Questions have been raised as there has been a 16 per cent increase in the dispensing of Ritalin.Source: Supplied
Researchers suspect powerful drugs prescribed to Australians with memory loss and learning difficulties, including more than 500,000 scripts filled for Ritalin each year, are being illegally diverted to healthy people who want to feel smarter or more resilient.
Following the rise of so-called smart drugs in the US, where up to 50 per cent of university students have taken them, there are anecdotal reports and limited surveys showing similar patterns emerging in Australia.
People are seeking out pharmaceuticals, as well as synthetic drugs and supplements, to improve their performance or limit their cognitive impairment.
The Australian has obtained the first comprehensive data on scripts filled for the drugs deemed most at risk of being diverted. While numbers are increasing, it is almost impossible for the commonwealth to ascertain if doctors are writing scripts inappropriately or patients are allowing their drugs to be used by others.
Methylphenidate, also known as Ritalin, was dispensed 597,047 times in 2013-14, a 16 per cent increase on the year before, while another drug used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dexamphetamine, was dispensed 249,667 times (a 10 per cent rise). The dementia drug Donepezil was dispensed 304,631 times (a 13 per cent increase).
As more children are diagnosed with learning disorders, and as an ageing population sees more adults being diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the broader use of these drugs raises legal and ethical questions.
A University of NSW study published last year suggested that about 8.5 per cent of university students had used smart drugs at some point, though whether they used it for study or to maintain a social life is unclear.
An ongoing Queensland University of Technology study has found one student using smart drugs to get housework done quicker.
The National Drug Research Institute, meanwhile, has found 77 per cent of ecstasy users used pharmaceuticals as well, often dexamphetamine.