As school begins to kick into high gear, high school students prepare for a year of point bargaining and countless hours viewing lessons by the Khan Academy. Kids are unearthing their books, graphing calculators ... and Adderall pills?
Adderall is a prescription drug that is usually prescribed to children who have ADHD. Adderall and another drug Ritalin address these symptoms. They sharpen focus, increase ability to concentrate, and make it easier to retain information. Adderall and Ritalin work well for patients who have ADHD. However, they also have similar effects on people who don't have ADHD, at least initially. As a result, students -- mainly college students, but an increasing number of high school students, my peers -- use these prescription stimulants illegally to help them stay on top of their schoolwork and pull all-nighters. Red Bull is so yesterday.
Adderall is a powerful mental stimulant. It is an amphetamine mix, similar to cocaine and methamphetamine. You can see why it can be addictive. In fact, a recent national survey found that almost 90 percent of full-time college students who had abused Adderall in the past year were also binge drinkers. They were eight times more likely to use cocaine, eight times more tranquilizers and five times more likely to abuse pain relievers.
Interestingly, the profile of Adderall abusers is atypical. They are not who you think. They are mostly students like me -- some over-achievers (not really me) who are trying to get ahead and some (more like me) who are trying to keep up with their school work. I have seen the fiercest of debaters pop a pill before a round to "get in the zone." I have seen a D student down a pill with a quick swig of water before a Spanish quiz. I, myself, have been offered the pill multiple times during finals week. Sounds run-of-the-mill? However, if you do some investigation on the internet, there are numerous university newspapers, including those of Harvard and Stanford, discussing this epidemic. There are forums on the net filled with desperate cries from students who are ensnared by the drug.
The massive appeal of the drug is undeniable. It works -- but in a way that could cut like a double-edged sword. While the star debater just won his round with superhuman focus, he is now three times more likely to use marijuana. While the D student did, in fact, get an A on her quiz, her dopamine levels just increased beyond normal levels. It worked for them, so why won't they use it again?
While schools are surveilling students' Facebook entries for inappropriate drug-related behavior, they should actually shift their focus within their own halls. Adderall is a drug that is potent and deadly. It is used under their very nose and they don't sniff it.
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I had joined IIT Bombay as a topper of my department. But in the final year the stress and workload was too much for me, and I started taking a pill or two of Dexidrine, what you now call Adderall, during my exams to study well. And fair enough, in the vacations I got hooked on it. I had a mental breakdown a few months later. But it had done the damage. Amphetamines play havoc with out brain's Dopamine pathway, which helps us in learning and keeping attentive. It also allows us to appreciate pleasurable experiences and so all drugs addictions act on the dopamine pathway. So after that, although I never had speed again, I was an addict and an alcoholic for the next 20 years.
Now I'm away from all drugs for over 20 years and have done a lot of research on it. I've learnt that dopamine is produced from the amino acid L-Tyrosine. So nowadays I often take tyrosine whenever I have to work late at night or am stressed out. I even helped a crack-cocaine addict, who was also had ADHD stop, to recover by asking him to take some tyrosine and Glutamine. You can find how much of it a person can take instead of Ritalin/Adderall from Charles Gant's book 'End Your Addiction Now'.
And do tell your friends about this nutritional cure for ADHD.
The shortage on Adderall has me extremely worried. I'm trying to "save" my meds by using a little less and it's very difficult. I still have a little reserve left so I still have a month before my next refill, but I know that it will be like finding a needle under a haystack. I went to my local CVS and they ran out. The pharmacist was nice enough to try and help me out. They called around to 5 local places, but they were out as well. I'm frightened about this whole mess.
For all of those who use Adderall illegally or to fake ADD/ADHD, shame on you. You're the reason people like myself are in this situation. I have never once sold anybody one of my pills. I have never given them out and I have never used them recreationally.
If a student takes adderall to help with his or her grades, that's fine. It is most likely being used very rarely. However, if it becomes a habit, the student should seek medical attention and explain his/her situation. They could be ADHD, which is nearly the entire population. What happens is the few students who have the addictive personality and most likely do not have a great support system are the ones that give drugs like adderall a bad reputation.
Adderall helps thousands of people accomplish tasks they could not do without the help of their ADHD medication.
Please don't pollute a drug which is beneficial to many.
We have turned into a nation where we all live and demand a lifestyle where immediate gratification occurs in all aspects of our lives.
I wrote a much longer review about her article at adderalljunkie dot com if you want read more about my thoughts.
What are you seeing in terms of being able to give it up?
Thanks.
I feel bad also for parents who introduced this to their own kids using the best advice professional advice available.