Adderall - Effects on the Body

Effects on the Body

Technically, Adderall is a psychostimulantPronounced SY-koh-STIM-yew-lent; a stimulant that acts on the brain.. As Dr. Robert Hart explained in an article for Drug Topics by pharmacist Katie Rodgers, "Psychostimulants, in a sense, put your foot on the brake and help with the stopping." This is what makes them so effective in the treatment of ADHD. Patients who take Adderall are better able to ignore distractions and focus solely on the task at hand, whatever that task may be.

The most frequently observed side effect of Adderall is difficulty sleeping. Adderall can also cause nervousness, dizziness, restlessness, rapid heart rate, headache, stomachache, nausea, decreased appetite, weight loss, dry mouth, and skin rashes. A study cited in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2001) showed that younger patients are more likely to experience a loss of appetite when taking Adderall than older ones. In addition, as noted in Psychopharmacology Update in 2005, Adderall and other psychostimulants used in the treatment of ADHD may cause users to develop jitters, motor tics (repeated blinking or tapping of feet or fingers, for example), and/or vocal tics (such as frequent throat clearing).

A two-year study showed reductions in both the average height and the average weight of preteens taking Adderall for their ADHD, according to Sherry Boschert in Pediatric News. Results of the study indicate that higher dosages of Adderall affected the growth rate more than lower doses did. Overall, however, the children's growth was slowed by about one-half inch per year. Adderall tends to decrease the appetite, so some scientists believe that the children who take it are not eating as well as they should. This could play a role in their slower gains in height and weight. "No one knows whether these children might catch up in growth during adolescence or if stopping the medication would lead to catch-up growth," noted Boschert. "And no one knows if the growth lag could be modified by good nutrition."

Dangers

"Taking Adderall for ADHD when you do not have ADHD can have serious consequences," noted Jillian Foley in America's Intelligence Wire. The human body needs sleep in order to function properly. Sleep deprivation is just one of the many dangers associated with amphetamine use. Frequent use can result in a psychological addictionThe belief that a person needs to take a certain substance in order to function, whether that person really does or not., which can develop quickly, especially in people who already show signs of depression. Overdose of amphetamines can result in fever, convulsions, hallucinationsVisions or other perceptions of things that are not really present., and even death.

A Psychopharmacology Update article published in January 2005 warned that Adderall can increase the severity of "behavior disturbances and thought disorder in psychotic patients." Psychotic patients suffer from one or more forms of psychosisPronounced sy-KOH-sis; a severe mental disorder that often causes hallucinations and makes it difficult for people to distinguish what is real from what is imagined., which disrupts the way the mind functions. As a result, people suffering from a psychotic episode can become completely withdrawn from reality.

Is It Cheating?

By the early 2000s, Adderall abuse among high school and college students had become a significant problem. "Overall, prescriptions for stimulants have risen to 2.6 million a month in 2004, from 1.6 million in 2000," according to a Wall Street Journal article. About 850,000 of those prescriptions are for Adderall. Students without ADHD reportedly find it fairly easy to get the drug from fellow students who have a prescription for it.

High school students of the early twenty-first century seemed to face increasing pressure to perform well on standardized tests. Many students feel like their "entire future may be riding on the results," explained Frances Mejia in an article for CNNfyi.com. The results of these tests weigh heavily in the college admissions process. Higher scores on standardized tests like the SAT and the ACT improve students' chances of being able to attend the schools of their choice. "[P]art of a [high school guidance] counselor's role these days is not only to prepare a student for the test academically, but also emotionally."

Some high school students admit taking Adderall in the hopes of improving their performance. They reported a jump of up to 200 points in their overall SAT scores. One twelfth grader interviewed in the Wall Street Journal claimed that Adderall helped her get her highest-ever SAT score in March of 2004. "It's a crazy kind of feeling of confidence, looking at a problem and saying I can do this in five seconds," she recalled.

Reports like this raise questions about drug use, academic fairness, and the law. Are students who deliberately use drugs like Adderall to improve their school performance guilty of cheating? Can they get into legal trouble for their actions? What about the students who do not take any performance-enhancing drugs? Will the Adderall-taking students gain an academic edge over their drug-free peers? High schools usually suspend students caught using other drugs on school grounds. However, a guidance counselor from Bethesda, Maryland's Chevy Chase High School sees a different trend with Adderall use to boost standardized test scores. He told the Wall Street Journal that as of 2004, the school had "never suspended or otherwise punished a student for using a prescription drug to help on an SAT."