Academic doping

Academic doping is the off-label use of a class of drugs called “nootropics” by healthy people for the purposes of improving cognitive ability or academic success. This class of drugs is normally used to treat neurocognitive disorders such as dementia, attention deficit disorder and schizophrenia. Based on their stimulant properties, it is believed that these types of drugs might also improve cognitive function in healthy people.

Student Use

According to a 2006 article published by MSNBC, academic doping first started among students attending extremely competitive universities. As reported in the journal Addiction, as many as one in four college students have misused the [...] Adderal. This and other similar drugs may be used to increase focus while studying, and they are more potent than caffeine. Most recently, in April 2011, McGill University in Canada published survey results from a random sample of 400 students, in which 5.4% had used a [...] off-label for the purposes of cognitive enhancement.

Usage has since dropped down to the secondary level, with some parents requesting prescriptions for their children in order to boost grades.

Effectiveness

“Although they currently offer modest improvements in cognitive performance at best, it is thought that future nootropics will encompass a wide array of drugs that enhance memory, attention, alertness, motivation, executive function, creativity or the need for sleep.”

Safety Considerations

According to Dr. Nick Yates, a pediatrician and director of medical ethics for Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y., off-label usage of nootropics by people who don’t need them represents safety concerns. An MSNBC article reported that "A 2004 rat study conducted by the National Institutes of Health and McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School suggested that children who take prescription drugs for ADHD but do not have the disorder may be at higher risk for developing depressive symptoms in adulthood."