Adderall - what's the scoop?

Factual Questions
1

So, I have a friend who’s mentioned off hand that she uses adderall, and I got the impression that it wasn’t used under a prescription.

Now, I vaguely remembered reading that people often use adderall to stay awake/focused/whatever. My friend’s a student, so that makes some sense in context.

My question is, what’s the deal with adderall. It’s an amphetamine according to documentation online, but that doesn’t really mean a whole lot to me. Is this something I should be concerned about? Is it a common ‘student’ drug? What, simply, is the deal?

And yes, no one here is my doctor or giving medical advice for me or another to follow, etc etc etc.

2

Adderall is a drug that is used to treat ADD (hence the name ADDerall). Like several drugs of this type, it is actually a stimulant. It is available only by prescription.

Your friend may simply be treating adult ADD, and making light of it in her explanation to you. But if she’s aquiring them from a person who is not her prescribing doctor, that is definitely illegal.

3

I don’t really understand the question.

Are you asking if the fact that somebody is using a chemical (legally or illegally) enough for you to be worried? I’d say no unless it’s cyanide or something similar :wink:
If particular behavioral changes bother you, you should probably be worried about them and address them with your friend.

Adderol (several amphetamine salts) is a CNS stimulant somewhat similar in effect to methamphetamine (Desoxyn), cocaine, caffeine, methylphenidate ( Ritalin )and others. Such chemicals are used for their stimulant effects medicinally and recreationally all over the world. They are especially effective for treatments of narcolepsy, ADD/ADHD and as a weight loss aid. Cocaine is also used as a topical anesthetic.

If you are worried that her use of amphetamines will be detrimental to her health, nobody can tell you for sure. Amphetamines, as with most CNS stimulants, can be pretty addicting, but that, in of itself, is not typically detrimental to health if the dosage is controlled. Most of the problems one sees with stimulant abuse is due to no being able to afford more doses once addicted and the incompatibility of the 9-to-5 5-day a week employment with very-high-dose stimulant use. The detrimental effects on health directly from the stimulant use with controlled dosage are generally mild.
Disclaimer: I could be wrong, since I am not a doctor or a pharmacist.

4

Not only is Adderall “prescription-only”, but it’s also a Schedule II controlled substance.

http://pychealth.com/adderall.html
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling.html
If your friend is indeed getting Adderall from a non-prescription source, she’s doing something illegal.

5

Assuming, of course, that this person is in the US.

6

Well, yeah, but Eonwe’s in Vermont, so…

7

Yes but the Google ads are offering to sell Adderall.

Link to Photobucket site http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a51/MannyLNJ/sdmb-add.jpg

8

I am a student and let me begin by saying that it is used frequently by people who are not prescribed at my university. Let’s be realistic about this, people act in illegal ways sometimes (I wonder how many freshman abstain from drinking alcohol). Anyways, from what I hear…cough…adderal is useful for sitting down and focusing on work for about 4-8 hours straight. The quality and quantity of the work you get done is greatly increased. Side effects include: dehydration, insomnia, loss of appetite (and weight loss), mood fluctuations, and…erectile dysfunction (dont ask me how I know). I’ve never seen anybody who was addicted to it, most people just use it periodically final exam week or for writing papers. This is my first post, so be gentle… :slight_smile:

9

Thanks all. You guys pretty much answered my not-very-specific question.

I knew that it was a controlled substance, and thus being taken illegally. Which isn’t a huge issue; I’d say probably 60 percent of my friends (including myself) have taken illegal drugs at some point, some with more frequency than others.

It’s just that I’m not at all familiar with, let’s say, adderall ‘culture’ and practices, like I am with, for example, pot.

I basically want to know if it’s relatively common, relatively harmless, and relatively something not to worry too much about (aside from potential legal ramifications) if someone I care for is taking it.

So, thanks all, I think you’ve explained what I need to know, but more info would be welcome (and welcome, shatranj112, to the boards).

Actually, here’s a question. In what way is it related to metamphetimines, which I’ve always understood to be “very bad” drugs?

10

It’s obviously very closely related to methamphetamine, as Adderall is a mix of amphetamine salts. There’s just one methyl group difference between amphetamine and methamphetamine. That said, methamphetamine is (as we all know) a profoundly more dangerous drug. That methyl group makes a difference. Adderall is fairly potent stuff, though. It’s quite easily addictive, and it’s a potent stimulant. If your friend is crushing and snorting them (sadly, yes, I know people who do this) it has a powerful rush and is quite addictive.

People’s reactions to drugs are obviously variable, but my experience on Adderall (prescribed, for a month, to see if it would work better than Ritalin) was that it made me incredibly jittery, moody, made me grind my teeth, and gave my thoughts an unpleasant sped-up quality. It was incredibly unpleasant, and I would never take another one. It’s not a great drug to abuse - it’s addictive, and the risk to your cardiovascular system if you’re on it is small but present. It’s not nearly as innocuous as, for instance, pot, if that’s the illegal drug you’re comparing it to.

11

Can you give any cites or links that would prove that it’s addictive? In what doseage? Even in small doses that a college student might take to stay focused on a test? I’m not advocating it. Just the opposite. Just want some facts.

Can you also link to anything I can read that would say in small quantities that it is worse than pot? Is there a study on this?
Just curious.

12

ADHD here and experienced in some of the meds. (What I’m listing, I’ve been on. I won’t speculate on any drugs I have no experience with)

Strattera: Miracle drug. Non-stimulant and almost non-existent side-effects. For most. Except me. (I just deleted 4 paragraphs about this that I plan to Pit soon. Stayed tuned, rage developing.)

Ritalin: Minor benefit, though it was noticed. My first forray into stimulants. Being bi-polar, though, not a very trusty option. It is a reserve option, still, if the current med isn’t consistant in treatment. But a higher dose would be needed and what amounts to meth isn’t a first-line option when you’re also bipolar. (Man, I really am messed up!)

Concerta: I was just an asshole. No, not in the sense of posting political beleifs that some twist and squirm over, I was unbearable. If I worked that day, I was reasonably civil. I got the job done, I was able to think and focus in a way so needed with troubleshooting software and hardware problems that it wasn’t an issue at work. Leave me to my own devices at home with a whole day to stay busy? By sundown I was arguing with anyone about anything. there were a few nights I should have, by any given standard, been in jail. I wanted blood and went looking for it.

Provigil: a drug used primarily for narcoleptics, it’s a stimulant. I haven’t seen a single drawback of it. I can stay focused at work, I can somehow remember to pay the phone bill and I haven’t had the urge to kill my neighbor for basically parking in my yard. Impulse control is pretty much non-existant in ADHD folk. By rights I should be serving 10-to-life based on what I was like before treatment.

What’s the point of that rambling you may ask? Let me preface it by saying that cocaine is the most popular “street” drug among hyperactive power brokers with “Type-A” personalities. There’s a reason for it. The uber-successful types you’ve seen in Wall Street and other movies maintain their focus with stimulants. Same in real life. I have yet to see a coke addict that hasn’t tasted massive success given a baseline of above-average ability. Sometimes the drug is the reason a person is successful. (Very limited instances, just people that it helps, Coke won’t get a lazy person to take control of the world) It’s about the ability to focus and execute that some need. And it has to be structured that someone else (a doctor) can monitor the benefit of the drug.

In essence, I take cocaine in a pill. (Look into Provigil.) No, it’s not cocaine per se, but it’s pretty much the same in the effect it has on the body. Or, more accurately, the brain. I don’t feel “high” when I take it, but that’s partly because it helps my brain function the way “normal” people do.

All but Strattera are controlled substances. In the strictest sense, I could face felony charges and prison time for giving even a single pill to someone without a prescription. It doesn’t get me high in the traditional sense. Hell, I don’t notice the effect unless I leave the house without taking it. I’m not taking it to get high or get a quick fix for studying matter I should have been attending to for the last few weeks.

What it comes down to is what the drug is being used for. If you need a stimulant because your brain lacks what is normal for other people, I’m right with ya. If you need a stimulant because you wanted to blow the star QB at this week’s frat party while doing Jello shots off the cheerleading squad with a crew from Girls Gone Wild filming the whole thing and then have to cram for a physics exam? Well, I have to ask why I wasn’t invited. No, just kidding on that one.

Stimulants are mostly the same as meth and coke. Taking them because a person doesn’t feel like studying is, IMO, wrong. Taking them from someone that was prescribed them is illegal.

I won’t even bother to rant here about controlled substances being given to those not diagnosed by a doctor. And I surely won’t rant on those that give away controlled substances to a self-involved twit that can’t understand that college is still a place to learn stuff, not a 4-year free pass to act on base impulses.

The fact that it’s such a problem just adds to my cynicism of academia today. Are these really the people that we want to tout as being “educated”?

Your friend is pretty much a felon. If she’s taking controlled substances without a doctor’s oversight, or even prescription, she may as well just buy a bag of powder. And who the **** is giveinhg it to her?

Note to mods: That was a little long. If there were any issues with language or context based on the forum, I meant no harm. I’m just pissed about the culture of ADHD treatment being lumped in with legit mental health issues,
I’ll go away now. Thanks for listening.

13

Here’s one. Pot? I have no problem with someone smoking a joint, but it’s ridiculous to compare the two.
This site provides this quote:

[qupte=]Warnings and Precautions
Amphetamines have a high potential for abuse. Administration of amphetamines for prolonged periods may lead to drug dependence. There is a danger of obtaining amphetamines for non-therapeutic use or distribution to others.
[/quote]

Sounds like what was mentioned in the OP. An illegal act. But allow this thread to thrive as it doesn’t involve P2P discussion. Which are mostly closed because the OP states a law is being broken. :rolleyes:

This site offers this blurb:

[quote=Adderall is habit forming. Physical and psychological dependence may occur with the use of this medication, and withdrawal effects may occur if you stop taking it suddenly after several weeks of continuous use. Talk to your doctor about stopping this medication gradually. [/quote]

Seems a safe drug for common use with no need for medical discretion. It should be offered from the shelves of your local supermarket!

Seriously, samclem, I’ve never seen you as anything but a level-headed mod. Now my faith is shaken. Are you seriously asking for cites on the addictive properties of controlled substances? Those links are from a very basic and very minimal search on Adderall. There are tons of other sites that deal with not only Adderall but other drugs that are at their base the same thing.

You have lost a serious amount of trust from me. You’re asking for evidence that amphetemines are addictive. I’m saying right now for all to see you have a woefully limited understanding of basic pharmacology.

And I have to add I’m incredibly disappointed in your position of being a ruling member of a forum that is at it’s base the fundamental concept of dispelling ignorance. Amphetamines now need to be cited to prove they are addictive? I’ll come up with more links when you prove gravity is still an iffy concept. You really dropped the ball on this one.

14

I dunno, duff, is repeating the same paragraph three times, rewording it but saying the same thing, a sign that you have missed your meds or taken too much? :wink:

As to your direct question to samclem, you have pointed to claims that the amphetamines create dependancy. He asked whether there was evidence for addiction. I would have hoped that you realized that while opiates and nicotine are addictive, not all drugs are and that the medical and psych communities recognize a difference between DEPENDENCE vs ADDICTION and note that he specifically asked about addiction.

15

Since the question has been answered, I’ll feel less guilty about this hijack.

duff what were your side effects with Straterra? I’ve been on it for about 3 weeks now and have noticed a couple minor ones, just wanted to see if they jibe with mine.

16

Um, no offense, but isn’t the fact that amphetamines are potentially addictive pretty well known, along with the fact that they put stress on the cardiovascular system? I’m not sure where to even begin looking for professional discussion of that sort of thing, but this isn’t something that’s not well-known.

17

Actually, if your claim is that nicotine meets a medical definition of addiction, I’d be curious to hear about that. Nicotine doesn’t tend to cause the same sorts of consequences in a person’s life that truly addictive drugs do, so it’s a stretch to consider the addiction model that one would apply to opiates to encompass nicotine.

18

I’d think using the definitions in the link nicotine fits the medical definition of addiction more so than opiates.

“Craving, overwhelming involvement in obtaining drug, using it for other than pain control, using drug despite negative physical, social, legal, or psychological consequences”

People quit hard drugs because their life demands it a lot more than people quit smoking.

19

Here is the Merck Manual article on dependence. Interestingly, they indicate that addiction is an ill-defined term. That is not how I had heard it described in previous years (pre-Internet). I don’t actually have a specific viewpoint on the topic. I just recall earlier discussions that distinguished between dependence and addiction and was puzzled to see dependence equated to addiction.
This National Institutes of Health (Medline) article does equate the terms. (I do not know whether that is a medical or political linkage. :wink: )
I have not yet found definitions from NIMH or CDC.