Popping Pills: Boost Brain Power?

Are there really pills you can take to make you smarter? That's what many people believe nowadays, especially in the world of college students, where many pills are being used widely to help with brain power. But do they really work, or are they just a bad and dangerous habit?

The most common prescription drug taken by students is Adderall, to help them focus, and also Ritalin for similar purposes. Katie Couric recently did a report where she asked students in Kentucky how common it is for these drugs to be seen and everyone said they are constantly taken.

Said one student "I mean, if you're in the library you might see someone taking one or, you know, someone will come out and be like, 'Oh, I just took an Adderall and I just finished my five page paper in three hours,'"

This seems like a disturbing trend, and parents and school authorities may be considering measures to prevent health problems and legal issues in the future. Hopefully at least education and information will be available for young people, to consider the risks of using these sorts of drugs, which are not meant for this purpose and should enver be used without a proper prescription.

Popping Pills Boost Brain Power
cbsnews

If there were a drug that would make you smarter, would you take it? Today an increasing number of healthy people are using drugs without a prescription as a way to improve their mental function. It's called neuroenhancement and if you want to find someone who's trying it out, just visit a college campus. That's where a surprising number of students are turning to drugs like Adderall and Ritalin, originally developed to treat attention disorders, to boost their brain power and help them make the grade... Adderall is an amphetamine that came on the market in 1996. Along with Ritalin, another stimulant, it's prescribed to increase mental focus in people with attention disorders.

Popping Pills Boost Brain Power