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Understanding Adderall Addiction, Abuse, and Complications

Adderall addiction and abuse are rising in the United States. Every year more and more people find themselves trapped into the cycle of abuse. Adderall is a prescription drug that is mostly useful in treating conditions such as attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy. These conditions are debilitating without treatment and Adderall works well to treat them. The problems begin when someone who does not need Adderall takes it.

What is Adderall Addiction?

Adderall addiction happens when someone who does not need Adderall takes the medication or when someone who does need it takes more than the recommended amount. This unfortunately, results in an addiction. Adderall is a powerful amphetamine like drug as such it is subject to abuse just as any other amphetamine is. Once you begin taking it, it becomes almost impossible to stop. You can become obsessed with using the drug, thinking that it is helping you. This is usually when an addiction to Adderall takes hold.

Why do People Abuse Adderall?

Although there are many reasons people abuse various drugs including Adderall, this drug has some specific reasons. One of the main reasons people begin using Adderall without a prescription is because they mistakenly believe that it will improve their ability to concentrate or learn. This belief is widely held by high school and college students who take it to help with studying and passing tests. Unfortunately, the effect of Adderall is temporary. It might make you more awake but it does not help a person who does not have a condition such as ADHD learn.

Some of the other reasons that people take it are the feeling that it gives you. Some people take it because they think that it:

  • Clearer thinking
  • Euphoria
  • Improved satisfaction
  • Improved social abilities
  • Improved study behavior and abilities
  • Increased focus
  • Increased happiness
  • Increased motivation
  • Weight loss

Although some of these have been reported, most of these effects are very temporary and can cause more problems than it is worse.

Complications of Adderall Addiction

Although all drugs are dangerous, Adderall addiction is particularly so. When you stop taking Adderall you are subject to a horrible withdrawal. Many people suffer both the withdrawal symptoms as well as Adderall induced psychosis. This is a condition characterized by:

  • Hallucinations
  • Delusions
  • Psychosis
  • Aggression
  • Seizures

These symptoms can be very dangerous and possibly deadly. Although not the only thing that makes Adderall dangerous, it is a preventable one. You can prevent Adderall induces psychosis by seeking treatment as soon as possible.

There are many different types of treatment for Adderall addiction including tapering, medical monitoring, and the matrix model of addiction treatment. All of these have proven highly effective in ending an Adderall addiction safely and effectively. Although Adderall induced psychosis does not always happen, there is no way to predict when and to whom it will. The longer you suffer from the addiction the more dangerous it becomes.

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