Recognize Addiction: Adderall Prescription Drug Abuse

Going to college is always exciting; new places, new friends. Learning about history, science, math, and the drugs to help you with your finals. Your new friends can teach you a lot about Adderall, the new drug on campus.

Studying for finals? Need to stay up late to get that last study cram in? If you are like many students in college campuses today, you will get a little help: Adderall.

Have trouble losing those extra pounds? Want to get that “swimsuit figure”? Once again, your friends with prescriptions can help: Adderall.

“I never thought of myself as a drug addict,” comments Lisa, recovering from Adderall addiction. “I never did drugs, was always the ‘good’ girl in my family. When I went to college, my new ‘friends’ told me about what they used to help them: Adderall. I figured if they did it, it must be safe. Soon I was addicted. I learned how to lie to doctors to get more Adderall. My grades dropped. My social life plummeted. Here I was, a nice girl, lying, stealing, hiding my addiction.”

The Atlanta Recovery Center Drug Rehab in Georgia has issued a warning that Adderall is the most commonly prescribed brand-name stimulant in the U.S. “We are seeing more and more college students seeking help for Adderall addiction,” states Mary Rieser, Executive Director. “With the frequency of parents demanding Adderall prescriptions for their children and a college culture that encourages its use, it is no wonder that Adderall use is on the rise.”

Adderall sales are roughly $600 million annually with every indication being that they will continue to increase, especially since as of December 2007, doctors may prescribe a 90 day supply of this Schedule II drug.

Ms. Rieser explains, “A ‘Schedule II’ controlled substance means that the DEA regulates the drug. You can only get this drug by prescription, because the U.S. government has determined it has a ‘high potential for abuse’ that ‘may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence.’”

In other words, you get addicted.

“The term ‘addiction’ unfortunately brings to mind images of people buying illegal drugs on street corners, running from the law, ‘criminals’ hiding to use their drugs,” comments Ms. Rieser. “And unfortunately Hollywood has often portrayed addicts as outlaws and ‘bad people.’ This is of course untrue, but since Adderall and other prescription drugs can be obtained legally by doctor’s prescription, you may have a college student who would never think of breaking the law or the next-door-neighbor housewife, both in the same position: addicted to a Schedule II drug.

“And addiction, whether it is to a prescription medication or a street drug, is the same thing-addiction.”

The fact that there can be serious side effects from using Adderall often gets overlooked.

Symptoms of an Adderall overdose are scary. They can include restlessness, rapid breathing, confusion, hallucinations, aggressiveness, unexplained muscle pain or tenderness, muscle weakness and flu symptoms. These symptoms may be followed by depression and tiredness. Other overdose symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, uneven heartbeats, feeling light-headed, fainting or seizures. Overdose can lead to coma or death.

Side effects include, fast, pounding heart, increased blood pressure, severe headache, blurred vision, insomnia, dry mouth or an unpleasant taste in the mouth, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss, or loss of interest in sex.

Several artists have reported that though they temporarily had more output, their creativity was stilted.

The way through school or to success is not through the doors of rehab.

Chances are you know someone who is abusing Adderall. They could be buying it off the internet, getting it from someone who has a prescription or getting a prescription themselves. Call us. We can educate the Adderall abuser and get them the help they need.

For more information on drug addiction rehabilitation or drug education, call The Atlanta Recovery Center of Georgia at 1-877-236-3981