• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Student had heart attack at 22 after using popular study drugs

Home> News> Health

Updated 12:04 6 May 2025 GMT+1Published 12:03 6 May 2025 GMT+1

Student had heart attack at 22 after using popular study drugs

Mandi Masterpole, now 34, has told how her drug habit during college nearly cost her life

Olivia Burke

Olivia Burke

Burning the midnight oil, cramming for exams and juggling a busy social life are struggles which a lot of students can relate to.

Caffeine is often your best mate during these stressful periods, as it's the only thing that can keep you awake - aside from much harder stimulants, which is what this woman used to fuel her study sessions.

Mandi Masterpole had told how she abused medication which is prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to get her through university, consuming them as 'study drugs' to fight off fatigue.

Advert

She explained she first tried the likes of Adderall and Ritalin when she was just 17, but ended up relying on them on a daily basis when she started college to become a mortician.

As a student, Mandi became hooked on what she was told was 'legal speed' to get her through class and her shifts at a daycare, while they also helped her power through late night partying sessions too.

Discussing how the stimulants made her feel, the New Jersey native said: "I remember my eyes lighting up, the colours seemed to be brighter. Everything seemed to be bright.

"I thought it was like heaven. I was like, 'Oh my god, this is amazing'. I realised work would go so much faster. I wouldn't have to sleep, so I could use my nighttime hours to study and then I could go to work.

Mandi Masterpole, 34, is urging students to steer clear of so-called 'study drugs' (Kennedy News and Media)
Mandi Masterpole, 34, is urging students to steer clear of so-called 'study drugs' (Kennedy News and Media)

Advert

"I wanted to be able to have fun and do my exams and not feel like I was running out of time and that I was tired," Mandi said.

"I thought I was great because I was awake, I was aware, I knew what was going on. So I didn't see anything wrong with the pills."

At the height of her reliance on the drugs, Mandi admits she was snorting them up to four times a day, while constantly blowing her $600 (£450) weekly wages on her habit.

But as the pills were giving her oodles of energy which allowed her to keep all the plates in her life spinning, she continued to take them - until she fell pregnant at the age of 21.

"I was at my worst probably right before I got pregnant," Mandi explained, explaining that becoming a parent was the wake-up call she needed to get back 'on the right track'.

Advert

"I would stop doing the drugs and I would take care of my kid," she said. "I knew that if I had a baby then I would have a reason to stay clean. All I wanted was a person to be clean for."

She had a relatively normal pregnancy and managed to kick her stimulant habit for the sake of her unborn child - however, the damage which it had inflicted on Mandi's body had already been done.

The mum kicked her habit after falling pregnant at the age of 21 (Kennedy News and Media)
The mum kicked her habit after falling pregnant at the age of 21 (Kennedy News and Media)

The mum started to suffer from severe chest pain as she went into labour and her heart ended up stopping twice during her dramatic stay in hospital.

Due to her abuse of the ADHD medication, as well as the fact she was not taking her insulin correctly to keep her type 1 diabetes under control, Mandi's heart was under a lot of pressure.

Advert

"Everything was just eating at my heart pretty much, and then when I went into labour my heart just blew out," the mum recalled. "I knew when I went into labour, I was telling my mom, 'Something's not right'.

"The doctors asked me if I had taken anything, I ended up telling them that I had abused drugs and they basically said I had blown out my heart.

"Going into labour and putting the stress on it on top of the condition that it was in, it couldn't handle the stress of the pregnancy."

Medics informed the mum that this combination of factors had made her heart 'ridiculously weak' - and the vital organ stopped beating on two occasions, seeing Mandi flatline.

"It just went dark," she said. "To think that there's nothing is terrifying, so I just tell myself that I didn't die for long enough."

Advert

Mandi suffered a heart attack at the age of 22 due to the havoc she had wreaked on her heart (Kennedy News and Media)
Mandi suffered a heart attack at the age of 22 due to the havoc she had wreaked on her heart (Kennedy News and Media)

At the age of 22, she spent a week on life support before undergoing a life-saving operation where doctors fitted a mechanical heart pump, while she also later had a pacemaker and a defibrillator fitted.

Mandi, now 34, is now on the transplant list and is adjusting to life with a weak heart - as she now relies on a wheelchair for outings, while medics warned she can't have another child due to the stress it would put on her body.

She is now urging others to be wary of the risks which come with abusing medication which a doctor has not personally prescribed for you, saying it's 'not worth it'.

"Here I am telling myself I'm doing the right thing getting school done, but I was blowing my heart out the whole time. I would tell people to steer clear of these drugs completely.

"It may make you feel good but it's going to tear everything apart. It's not the quick fix I thought it was. Everybody should know it's not what you think, it will lead you down a way that you do not want to go."

What happens if someone without ADHD takes drugs like Adderall?

The New Jersey native warned that the medication is not a 'quick fix' for fatigue (George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The New Jersey native warned that the medication is not a 'quick fix' for fatigue (George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

First things first, you should never take prescription drugs which haven't been administered to you by a doctor who is aware of your medical history.

But if someone who doesn't have ADHD did take the medicine which is prescribed for the disorder, experts say it wouldn't actually have the desired effect of making a person more productive, energised and efficient.

A 2023 study found that drugs like Adderall, Ritalin and Provigil can actually slow people without ADHD down, rather than speed them up.

Ryan Sultan, an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, explained that people who don't have ADHD already have the right levels of dopamine and norepinephrine.

So when these hormones are artificially administered with ADHD meds, it takes people way past this 'happy window' as their brains are flooded with the chemicals.

"When they’re going past that happy window, they can experience things like obsessive thoughts," Sultan told Very Well Health.

The study's lead author, neuroscientist Elizabeth Bowman, also added: "You might be introducing trade-offs that you’re not prepared for because you’re just dumping more dopamine neurotransmitters into your brain.

"It’s like putting more and more petrol into your car and expecting it to go faster. It doesn’t work like that."

What are the side effects of Adderall?

Adderall can improve the focus and concentration of those with ADHD, however, it can have some unfortunate side effects too.

Those who take the medication should be wary of experiencing a decreased appetite, stomach ache, nervousness, restlessness and headaches, according to Heathline.

On top of that, they may struggle to nod off and stay asleep, while dizziness, a dry mouth, hoarseness, slowed speech, changes in vision, irritability, an increased heart rate and hair loss are also possible side effects.

The drug has also been known to stunt the growth of a child - and more serious side effects can include a fever, numbness of limbs, weakness, uncontrollable shaking and mental health problems.

But if it's taken under the supervision of a doctor, you should be all well and good. Just make sure you check in with your GP if you've got any concerns.

Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News and Media

Topics: Education, Health, US News, ADHD

Olivia Burke
Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

X

@livburke_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

4 hours ago
5 hours ago
6 hours ago
  • 4 hours ago

    NASA astronaut's stunning time-lapse of Earth lightning storm from ISS has to be explained to be believed

    NASA astronaut, Nichole Ayers, explained it all in her social media post online

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    Owner of Ancient Egyptian tomb finally identified 50 years after archaeologists' discovery

    The discovery is an important breakthrough according to local officials

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    30-year mystery of bone fragments washing up on US beaches is finally solved

    Bones were being washed ashore in the US, from 1995 to 2013 without any answers

    News
  • 6 hours ago

    New details emerge over devastating plane crash that claimed life of famous drummer Daniel Williams

    Crash investigators have shared details about what they believe caused the horrific incident

    News
  • Student had gut-wrenching thought before tearing out own eyeballs while taking drugs
  • Mum of student who tore out her own eyeballs while taking drugs spoke out one year after incident
  • Update on student after hazing horror left him permanently blind and unable to speak or walk
  • 21-year-old student with ‘almost impossible’ cancer diagnosis had ‘last wish’ granted before passing away