Are We in the Midst of an Adderall Epidemic?

Overworked college students are turning to study aids such as Adderall at an alarming rate. A recent survey sponsored by the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids found that nearly one in every five college students abuses prescription stimulants and that 28% of people legally prescribed stimulants have exaggerated their symptoms to get a larger dose. The same percentage reported sharing their medicine with friends, just more than 50% say that stimulants were easy to obtain (usually from friends), and most said their friends abused them as well.

But students aren’t the only ones involved with the craze. Adderall use is growing among adults, including working moms who feel they never have enough energy and women who take extended-release versions of the drug to suppress appetite and help with weight loss.

Adderall is typically prescribed to treat individuals with ADHD, ADD and narcolepsy, although doctors are now prescribing it for everything from depression to obesity. But, let me be clear here: The DEA lists Adderall as a Class 2 controlled substance, the same category as cocaine, and morphine. This group is ranked among the most addictive substances with a medical use. And few people realized that because it’s a Class 2 controlled substance giving or accepting even one Adderall pill from a friend with a prescription is a federal crime.

We know that addiction to Adderall can start nearly immediately and, as Talkaboutrx.org reports, taking these prescription medications inappropriately has been linked to other high-risk behaviors:

· Most college students who use Adderall non-medically in the past year were also binge drinkers and more than half were heavy alcohol drinkers. (SAMHSA, 2009)

· These students were almost 3 times as likely as those who had not used Adderall non-medically to have used marijuana in the past year, 8 times more likely to have used cocaine or be non-medical users of prescription tranquilizers and 5 times more likely to have been non-medical users of prescription pain relievers (SAMHSA, 2009b)

Abuse or addiction? It’s a question many people ask about Adderall use. Adderall abuse generally means using the drug in excess or without a prescription for a purpose other than it’s intended. It crosses over to addiction when it’s used regularly in a way that leads to an increase in tolerance, physical dependence and the presence of withdrawal symptoms when the drug is not being used. More simply, if you feel sick or unhappy when you don’t have Adderall, or if you feel like you cannot live without it, the abuse of the drug has likely transformed to an addiction.

Signs of Adderall addiction vary from person to person, and may include:

· Rash

· Insomnia, or trouble sleeping through the night

· Hyperactive behavior

· Irritable thoughts and actions

· lying about Adderall use

· heightened anxiety and paranoia when not taking Adderal

· hallucinations, lucid dreams

· violence, aggressiveness and irrational outbreaks

· psychosis or psychotic behaviors

· crashing when Adderall wears off

· spending excessive amounts of time seeking Adderall

If you notice any of these warning signs in yourself or in someone who takes Adderall with or without a doctor’s prescription, it might indicate an addiction to the substance. Talking to someone at a substance abuse treatment center can help you or your friend or loved one get into the best program to treat the addiction.

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