Why Do People Take Adderall?
Adderall is a stimulant and a combination of Amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine that treats attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While many patients use Adderall successfully, the medication has the potential for abuse and addiction. Since Adderall abuse may start with or without a prescription, understanding the circumstances of the drug’s use and the rate of prevalence of its use or misuse are essential.
People often take Adderall to sharpen their focus and academic performance. In addition, it elevates mood and decreases appetite. As a drug becomes more common, learning more about its benefits and risks is always good, especially for children needing help with ADHD.
What Is Adderall?
Adderall, a potent CNS Stimulant, is the commonly prescribed drug. Adderall is a Schedule II controlled substance due to its strong addictive potential. Doctors prescribe Adderall to treat ADHD and narcolepsy. While it decreases fatigue in narcoleptics, it has the opposite effect in those with ADHD.
Why Do People Prefer Adderall?
In the UK, students especially opt for prescription drugs to optimise their cognitive skills, boost their memory and retention, and enhance their academic performance. It also improves their motivation to perform tedious tasks; task saliency. Prescription nootropics are CNS stimulants, one of which is Adderall. Students somehow manage to get it illegally despite knowing the serious risks involved. Its widespread demand all over the world is because of its extraordinary effectiveness:
- Enhancing cognition, memory, and learning abilities
- Enabling the brain to function under disruptive conditions
- Protecting the brain from harmful chemical damage
- Improving neuronal firing mechanisms
- Reducing cognitive decline
People abuse Adderall because it produces euphoria, confidence, increased concentration, and a suppressed appetite. These attractions make Adderall a go-to choice for those looking to boost mental or physical performance.
Taking Adderall without a prescription or not directed by a doctor is Adderall abuse. This includes snorting Adderall pills or taking large doses for a more substantial effect.
Adderall is abused for many purposes, including:
- Weight loss
- Studying
- Athletic performance
- Staying awake
How Does Adderall Work?
Adderall increases Dopamine and Norepinephrine levels in the central nervous system (CNS). Norepinephrine affects how your brain responds to events, particularly how it pays attention and reacts to outside stimuli. Dopamine, the body’s feel-good hormone, produces a rewarding effect. Although Dopamine occurs naturally in the body, drugs like Adderall have unnatural levels. This may cause users to come back for more.
Adderall Abuse
Although not everyone who uses Adderall develops an addiction, people who regularly take Adderall at untherapeutic doses are at an increased risk of getting addicted. This is because, over time, people habitually taking the drug develop a tolerance and cannot function normally without it.
Adderall abuse stems straight from its addictiveness. The feel-good response of the drug may lead to perceived short-term benefits, like better academic performance or improved focus at work, even though these sensations, and effects, wear off over time. In addition, as tolerance to the drug grows, Adderall users feel the need to take more and more of the medication to achieve similar effects.
Adderall is an oral tablet with doses ranging from 5 to 30 milligrams. Unfortunately, some people looking for immediate effects may crush their tablets and snort Adderall. Street names for Adderall are Speed, Uppers, Black Beauties, Addys, and Pep Pills.
Signs of Adderall are:
- Taking more than the recommended dosage of Adderall
- Mixing the medication with other substances, like alcohol
- Injecting or snorting the drug
- Taking the medication despite the knowledge of the harm it’s causing
- Feeling unable to meet deadlines or complete tasks without taking Adderall
- Persistently spending time and energy seeking the drug
- Withdrawing from professional, academic, or social obligations
- Being unable to feel alert without Adderall
- Neglecting other activities in favour of using Adderall
- Suffering withdrawal symptoms when not using Adderall
- Unusual mood swings, like strong feelings of aggression, mania, restlessness, or excessive tiredness
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 wonders of the drug for which people misuse it are:
- Boosts brain function
- Increases the output and fosters 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.’
Adderall Dependence VS Adderall Addiction
Adderall dependence is a naturally expected physiological response to the drug. The person has a physical dependence because of the interaction of the chemicals in his body but not a psychological dependence where he is abusing the drug to reach a “high.” He may require assistance from the doctor to get off the drug due to how the chemicals affect the brain. However, they are not mentally obsessing or craving Adderall.
Adderall addiction refers to a person’s physical or psychological reliance on Adderall and specific behaviours. These individuals usually cannot cope when they stop taking Adderall. They will go to any length to obtain more medication. The use of the drug becomes their main priority. They often run out of the prescription early to take more than prescribed, leaving them in withdrawal from the drug. Again, it results in going to any length to obtain more of the drug. Obsessive thoughts regarding Adderall and cravings are also indications of addictive behaviour.
Conclusion
Adderall allows substance abuse due to its popularity and perceived minimal risk among those with or without a formal diagnosis. In other words, Adderall is typically reasonably easy to access, may be prevalent within specific populations (for instance, among college students), and may be perceived to carry only mild risk.