Key Takeaways

College students or workers who need to pull an all-nighter might take ADHD medications like Adderall and Ritalin, assuming these “smart drugs” could help improve their cognitive performance.

In a survey conducted across various universities in Georgia, nearly half of the 219 students who reported using Adderall, Ritalin, or other undisclosed stimulants said they didn’t have prescriptions or ADHD diagnoses. The top three reasons for stimulant use among these students were to be more productive, concentrate better, and feel more focused.

However, these prescription stimulants don’t actually make people smarter.

A study published last year shows that while people may work harder on a task when using these drugs, they aren’t necessarily working more efficiently or being more productive.

In the study, people without ADHD were either given Ritalin (methylphenidate), dextroamphetamine (a component in Adderall), Provigil (modafinil), or a placebo pill at the start of each session. They were asked to complete a series of complex tasks.

“Overall, people took much longer to try to solve the tasks, spent more time [on the tasks], and tried more combinations before they submitted their answer,” saidElizabeth Bowman, PhD, a neuroscientist and lead author of the study.“Is this extra effort paying off? It really wasn’t,” Bowman added.

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How Do Adderall and Ritalin Help People with ADHD?

“There’s a ‘happy window’ for these chemicals,” saidRyan Sultan, MD, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University.

Having too much dopamine or norepinephrine is associated with anxiety, insomnia, and aggression, while having too little may lead to brain fog, fatigue, and lack of motivation. When people with ADHD take Ritalin or Adderall, the drugs help balance the natural deficiency of these brain chemicals.

While short-term use of these drugs may increase heart rate and blood pressure, disrupt sleep, or suppress appetite, a healthcare provider can evaluate the risk profile of a patient. The benefits generally outweigh the risks for people with ADHD.

“These drugs are tremendously effective for people with ADHD. Over 90% of symptoms can be treated, making it one of the more effective forms of treatment,” Sultan said.

People with ADHD who are on regular medications don’t usually take the drug late in the evening because it may affect their sleep. They may also skip or lower caffeine consumption because it contributes to accelerated heart rate. Physicians also recommend eating between doses, when the medication has worn off and their appetite returns.

However, those who take Adderall and Ritalin unprescribed may be unaware of the health risks or mix it with alcohol and other substances, Sultan said.

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What Happens If Someone Without ADHD Takes Adderall?

People without ADHD are typically within the “happy window” of dopamine and norepinephrine already. When someone without ADHD takes Adderall or Ritalin, they’re flooding their brains with these chemicals.

“When they’re going past that happy window, they can experience things like obsessive thoughts,” Sultan said. This was reflected in the study’s results as many participants worked harder on their tasks because they tried more combinations, but didn’t improve their results.

“You might be introducing trade-offs that you’re not prepared for because you’re just dumping more dopamine neurotransmitters into your brain,” Bowman added. “It’s like putting more and more petrol into your car and expecting it to go faster. It doesn’t work like that.”

It may be misleading to call ADHD medications “smart” drugs. If you need help focusing on a task, Sultan instead recommends “setting yourself up to win,” and “filling your bucket.” For example, try working in an environment away from your bedroom, and remember to have proper meals and enough sleep so your body can function efficiently.

What This Means For YouIf you don’t have ADHD, taking prescription stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin likely won’t make you more productive or efficient.

What This Means For You

If you don’t have ADHD, taking prescription stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin likely won’t make you more productive or efficient.

2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fairman RT, Vu M, Haardörfer R, Windle M, Berg CJ.Prescription stimulant use among young adult college students: who uses, why, and what are the consequences?.J Am Coll Health. 2021;69(7):767-774. doi:10.1080/07448481.2019.1706539Bowman E, Coghill D, Murawski C, Bossaerts P.Not so smart? “Smart” drugs increase the level but decrease the quality of cognitive effort.Sci Adv. 2023;9(24):eadd4165. doi:10.1126/sciadv.add4165

2 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Fairman RT, Vu M, Haardörfer R, Windle M, Berg CJ.Prescription stimulant use among young adult college students: who uses, why, and what are the consequences?.J Am Coll Health. 2021;69(7):767-774. doi:10.1080/07448481.2019.1706539Bowman E, Coghill D, Murawski C, Bossaerts P.Not so smart? “Smart” drugs increase the level but decrease the quality of cognitive effort.Sci Adv. 2023;9(24):eadd4165. doi:10.1126/sciadv.add4165

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Fairman RT, Vu M, Haardörfer R, Windle M, Berg CJ.Prescription stimulant use among young adult college students: who uses, why, and what are the consequences?.J Am Coll Health. 2021;69(7):767-774. doi:10.1080/07448481.2019.1706539Bowman E, Coghill D, Murawski C, Bossaerts P.Not so smart? “Smart” drugs increase the level but decrease the quality of cognitive effort.Sci Adv. 2023;9(24):eadd4165. doi:10.1126/sciadv.add4165

Fairman RT, Vu M, Haardörfer R, Windle M, Berg CJ.Prescription stimulant use among young adult college students: who uses, why, and what are the consequences?.J Am Coll Health. 2021;69(7):767-774. doi:10.1080/07448481.2019.1706539

Bowman E, Coghill D, Murawski C, Bossaerts P.Not so smart? “Smart” drugs increase the level but decrease the quality of cognitive effort.Sci Adv. 2023;9(24):eadd4165. doi:10.1126/sciadv.add4165

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