‘Kiddy cocaine’ lets students aim for the highest marks
’Milder form of tik’ prescription drug is highly sought after, but experts warn of its dangers
THREE times a year during exams, Anita Cousins* takes Ritalin.
She doesn’t have attention deficit disorder, for which it is normally prescribed, she has no script from a doctor, and it is a Schedule 6 drug, which means it is very strong and has extreme side effects.
Cousins is one of thousands of students who take Ritalin or the stronger version, Concerta, to help them perform in exams.
A new study at the University of Pretoria has found that one in six undergraduates are taking the medication.
Researcher Francois Steyn found only 3% of users had been diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder, and one-third of users obtained the medication illegally.
“I asked my mom to try help me get a prescription and she said ‘no’. Some use it for studying, others use it recreationally — they take it with alcohol, or crush it and sniff it, and put it in their dope,” said Cousins.
Ryan Joseph*, a final-year student, has a prescription from a doctor for his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and has been on Ritalin for nine years, but he does not take it regularly and sells his supply to other students. “They openly approach me,” he said, “and my medical aid pays, so whatever I sell it for is a profit.”
When he does take it, he said, he has “loss of appetite, increased heart rate, and difficulty sleeping”.
According to Steyn, during times of academic stress, students are on the hunt for it.
“Supply and demand determine the cost. During exams, the price of a single tablet can easily go up to R200,” he said.
The University of the Witwatersrand issued a circular warning students about “self-medicating with smart drugs”. It said street names of the drug include “kibbles and bits, kiddy cocaine, skippy, smarties, vitamin R and pineapple”.
“Students sometimes feel overwhelmed and stressed,” said Wits spokesman Buhle Zuma. Issues included poor time management, failure to understand the coursework and personal problems.
Dr Pierre Viviers, of Stellenbosch University’s campus health service, said they had treated students who had become “extremely addicted to the drug”.
Dr Jacques Malan, a psychiatrist with a special interest in substance abuse, said he had seen extreme cases where a user was taking 30 Ritalin tablets a day.
Some students “will use anything they believe will enhance their performance — even something highly regulated with strong side effects”.
He described Ritalin as a “milder form of tik” but said general practitioners and psydon’t chiatrists were writing prescriptions with “very little proper assessment”. Some patients with ADHD might cross over into addiction.
For many students “it soon becomes their own version of simply drinking coffee — they perceive it as being harmless”, Malan said.
Dr Helen Clark, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg, believes the problem at universities is “increasing significantly”.
She compared it to doping in sport, and said Ritalin could serve as a “gateway drug to other drugs”.
Students found ways to get hold of their fix. They could fake the symptoms of ADHD, sponge off others with a script or purchase it illegally.
“One of the problems is that GPs are not necessarily well informed about ADHD and I #STRESSMUSTFALL: Students use Ritalin to help prepare for exams think they are able to discern between a patient who has ADHD and those trying to get medication for enhancement,” said Clark.
“We are aware of GPs that will issue scripts because they are paid to issue scripts.”
Some students have written anonymously on Facebook “confession” groups. One University of Cape Town student posted that most students are on Concerta or Ritalin and that “they can just work for hours on end and remember everything”.
Doctors are handing out Ritalin prescriptions “like candy”, said another.
A Rhodes University student warned: “The first time I took a Concerta . . . I managed to work really well. TOO well . . . I feel like I’m dependent on it now . . . and have to deal with lapsing concentration levels, buying the shit, trying to get off it and exam stress. It’s not worth it.”
Steyn warned: “There are dangers associated with the non-medical use of these products.” A proper diagnosis by professionals was needed, with regular monitoring, he said.
“The side effects [insomnia, loss of appetite, mood swings, anxiety] can be extreme and, importantly, the long-term effects of irregular use have not yet been established.”
*Not their real names
Some use it for studying, others take it with alcohol, or crush it and put it in their dope