Stimulant abuse: Smart pills like Ritalin can make healthy adults dumb

Scientists have found that the use of stimulants or smart drugs, by otherwise healthy people to boost their focus and mental productivity adversely impacts their cognition  — the process of gathering knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.

The stimulants in question Adderall and Ritalin are usually prescribed to treat ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

In the study published in the journal Sciences Advances, researchers observed the responses of people, ages 18 to 35.

Their findings revealed that after a dose of one of three so-called "smart drugs", they had "small decreases in accuracy and efficiency on a cognitive task, along with large increases in time and effort, compared to without the drugs."

Those who took methylphenidate took almost 50% longer to conclude tasks compared to when they got a placebo.

The researchers also observed that those who took a placebo had seen a decline in their performance and productivity after receiving a drug.

According to the authors, these “prescription-only drugs are increasingly used by employees and students as 'smart drugs' to enhance workplace or academic productivity, including focusing on work or cramming for exams.”

The study also revealed that in some middle and high schools in the US, about 1 in 4 students report misusing prescription stimulants for ADHD during the year prior.

Peter Bossaerts, one of the study’s authors and a professor of neuroeconomics at the University of Cambridge, said: "Our results suggest that these drugs don't actually make you 'smarter.'"

"Because of the dopamine the drugs induce, we expected to see increased motivation, and they do motivate one to try harder. However, we discovered that this exertion caused more erratic thinking."

Lead author Elizabeth Bowman, a researcher at the Centre for Brain, Mind and Markets at the University of Melbourne, said: "Our research shows drugs that are expected to improve cognitive performance in patients may actually be leading to healthy users working harder while producing a lower quality of work in a longer amount of time."

The study came as the shortages of these drugs made it difficult for US citizens to access them.

According to a report from Democrats on the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs in March, drug shortages increased almost 30% between 2021 and 2022, impacting 295 products at the end of last year.

The report said: “The shortages pose threats to patients, with some facing devastating consequences, including medication errors and treatment delays.”

Clinical experts suggested that the shortage of stimulants is hurting patients who depend on them to concentrate at work and school, which could lead to depression and mental exhaustion, CBS News Detroit reported.