Things to Know About Adderall 

Adderall is a combination drug and contains Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine. These two central nervous stimulants sharpen focus and lessen impulsivity by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in your brain. Amphetamines like Adderall start to work in 30 minutes to an hour. Non-stimulants like Strattera may take 4-8 weeks to reach maximum effectiveness at the proper dose.

What is Adderall?

Adderall combines four different amphetamine salts: Dextroamphetamine Saccharate, Dextroamphetamine sulfate, Amphetamine Aspartate, and Amphetamine Sulfate. Adderall belongs to the class of medicines known as central nervous system (CNS) stimulants. Stimulants block the reuptake of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine, which increases their concentration in the neuronal synapse, the space between two nerves.

Adderall Abuse by Students

In the UK, teens and university students misuse Adderall to improve their focus and get more work done. Students abuse Adderall as a nootropic across college campuses. Students abuse it to combat the pressures of higher education. They perceive it will help them get better grades because they can stay up and study longer. The University of Kentucky surveyed that 30 % of its students had abused an ADHD stimulant drug like Adderall as a possible study enhancer.

The wonders of the drug for which people misuse it are:

• Boosts brain function
• Increases output and promotes a ‘rushy’ feeling of productivity
• Improves memory retention
• Enhances concentration and cognition
• Gives hours of sustained focus
• Provides a better attention span
• Improves multitasking
• Boosts mental energy
• Enables better communication
• Diminishes the sense of fatigue

Adderall is better known for its off-label powerful mind performance and cognitive enhancement properties. As a result, it gains popularity as a so-called ‘smart drug’ or Nootropic.

What are the Benefits of Adderall?

Adderall enhances the quality of life and academic achievements of students having ADHD by controlling hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity. The drug is supportive in the following manner:

• Increases your ability to pay attention
• Helps to stay focused on the task
• Improves alertness, and confidence
• Controls behaviour problems
• Improves listening skills
• Controls impulsivity
• Sharpens your organisational skills
• Promotes wakefulness, enables you to stay awake during the day

Warnings and Precautions

Like every prescription drug, Adderall has warnings, precautions, and contraindications. This drug has a boxed warning from the Food and Drug Administration [FDA. Try to avoid Adderall or closely monitor it in a variety of circumstances. It is best to take Adderall under the observation of a doctor or physician. Physicians consider the following conditions or circumstances as highly sensitive for the use of Adderall:

• Be careful if you take Adderall without the doctor’s consent or use it as a nootropic.

• You must share your medical history with the doctor if you have any heart diseases [irregular heartbeat, coronary artery disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy], liver or kidney diseases, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, glaucoma [an eye problem], and Tourette’s syndrome.

• Stimulants like Amphetamine may cause heart attack, stroke, and sudden death in those with high blood pressure and heart diseases.

• Call your doctor immediately if there are any signs of heart problems like chest pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, passing out, or fainting while taking Adderall.
• Avoid Adderall if you have epilepsy, seizures, or have an abnormal brain wave test [EEG].
• Amphetamine may interfere with laboratory tests and cause false results like blood tests, urine tests, and brain scans.
• Report to your physician any new numbness, pain, skin colour change, or sensitivity to temperature in fingers or toes [Peripheral Vasculopathy, including Raynaud’s disease].
• Higher dosages of Adderall can impair cognitive control, provoke panic attacks, and cause rapid muscle breakdown.
• Avoid Adderall if you have a history of psychosis, mania, bipolar disorder [manic-depressive episodes], or depression.
• Consult your doctor immediately if you observe any mental problems like aggressive behaviour, anxiety, depression, hallucinations, delusions, or thoughts of suicide after taking the drug.
• Amphetamine may increase serotonin levels and cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome. The risk of serotonin syndrome doubles if you take other drugs that increase serotonin levels, such as street drugs like MDMA/”ecstasy” and St. John’s Wort. The symptoms of serotonin syndrome may include agitation, hallucination, tachycardia, dizziness, tremor, rigidity, hyperreflexia, and gastrointestinal symptoms.
• If you are allergic to Amphetamine, monitor for any skin rashes or allergic reactions while taking this drug.

• Take Adderall during pregnancy if utterly necessary. The infant has an increased risk of premature delivery, low birth weight, and withdrawal symptoms. Stay safe and avoid Adderall while pregnant.

• The drug passes into breast milk and may adversely affect the nursing baby. Amphetamine is generally not recommended while breastfeeding.
• Amphetamine drugs are often misused. Individuals who frequently self-administer high dosages of Amphetamine are at a greater risk of developing amphetamine addiction, extreme psychological dependence, and tolerance. Adderall misuse may cause adverse cardiovascular reactions and sudden death.
• Minimise alcohol consumption while taking Amphetamine. If alcohol is mixed with Amphetamine, the user is at risk of continued drinking, which may result in alcohol poisoning, coma, or death.
• Taking Adderall with marijuana [cannabis] puts you at risk of heart-related side effects like rapid heartbeat, arrhythmia, and heart attack.
• Do not take Adderall during or within 14 days following the intake of monoamine oxidase inhibitors to avoid a hypertensive crisis.
• Adderall might interact with monoamine oxidase inhibitors [MAOIs], Proton pump inhibitors [PPIs], selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs], stimulants, antidepressants, blood thinner medicines, antihistamines, antihypertensive drugs, decongestants, zinc supplements. Amphetamine interacts with amoxapine, amitriptyline, bupropion, benzthiazide, carbamazepine, citalopram, clomipramine, cocaine, dexlansoprazole, difenoxin, doxepin, escitalopram, esomeprazole, and fentanyl.

It is generally advisable to avoid all other medicines, supplements, alcohol, and caffeine while Adderall is still in your system.

Should I be Worried about Drug Interactions?

Adderall interaction with other drugs is a point of concern. Amphetamine might interact with monoamine oxidase inhibitors [MAOIs], Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs], serotonergic drugs, selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors [SNRIs], Proton pump inhibitors [PPIs], stimulants, antidepressants, blood thinner medicines, antihistamines, antihypertensive drugs, decongestants, adrenergic blockers, and zinc supplements. High-acid juices may also interfere with the absorption of Amphetamine.

Conclusion

Adderall is a combination drug of four different Amphetamine salts. It may improve attention and focus or reduce impulsive behaviours in children over 3 and adults with ADHD. It may also treat narcolepsy. Adderall is potentially addictive and may cause insomnia.