Students tend to see using prescriptions as less of a health threat than illegal drugs since they are medically approved. Also, due to the fact that prescriptions are legal, they may perceive that their use can not threaten future career choices. However, there can be serious medical consequences in prescription abuse. In addition, the interactions between two or more drugs can be unpredictable and cause unforeseen side effects, including being intensified or neutralized. This is especially true with alcoholic beverages.
Medications taken improperly can also become less effective and prompt relapses of illness.
A recent article in Nurseweek states that Ritalin is the most widely abused prescription drug, especially since some young people may feel pressured to share their pills and may not consider the consequences. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Health Center reports evidence of students using Ritalin obtained from others as a study aid or for a quick high, although the extent of the distribution is difficult to gauge. Some campus health and counseling centers are proactively addressing their growing concern about abuse. Many are becoming more selective in prescribing medications, particularly stimulants such as Ritalin. Some health services will not refill a lost prescription more than once and will not change a dosage without a doctor's review.