According to an article published in the December 2012 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, MDs should not prescribe cognitive enhancers to healthy people to enhance concentration, memory, alertness, or mood. They claim there is no published scientific evidence that they work. Some things we know without having to do expensive scientific study however! They believe that these drugs that include Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin and others should be primarily restricted to people with ADD or ADHD. We believe they are massively overused for many children who are labelled with these diseases but don't really have them.
The prevalence of cognitive enhancers in universities ranges from 1-11% according to their report. However, they are also used in middle and high schools to get better grades as well as recreationally. There are many potentially serious side effects such as addiction, cardiac rhythm disorders and even seizures.
