Taking drugs to study? Is it worth it?

I did a few times and saw negligible results, I basically tricked myself into thinking that I would be so productive during that time, that I could dick around the rest of the time.

What really worked for me is to listen to a couple songs on repeat while I study, for hours on end. This has helped to trick my brain into focusing every time I hear those songs.

I took Adderall for studying for my Series 7. I felt that I had to lock myself in the library for it to be effective because when I took it, something could easily take my attention away from it.

Not worth it and especially not Adderall.

Yes it is worth it, it's not a banned PED for work. However, you must understand yourself and how you study. If you are one who likes to take frequent short breaks to check your phone or email I wouldn't advise taking adderall because you can get focused on the things you are doing during your breaks. Also these drugs can cause your brain to map neurons in ways that can be difficult for your brain to recall if you are not on the drug while you take a test.

Eddie Braverman wrote a post on this type of stuff if I recall correctly.

Not worth it - don't want to sound like a prude, but that shit will destroy your health. Do drugs for fun. What kind of loser takes drugs to study?

Just download some Bach harpsichord music and hammer down. If you somehow get bored listening that then get some Beethoven. There are some complete orchestral works albums for him that are perfect for studying.

I take it every once and a while the day before I have big exams coming up. I've definitely seen good results doing that. If you end up taking it more than on special occasions you could potentially run into problems.

i support the use of most drugs, but not in high school. you're too fragile - gotta do that shit after.

Study drugs are helpful to those prescribed to, beyond that they are liable to make you work on Facebook for 8 hours. Whatever you were going to do with that time, waste it or use it, you will do it with a great degree of concentration. Not worth it

I drank two cans of Red Bull and wrote my GRE in the late afternoon. Worked wonders. Mind you, this was a time when I used to sleep in that time because of a messed up time-lagged schedule.

Yes. Yes it is.

I used to study with some folks in an upper level Econ class. There was one girl that would always take Adderall when we started studying for a test. She would be pretty focused on the material but I'm pretty sure I was still more focused than she was while others in our group were less focused than her. However, after every test the whole group would compare scores and she was always the in the bottom two or three of our group. When we had in-class pop quizzes, she was always in the top 3 or 4. Is there a link? Dunno but it sure seemed that the adderall didn't help that much.

OP, work on being able to focus on something for as long as you possibly can without breaking. Its just mind over matter and you'll get better as you practice. It's incredibly difficult for boring stuff but this skill will really benefit you if you ever have to go line by line through a SPA, which you will if you go to the buyside/CD, and will make sitting down to crank out a full model a lot easier.

If you don't have a strong mental state adderall can lead you down a road to dependency and possibly depression. I switched to a Ritalin type subscription call methalphine which after researching is similar to meth. I eventually weaned myself off it and rarely use it. Some people become hooked and can't function without, almost like your mind cannot retain facts when you're not on it. I got a subscription my senior year in college to see what the fuse was about.

You're better off reading some memorization books and applying those techniques to your study. Moonwalking with Einstein is a good read

Yes it's worth it.

In my personal opinion Modafinil > Dexedrine > Adderall > Ritalin

Ludes!

Just kidding but enjoy the clip.

It depends on whether or not the person taking the drug has a legitimate disorder that is treated by use of the drug (in the case of amphetamines used to treat ADHD, ADD, and Narcolepsy). A byproduct of the treatment is heightened mental focus (helpful for studying). Amphetamine-based substances that can improve focus such as Adderall, Vyvanse, Evekeo, Dexedrine, etc. (D-,L-Amphetamine substances wherein dextro- and levo- enantiomers are mixed in various ratios) can be prescribed by family doctors (many of which haphazardly dish out these drugs to any individual claiming they have trouble with focus). Since it is so easy to evade misrepresentation of attention-deficit cognitive disorders (diagnosis of ADHD is often based on a self-completed questionnaire (ASRS v1.1 ) which is straightforward and intuitive enough for most "patients" to complete fraudulently). In my view it is worth it if you have a legitimate medical condition requiring use of these drugs to live a better quality of life. Dextroamphetamine use in children with ADHD not only improves focus but also has been shown to raise IQ by an average of 4.5 points (ISBN 9781441913968). Amphetamine usage with an absence of an attention-deficit disorder or narcolepsy can only be classified as illegal recreational use as amphetamines are a schedule II controlled substance. From a performance standpoint: The heightened level of focus and modest and unambiguous improvements in working memory, inhibitory control, and long-term episodic memory (PMID:25499957) makes amphetamine pills very easy for busy college students to latch onto. Add to that mild side effects at therapeutic doses (e.g. appetite loss, mild change in libido, mild tachycardia), its low cost of production, and it easy delivery mechanism (oral ingestion) and one does not have to think very hard as why they are so popular. The long term risk? Heavy amphetamine use can damage the pre-synaptic terminals in neurons that have their Dopamine transporters altered via amphetamine binding to TAAR-1, a GPCR, leading to prevention of dopamine reuptake and encouragement of dopamine release into the synaptic cleft. Why? dopamine is neurotoxic if it remains in the synaptic cleft long enough as it auto-oxidizes which creates H2O2. H202 is a reactive oxygen species that can lead to neural cell death. So in effect you can lose brain cells associated with the dopaminergic pathway, primarily located in the VTA and substantia nigra. Overall, the short-term performance enhancing benefits are great. The legal ramifications of recreational use can be easily avoided through clinical misrepresentation schemes, and the long term use shows modest neurotoxicity in dopaminergic neurons.

Based on this I would say it is worth it.

Adderrall definitely helps, but it depends on the situation. It does not make one smarter, but it does make monotonous tasks seem less shitty, which could definitely benefit people in junior-level finance jobs. Through four years of college, I have used addy to outline chapters and complete boring homework assignments. I have found that taking it to prep for exams is a bad move, which would either result in me overthinking concepts or becoming too confident and not preparing enough for the exam. Either way, I still think it's better than Modafinil.

Its good for having to slog through hours of study material but when I took it for actual tests it would just get me way too worked up and I would spend way too much time on questions on exams. Now I just steer far clear of the stuff...for school/work

I just take a caffeine/L-theanine stack. Good shit. Legal and worth it.

Also a word from Jessie Pinkman

In high school, not worth it. In college, set a cap on 5-10 pills for studying purposes per semester. Don't want to get hooked as some friends of mine did, and you'll likely want to be taking stuff a couple times a week for partying purposes as is.

Three finals on a Wednesday you really don't want to study for? Take it Monday afternoon after class ends, all nighter or close to it Monday night. Get good sleep Tuesday night before the test. Ace them on Wednesday.

Adderall is the limitless pill. Mom bitching at you to clean your room? Pop an addy and that shit will look like you hired Consuela to come clean it. Hungover after a night out and work the next day? Pop an addy and you'll be the best intern in the office. Just be careful, read an article recently, adderall is about one chemical away from meth.

In the first place, drugs are illegal.

It's not worth taking Adderall, You might get better grades in exams or work better in office but its long-term effect on the body would be far from safe.

The reason why Adderall is a controlled substance is because it can cause sudden death in a certain subset of individuals with heart pathology that may be otherwise unknown to the patient and has addictive properties.

While some individuals use it as a shortcut to developing good study habits, the risks don't outweigh the potential benefits and the problems of taking the medication are exacerbated in the long run when then individual either wants or needs to stop taking it but hasn't learned how to cope without using it, becomes addicted and resorts to diverted supplies of questionable quality control, or attempt to increase their dose to unsafe levels.

I think in short-term It works, but then you become addicted to this stuff. It becomes a symbol of energy for you. And even when you feel good enough you'll try to take some pills to pass an exam or get all the writings done, for a party or to win a competition etc. To make yourself to have a timetable and be more organized is much better for succeeding with the study at the college and saving your health.

If you have undiagnosed bipolar, taking this kind of stuff could end up being a fun ride to a psych ward.

Not everyone's brains are the same, not everyone reacts the same way. If you have a family history of mood disorders or psychosis, you might want to steer away from Adderall, pot and a bunch of other stuff that your friends can handle.

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Long-term risk/reward from these isn't worth it. You can always look at Nootropics if you want to help.

ADD and ADHD are some of the most over diagnosed illnesses. Anecdotally, I know a few people who started in Uni and now can't study at the level they used to because they cannot focus anymore. The brain is a muscle, keep working and find good study practices, not drugs. It'll help, but then you'll go to college and need it every day

If you don't have ADD/ADHD, no need to take it. May even worsen your performance because you are more 'euphoric' because you don't have the deficiency

http://changingminds.org/explanations/motivation/yerkes-dodson.htm

People just finding a quick and easy fix because they are lazy and not motivated.

I have been diagnosed with ADHD and used the drugs for a long time.

When you take the Ritalin, you feel very focused and awake. However, you are actually trading concentration later for now. Very often I would feel great for 3-4 hours and then not be able to do anything after that.

I definitely agree that ADHD is over-diagnosed - probably in me as well.

If you are using drugs to study, especially over long periods of time, you will wear your body down. I don't think you can cheat biology by taking drugs...

It's not worth it, at least not making a habit of it.

When I was in UG I would take adderall for every paper and test. Literally would procrastinate studying/writing until the last night and use adderall for energy and focus to stay up all night getting it done. It basically enabled me to procrastinate.

After I graduated, my procrastination followed me into my job. I would have trouble focusing on "long term" projects that had due dates far away. No issues with immediate tasks. My bosses would follow up with me on the long term projects just to check my progress, and I would either have to BS or look like an idiot for not having anything done.

It took me about 3 years to finally "undo" these habits. I only take adderall when in a desparate pinch (like a deal that comes through on a tuesday that needs an Offering Memo draft by wednesday morning), or if I need to stay up late partying.

Otherwise, stay the fuck away. It's not worth it. Try to develop better study and work habits. It'll come in handy after school

Practice meditation.