Does anyone have adderall

This is a medical emergency and should be treated immediately. Abusing or overusing Adderall and then stopping suddenly can cause symptoms of withdrawal, such as:. Instead, you may have to wait out the symptoms, which can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Maintaining a regular routine can help with the withdrawal. Stimulants can make your blood vessels constrict, raise your blood pressure, and make your heart beat faster. In some cases, Adderall can cause further interference with your blood circulation.

Your toes and fingers may become numb, or start to hurt. They may even turn blue or red. Serious side effects of Adderall include heart attack and stroke. Contact your doctor immediately if you experience chest pain , shortness of breath , difficulty breathing, or fainting. Adderall can lead to sudden death in people with preexisting heart conditions.

Taking Adderall alongside alcohol increases your chances of having heart problems. Adderall may also affect how drunk you feel, which can also increase your chance of alcohol poisoning.

Loss of appetite and weight loss are also possible, which can slow down weight gain in growing children who take the medication. Weight loss in adults is a temporary side effect, and appetite should increase as your body adjusts to the medication.

We reached out to Dr. Ashley Chatigny, a double board-certified psychiatrist and medical director of behavioral health with Lee Physician Group , for some answers. Adderall is a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, two central nervous stimulants that improve focus and reduce impulsivity by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain.

Adderall is not available without a prescription. But we invite you to talk to a doctor about any medication changes or questions about lifestyle, ADHD, or other concerns. Adderall helps people diagnosed with ADHD by improving their focus and concentration since it is a direct stimulant on the central nervous system.

The medication has the same effect on those who do not have ADHD, and it's important to remember that Adderall has side effects such as nervousness, restlessness, headaches, problems sleeping, and more.

The number of adults who have an ADHD prescription is now rising faster than the number of new prescriptions for children getting the same drugs. Some reports indicate that despite any concerns about overuse of stimulants, there was a 5. Trends of increased utilization are expected to continue. Researchers say their higher scores could mean that their medication helped them do better on the test, or it could mean that the adults who would have done better on the test anyway were the same ones who would have sought out treatment.

Part of the confusion comes from the fact that we don't know exactly how these drugs work. They increase neurotransmitter activity, but it's hard to fully understand how that affects cognition. Although stimulants help people focus and pay attention, they don't necessarily improve academic performance in students with ADHD.

They may help people sit still longer and lessen disruptive behavior in class, but few direct cognitive improvements have been shown. In one study, researchers had a small group of young adults perform a series of tasks related to creativity to see the kind of impact Adderall might have.

Adderall didn't affect performance on all tasks, but on the tests in which it did have an effect it seemed to help those who were low-performing. However, people who had performed well on the test without taking stimulants showed either no change or did worse while taking Adderall. Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin release a rush of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the brain, giving many people a sense of euphoria.

They help people feel alert, awake, and focused, but they also make it hard to sleep — making it more tempting to take another pill when you're exhausted the next day. People also develop a tolerance to these drugs, requiring more and more over time to achieve the same effect.

Stimulants are considered habit forming or addictive because it can be easy to become dependent on them. Though some don't see them as drugs, stimulants — methylphenidate or amphetamines like speed — carry real risks. Emergency-room visits for people 18 to 34 attributed to nonmedical stimulant use tripled from to , though those numbers also include things like caffeine pills.

Stimulants can cause circulatory problems and constrict blood vessels, leading to increased blood pressure. This can increase the risk for a heart attack or a stroke, and you should contact a doctor if you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting after taking Adderall. Lots of college kids and young adults take stimulants like Adderall when they go out, either to stay up or just for the euphoric effect.

But drinking may increase the risk of heart problems for people taking stimulants, even when they don't take an excessive amount of medication. In at least one case, researchers documented a heart attack in an otherwise healthy year-old who took 30 mg of Adderall after drinking. By increasing heart rate and enhancing the effects of neurotransmitters like dopamine, stimulants can significantly increase anxiety.

This can cause shortness of breath, dry mouth, nervousness, paranoia, and other side effects. One of the main reasons people take stimulants without a prescription is to do better at school or work. Although the cognitive benefits of Adderall and Ritalin are far from clear, one thing they do seem to help with is rote learning.

A few studies have shown that people who memorize things while on stimulants may be better at remembering those words or terms when tested later on. A review of different studies on the cognitive benefits or harms of stimulants found limited effects on working memory, the ability to hold and manipulate different pieces of information simultaneously.

That's not very significant for most people but may provide "a small advantage" in certain situations, which may explain the draw for people who might benefit from a small boost, like eSports players. Some people looking for immediate effects may crush up their tablets and snort their Adderall.

Make a Call However, continued abuse of Adderall can lead to long-term side effects and an addiction that can be hard to break. People abuse Adderall because it produces feelings of confidence, euphoria, increased concentration, and a suppressed appetite.

These effects make Adderall a go-to choice for anyone looking for a boost in physical or mental performance. Taking Adderall without a prescription, or in a way not directed by a doctor, is considered abuse. This includes snorting Adderall pills or taking over large doses to get a stronger effect. Although people tend to associate Adderall abuse with high school and college students, many older people also use the drug. Most people who have received treatment for an Adderall addiction started taking it when they were approximately 23, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

College students in particular make up a significant population of those abusing Adderall. Athletes Athletes may abuse Adderall to counter fatigue and enhance performance during practice and in competition. In , Adderall abuse contributed to a record-breaking year of drug-related suspensions in the National Football League. People with eating disorders People struggling with eating disorders may abuse Adderall because it suppresses the appetite.

If someone with an eating disorder becomes addicted to Adderall, they will often require treatment that addresses both issues simultaneously. Adderall abuse can cause severe health-related problems, including potentially lethal overdose. There are several reasons for combining Adderall with other drugs.

Some users may do this in an attempt to enhance the effects of Adderall. Some may even take a drug to relax if Adderall is preventing them from sleeping.

No matter the reason, mixing Adderall with other drugs increases the risks of overdose and complications such as cardiac arrest. In , 67 percent of people admitted to an emergency room for complications with prescription Stimulants like Adderall also had other drugs in their system.

The chance of getting alcohol poisoning is higher for people taking Adderall. This is because the alertness Adderall produces can mask the effects of severe alcohol intoxication. Someone on Adderall might not realize how much they have drunk and end up with alcohol poisoning. Studies have also shown that students using Adderall are more likely to abuse alcohol, Marijuana, and Cocaine.

Learn More. Almost 16 million prescriptions for Stimulants like Adderall were written in , approximately triple the amount written in In , over , people were admitted to rehab for an addiction to Amphetamines like Adderall.