Adderall is a prescription drug that is used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, which is a sleep disorder that makes a person very sleepy during daytime. ADHD is a mental health condition that makes paying attention and staying under control more difficult for a person. Adderall contains amphetamine and dextroamphetamine stimulants that act on the central nervous system which affects the chemicals in the brain and also the nerves that help out in hyperactivity and impulse control. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Adderall in 1960 and allowed the combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine in generic drugs. Adderall belongs in the central nervous system stimulant class because …show more content…
“Between 2007 and 2012, the number of adults with ADHD prescriptions tripled.” Apparently adults who have an ADHD prescription is gaining access to this drug much faster than the number of children getting the same drugs. Adderall prescriptions have been increasing as more people are getting an ADHD diagnosis and also because doctors have been prescribing the drug to people who does not have ADHD. College students like to take this drug because of the caffeine, speed, or to experience a 'high' and because it is a 'prescribed medication drug', they believe that no harm will come if they take it. “Only 2% thought using Adderall was ''very dangerous.'' Students told the researchers that Adderall was not a drug but instead ''a study tool.'' ” Also the students who like to perform well on finals in school 'think' they have to take Adderall to perform better on tests and papers because Adderall can have the effects of increasing alertness, focus, and improving some types of memory. Since this is the case, “on the national level, between 30% and 40% of undergraduates reported abusing Adderall and similar stimulants during these strenuous times.” Unfortunately, not everyone experiences the same effects, so someone can be saying that Adderall has changed their life for the better but another person could list the horrible …show more content…
It can also disappoint a person because they may have taken Adderall to get great results on their report, only to find out that what they wrote is useless, even though they thought they wrote amazing things while under the influence of Adderall. Long term effects of taking Adderall is having a full addiction towards it because to experience the same feelings they had the time before, the person may need to take a higher dose. “Of course, this type of Adderall addiction only happens to about one out of every 20 people who take it and similar drugs, says
Adderall is a drug that is approved to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) along with narcolepsy. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood as it affects an estimated 5% to 7% of school-age children. Adderall has a structural and action resemblance to other recreation drugs methamphetamine, which is commonly known as crystal meth, and ecstasy.
ADHD is believed to be caused by abnormalities in the dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain (Berne 4). The symptoms of ADHD include inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity that are inappropriate for a person's age level. In other words, the patient’s brain is like a light constantly going off and on at the worst possible times. Although there is no cure for ADHD, treatment can help control symptoms. Stimulant therapy is the most commonly used type of treatment. These drugs improve ADHD symptoms in 70 percent of adults and 70-80 percent of children shortly after starting treatment (ADHD 3). Adderall RX, or its formal name of Methylphenidate, is the most common form of treatment for ADHD. In an article by Dr. Phillip W. Long, he states that, “The mode of action in man is not completely understood, but meth...
Another persuasive technique we used was appealing to dramatic benefits of the post-treatment of adderall by having a student imitate exaggerated behaviors of short attention span and impulsive nature that resulted in poor grades. Then after the same student takes adderall, he portrays a completely different character and becomes very attentive and productive in his studies, which results to an A in his next assignment. This is critical in Singh’s “Not Just Naughty: 50 years of stimulant drug advertising”, as he emphasizes how drug advertisements commonly present a post-treatment normal reality of highly idealized “portrait of an ideal family—bright, at...
In a 2012 study published by the Journal of American College Health, by senior year, Adderall and other prescription stimulants are offered to two-thirds of college students. Furthermore, about 31 percent are taking the drug in hopes to enhance their concentration to get better grades (Zadrozny 2013). Students who take Adderall that don’t have ADHD report that they have a increased sense of focus, motivation, and concentration, which are all the ingredients you need to have for a successful all-nighter to help on providing an added boost before an exam. With characteristics such as difficulties in focusing, reasoning, problem solving and planning, ADHD is a neurobehavioral-based disorder and is associated with an insufficient amount of dopamine (Student Health: Drug & Alcohol Abuse among College Students 2015). Adderall is enticing to students because they believe it can help them perform enhance their academic skills. On the other hand, some students abuse the drug because simply for the high it gives
Duran had already been on probation with the medical board of California due to similar activity in the past. There are many ways to get Adderall, but one way is through psychiatrists who do not perform all the basic tests necessary for an adult to get a diagnosis first. A college student may know someone with ADHD and buy some pills off of that person. As crazy as it sounds it happens, and it happens a lot. Students are aware of what goes on but it is accepted because that person is only trying to get their grades up. A college student by the name of Cheyne spoke briefly about what he remembered the process to be like. In his case, he went through his primary medical institution and asked for the prescription. His primary care physician then got him an appointment with a local psychiatrist of whom then they could if applicable prescribe him Adderall. He said that all he really had to do was talk about his feelings and why he thinks he needs the drug, he ended up getting his prescription. Although Cheyne’s story does not and cannot apply to everyone who attempts to get a prescription for Adderall, many people will try. Cheyne actually has ADHD and Adderall indeed helps him, but that is because it adjusts certain chemicals within the brain. Amber Dance author of “Smart drugs: a dose of intelligence” writes that even athletes are trying to take Adderall in order to stay focused. Specifically, she talks about gamers who take Adderall to try and stay awake and focused to continue playing. Yes, there is some research to support the fact that Adderall and stimulants alike may have a small positive effect on people the majority of the information found that it affects people who do not have ADHD negatively
In the article “Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs” (Yorker 2009) Margaret Talbot discusses the misuse of prescription drugs that enhance academic performance at the college level. First Talbot introduces readers to a young college history major at Harvard University named Alex who receives a description of a demanding, busy life which seems impossible to control without the safety unapproved adopted use of a drug named Adderall. After that Alex’s dependency on the prescription drugs cognitive enhancers is described when he asks his doctor to increase the amount of intake and the listing of his daily routine on using Adderall during a week that required him to write four term papers. Next Talbot describes a personal
One of the main treatments for ADHD is the use of medication. Primarily the main medication used is stimulants such as amphetamines. Amphetamines have been used in this treatment due to its effects of reducing the symptoms of ADHD such as behavior and irritability (Hodgkins, Shaw, McCarthy, Sallee, 2012). A major concern though with the use of amphetamines is...
There has been an increase in the Misuse and Abuse of prescription drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). the number of children on medication for ADHD has grown from 600,000 in 1990 to 3.5 million in 2013 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But although there is an over-medication of ADHD drugs, there is actually and under-medication since not all the right people are getting medicated. Many individuals lack insurance or are insured with health plans that do not cover the outpatient prescription drugs they need and cannot afford.10 Therefore, Individuals covered by various health plans and programs, and those who have no prescription drug coverage, pay significantly different prices for the same medications. As the demand for ADHD drugs grows, higher prescribing rates and increasing drug prices result, which creates problems for these number of Americans who cannot afford the treatment they require.
Typical ADHD drug overdoses lead to an estimated 3,000 Emergency Room visits each year (Vinerd. 2006). In 2010 alone, there were 17, 000 human exposures to ADHD medications. This number is just what was reported to the Poison Control Center. Eighty percent of these overdoses occurred in kids younger than 19 years old. The other twenty percent of the overdoses occurred in adults (Stiller, 2013).This leads to the number one question: Who is to blame for these overdoes? Do we blame the doctors prescribing the medications or do we blame society?
U.S. Heath News reported (2013) that 6.4 million children ages 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Since 2007, the utilization of stimulant medication to treat ADHD has jumped 11% nationally as a whole. It was also reported that the U.S. spends more on prescription drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder than it does for all but six other medical conditions (U.S. News Health, 2013). The number of ADHD diagnosed teens prescribed stimulants, such as Ritalin and Adderall, will be increasing over time as the new guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics now recognizes physicians prescribing ADHD stimulant medications to childre...
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder that causes children to have problems with paying attention, trouble with following instructions, have impulsive behaviors and become easily distracted. Medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin, are used to treat the symptoms of this disorder by helping the patient to focus and pay attention while also curbing their impulsive behavior and hyperactivity. Side effects of these medications are, but not limited to, anxiety, addiction and in some cases psychosis. Proponents of giving ADHD medication to children argue that ADHD is a real disorder in children and the medication does improve the symptoms of the disorder by a large margin as well as being cost effective. Also, not only are the parents happy with the outcome of their children taking the prescribed medication but so are the children themselves. Proponents also argue that by not letting parents of the children, young adults and adults choose to take these prescriptions when diagnosed with ADHD that the medical and psychiatric communities would be in violation of the principle of autonomy. Justice as well would be violated since most of the burden of dealing with all the symptoms caused by this disorder would fall onto those with ADHD and partly on their families. Opponents of giving ADHD medication to children point out that it is not only going to children with ADHD but also being prescribed to those not diagnosed with the disorder as well as the pills being given or sold to other children and young adults. They also claim that the full side effects of ADHD medication are still not known and could have harmful long- lasting side effects on the children taking the medications. In this case, the princip...
According to Benedict Carey, taking pills to enhance performance in academia is flourishing. Throughout his argument he talks about how individuals are using pills such as Adderall or Provigil to help boost one’s abilities. In his perspective he sees taking stimulants as a horrendous problem within the academic field. The problem with his argument is he is not staying open minded; he stayed in a complete narrow mindset weakening his argument against pills being taken to improve academic success.
Abuse can cause countless medical problems to the body. A person who is addicted will continue to stimulate themselves regardless if they are aware of the negative chain reactions. Once addicted, it becomes difficult to stop due to how the body has become dependent. Health will be harmed the more a stimulant is used. Health effects include: cardiovascular disease, strokes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, lung disease, mental disease, birth defects. Mental health is what keeps a person in the right mind to make better decisions and have better control in life. Drugs have the ability to change mood and behavior. If drugs have affected the brain already, the desire increases which changes mental health. Some may not realize that they have been affected their health negatively. “A person who abuses drugs may not realize they have a problem until pronounced effects of drug abuse are seen, often physically. While drug abuse effects on the body vary depending on the drug used, all drug abuse negatively impacts one 's health (Addictions Community). Since drugs create many health issues, treatment is not a simple task. Treatments are hard to obtain and addictions often go
Examples of amphetamines include adderall, benzidrine, and dexedrine. Students often abuse prescriptions of adderall as a study tool. I’ve known students at my previous school in Miami take adderall during every exam when they weren’t even prescribed it which is a perfect example of amphetamine abuse. I’ve even heard about students becoming addicted to such drugs.
Drugs. The word itself sounds dangerous. Little is it known that drugs are even more dangerous that most people can ever imagine. A complete overview and insight into the world of drugs and the dangers of illegal, addictive substances will be provided. Drugs are an evident hazard and epidemic in today’s society, so it is definitely necessary that a full point of view is apparent.