid analgesics, such as Oxycontin, Percodan, and Percocet, are among the common prescription drugs abused by students who use these drugs. Taken as prescribed, they can relieve pain following surgery or injury; taken improperly, they can provide a brief burst of euphoria, relaxation, and relief from mild to moderate pain, but they can also elevate blood pressure, increase heart rate, and in higher dosages, cause effects ranging from confusion to loss of consciousness and coma.

Other types of drugs misused by college students are those frequently prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The stimulants Adderall and Ritalin can be truly beneficial to students who have trouble focusing their attention. When misused by someone who doesn�t suffer from a hyperactivity disorder, they can elevate blood pressure, raise heart rate, and in rare cases, induce cardiac failure or lethal seizures.

From Study Aid to Dependency
A senior at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles says when exam time hits she sees more of her friends popping Adderall and Ritalin. �As scary as it is, some students use a combination of Adderall, coffee, and energy drinks to get through stressful times,� she says. �I'd say that these are smart kids, not necessarily druggies or partiers or anything. I think the pressures of today's society have made it so that many students�regardless of whether they do drugs or drink on a regular basis� are feeling the heat and turn to these stimulants.�

She thinks the economy�and the pressure to get into law school or business school to ensure a good job�may have something to do with it. If that�s the case, students should be aware that most law firms and financial institutions perform drug tests. Learning to handle the pressures of school without drugs may serve you better in the long term.

While our student at USC sees abuse among �smarter� students, Dr. Amelia Arria, director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the University of Maryland School of Public Health and senior scientist at the Treatment Research Institute in Philadelphia, says most of the misuse of prescription drugs�particularly stimulants�is among students who are already having academic problems. She says that it�s primarily not overachievers who are using drugs to get even more studying done.

�The big picture seems to be that non-medical users of prescription drugs have a history of other substance abuse�drugs or alcohol,� she says. �They are much more likely to skip class and are more likely to have academic performance on the decline,� and then use stimulants to stay awake and cram.

Even if you have a legitimate prescription, you need to be aware of how a drug reacts with the most common drug that students abuse: alcohol (and yes, alcohol is a drug). For example, Adderall can stimulate the user so he or she doesn�t feel the sedative effects of drinking, but it doesn�t change your blood alcohol level so there is an increased danger of alcohol poisoning. With painkillers, alcohol amplifies the effects.

How Colleges Are Fighting Abuse
While most schools� substance abuse campaigns focus on drinking and
smoking, many colleges are ensuring faculty and health services staff are aware of signs that a student may be  abusing prescription drugs. Samantha Wesner, assistant dean of students and director of the health center at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, says her staff pays close attention when students come in to the health center seeking drugs.

�We look for telltale signs such as repeat visits and whether outside prescriptions seem to match the symptoms they are presenting,� she says. �Students know what to say to help them get a prescription, and we are very alert to that fact.�

Wesner says part of the school�s defense is to be sure resident assistants are also trained to know the signs of a possible drug problem and where to turn for help on campus. The school also holds events to generate awareness. In April, the school sponsored a panel called �Sex & Excess: Surviving the Party,� which included a portion about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. �We also have a �Student Alert Process� on our campus, which means that anyone can express a concern of any kind about another student who might be having a problem and know that it will be looked into,� she says.

If you think a friend is misusing drugs of any kind, approach him or her� not aggressively, but privately and kindly express your concerns about his or her health and offer to help� but understand that your friend may reject your offer. You can also speak to a resident advisor or other peer advisor, or go to your school�s health center for guidance. If you think you have a problem or may be developing one, the advisors have been trained to help, and the health services, counseling services, or health education center can connect you with programs to address drug use, including treatment programs and 12-step groups that are geared toward students.

About the Author
KATIE KRETSCHMER IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND A GRADUATE OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY.