Ritalin popular among students; even available from drugdealers
Struggling to focus during lectures, or finding your attention span too short while studying? Ritalin has become increasingly popular among students, both with and without a doctor’s prescription. “For my last exam I used Ritalin three times in a single week.”
The number of Dutch people taking ADHD medication has risen sharply in recent years, according to new figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Ritalin – or methylphenidate, as the active substance is officially known – has a similar effect to amphetamines (speed), albeit weaker, and is being prescribed with increasing frequency. By 2023, around 300,000 people in the Netherlands were using the drug, a fourfold increase compared to seventeen years earlier.
Whether the exact same steep rise can be seen among students is less clear, says Sietse Wieringa, director of the Bureau for Student General Practitioners. Due to a transition to a new information system, the organisation currently lacks a database to pull exact figures from. “However, I can say that student use has also gone up over the past seventeen years,” Wieringa notes.
Diagnosis
According to Wieringa, the definition of an ADHD diagnosis has broadened in recent years. “That makes it increasingly difficult to say who is genuinely affected and therefore should be prescribed Ritalin,” he explains. He suspects that many students without a prescription still make frequent use of the drug: “Of course, they don’t come to us for that. But we do sometimes hear that students had tried it through housemates or fellow students before ever receiving a diagnosis themselves.”
Figures from the Trimbos Institute show that in 2023, three per cent of university and college students in the Netherlands used Ritalin without a doctor’s prescription. The vast majority reported taking it while studying, but a smaller group – around 11 per cent – said they also used it recreationally on nights out. Although they cannot obtain it from a GP, students without an ADHD diagnosis have little difficulty getting hold of the drug, often via friends, family members, or street dealers.
Party drugs
Amsterdam’s drug dealers are often said to arrive at your door faster than the average pizza courier. In the case of Ritalin, it appears to be no different: with just a few messages, the ADHD medication can easily be ordered from various dealers.
Whereas one dealer lists Ritalin under the category specials – alongside LSD, Diazepam and Kamagra – another uses a separate section for medication, where the pills are sold next to sedatives such as Temazepam and Xanax. In brackets, the description reads “study pills, 10 milligrams.” Prices hover around five euros per pill, comparable to popular party drugs like XTC or 2CB. A box of thirty sells for 125 euros, while one dealer even offers a bulk deal: two hundred pills for five hundred euros.
Students
On the Roeterseiland campus, several students admit to having tried the drug. Kes, a 24-year-old, used Ritalin during her studies a few years ago, despite not having ADHD. “But I didn’t get it from a dealer. I don’t have those kinds of connections, and I wasn’t planning on paying for it,” she says, glancing up from a group project she is working on with two fellow students. “I got it from a friend with ADD who didn’t always take her pills, so she gave me a strip. I think it was during my thesis, or just before an exam.”
Although recent research has shown that taking Ritalin during exams does not lead to higher grades, Kes insists that it worked well for her while studying. “I slipped into a really strong focus, it’s a bit like speed,” she laughs. “For those few hours when it kicks in, you can really get things done. At the time, I had a hectic period with lots going on, so I thought I’d give it a try. You just get the work finished more quickly. It definitely helped me make that deadline.”
Philip, 24, has also tried the drug, he says while having lunch outside in the sun. “I use it when I’ve got exams or a big assignment. For my last exam I took Ritalin three times in a single week, but outside exam periods I don’t use it.” He has no ADHD diagnosis, but doesn’t rule out getting tested one day. “At least then I’d know for sure. Friends often say they think I have ADHD.”
For now, though, he doesn’t need a prescription to get hold of the drug. “I get it from a friend who’s supposed to take it daily, but doesn’t. When I use it, I find I’m far less distracted by other things. Normally I’m done after an hour or two, but with Ritalin I can go for four and a half hours straight and finish an assignment in one go.” According to Philip, use of the drug is far from unusual in his circle. “It helps you study better, so lots of people want to try and see if it works for them.”
