What other controversial topics should I cover next? 🙃

Apparently I have been living under a rock. Just finished my Master's and only now I hear about this.

I can validate this for you. My GPA when I started college was 1.57. I started taking Adderall one year after I started school, I graduated college with 3.85 GPA.

I know several M.D.'s that have admitted to me that they've used ritalin or adderall for "studying better". Many see that getting good grades and successfully passing outweighs any negatives.

Adderall abuse got me a job at google and a 3.5 gpa. Still had a social life and actually enjoyed my degree

As someone with ADHD taking a stimulant I would advise people to be careful. Make sure you keep a consistent sleep schedule, and take your medication in the morning. Your memory requires sleep, it's easy to think you can just slide by on minimal sleep and stimulants, but you will suffer for it. Additionally, don't use your medication to cram, you can sit there and look at notes for hours, but that doesn't mean you'll recall them the next day. Personally, I try to dedicate 3-4 hours of studying a day. Additionally, make sure you eat food, even if you don't want to. Eat proteins and veggies, and drink lots of water.

I take addy and go to a top 5 finance school and am in the top 20 of my grade. I do actually have adhd and it is definitely life changing. I have had no side effects and it’s great.

I was diagnosed with ADHD by a psychiatrist in my freshman year of college. In the auditory attention span category (from the two separate ADHD tests I was given) I ranked in the 98th percentile but my visual attention span was in the low 20's. Afterwards I tried mindfulness, meditation, took two courses on study habits and even implemented a fairly steady workout regimen. The aforementioned helped me maintain that 3.2 GPA but the semester after I was prescribed Adderall that rose to a 3.85. Procrastination was no longer a problem, focusing on complex material such as lengthy reading assignments and analyzing journal articles became much easier and overall my ability to retain information from my studies was profoundly enhanced. This was a great subjective video but for those of us with viable diagnosed ADHD stimulants can be a godsend.

Adderall has helped STEM and business students tremendously. No wonder technology and scientific discoveries have risen in the past decade or two.

Explained it very clearly, I shared this video with a bunch of people and are waiting for their responses. I totally agree with your opinion on this matter. Excellent video!

Hey Doc, thanks for laying it all out there in a clear and concise manner.

Freshman year (no adderall): 3.25 Sophomore year (no adderall): 3.19 Junior year (adderall): 3.54 I’m currently in senior year and still using adderall to my advantage

Adderall has drastically improved my grades, behavior, & personality. Popping addys energize me and make me feel happy

Can you do a video on how you​ do a systematic review of the literature on the topic you're researching? Would be very helpful if you showed us your method. Thanks!

The other adverse effect is a societal one. People with ADHD are often scared to get meds because they're afraid of being seen as "drug-chasers." I think that illicit use by college students definitely contributes to the stigma people with ADHD face.

After reading the comments I conclude the following: If you feel that you can never focus on studying, that planning your every day activities are difficult, that you forget things where you put them, can´t sit still for 30 minutes in a row for studying, then you might have ADD/ADHD and should go see a doctor to be evaluated. It´s never recommended to take Adderal/Ritalin without a prescription since these pills are addictive if the dosage is wrong, if you are taking different dosages every day you will be addicted to them in the longrun. Normally prescribed Adderal/Ritalin is given so that you take the same dose everyday so that the risk of addiction is lower. Buying adderal/ritalin that aren´t prescribed by a doctor can also contain all sorts of funny things and is probably not 100% the real thing. Also I just want to add that taking adderal/ritalin is not a choice for people with ADD/ADHD, they can´t function like normal people without it, they have a very difficult time just planning daily activities (a small task like that is a big struggle).

I call bullshit on an occasional coffee every "few months" ...

ngl that intro song was out of place caught me off guard lol

Great video! I just want to share some advice I was given as a premed. My mentor said “If you take adderall and do well on a test, you’ll want to take it for every test in the future.” As a current med school student I can’t imagine trying to find a supply that would fulfill the demanding test schedule of med school. Let alone feeling dependent on something not prescribed to me for success!

I don't think taking stimulants in a education environment can be compared to PEDs in sport. Sports are strictly about competing against one another, however school is supposed to be about improving one's knowledge. Supposing the use of stimulants was productive, it would be unreasonable to expect a student to disadvantage themselves just to make the class competition more fair.

Very good video. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2008 and took abilify during 1.5 years. I finally got High Honors at a top university in Mathematics when I came back to studying 3 years later. I am not genius at all, I just made studying and succeeding at it the only goal of my life. When everything is dark and that your brain is not functional for everyday life, my reasoning was that i had to resolve to animalistic/darwinistic choice, which is Courage, Hard Work, Obstination. I did not take any medicine, neither stimulants nor anti-psychotic during my periods of being a student during those years.

It’s not even a grade change so much as the difficulty to do my work drops down. I’m no longer struggling to do schoolwork it’s not a negative thing in my life is a fun little challenge I know I can do

Well made video. Interesting research shown and their limitations. Would read the literature. Might actually do some work on this

Love this channel. Thank you for the knowledge Dr. 🙏

I spent 7 years in struggle with ADHD symptoms at college it’s hurts sooo much last semester I decided that I am gone go to medical interventions because nothing else have been helpful for me and I lost my motivation, confidence and happiness trying to study hard and do well at school and gradations from nursing school .... please never push asking for help away thinking that you are gone be fine!

Great video! I was wondering, what program do you use to for the animations for your videos? They’re really great and seem like a good fit for a project I’m working on.

That was a very informative video. Thank you doc!

Really inspirational, thank you Dr. Jubbal

Great video, as an M4 there is always a temptation to get that edge match to the competitive specialities. However, this is was a good summary really highlighting that its fool gold, makes your life worse not better.

Adderall stops you from being loopy and distracted easily, so what you choose to do with it at that time is up to you, so it doesnt necessarily give you better grades. Its a great drug.

So I used to buy stimulants to help me with homework. Sometimes i would take them to get me through work or just to have a productive day off. I never understood the "euphoria" that some people report with it and if someone offered me some at a party i would just ask if i can save it for later when i get home to study. It turns out i actually just had ADHD. If this sounds like you i recommend self assessing yourself for ADHD and/or other dopamine related disorders and see a doctor if youre checking off a lot of symptoms. Im really happy to know more about how my brain works and to start taking stimulants in a recommended way with guidance from my doc.

today is the last day in college and we re finishing it by sitting for 2 exams .. which i struggled alot to work for them.. but i couldn't even though i want to study i have no desire or effort to and zero focus... now i know this lately :(((((

yo honestly just in the first 23 seconds of the video I was only focusing on how smooth this man’s mouse movements were

Finally pertinent information about stimulants and their misuse by neurotypicals ( Non ADHD ) !

My question would be how did you get through your premed years? My conflict area is in the math subject and can’t seem to wrap my head around calc I and II. However, organic chem, chemistry, biochemistry, and physics is much easier and I have no problems with those. This was very interesting!

Thank you for taking the Moral and Ethical implications into account. Not only do you maybe get a unfair advantage. But additionally you are taking a advantage not available to those who really need to take these drugs and you create a image of these drugs, leading to somehow discrimination of people with severe ADHD or in general attention disorders. I usually always was open about my ADD while I was going to school and no-one bothered. But as soon I went to university, people made the assumption that "it"s just because I want the stimulant advantage". But people don't understand that university (pharmacy) would be completely impossible for me without these medications. Without my meds I don't even get to campus without being close to getting hit by a truck, falling by not paying attention to the street etc.

Since when is learning a competitive sport

THANK YOU FOR THE INFO DR!! I’m just like you! No stimulants😁. I do get frustrated when people in my classes take these stimulants for better grades instead of as a prescription. I was close with one person who totally abused the drugs and become extremely irritable. It’s great to know that in med school, working hard is the true determine factor in the long run!

What about provigil? Or Modafinal?

If u never used it then we don wanna hear from you

If you're taking it to improve your learning and cognitive abilities than that just makes you like better you're not at school to worry about how anyone else learn so yeah give yourself all the edge you need

Can you please make a video about mid-level providers such as the physicians assistant or nurse practitioner

I have a friend in dental school and she had people introduce her to this. She does this like once a month before finals. She also introduced this to her sister who also said it worked very well to help her focus when studying.

what about for quarter systems? i study my ass off, i get 4.0s in every subject EXCEPT for math and CS. while i practice tonnes and desperately claw my way for passing marks in those two subjects, i want to improve but i think adderall might be my only choice :(

Could anyone send me their prescription of aderall

I found your video absolutely correct in practically everything you stated. Although on the moral & ethics. My main reasoning to your opinion on moral & ethics to said substances is multifaceted. The definition of moral is concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. The definition of ethics is moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity. Now morals are subjective, just like your opinion and my opinion. Now this raises questions on ethical procedures. Like you said the administration of a medication in which the patient is not diagnosed with or has no symptoms of what that medication is used for is morally wrong. Analogous to an olympic athlete using enhancement drugs giving them an advantage over one who does not & I agree with that. We can also agree that moral and legal are 2 completely different subjects. In other words a medication or even a procedure can be legal yet immoral at the same time. Using your example that a person is immoral for taking a substance to gain an advantage of another I propose this argument. In my opinion & many others, abortion is morally wrong. And people will debate over & over when exactly does life begin? Put very simply carbon based life forms have distinct genetic codes that come from both maternal & paternal DNA. So life begins when the new DNA chain is formed. Here's where I believe your argument on morals and ethics is debatable. Her body her choice gives the woman an advantage over a man when the DNA of the child is a distinct code that derives from both the maternal & paternal DNA. Now this is a crude analogy, and I'm sure someone is going to misconstrue it but basically oversimplified let's say the man & the woman are business partners and deal in antiques. She happens to own the warehouse that stores the antiques that you both invested in 50/50. But she decides either to get rid of all the antiques in the warehouse without discussing it with the business partner who owns half the antiques. And her argument is it's my warehouse and it's my choice whether or not to keep the antiques and you don't have any say on what I can or cannot do to my warehouse. Also we have to put into perspective that it's common practice for pharmaceutical companies to utilize the same medication for multiple diagnoses. Especially when it comes psychiatric medications. I mean Sigmund Freud was addicted to cocaine & it is well documented in his journals. And cocaine is schedule 2 and if I'm not mistaken it's only used hospital settings for certain eye surgeries. Although derivatives of cocaine without the stimulating properties exist OTC & have multiple applications from tooth aches, to coca cola, all the way to lubricants for sexual pleasure. So we study the history of medications, applications, & legalities. One of the things I find absolutely fascinating is heroin Hcl, first synthesized in 1896 by Bayer was specifically used as a cough suppressant due to tuberculosis. Interestingly the first "drug laws" were discussed in the Harrison Tax Act of 1914. The government began legislation on what is a drug, it's applications, & what determines legality. And there was a plethora of drugs that were proposed, 1 of which is so common place we don't even realize that it's practically in everything & nearly became an illegal substance. That chemical was caffeine. But the Harrison Tax Act really just made it where it was doctor's discretion on whether or not to prescribe these medications. Which later on the government started going after doctors for overmedicating. Which at that time there wasn't really a definitive answer on how to treat a chemically dependant patient. Do you continue to feed the addict or not etc... But let's fast forward to how & why we have the scheduling of narcotics today. In 1934 The Marijuana Tax Act which Hearst (owner of many magazines & newspapers today) lobbied for this due to owning property papermills & was involved in logging industry saw cannabis as a threat to the paper industry. I mean cannabis literally grows everywhere and has been used & cultivated since the dawn of mankind. In fact the term canvas derives from cannabis, our founding fathers used to grow massive quantities for applications such as rope, sails on ships etc.... Well the marijuana tax act stated that for you to sell and distribute marijuana across state border you had to bring the marijuana to a government facility where they would weigh it and place a tax stamp on it. Problem was if you showed up at the facilities in possession of marijuana you were therefore arrested for the possession. It was catch 22. Then United States vs Timothy Leary who argued that the marijuana tax act was unconstitutional by incriminating yourself (the 5th amendment) & with unanimous decision that law was struck down by the supreme court. So in the Nixon administration the government designed the scheduling system we see today. Schedule 1-4 & to be quite honest I personally don't know how they truly these narcotics! Marijuana is schedule 1 yet opioids are schedule 2 except for heroin which honestly when metabolized by your liver it's converted into large quantities of morphine which is a schedule 2. I remember when codeine was OTC as was desoxyn which was in vicks inhalers and desoxyn is the brand name of DRUM ROLL PLEASE!! METHAMPHETAMINE!! MDMA has a very interesting story to say the least! First synthesized by Merck in 1914. Was book shelved due to WWI & became a spoil of war. Our government as well as academics tested it throughout the years. Then in 1950s & 1960s the CIA MKultra Project was in high gear a little known project was also being carried out & I believe it was being tested by the newly created NSA in 1953 to see if MDMA could be put in water supplies in hopes of making the enemy noncompliant to fight but that too was a failure. Then in the 1970s Alexander Shulgin a professor at UC Berkeley was synthesizing MDMA for psychiatric research in marriage counseling. Along with many other phenethylamines (a classification of psychoactive stimulants with a wide range of properties) from methylphenidate, to every type amphetamine & methamphetamine. 1 thing I wanna state about adderall & dexedrine. Adderall is 4 amphetamine salts which is actually 2 types of amphetamine. 3 parts Dextroamphetamine sulfate 1 part Levoamphetamine sulfate. Whereas dexedrine is just Dextroamphetamine sulfate. There is a slight difference in its stimulating effects

I have ADHD. My freshman year was online and I was not diagnosed, so no medication. I requested it because I had started driving. Sophomore year I got a 3.75 GPA - because I studied and enjoyed my classes, plus I took easier courses compared to this year (junior year). I still take Concerta like last year and I’m failing some classes, while excelling in others, and I got my license first try - however, I cannot have music while driving and I need directions because I’m so focused on the road that I ignore everything else. Personally, my Concerta has not affected my grades and I actually don’t like taking it because it makes my heart beat faster (duh, stimulants) but it helps my attention. I really hate that people brag about having “Addy” because my ADHD is debilitating. My sister once stole my medication to sell to friends and I couldn’t use it once we found the bottle because my dad was concerned about anything added to my medication. My sister is much better behaved now, but that month I had difficulty. I also don’t really like taking Concerta but I have to, lol. I know this video was not really for me but I like to add my comments.

If ADHD is left untreated your life expectancy is shortened due to an overload of stree on the brain.

This video is amazing, I’m studying to become a Physical Therapist ass. I recently was diagnosed with ADHD and I’m on my second day of medication, low dosage but still. I appreciate this video because I now know and realize the effects. So although I’m prescribed this medication I will continue to exercise willfulness and I will practice being an effective student .

So are you saying I should stop drinking my daily cup of coffee in the morning? The one that I use to jump-start my brain so I can feel normal for my first class of the day; is this going to cause me to have a heart attack and have suicidal tendencies in 10 years?

As someone who hates drugs and wouldn't step on his own values, even for med school, it pisses me off that my competition is doing this.

I got through Chem E on Desoxyn, BUT I actually have a documented medical condition, I wouldn’t take it if I had a choice, however, it did make a difference when I studied, I was locked in for hours and had to force myself to disengage from the material I was studying.

I don't understand how you think it's a competition. Medschool is very demanding and it almost seems unreasonable. What do they call the med student that graduated with the lowest gpa? Doctor

Do one on nicotine and it’s nootropic effects

Before taking adderall, I slept through all my classes, I couldn't get out of bed if my house was fire, my drug of of choice was sleep. After getting a prescription to adderall, I was able to make it to my classes, I had more intellectual confidence and could handle any work load, mental or physical. I became the most productive employee at every place I worked: from construction to office work. I think if you have a healthy energy level, you can do without adderall. But that wasn't the case for me. I would be living in ditch and begging for scraps right now without adderall. The side affects are well worth it! However, if I lose my prescription, I might have to resort to suicide (not a joke).

What if you already have good grades but like want to take them to help with your manigment skills cause your basically involved in everything and are having a hard time managing it all would it help

Works for me even though I didn’t need them they make college so much more fun and easy to learn

How often can you safely take Adderall for studying/tests when you don't have ADHD

dude my gpas used to be 2 or 3 but now they're no less than 4

How is it that every comment is pro adderall when he just said there is like no benefit

From my experience, i think that adjusting study strategy and healthy lifestyle is FAR more important than taking any drugs, and should be the first step before considering any drugs. Active recall, spaced repetition, good sleep schedule, (almost) daily cardio, psychotherapeutic practice, and daily schedule that suits my circadian rhythm are some of things that substantially improves my productivity and wellbeing. I went from being one of the worst performing student in high school to being accepted into one of the most prestigious college in my country, all of that just from implemeting active recall and spaced repetition.

Yes it helps so much with my grade

Just a tip, please do not ask someone for there adderall when they have a prescription, we have it for a reason and it’s annoying and frustrating when people do this. Trust me when I say that if I didn’t have ADHD I wouldn’t be taking it, long term the side effects can get pretty bad.

Cool video, but I think you really need a better mic, as audio is the most important part of your video.

adderal was nice on days i had no motivation. I only took it when on days when I had no motivation as I was doing 8 hours a day of school work and just eventually couldnt stand looking at a book no matter how many breaks I took. The hangover of adderal eventually drove me away from them as I felt coked out after I took a couple days in a row so I had to spread it out a week. I also had a prescription at the time. I did also find meditation throughout this which indeed help a lot but I found I had no motivation to workout before or after school work which caused me gaining wait in the year which the appetite surpressant effect of the adderal may have help but i didnt pay that much attention to it. In the end I think habits are what works the best liek you said. Qaulity video.

How does he know who was using it

Wait you take coffee every few months ? holy..... wow

Where can I get this from

7:05 How about students who have a high IQ? Plus, are grades important? If someone takes Modafinil before a test, I will not considere that as a cheat. Some people take advantage from other people. What is the fairness to wealthy people you are seeing on tv every day compare to you who are short on money?

Have you seen the film "Flowers for Algernon?". These meds actually do make people smarter! But they are expensive if you don't have great insurance.

Adderall doesn't improve grades!? You mean like how Dianabol didn't improve athletic performance!? Oh my :O

Taking Addy = GPA spike? That statement highly varies depending on the person imo. I graduated from HS with 3.98, got Premed/BS with 3.86. Now Im in one of the top med schools in USA and have never touched Addy. I’ve done much better than my peers who have used it consistently. If you have a great self discipline and determination, you don’t need it.

adderall doesn't change GPA. treated ADHD/ADD and appropriate disability support services such as extra test time and quiet space to take exams however can help

I am struggling with college right now and need to stay motivated. I’m thinking about taking this stimulate, but I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do. I’m a music ed student.

Short answer is yes

Never done it before, but I'm curious: there was no statistical significance in grade improvements with a placebo group?

Outta of all the pharmaceuticals out there why are the AD 30 pills so rough they don't have that shiney coating???

I might need stimulants because of my poor social skills (And the possible presence of ADD). I find out this Thursday. EVEN THEN there are debates as to whether we actually need drugs. For me, I think they're like glasses and I should be on them 24/7. But who's to say?

The guys I’m friends with in college do addys all the time and have AMAZING grades. Most of them have almost 4.0s and are pre med (bio, chem) majors. I knew some of them in high school and their grades were just okay back then. I lowkey want to take them.. I already think I’m ADD anyway

adderall has pushed me to actually function as a normal human being. it can be very helpful to students with adhd. that being said, people who do not have adhd should not be taking adderall. it drives me nuts when neurotypicals say they take it. they physiologically do not need it.

I've been on 20mg of adderall every morning since I was 8 years old and I'm 25 now... anyone think it's bad for me or no? My doctor says I have to take it for my ADHD

This drug does help when ur working 60 to 80 hours a week as a caregiver on the weekend and going to school full time, including take care of a child, for me it helps with concentration and to get stuff done use it don't abuse it

Obviously the school study would say they didn’t make a difference

you lost me the second you started listing more than one therm without explaining it immediately after :(

Mindfulness meditation studies are sponsored by interest-related organizations. Physical exercise is a more reliable way.

this video was so professional and i didnt got it very well and you were talking so fast in this one :(

Guess I've been living under a rock! Come to think of it, my house IS made of bricks…

i need this. undiagnosed female with adhd. i need to pass a licensing exam and my doctors won't help me unless i stop smoking weed for 3 months before they even do an adult ADHD psychological exam. i hate doctors these days. I bet 10 yrs ago my trusted doctor would have just given it to me to pass my test.

this is relevant again

no mention of modafinil

7:15 1.Moral and Ethical. A complete non-issue. It's not a competition, even if it feels like one. The only goal is for you to improve. 2. Long-term consequences. Yea, completely valid point. The main reason I've never tried it. 3. Weakening of study habits. hm.... yea, for some people. I mean, a lot of people study with coffee and are completely fine. I'd personally add a fourth point. It's illegal.

I’m sorry, but unless you suffer from ADHD/ADD and have access to Adderall through through a prescription provided by your doctor, you should NOT be taking Adderall. It’s dangerous and illegal, and it makes it much more difficult for people with ADHD to get the medication they need. That being said, this is a really interesting video and I appreciate you making it! I understand you’re not endorsing people using it, just explaining how it works.

Anyone popping addys and believing they aren’t cheating their way to the top is kidding themselves. You can’t look me in the face and tell me when other students take a few weeks to prepare for a test or essay and you blaze through it with cognitive enhancement like it’s nothing in under three days, retaining every detail and ‘earning’ a passing grade, that’s not cheating.

if you focused on this video the whole time you probably don't need it but if you went on instagram

Coffee!!!!

It made my grades better in 1988 but cost me the ability to have children of my own.

So I'm going in civil engineering and I just need it to pass my physics 213 class and I dont care about the ethical and I'm only going to do it for this class this term and electricity is not my field of study so...u basically proved tht it does help students get better grades since I find it tht I get distracted easily when trying to study and tht my midterm is tomorrow...so yeah thank you for assuring me tht I will now go look for someone who sells this medication! Thank you your the best.

I asked and was given a trial dose for a test. I got a 135 without and a 122 with Adderal. No bueno

lol this man thinks students are "competing with eachother" to see who gets the highest grades lmaooo

I will try concerta i want help u guys give me som noits like take it with cofee and......?