'Smart Drug' Fears Expected As A Result Of Rise In ADHD Prescriptions

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• 13 Aug

  Students have been found to take drugs which are affiliated to the 'smart-drug' craze to harness concentration and fight stress.

  

  Officials at the watchdog said:

  "Health workers should carefully monitor the drugs because they have a potential for diversion or misuse."

  There has been a 56% rise in the administered prescriptions for such medications; an increase from 420,000 prescriptions in 2007 to 657,000 in 2012.

  According to the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) annual report on controlled drugs:

  "Prescriptions for methylphenidate drugs (a psychostimulant and is thought to stimulate a part of the brain that changes mental and behavioural reactions) including Ritalin, have been steadily increasing."

  The Guardian stated that:

  "Previous research has indicated that as many as one in 10 UK students could be taking "cognitive-enhancing" drugs."

  The CQC report also states that:

  "As in previous years, we believe that this reflects increased diagnosis of, and prescribing for, the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

  "We are also aware of the possibility that methylphenidate could be diverted and abused, and for this reason we recommend that its use should be monitored carefully.

  "We are aware of reports in the media and scientific literature that it is being abused as a 'smart' drug to improve cognitive function; the long-term risks of this practice are not known."

   Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1120380

   

  By Abimbola Duro-David

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