What are Cognitive Ehnacers?
Cognitive
enhancers are classified as prescription drugs that are prescribed to those who
have ADD(Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder). Such drugs are known as Adderall
and Ritalin, which are known for helping restore focus and help those who take
the drugs with their studies.
The Good
Cognitive enhancers ( Adderall and Ritalin), are
a stimulated prescription that has recently gained popularity, for their stimulants
in "
increase
wakefulness, motivation, and aspects of cognition, learning, and
memory"(National Institute on Drug Abuse). These prescription drugs have
been known to help those who suffer from disorders such as ADD and ADHD.
Those who
have these disorders find it very hard to get simple tasks or work done, the
use of prescription drugs can restore focus and help get needed tasks done such
as school work or even work, work.
Others who don't suffer from
ADD or ADHD also find the use of Cognitive Enhancers to be a great aid,
especially when it comes to academics, students found the drug to be a great
aid to staying focused in school.
The use of these Cognitive
enhancers is and does prove to be a great aid for those who need assistance to
stay focused on their projects, the prescription drug has also proved to be
really helpful for students and even professionals, "The
practice is now reported by some professionals to increase their productivity,
by older people to offset declining cognition" (Institute on Drug Abuse).
The Bad
With the popularity of
Cognitive Enhancer among students and professionals alike, the drug has become
available for non-medical use, those who don't have a prescription can and will
start using the drugs irresponsibly.
In turn,
those who overuse the drug can encounter health risks "including
addiction, cardiovascular events, and psychosis."(National Institute on Drug
Abuse). Among the health risks, there have also been debates over the use of
the drug in a professional setting and in school,(such as individuals who take
the drug having an edge over those who don't), There could also be the
idealization that one must take medicines to be competitive.
Not only that but the
introduction to abusing cognitive enhancers can lead to the possibility of
abusing other more dangerous drugs.
The Ugly
The
use of Cognitive Enhancers has now been made publicly and steadily available
for students and professionals alike to purchase, and this has led to the irresponsible use of the medication, But
what if the use of Cognitive Enhancers could be controlled, one such way would
the regulation use of the drug to public and strictly limiting the drug to
those who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.
This could solve the problem
but there is also the issue that student could get their hands on the
medication, One such way to control the
use, especially among students, could be informing them of the side effects and
helping those students who are affected by drug abuse or prevent the students
from being introduced to drug abuse altogether.
In general, the limiting use
of Cognitive Enhancers should strictly be provided to those who need it rather
than just being readily available to the public.
Reference/Citation:
NIDA. 2023, June 12.
What classes of prescription drugs are commonly misused?. Retrieved from
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/misuse-prescription-drugs/what-classes-prescription-drugs-are-commonly-misused
on 2024, September 28
I really enjoyed this post! I read that overuse of these medications can lead to symptoms of psychosis in my neurological disorders textbook, so thank you for mentioning that here and sparking my memory! In regards to your point about solving the issue of usage in people without ADD/ADHD by informing them about the side effects, I see where you are coming from, however, these chemicals can be very addictive, and in my experience, many people know the side effects but choose to ignore them because the positive of how it makes them feel in the moment outweighs the negative symptoms. I personally would not want to take these substances after reading this, but then again, some people are stubborn.
ReplyDeleteI believe this post brings up an interesting point regarding the increased use of cognitive enhancers. I do not necessarily agree that further regulations will aid in the over prescription nor usage of these medications. However, I choose to believe that increased education of the public is always a positive. By further increasing education and knowledge regarding appropriate usage and side effects of these medications, this would allow for fully autonomous decision making. Healthcare professionals are responsible for proving accurate information to the individual so that they make their own autonomous decisions regarding their health.
ReplyDeleteHow do these medications enhance cognitive abilities? Should educational programs be implemented on university campuses to combat misuse of prescriptions?
I really think it is important to bring up the use of cognitive enhancers, especially as they are becoming more popular among people without ADD and ADHD. It could cause an increased risk of addiction among younger populations, especially those who start using these drugs around the time of beginning puberty. I think it would be interesting to see how this affects puberty and how the drugs impact the "normal" brain vs the ADD/ADHD brain on a more physiological, metabolic level.
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