Assessment of Prescription Stimulant Abuse in Medical School Students

Background: Over the past ten years, the number of prescriptions for stimulants dispensed by retail pharmacies has steadily increased. Amphetamine use, specifically among college students, has almost doubled since 2008. The prevalence of amphetamine use among college students is significantly higher than the same age group who were not in college. Potential reasons why college students are using and abusing these medications may include the increase in concentration and alertness that may result from the use of stimulant medications. Study Objective: The primary objective of this study is to assess prescription stimulant drug use in professional phase medical students. This study will also attempt to evaluate and compare the prevalence of stimulant drug abuse between medical students and pharmacy students, using data collected from a previous study of pharmacy students. Methods: This study will be completed using a cross-sectional survey. This survey will be dispersed via e-mail list-serves and taken by medical student volunteers online. Survey questions will assess the students\u27 general baseline characteristics and demographics in order to categorize the students into subgroups. All other survey questions will be directed towards the students\u27 past or present experiences with prescription drug abuse. These questions will be geared towards meeting the study objectives. Significance: Repeated abuse of stimulants can lead to feelings of paranoia and psychosis, as well as addiction or dependency. Besides the obvious adverse effects that these medications can cause, taking high doses of stimulants may result in irregular heartbeats, cardiovascular failure, and seizures. Also, non prescription use of stimulants has been correlated with a higher rate of other illicit drug abuse, including alcohol