BOULDER - The University of Colorado-Boulder Police arrested two CU students involved in an illegal sale of prescription drugs.
Nicholas Busbey, 23, and Marshall Peddler, 21, are charged with unlawful sale of a controlled substance.
According to authorities, a CU employee saw Busbey remove a pill from a prescription drug bottle and sell it to Peddler for $5. The pill was later identified as Vyvanse.
"It's important for students to know that possessing or taking just one pill that is not prescribed to them can lead to a felony arrest and a trip to jail," CU-Boulder police spokesperson Ryan Huff said. "As mid-terms and finals approach, we typically start to see some of these cases. It's not worth the risk."
Medications like Vyvanse, normally used to control ADHD symptoms, are being abused in older teens and young adults more and more, according to 9NEWS Medical Expert Dr. John Torres. Oftentimes these medications are used illegally to help with studies and testing. It's becoming a type of performance enhancing drug in high schools and colleges at what some experts are calling an "epidemic" level.
The problem is that like all medications, Vyvanse and others like it including Ritalin and Adderall, have side effects. In the case of these medications, these side effects can be severe and can happen the first time someone takes a pill or even later doses. Unfortunately, the more these medications are used the more dependent on them someone can become. When they try to stop, they can have significant withdrawal symptoms. Even occasional use can lead to bad problems like psychosis, aggressive behavior, abdominal pain and dizziness can be some of the milder symptoms. Things like seizures, heart attack and even sudden death can also happen.
Unfortunately, a lot of students abusing this type of medication don't realize that it can be dangerous so are taking them in higher and higher numbers to try to get a leg up on their academics. This is a leg up that can lead to serious lifelong health consequences.
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