Adderall Addiction: Signs, Symptoms, Why is addictive?

The First Step in the Battle with Adderall Addiction 

Do you suspect someone you love is struggling with an Adderall addiction, or you are the person with the addiction? If so, it is important to understand Adderall abuse, it’s many dangers and side effects, and how to get the help you or your loved one needs to jumpstart the recovery process. This page serves as a one stop resource, answering all your questions about Adderall addiction. If you are in immediate need, please contact Brookdale now at 855-575-1292.

Understanding Adderall Addiction

Typically associated with use in relation to academics, Adderall is a brand name amphetamine that is usually taken by students who are hoping to boost their academic scores and increase their intelligence. Those who use Adderall believe its main effect is to improve cognition, earning its reputation as a “brain booster” or “study” drug. The students that most commonly turn to these drugs are those in late high school hoping to get into the college of their dreams or the ones already in college but struggling to keep pace with other students and score higher grades. It may also be used by athletes to counter fatigue and to increase performance.

The belief that Adderall makes a person smarter is actually a myth that stems from other side effects it has, such as insomnia. For example, this effect helps the user stay wide awake even when it is late at night and they should feel tired, allowing them to study later and theoretically learn more than they otherwise might be able to.

The drug was initially created to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, which it is effective at doing. However, it is also highly addictive and if not used properly for its intended medical purposes, presents great risk to the user since it is easy to abuse. For this reason, the United States government has it classified in the same addictive risk category as drugs like cocaine.

What is Adderall?

Adderall is the name of a type of prescription amphetamine created in 1996 by Shire Pharmaceuticals to help individuals struggling with ADHD and narcolepsy. It is a stimulant drug and works by prompting the brain to release a large number of endorphins, most notably dopamine. Dopamine occurs naturally in the body and boosts a person’s mood, motor activity and alertness.

The reason that Adderall is abused usually stems from the belief that when used in an academic context, such as to help a person study for a difficult class, many people are convinced that it boosts a person’s intellectual capabilities. This has no factual support though, and the myth only survives because of two of Adderall’s side effects: insomnia and lack of appetite. These allow students to study for longer periods of time because they do not feel the need to sleep or eat. In reality, while this may allow them to study longer, mental capabilities are jeopardized when the mind and body do not receive the proper rest.

Amphetamines have been around for quite some time and have been regularly misused throughout history. The first one was synthesized in 1887, and through the years it found use in medicine, war, and as a household weight loss and mood booster. Medically, it was originally used to treat depression, narcolepsy, and nausea resulting from pregnancy. In World War II, it served as a stimulant to energize soldiers at difficult and tiring times, and then in the 1950s it evolved into a drug marketed to housewives that hoped to lose weight, gain more energy, and boost their mood. Through all of this, addiction was a great risk, but it was not until the 1960s that drug use rates rose drastically, and it became apparent that amphetamines were at a high risk for abuse. With this, more regulation was put into place and is now only available through prescription. Since its release, Adderall has become the most popular and well recognized amphetamine.

Adderall is available in a tablet and a capsule form. The tablet form is meant to take effect quickly, while the capsule form is intended to break down gradually inside a person’s body to provide an extended release, making its effects last longer (though with less potency). The amount of amphetamine in each varies widely according to the age of the patient it is being prescribed for and their prior medical history.

Abusers usually take Adderall orally as pills or capsules, but some choose to chew the tablets or crush them for snorting to increase the high associated with Adderall.

Nicknames for Adderall

To avoid arousing suspicion when used or discussed, abusers and drug dealers have developed a range of street names to substitute for Adderall when referring to it. Some of the most common nicknames include:

How Addictive is Adderall?

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency classifies Adderall as a Schedule II controlled substance, which means that it has very limited medical uses and is easy to abuse. A few other Schedule II drugs are Vicodin, Ritalin and cocaine, which speaks volumes about the addictive capabilities of Adderall.

When used by individuals with a confirmed medical need, Adderall is generally safe if the patient follows their physician’s instructions. Patients with severe conditions can be prescribed Adderall from the age of three, where it would likely start with a small dosage of 2.5 mg. Patients will also be carefully monitored by their doctor for signs of addiction, in which case dosage levels will be scaled back.

Taken without the help of a doctor for recreational use, the risk of addiction is far greater because individuals that turn to Adderall tend to take too much in their eagerness to experience a high. A dependence develops when the body adapts itself to the increased levels of dopamine that come with each use and loses its ability to function properly without it. Over time this can even lead to a feeling that the drug is needed to survive, an overwhelming belief that locks the user into their addiction. Once a dependence has been created, abusers will experience feelings of withdrawal whenever they stop taking Adderall

Symptoms

Each person will have a slightly different experience with Adderall, but there are a fair number of symptoms that can be expected for most people. These vary in severity based on how long a person has been addicted to Adderall and include:

Other Drugs Often Paired with Adderall 

While Adderall is already dangerous when used on its own, it becomes even more so when mixed with other substances. These combinations may be done intentionally or accidentally, and the risks vary based on the substance. The three most common combinations to mix with Adderall are alcohol, marijuana, and Xanax.

Of the three, alcohol is the most likely to be mixed with Adderall by accident, although it is sometimes done on purpose. When combined, it becomes dangerous because the energy enhancing effects of Adderall delay the depressant symptoms that come with alcohol, such as drowsiness and poor coordination. With these delayed effects, it is easy for an individual to drink more alcohol than they otherwise would. Two major results of this are alcohol poisoning or heightened drunkenness, both carrying their own set of risks.

Most studies report that Adderall has a similar effect on marijuana use as it does to drinking alcohol. Once again, it masks and delays the recognizable effects of marijuana, and in this case, it also increases an individual’s tolerance. As a result, the user is unlikely to recognize when they have used a dangerous amount of marijuana.

The third drug, Xanax, presents an increased risk of developing an addiction or overdosing on either Xanax or Adderall. Both are already very addictive on their own, and when combined, the effects of one drug can interfere with the effects of the other, causing the individual to take too much of either. The drug that displays its symptoms more can vary, but both are dangerous and likely to cause addiction when taken in high doses.

Adderall Addiction Demographics and Statistics

Studies by the National Center for Health Research suggest that the primary abusers of Adderall are college students with a GPA under 3.0. This is likely a result of the “study drug” myth about Adderall allowing students to learn faster and in turn increase their academic scores.

A few other key statistics to know about Adderall are that:

• Full-time college students are twice as likely as their non-college peers to use Adderall
• Between 2008 and 2012, the amount of prescriptions for Adderall or similar drugs tripled, and the number has continued to rise since
• A survey of 1,300 college students by the Michigan Daily found that 25% admitted to using Adderall or a similar stimulant for academic reasons, meanwhile only about 9% had a real prescription for it
• Of the 9% of students with a prescription, 37% of them admitted to sharing or selling the drug to someone else
• People who abuse Adderall are more likely to become addicted to other drugs
• Adderall can stay in a person’s system for 1-3 days after each use

Treatment for Adderall Addiction

The process for treating an Adderall addiction should be comprehensive, as it effects each person differently. Typically, treatment begins with detoxification (detox), a process in which the substance is safely removed from the body under medical supervision. During detox, the goal is to wait for all traces of Adderall to be processed out of the body in a space where the withdrawal symptoms associated with it can be safely managed. Depending on the severity of the addiction, this may involve the use of other medical drugs to help mitigate uncomfortable, or potentially harmful side effects.

Once a person has successfully completed detox, they are ready to move onto the next phase of treatment, usually referred to as residential care. During this stage of treatment, the patient will participate in various clinical treatments and therapies, with the goal to address underlying causes of the substance use disorder. Additionally, during residential treatment, patients will learn healthy coping mechanisms to help combat future cravings and obstacles after rehab.

Before a patient completes treatment, they will work with their counselor to create a customized aftercare plan to help with their ongoing recovery journey. This can include ongoing treatment at a lower level of care, support groups, family therapy, vocational training and/or job support, and so much more.

Getting Help for an Adderall Addiction

Using Adderall without a prescription or not following a physician’s order is extremely dangerous, and leaves many people stuck in the grips of addiction. You may have yourself convinced that you have it under control, but that’s what your disease wants you to believe.

Yes, any addiction is difficult to recover from, but it is not impossible. With the proper medical and clinical help, coupled with love, compassion, and support of people who have been where you are, you can break free from Adderall addiction. Don’t let your disease win anymore! Take back control and get the help you need and deserve.

Call Brookdale today at 855-575-1292 to speak with one of our trusted Admissions Specialists and discover your life…recovered.