Adderall
What is Adderall?
This combination medication is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD. “Adderall works by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the central nervous system. Norepinephrine affects how the brain responds to events, particularly how, it pays attention and the speed at which it reacts to outside stimuli” (Addiction Center). This drug is also used to treat a certain sleeping disorder to help you stay awake during the day. It should not be used to treat tiredness or to hold off sleep in people who do not have a sleep disorder. Adderall XR is a federally controlled substance because it can be abused or lead to dependence. It is an amphetamine. Adderall is also used for the treatment of narcolepsy, but since it is a controlled substance it is illegal to use in the U.S. without a prescription.
If someone is prescribed to Adderall they will take it a couple of times a day. Some of the side effects of taking the pill include lack of appetite and sleep, anxiety, dizziness, nausea, and constipation. Another side effect of Adderall is lack of appetite. People with eating disorders sometimes take Adderall to resist eating in order to lose weight this is a very unhealthy way to lose weight. Taking the medication at high doses or for long periods of time can cause other serious side effects like panic attacks, nightmares, and phobias. Also if addicted to Adderall and trying to quit the user will have withdrawal symptoms. Panic attacks are some of the most serious withdrawal symptoms reported if Adderall is used for long periods.
A number of our society misuse prescribed pills like Adderall for example. Adderall is an addictive prescription stimulant with effects similar to meth. Although not everyone who uses Adderall will develop an addiction, people regularly taking Adderall at unprescribed doses are at high risk of becoming addicted. Someone who is misusing Adderall is using it to reach some kind of “high effect”. Adderall’s ability to help users focus and stay awake for longer than normal. This makes Adderall more attractive to students and adults in the working force who over work and are not getting enough sleep due to stress. Therefore to stay awake, focus, and study longer they will use Adderall. College students, in particular, make up a significant population of those abusing Adderall. Full-time college students are twice as likely to abuse Adderall than their peers who aren’t in college. In 2014, over 11.7 million Americans reported using Adderall for non-medical purposes at some point in their lifetimes. There were more than 4.8 million non-medical Adderall users between the ages of 18 and 25, making young adults the most at-risk age group for prescription stimulant addiction.
If someone is high on Adderall, they will experience euphoria, increased concentration, high energy, and feelings of self-confidence. An Adderall high can be a pleasurable experience, but this isn’t something that should or would necessarily happen if a person took the medicine as prescribed. Thus pleasure is what is very addictive to someone who is not prescribed to Adderall. Sometimes people will attempt to get high on Adderall by crushing it and snorting it or dissolving it and injecting it, and that makes the risk of serious or deadly side effects higher. Snorting Adderall can give you migraines and block you nasal passage way. People snort Adderall so it reaches their brain faster instead of swallowing the pill which can take thirty to forty-five minutes until the user can feel the effects of Adderall.
With prescribing extremely strong prescription pills comes at a huge risk of overdosage. Some of the most common signs of over dosing on Adderall consist of aggression, blurry vision, hallucinations, rapid heart beat, a fever, and uncontrollable shaking. To ovoid overdosing, the best solution is to not use Adderall if it is not prescribed. Also, avoid using high does or snorting and injecting Adderall. Someone will have a higher chance of overdosing on Adderall if they take Adderall with alcohol and any other type of illegal substance. Over time, Adderall users can develop a tolerance to the drug. Tolerance is a sign that a user’s body is adapting to the presence of the drug. Someone with a high tolerance to Adderall is more likely to consume Adderall in higher doses which can, in turn, lead to overdosing which is life-threatening.
Originally published at medium.com.
