Student had heart attack at 22 after using popular study drugs
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.
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.
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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.
"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'.
"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 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.
"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."
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?
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.
Olivia Burke