The Dangers of Adderall
One of the most dangerous prescription drugs on the street these days is Adderall. It’s prescribed for patients with ADD, and it’s an amphetamine cocktail that impacts the nerves that cause hyperactivity and a lack of impulse control.
In people without ADD, the drug revs you up , like speed, and increases attention, focus, and cognitive function. So, a lot of people take it to get high, to pull all-night study sessions, and to help them lose weight. A lot of women are using it so they can be “super-moms” and do all the cooking, cleaning, and shopping. Plus carpools, helping with homework, on top of working full-time.
Adderall is incredibly addictive because it turns on a steady flood of pleasure chemicals that make you feel permanently happy. But as your body gets used to the drug, you need more to get the same “happiness high.” So, for example, instead of one pill, you need 4. When it wears off, it doesn’t let you down gently, it drops you like a rock. And you crave another hit just to feel “normal” again.
The bad news about abusing Adderall doesn’t end there. Taking the drug without doctor supervision can be hugely harmful to your health. Just like other stimulants, it can greatly increase your blood pressure, substantially raising your risk for heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.
Bottom line: If you’re using Adderall to stay awake, to speed you up, or to lose weight, you should consider yourself addicted. So, talk to your doctor about weaning yourself off the drug.
In people without ADD, the drug revs you up , like speed, and increases attention, focus, and cognitive function. So, a lot of people take it to get high, to pull all-night study sessions, and to help them lose weight. A lot of women are using it so they can be “super-moms” and do all the cooking, cleaning, and shopping. Plus carpools, helping with homework, on top of working full-time.
Adderall is incredibly addictive because it turns on a steady flood of pleasure chemicals that make you feel permanently happy. But as your body gets used to the drug, you need more to get the same “happiness high.” So, for example, instead of one pill, you need 4. When it wears off, it doesn’t let you down gently, it drops you like a rock. And you crave another hit just to feel “normal” again.
The bad news about abusing Adderall doesn’t end there. Taking the drug without doctor supervision can be hugely harmful to your health. Just like other stimulants, it can greatly increase your blood pressure, substantially raising your risk for heart attack, stroke, and sudden death.
Bottom line: If you’re using Adderall to stay awake, to speed you up, or to lose weight, you should consider yourself addicted. So, talk to your doctor about weaning yourself off the drug.
