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The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Stimulant research reveals negative side effects

    It entices with sweet and warm promises of energy and concentration, only to lead users down the dark tunnel of disease and addiction. 

    With the steadily increasing popularity and intake of caffeine and other stimulants, a group of eight senior nursing majors choose to highlight the issue on campus for their senior project. 

    “During our four years attending Southeastern and taking multiple classes, we noticed how often students drink coffee, energy drinks and use prescription stimulants, without them being prescribed, for multiple academic reasons,” said Dillon Murphy, a group member. “We found multiple sources to emphasize how stimulant use is becoming an issue among several colleges across the U.S., and we would like to prevent unintentional injuries and reduce consequences of stimulant use among college students.”

    Through 600 student surveys, the nursing majors discovered coffee was the most used stimulant at 62 percent. Academic reasons were the highest motivation at 47 percent. For the capstone senior project, “The Ghostly Truth of Stimulant Use,” they hope to increase the quality, availability and effectiveness of stimulant use education to prevent disease and injury. 

    While many students take stimulants for academic reasons such as concentrating better, studying longer and staying awake, their research revealed the practice to be counterproductive.  

    “While students are using them for academic reasons, it doesn’t show an improvement in GPA at all,” said Tracy Foret, group member. “We found that people who use stimulants typically have a lower GPA.” 

    For healthy adults, they recommend a caffeine intake of 300 to 400 milligrams to avoid adverse side effects. The average cup of coffee has an estimated 200 milligrams of caffeine. Some common overdose side effects include irritability, anxiety, restlessness, confusion, headaches, insomnia, rapid heartbeat, seizures and dehydration. 

    “Regardless of your tolerance, the side effects of caffeine can still be happening and effecting your body,” said Deborah Hampton, group member.  

    The group believes they are one of the first to deal with the issue of over-reliance on stimulants.

    “It’s a new topic that’s being dealt with, because studies are more recently being done on the effects of it on the body,” said Foret. “There are side effects that are more recently being discovered as the usage has increased.”  

    They also addressed the issue of energy drink stimulants, ranking at 42 percent usage. In the brochure they include a story of a 14-year-old girl who died of “cardiac arrhythmias due to caffeine toxicity” after consuming two 24-ounce cans of Monster Energy Drink. 

    “The energy drinks have a higher health risk with caffeine because FDA does not regulate the contents in them versus your every day soda and coffee, for which the caffeine is regulated,” said Hampton. 

    Outside of soda, coffee, energy drinks and other “over the counter” stimulants, the group gathered data on student is use of prescription stimulants. 

    “Out of all the students we surveyed, 71 percent were taking prescription stimulants without being prescribed,” said Foret. “Besides being unhealthy for you, if you’re caught selling, giving or taking the prescription stimulants you could face fines, incarceration, probation, diversion programs or rehabilitation programs.”

    In describing healthy alternatives for energy increase, the group created the acronym ENERGIZE which stands for: eat healthy, never skip meals, eliminate stress, rest, get out and mingle, increase water intake, zero smoking and exercise regularly.

    After researching and data collecting, the group is working to spread awareness and healthy suggestions by presenting at health studies classes. 

    For more information, contact Murphy at [email protected]

     
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