Study drug gains popularity

by Gwendolyn Goh

April 4, 2008

UNIVERSITY students are ditching coffee and energy drinks in preference for prescribed drug Ritalin, in order to improve concentration levels.

“Ever since I’ve tried Ritalin,” said Martin Tan, a business student at a local university, “I’ve never gone without it before to study or when writing essays.

“This is because Ritalin works miracles.”

The trade name for methylphenidate, Ritalin is typically prescribed for children who suffer from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is illegal for people without a prescription to consume the drug, which when abused can cause insomnia, convulsions and hallucinations.

 “It gives me an extra boost in helping me to fully concentrate on my work and it also helps to keep me awake,” Mr Tan continued. “The effects of Ritalin are so beneficial that I’ve given up on coffee and energy drinks, which I used to consume before discovering Ritalin.”

Users say consumption exerts a ‘focusing’ effect, enabling students to concentrate more, and absorb more information while cramming for exams.

Most students obtain the drug illegally from the black market, where one pill costs between $1 and $5. That’s a big increase in the selling price, compared to obtaining it legally from a chemist, according to pharmacist Yen Chia.

“A bottle of 100 to 200 pills usually costs between $40 and $50, which varies across different pharmacies,” Ms Chia said, “and it also depends if the user has health insurance.”

The high black market price of Ritalin motivates some students to fake symptoms to get prescriptions, says GP Bernadette Bong who practices in Nedlands, a stone’s throw from the University of Western Australia.