2023-06-20 09:43:17
Studying better thanks to a pill? Some students try to boost their performance with ADHD medication such as methylphenidate, better known by the brand name Ritalin. But it is doubtful whether that works. Australian research shows that using these ‘smart’ pills does not improve your results.
In the Netherlands, 4 percent of students without an ADHD diagnosis say they sometimes use Ritalin or other ADHD medication in order to study better. Improper use, i.e. without a prescription, also occurs in the workplace to improve productivity.
But Australian research shows that taking these “smart” pills over the counter isn’t such a smart idea. The medication does not seem to improve performance. In some cases, people without an ADHD diagnosis actually perform worse on a pill.
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Smart pills
The Australian study looked at the effect of three different types of ADHD medication: methylphenidate (brand names: Ritalin and Concerta), modafinil and dexamfetamine. These all work slightly differently. What they have in common is that they act on the messenger substances dopamine and noradrenaline, which influence the activity of and between certain brain regions.
In people with ADHD, these pills can make them calmer and can concentrate better. They do this by increasing the amount of dopamine, which would help because the dopamine system of people with ADHD seems to work less well.
Students without that diagnosis use the drugs as smart drugs. They would ensure that you can concentrate better, and that you can go on for longer. But there is no evidence that the drugs used in everyday tasks such as studying have this effect in people without ADHD.
Knapzact test
To investigate this, researchers got forty subjects between the ages of 18 and 35 without an ADHD diagnosis to perform complex, everyday tasks, such as navigating, planning and solving optimization problems. They did this four times, each time receiving one of the three ADHD drugs or a placebo.
One of the tasks presented to the test subjects was the knapsack test. The assignment was to fill a virtual backpack with objects of different values and weights. The goal is to choose a combination of items with the highest possible value, without the knapsack exceeding the maximum weight. The subjects could try combinations before giving a definitive answer.
Messier
It turned out that the subjects who had taken one of the three ADHD drugs took longer to arrive at an answer. In addition, they tried more combinations, without getting better answers.
The subjects who did the task above average well with a placebo, dropped with the drugs behind the teeth to the worst performing group.
‘Their choices were more random (unpredictable) than if they had taken a placebo,’ says Peter Bossaerts, professor of neuroeconomics at Cambridge University, who was involved in the Australian study. In other words, they try harder, but also resort to more trial and error.’
And that’s not the best strategy for the knapsack problem. Bossaerts: ‘Would you like to solve a jigsaw puzzle by throwing pieces into the air at random until they magically land in the right place on the table? To a certain extent, that is what our participants did under the influence of the medication.’
Psychiatrist Rachel Fargason of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who was not involved in the study, tells newscientist.com it makes sense that stimulants might be helpful for people with ADHD, but not for people who don’t have the condition. “You can have too much dopamine — there’s an optimal dose,” she says. ‘This study shows that beautifully.’
Sleeping problems
‘This study confirms the impression that there is no unequivocal evidence that the improper use of ADHD medication improves your presentation,’ says Michelle van der Horst, of the Trimbos Institute, who was part of a large-scale study into the improper use of ADHD. medication among students, commissioned by the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport. A follow-up study is now underway.
The research reinforces the message that the Dutch Trimbos Institute, the knowledge institute for mental health care, addiction care and social care, has been conveying for some time. Namely that there is no evidence that it works if you don’t have a diagnosis and that there are risks and side effects.
Van der Horst: ‘The side effects and risks that emerged from our interviews about improper use include: reduced appetite, heart palpitations, sleeping problems and concentration problems once the drug has worn off. And it can lead to psychological dependence, in which students think they can no longer concentrate without the drug.’
The Trimbos Institute, in collaboration with the Institute for Responsible Use of Medicine (IVM), is now running processes to disseminate information about these risks in a safe manner. The programs are not only aimed at students, but also at professionals, parents and, for example, associations in their area and offer tools for studying in a healthy way.
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