Adderall is a drug prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit disorder . In fact, that’s where its name comes from (from the term Attention Deficit Disorder).

It is now more commonly prescribed to adults and is quite popular with the university community, as well as with young professionals and athletes, which has generated a great deal of controversy.

What exactly is Adderall?

Adderall is a drug made from amphetamines. On the other hand, amphetamines are synthetic substances that belong to the group of stimulating agents of the central nervous system (psychostimulants or psychoactives), and as such, what they do is stimulate both attention and physical performance.

In other words, Adderall is a medically prescribed central nervous system stimulant, especially for attention deficit disorder (without hyperactivity), but it is also used, for example, to treat narcolepsy. Not only that, but in recent years its recreational use and for purposes such as improving school, physical or work performance has increased significantly .

It is approved for production and marketing in the United States since 2001 under the name ADDERALL TX, in tablets with a concentration of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 mg.

Main effects

Technically, stimulants encourage and increase the release of catecholamines in the brain, i.e. substances such as noradrenaline, adrenaline and dopamine that are transported in the bloodstream and neural networks so that we can respond to stressful situations.

The latter has the effect of increasing reaction times, causing a feeling of alertness and being always awake, and even producing euphoria thus a greater tolerance for pain. This is why the Adderall is used to keep attention longer and to increase physical performance.

Side effects

In terms of adverse effects, constant and prolonged use of amphetamines can cause sleep disturbance, anxiety, psychotic and manic episodes ; issues that may eventually require the use of other drugs.

Among the most serious side effects, and given that it significantly accelerates the heart rate, a relationship has been reported between amphetamine use and sudden death, cardiovascular accidents, psychotic or manic episodes, visual disturbance, and the development of gastrointestinal, endocrine and liver diseases .

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It is therefore contraindicated in people who have symptoms of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, glaucoma, agitated states or a history of addiction to psychoactive drugs. It can also increase impulsivity in the case of children who have a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Apart from all the above, perhaps the most problematic and controversial effect of amphetamines is that are highly addictive substances , which means that they generate a great deal of problems, not only at a private level but also at a public level: the need to consume them gradually increases, as does tolerance (which also increases the dose that needs to be taken); and then the chances increase that their uncontrolled use will increase the number of people susceptible to developing chronic diseases, and even the illegal market.

Difference between Adderall and Ritalin

The difference between Adderall and Ritalin is that the basic component of Adderall is amphetamine, and the basic component of Ritalin is methylphenidate . Both amphetamine and methylphenidate are substances that stimulate the nervous system, so their effects are virtually the same.

What’s the controversy?

The use of Adderall (as well as Ritalin) has generated significant controversy in recent years, particularly because of its highly addictive and highly standardized effects.

It has also been widely discussed because, although it has improved educational and occupational performance, the use of this type of drug often hides shortcomings that are typical of educational and occupational environments . In other words, they are used in an increasingly widespread and standardised way, not only to compensate for difficulties in the teaching-learning process of children, but also among the university community or among young professionals and sportspeople who are required to maintain rates of productivity that go beyond their own abilities.

As a result, their commercialization is becoming increasingly widespread, even though the very trend of diagnosing ADD on a large scale (especially in the United States) has already been challenged.

There are those who say that in the past drugs were used to make people disconnect from social reality, as a means of escape and to reach different states of consciousness; and now, it seems that they are used for the opposite purpose, to make us connect with that social reality, as quickly and as well as possible.