Adderall is a schedule II prescription drug often prescribed for the treatment of ADHD and in some cases, narcolepsy. Adderall is considered a stimulant much like ecstasy, MDMA, and methamphetamine, as it is an amphetamine as well. With proper oversight and dosing, Adderall can cause cognitive effects such as euphoria, increased alertness, and improved cognitive control. It also causes changes in their decreased reaction time, they may feel increased muscle strength but decreased reaction time (Kurlansik, 2012). Basically put, Adderall wakes up and speeds up the brain for better control and focus over the impulses getting sent to the brain.
Adderall is made up of amphetamines which make it a stimulant when introduced to the body, typically through capsules. Amphetamines have a chemical structure that is much like those in the catecholamine family of neurotransmitters and
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Inactive ingredients found within Adderall are compressible sugar, corn starch, magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide, microcrystalline cellulose and saccharin sodium (Adderall - FDA prescribing information, side effects, and uses, 2017). Though often abused, Adderall’s indicated uses are for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy (Adderall - FDA prescribing information, side effects and uses, 2017). Amphetamines as a whole were not used a lot in the U.S. at first but in the 1930s young adults and teens found the inhalant form of amphetamines as a cheap way to get high (Benson, 2015). At this time amphetamines were still sold OTC and as inhalers for asthma and the common cold to aid in vasodilation of the airways. Young people were taking the amphetamine strips out of the inhaler and putting it in their gum or coffee in order to swallow it. This causes an immediate stimulant type high. Because of this the use and abuse of the drug
Like Jason, more and more children are being diagnosed with ADHD or its less hyperactive cousin, attention deficit disorder (ADD). And, correspondingly, during the past decade the production of stimulants used to treat ADD has risen dramatically, (see Graph 1.). However, an increasing number of parents, doctors, and public health officials are becoming alarmed about the jump in the use of Ritalin and amphetamines to treat ADD. In the last year, at least three prestigious medical journals published articles examining whether the condition is being overdiagnosed and American children are being drugged unnecessarily, (N...
Ritalin and Adderall are prescription drugs commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Brown has never been diagnosed with ADHD but he started taking the drugs recreationally as a college freshman to have energy for concerts and for partying into the early morning hours. Soon after, Brown began taking Ritalin to study for exams. Brown was taking the pills about six times a week.
Adderall is a central nervous system stimulant composed of a mixture of amphetamine salts, dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. Amphetamines are thought to block the reuptake of norepinephrine and dopamine into the presynaptic neuron and increase the release of these monoamines into the extra neuronal space. (Developed, 2010).
Ritalin, or methylphenidate, is a stimulant derived from the same family as cocaine. Manufactured by the Ciba-Geigy Corporation, a division of Novartis, Ritalin sales have increased by 700% since 1990. The United States market accounts for over 90% of the sales (Breggin, 1998). Ritalin is dispersed in pill form in varying amounts, either for short or long effects; the short-term form lasts 3-5 hours while the long-term form may last 6-8 hours. (SR) Ritalin is the slow release form that lasts longer. Ritalin, like other stimulant medications, works by increasing the production of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, in the brain. (Reif, 1998)
Crystal meth is a sub-category of amphetamine. Amphetamines are synthetic amines- which are similar to the body's neurotransmitter: norepinehrine and the hormone epinephrine (adrenaline). Amphetamines stimulate the reticular activating system. This activation is transmitted to all parts if the brain. This process causes the user to become aroused, alert and hypersensitive to stimuli- such as sun light.
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...
in the late 19th century took cocaine, even though some physicians recognized that users quickly became dependent. In the 1880s, the psychiatrist Sigmund Freud created a sensation with a series of papers praising cocaine=s potential to cure depression, alcoholism, and morphine addiction. Skepticism soon replaced this excitement, however, when documented reports of fatal cocaine poisoning, alarming mental disturbances, and cocaine addiction began to circulate. In 1902, ninety two percent of all cocaine sold in major cities in the United States was in the form of an ingredient in tonics and potions available from local pharmacies. In 1911, the Canadian government legally restricted cocaine use, and its popularity decreased. The 1920s and 1930s saw a decline in its use, especially after amphetamines became easily available. Cocaine=s popular return beginning in the late 1960s, coincided with the decreased use of amphetamines.
“An estimated 4.7 million Americans (2.1% of the U.S. population) have tried MA at some time in their lives” (Anglin, Burke, Perrochet, Stamper, and Dawud-Noursi 137-141). 4.7 million is a huge number of people who have admitted to trying (or using) methamphetamine, and that is only in one country! That number is undoubtedly rising every single day. The general public need to be educated about this harmful drug, so that they will hopefully have a better idea of how to deal with it if they happen to come face-to-face with methamphetamine. The drug is a growing problem in our country, and many people will possibly either see someone who is suffering with an amphetamine addiction, see the drug being trafficked, or come in contact with it.
Methamphetamine created in 1919 in Japan. It went into wide use for both sides during World War II and it was especially used by Japanese pilots before their flights. Once the war was over, leftover storage of Methamphetamine went public resulting in extremely high amounts of abuse with this drug. During the 1950’s this drug was used as a diet aid and was also used in the thought that it helped to fight depression. It was also over used by college students, truck drivers, and athletes because of its easy availability. This pattern increased remarkably in the 1960’s when this drug became more available in an injectable form. The United States Government in the 1970’s made Meth, for most uses, illegal which then resulted in Mexican drug trafficking organizations to set up large labs in California. Today most of this drug that is available comes from Thailand, Myanmar, and China. (History of Methamphetam...
The lack of a complete understanding of ADHD has led scientists to question how to go about treating ADHD. While at the moment the disorder cannot be cured, they are methods that scientists have come up with to address the symptoms displayed by ADHD. These approaches range all the way from psychotherapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, to the prescription of pyschostimulant medications. (3) The most popular of these medications include amphetamines, such as Aderall, and methylphenidates such as Ritalin. (1) The use of such drugs ...
The treatment of ADHD includes medication and counseling. The main drugs that are prescribed for ADHD are stimulants. They include Methylphenidate and Dextroamphetamine-ampthe...
Past and Current Trends of Drug Abuse in the United States. Drug abuse has changed over the years due to the trends that Americans face from the encouragement of different cultures. The abuse of substances creates many health problems. The following will discuss the past and current trends in drug use and the effects these drugs have on the health of the individuals who abuse the drugs. The use of cocaine in the United States has declined over the last twenty years, while the use of crack has increased.
Coley is a timber cutter that is addicted to crystal meth. He has three young children, two girls and a boy and a wife that he affects everyday with his crystal meth abuse. Throughout the episode Coley locks himself in the garage, so he can snort powder form of crystal meth without his children being directly in front of it. Coley thinks that if he locks himself in the garage his children do not see his behaviors. Coley's addiction stemmed from his childhood where his mother was a speed addict and alcoholic and allowed Coley to do drugs and drink with her throughout his young teens and late adult hood. After Coley married his wife and his wife recognized the problem was connected to when he was at his mother's home she asked that he not be involved with his mother. Coley does this and shortly after his mother dies. This leads Coley to more drug abuse and his addiction becomes worse, due to the guilt he feels for hurting his mother and the guilt from the fact that she died alone. Coley somewhat blames his wife for this. Coley put his family in great danger with the bills not being paid and him putting off jobs for something he thinks will become his gold mine and turns out not to.
By understanding the chemistry of Ritalin, one can suggest a possible answer to this medical dilemma. In brief, Ritalin is a stimulant which targets the brain stem arousal system and the cortex of the brain by hindering the reabsorption of dopamine (a neurotransmitter/chemical given off by nerve cells to send signals to other nerve cells) into the presynaptic neuron. This occurs when Ritalin fixes onto the dopamine and thus increases the concentration of dopamine at the synapse (a minute gap between the joining of two neurons) and allows one to focus for longer.
Amphetamines are typically used to provide the same effect that pure adrenaline does. The drug is specified for people with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity as well as narcolepsy, although if you decide to abuse the drug and use it for recreational purposes, you may start to feel paranoia and nervousness. Using amphetamines can also put a strain on the circulatory system by causing the user's blood pressure to increase suddenly. (Amphetamine) Long term psychological effects of the drug can cause something called amphetamine psychosis, which is much like paranoid schizophrenia.