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Do stimulants help if you don't have ADHD? episode artwork

Feb 26, 2026 47 min

Do stimulants help if you don't have ADHD?

from The Honest Psychologist Hosted by The Honest Psychologist

This week the docs are concerned about trends in how stimulant medication is discussed and used without prescriptions, so we consulted the research. We discuss the actual effects of the medication, investigate whether they will improve your grades, your intelligence, or your problem-solving abilities, the implications for mood, and what all this means for people at different stages of life. Research Ilieva, I. P., & Farah, M. J. (2013). Enhancement stimulants: perceived motivational and cognitive advantages. Frontiers in neuroscience, 7, 198. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2013.00198 Arria, A. M., Wilcox, H. C., Caldeira, K. M., Vincent, K. B., Garnier-Dykstra, L. M., & O’Grady, K. E. (2013). Perceived academic benefit is associated with nonmedical prescription stimulant use among college students. Addictive Behaviors, 38(3), 2038–2043. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.12.011 Weyandt, L. L., White, T. L., Gudmundsdottir, B. G., Nitenson, A. Z., Rathkey, E. S., De Leon, K. A., & Bjorn, S. A. (2018). Neurocognitive, autonomic, and mood effects of Adderall: A pilot study of healthy college students. Pharmacy, 6(3), 58. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy6030058 The Times 2/2/26 https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/40-percent-stanford-undergraduates-claim-disabled-sw99r3k8c This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit honestpsychpod.substack.com/subscribe

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