As teens head back to school, it’s a good time to remind parents to be aware of trends in drug and alcohol abuse among students – even when it comes to the misuse of legal drugs. Mixing substances is also a dangerous practice that high school and college kids are doing without always being aware of the dangers.
That point is driven home by the fact that one of the most popular posts currently on the ADHD Central website has to do with a mom questioning what could happen if her son drank alcohol while taking Adderall, a popular medication prescribed for ADHD. The experts on the site were quick to warn that this was a dangerous combination that is happening inadvertently by some, who don’t realize that the two substances can react poorly, and on purpose by others, who intentionally combine these drugs in an attempt to party longer.
Since alcohol is a depressant and Adderall is a stimulant, some might assume they cancel each other out, but that’s not how these substances work. Adderall can hinder the ability to judge the effects of the alcohol, making a person unable to determine if they are too tired or too intoxicated. As a result, they can end up drinking more, resulting in alcohol poisoning in some cases, or at the very least a lowering of inhibitions that can put the partier at risk of sexual abuse or other crimes. Other effects of mixing the two can include vomiting, depression, anxiety, paranoia and occasionally hospitalization.
Not exactly a recipe for a fun, casual night of college partying, huh?
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