Adderall Addiction Symptoms and Treatment

Adderrall, also known as Mydayis and Adderall XR, is a prescription medication used to treat ADHD or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder first and foremost. It’s a combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. It has secondary treatment benefits when it comes to sleep disorders. It also has the off-label capability of managing some forms of severe depression too.

It’s a drug that’s categorized as a stimulant of the central nervous system. This means it heightens and speeds up certain processes of the body. This medicine is also taken orally and prescribed by doctors who’ll usually start patients on low doses in order to prevent any adverse effects on their bodies, with the dosage gradually increased as required or necessary.

More Info about Adderall

Adderall is specifically a CNS or Central Nervous System stimulant of the phenethylamine class and a combination of drugs containing four salts of the twin amphetamine enantiomers. On top of treating ADHD and certain forms of depression, the drug is also used to help out those with narcolepsy. It even serves as a performance-enhancing drug and cognitive enhancer to boot.

• Recreational Use and Content: Recreationally, it’s used by drug users as a euphoric drug and aphrodisiac. The active ingredients of Adderall by salt content are 75 percent dextroamphetamine salts (the “right-handed” or dextrorotatory enantiomer) and 25 percent levoamphetamine salts (the “left-handed” or levorotatory enantiomer).
• Effects at Therapeutic Doses and Emotional Side Effects: At therapeutic doses, Adderall is known for its effectiveness in treating the symptoms of conditions like narcolepsy and ADHD. It’s also through such doses that the drug causes cognitive and emotional side effects such as improved cognitive control, increased wakefulness, change in desire for sex, and euphoria.
• Physical Side Effects and Effects at Bigger Doses: Even at therapeutic doses, users of Adderall should watch out for side effects such as increased muscle strength, fatigue resistance, and decreased reaction time. What’s more, larger doses of the drug can result in psychosis such as paranoia and delusions, rapid muscle breakdown, and cognitive control impairment.

How Adderall Abuse Usually Happens

There are several ways for people to end up abusing Adderall. It includes the following methods and possibilities.

• You’ve used the Adderall medication of someone else.
• You’ve used the drug through a non-approved method such as snorting it.
• You’ve purchased the medicine from an illegal source to recreationally use it.
• You’ve taken the medication at higher doses than as prescribed by your doctor.
• You’ve taken the medication more frequently than as prescribed by your doctor.
• You’ve used the drug for reasons other than ADHD and depression treatment, such as trying to stay awake for long periods of time as though it’s coffee.

Adderall addicts shouldn’t stop taking the medication suddenly. Going cold turkey can cause extreme discomfort and dangerous side effects that includes hallucinations. It’s better that the addict in question get detoxified first then undergo rehabilitation to slowly ease himself from addiction and dependency.

Teenage and Young Adult Adderall Abuse

Adderall abuse among teenagers and young adults is commonplace. This is because time management issues and stress in high school and college are also rampant, thus making stimulants like this drug more appealing, particularly when it comes to their perceived effects in wakefulness and increased cognitive function.

As far as these teenagers and young adults are concerned, Adderall is their “smart drug” of choice to ensure academic excellence, long with other stimulants such as:

• Ritalin
• Vyvanse
• Concerta

These stimulants are usually misused as study aids for these high school teens and young college students, like extra-strong coffee and whatnot. Teens with ADHD also have ready access to these prescription drugs if they’re prescribed as part of their ADHD treatment plan. To wit:

• Study Aids for the Grade: The students usually utilize Adderall and other similar stimulants in order to increase their alertness and focus in order to improve their academic standing, without realizing the horrible consequences of becoming dependent or addicted to these drugs.
• Ignorance with the Consequences: Even the average student, well-intentioned as he or she is, doesn’t know the real risks associated with abuse of Adderall. As a parent, you should know the risks of Adderall in order to successfully educate and protect their child from being addicted to the prescription medication.
• The Downward Spiral of Addiction: They might become so dependent on Adderall to excel in school, score high in tests, and graduate from their chosen majors that their bad habit of using the drug like coffee can lead to usage at work or all throughout their careers. This will then lead to the inevitable downward spiral of addiction.

Teenage and Young Adult Adderall Abuse

According to SAMHSA or Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, it had a 2009 NSHUH or the National Survey on Drug Use and Health report that states that young adults who use Adderall for recreational reasons have a tendency to develop the following tendencies and commonalities:

• They’re thrice as likely to have used cannabis.
• They’re five times likelier to have misused prescribed painkillers.
• They’re eight times likelier to use prescription tranquilizers like Klonopin and Xanax as well as the illicit drug of cocaine in a recreational manner.

Meanwhile, the Monitoring the Future Study states that Adderall usage rates among the 8th, 10th, and 12th graders of America aren’t significantly different from the 2014 rates. In fact, the trend among 8th graders is that there’s a slow steady reduction of Adderall usage rates since 2012. As for the 10th graders, there’s instead a slow increase.

Finally, American 12th graders usage rates of Adderall are among the highest among the groups of teens, and their rates have fluctuated around 7 percent since 2012. According to the 2015 NSDUH by SAMHSA, 425,000 teens and adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age misuse prescription amphetamines like Adderall all the time.

Meanwhile, there are 2.5 million young adults in college aged 18 to 25 who use Adderall for their scholastic needs, meaning their number of users is nearly 5 times higher compared to teenagers.

Adderall Use and Abuse Side Effects

Even Adderall that’s medically approved or prescribed can cause a myriad of side effects, doubly so when it’s abused. To be more specific, Adderrall abuse can cause side effects to occur more often and more intensely. In short, the more you use Adderall, the likelier you are to develop these adverse effects and conditions.

Then again, Adderall side effects come on a case-by-case basis. More often than not, the risk of developing Adderall addiction is low and insignificant when the drug is used as prescribed by the doctor or used at fairly low doses on a daily basis, as in the case of ADHD treatment.

The most common symptoms and side effects of Adderall use and abuse include:

• Nausea
• Anxiety
• Headache
• Dry mouth
• Hoarseness
• Restlessness
• Stomach upset
• Digestive issues
• Excessive fatigue
• Reduced appetite
• Shortness of breath
• Changes in sex drive
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Pounding or fast heartbeat
• Insomnia (difficulty sleeping and staying asleep)

Continued daily use of Adderall at increasingly high or non-prescribed dosages for recreational use can lead to even more severe effects. Abuse that involves high doses of the drug or long-term abuse can lead to worse versions of the symptoms listed above, which then leads to dangerous complications.

These severe symptoms from Adderall abuse include the following:

• Mania
• Seizures
• Paranoia
• Dizziness
• Chest pain
• Hives or rash
• Changes in vision
• Aggressive behavior
• Blistering or peeling skin
• Slowed or difficult speech
• Weakness or numbness in the arms or legs

There are grave consequences to your health that’s linked to overdosing on Adderall (or any stimulant medication, to be honest). If there’s a suspected Adderall overdose in you or in a loved one, call your emergency number or your local emergency services for assistance. Some overdose symptoms include:

• Coma
• Vertigo
• Panic attack
• Hallucinations
• Hyperventilation
• Uncontrollable tremor
• Loss of consciousness
• Cardiac rhythm abnormalities
• Profound confusion or delirium

Once you notice you’re suffering from any of the abovementioned symptoms as an Adderall user, you should seek assistance or consult your doctor post-haste. Don’t wait for your symptoms to get worse.

Adderall and Alcohol Shouldn’t Mix

When Adderall is mixed with another substance, it can lead to dire consequences. This couldn’t be truer when it comes to alcohol. Just as it’s a no-no to mix coffee with alcohol despite old wives’ tales about coffee being effective in “curing” or “waking you up” from your drunkenness, you should also not mix alcohol with Adderall.

To be more specific, alcohol can serve as an overdose risk for Adderall. The stimulant has the ability to mask certain intoxication indicators that would make people to stop or slow down their consumption. It’s the same with coffee and how it seemingly reduces drunkenness when it doesn’t really do so.

You’re still drunk but you’re able to function because the effects of alcohol are somehow lowered by being stimulated even though your alcohol level remains the same. Once the signs go unnoticed, the Adderall user is at risk of alcohol poisoning, alcohol coma, and alcohol death.

Cardiovascular Issues with Adderall Abuse

Patients are likelier to overdose and cause harm to themselves when misusing Adderall. With that in mind, the biggest concern for long-period Adderall users and abusers is the risk of cardiovascular, circulatory, or heart-related problems, sicknesses, and consequences. This is because the medication in question is classified as a stimulant, which means it plays a major role in the following bodily functions:

1. Heart rate increases.
2. Blood pressure increases.
3. Body temperature increases (particularly in feverish and dangerous levels).

All of these factors have links to serious medical maladies like cardiac arrest and/or stroke, so abusers of Adderall should definitely be wary of the consequences of misusing the drug in at least that context or aspect.

The Long-Term Effects of Adderall Abuse

In regards to the long-term Adderall abusers, it can lead to signs of substance use disorder and dependence. These problems are likeliest to happen when the drug is taken beyond the prescribed dosage. Some of the most disconcerting and worrisome problems that might crop up from Adderall abuse include the following:

• Tolerance: The more you take Adderall, the more desensitized or tolerant you are of its effects. This means you’ll need more of the medication to get the same effect it used to give you. As usage increases it becomes impossible to replicate your initial high.
• Dependency: After your body takes Adderall for quite some time, your body will acclimatize with the drug such that it will have a hard time functioning without it. Once you stop Adderall or lack the drug in your system, your body will perform in a sub-optimal fashion.
• Addiction: Right after your body starts becoming dependent on Adderall, then you might end up going to next level of dependency, which is outright addiction. It involves persistent drug use and drug-seeking behavior that’s compulsive even though you’re aware of the negative life consequences and the risks. You can’t help yourself anymore and you require help in the form of detoxification, therapy, and rehab.

The Problem of Prescription Diversion

Many young adults get a hold of ADHD medications even though they lack a prescription or even the condition itself. This far-reaching problem has led to rampant misuse among teens and young adults recreationally and for the sake of academic achievement. With that said, where do these twenty-something young adults get a hold of such medications in the first place?

According to the 2016 survey by Recovery Brands, the following people serve as suppliers of Adderall among the youths of today.

• Friends: A whopping 63 percent of young people aged 18 years old to 28 years old get access to prescription stimulants like Adderall by means of their friends.
• Family: More than 20 percent of young adults receive their Adderall supply from members of their own family.
• Other Students: Another 20 percent of high school and college students acquire Adderall and other stimulants through classmates and fellow students.
• Drug Dealers: Curiously, less than 15 percent retrieve Adderall et al. from a drug dealer. It’s actually easier to get the drug from friends, family, and other students than a dealer.

Those who are approved by the doctor to take Adderall and similar medications are recommended to track their medicine in order to protect vulnerable people like their friends, family, and loved ones from ending up addicted to the stimulant.

Preventing Teen Adderall Abuse

Parents should assist children in learning about Adderall abuse and addiction dangers from the start. They should curb any notion that taking Adderall is just like taking coffee or an energy drink to keep their risk of addiction as low as possible. If they’re being treated for ADHD, then they should be taught to stick to their prescription.

It’s also recommended for them to know better ways to manage their school-related activities like homework, examinations, thesis papers, research, projects, extracurricular activities, and their time in general. This will make teenagers and young adults less likely to need Adderall to keep themselves from falling asleep in order to cram for tests and whatnot.

Parents should specifically inform their children that:

• According to reports, students who abuse Adderall are likelier to have lower grades than students who don’t, thus defeating the purpose of using the smart drug in the first place.
• An important aspect of Adderall abuse prevention is to emphasize to young adults that there’s no documented link between using and abusing Adderall and increasing your intelligence or abilities to study.
• The truth of the matter is that Adderall abusers are likelier to suffer from low grades due to lack of sleep, compromised performance, and a crash and burn effect similar to attempting to use caffeine to stay up and cram for exams.

Communication is important when it comes to parents relaying to their children the dangers of drug use, even when it comes to supposedly “positive” drugs that “help” their studying like Adderall. The danger here is that many high school and college students don’t view Adderall and other stimulants to be as dangerous as illicit drugs like cocaine and meth, so they take them without much worry or a second thought.

Conclusion

Young people are drawn to Adderall for reasons related to performance in school, learning, and studying. The demographic likeliest to abuse and grow addicted Adderall is students from 18 to 22 years of age, although even high school kids with access to the drug are also likely to develop Adderall dependence. Many of the students who use the stimulant to improve their alertness and focus will end up using the drug outside of school.

In order to beat Adderall addiction and go on the road to recovery and sobriety, most people should seek professional help. For example, addicts can enroll at Lanna Rehab in Thailand in order to get a relaxing rehabilitation experience at a known tourist destination with professional doctors offering you medically supervised detoxification programs and rehab services.

Lanna Rehab and Adderall Addiction Treatment in Thailand

If you’re suffering from an Adderall or prescription medicine addiction, then give the Lanna Rehab Wellness Facility a try. Located in Thailand, they’re just an email or phone call away 24/7. They have international-grade services, personalized care, world-class doctors and therapists, and top-ranked amenities available, plus they give free consultation for various drug and alcohol addiction treatments. The center also offers 5-star luxury accommodations that will make your detoxification and rehabilitation a relaxing and effective experience that extends all the way to aftercare.