Adderall Addiction

Adderall is a prescription medication with active ingredients dextroamphetamine and amphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant that primarily acts upon the brain. Though there are many intended uses for Adderall, the drug is usually prescribed to patient`s to help them control the symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or to manage the symptoms of narcolepsy.

Like most stimulant drugs, Adderall can be dangerous if used by those who do not have a medical need for the drug and highly addictive if misused. Unfortunately, college students are the group most likely to abuse this medication. Because teens and young adults are most likely to have a prescription for the pills due to the high rate of ADHD in this population, there is a great deal of abuse in high schools and colleges. Abusers of the drug are often:

• Young adults with a prescription whose body chemistry has changed over time in such a way that the drug is no longer effective for its original purpose
  Friends of teens who have a prescription and are given the drug to “help them study”
  
  
• Teens who purchase the drug from teens who have a prescription
  
  
• Teens who learn the symptoms of ADHD and falsely present with those symptoms to a doctor who can prescribe the medication to them
  
  If your teen or anyone you know is abusing Adderall, take action immediately. Abuse of the drug can be dangerous to anyone’s mental and physical health, and an addiction can change the course of one’s life forever.
  
  The “typical” Adderall abuser is not the “typical” teen drinker or marijuana smoker. In fact, teens who abuse Adderall are often strong students, driven, heavily involved at school and focused on the future.
  They have a number of projects, deadlines, exams, and application due dates pending at any given time and may have a commitment to a school sports team or community group as well.
  
  These kids are likely to use Adderall because it has the effect of helping them to focus for long periods of time. With little need for food or sleep, they can accomplish a great amount of work in a short amount of time, allowing them to keep up with everything at once. Though some abuse the drug recreationally, many teens are abusing the drug for the sole purpose of improving their ability to focus in school.
  
  

Parents of teens who are prescribed Adderall are advised to take a heavy hand in monitoring the prescription, making sure they take the drug as prescribed and do not abuse it in anyway.