Methamphetamine increasing exam performance

[Rogue]

Hypothetically speaking, say a person had university/college exams coming up soon. These exams would last approximately 3 hours and the person in question, whilst not having ADHD or a similar condition, occasionally had the problem of a wandering mind whilst in lengthy test conditions. This person might have occasionally used methamphetamine recreationally.

Would the usage of small amounts of methamphetamine (powder, not crystal form) actually improve performance by means of increased concentration?

In your opinion, would the benefits outweigh the drawbacks?

In such a situation, what sort of dosage would be required to gain the desired effects?

Does anyone have any hypothetical annecdotes regarding methamphetamine use in tested conditions?

Your advice and comments would be greatly appreciated.

[trptamene]

SWIM has never used meth, but recently heard that low doses are good for studying/taking tests.

SWIM would advise to try to get some adderal rather than meth tho, as it has had plently of use in this area and there is much less control over the drug. GOOD LUCK!!

[Rogue]

I'd imagine that for such a person, obtaining one of the less potent amphetamines before their exams took place would not be possible.

[Micklemouse]

Well, he'd certainly be able to write a lot. Whether it'd be worth reading at the end of the exam is another question entirely...

Adderall is not widely available in Britain, & methamfetamine is still rare - if it is powder that your monkey is familiar with it is more likely amfetamine sulphate. Amfetamine sulphate is good for repetitive tasks, allegedly, but as a cognitive enhancer? Not the best. In fact, many have found quite the reverse.

[enquirewithin]

Amphetamines work quite well in exams so long as the dose is low and the writer has self-discipline with what they write!

[Bio-Cellular Enigma]

Yes, this strikes SWIM as one of the (surprisingly limited) uses of amphetamines that may aid performance. The dosage would likely be crucial; too much could cause an inability to remain seated long enough to complete the test. If possible, a "test run" or two before-hand (e.g. sitting still and concentrating on a single subject for three hours) could help determine an optimal dosing strategy.

[Micklemouse]

In that case part of the test run should be asking to someone to read the finished article to check that it makes sense.

Another problem is the variation in quailty between batches with 'street' speed, making judging dose potentially difficult - a dab from one batch may prove sufficient, from another may send the taker into a full blown twitch-fest that will make concentrating on one task, especially one needing intellect, more than hard.

Unless one has ADHD/ADD then this is probably not the best idea - a wandering mind does not mean one has ADD, or that amfetamines would help.

[Rogue]

The amphetamines, I would imagine, would come from a stockpile that the person has had for some time and has had a fair amount of experience with.

Were such a person to be testing it for himself currently whilst revising, he may indeed find that it has enabled him to remain focused entirely on revision for a significant period of time that was previously not likely. He may also find that his work shows no noticable signs of a drop in quality that could be attributed to amphetamine use.

[Micklemouse]

Fair do's then. Advise your monkey to allow for any increased adrenaline due to exam nerves & wish him luck!

[Bajeda]

Swim found that low doses of smoked methamphetamine were good for getting him into study mode so he could plough through his various materials efficiently, but he wouldn't recommend it for the exam. Even adderall he is a bit squeamish on if one hasn't pulled an all-nighter, but he says that its pretty decent for many subjects. For others its hard to stay within the boundaries of a specific topic or question.

Meth has different mental effects than adderall in productivity-enhancing yet non-euphoric doses swim feels. It doesn't help with creativity he feels, and while it will be great for helping you concentrate/focus on the task at hand, he would leave it and its effects behind for the actual tests.

[stoneinfocus]

3-6mg methamfetamine has a decent concentration enhancing effect on swim, without any sides like overexcitability/nervousness, euphoria or the like.

[rxbandit]

swim did an experiment a while back. he took the SAT test; sober once, on a fairly high dose of adderal once and once on cocaine.

The sober test established a decent score, the adderal provided a higher score of about 120-200 points while the test on cocaine was worse all around particularly near the end.

conclusion; adderal and possibly other amphetamines show promise for test taking, especially timed tests.

[Bajeda]

Meth is a far cry from adderall in many respects though rxbandit. I'd say adderall is used to a much greater extent than meth for academic purposes, though there are many reasons for that.

Swim hasn't got a chance to replicate his experiment with using meth in low doses to help with concentration, but he would like to at one point. He remembers one night before an international baccalaureate exam when he was really stoned and had to study (stupid swim!). His friend said he would help him out and had him smoke a tiny bit of meth off a spoon. Swim's high died completely, he was quite energized yet not jittery or speedy, and his focus and concentration levels were perfect.

With adderall swim gets decent focus, but to get the real energy and concentration aspects he has to take more (he'd prefer small doses) and that causes him to get too jittery and distractible. As meth's effects in low doses seem to be stronger than adderall's but without the annoying aspects until more is smoked, it could be a good replacement, aside from the potential for negatives to arise if one decided to go beyond smoking for cognitive enhancement! One of swim's professors told him about going to university in the 1970s and how in the dorms you could find students cooking up meth all over the place to use for the purposes being discussed in this thread. Most didn't get high on it, they just used it like adderall is mostly being used today. May be worth another look.