Doctors prescribe Adderall for people with ADHD and narcolepsy. However, this drug can be highly addictive and dangerous if you don’t have one of these conditions. It’s alarmingly easy to acquire without a prescription, which poses significant risks.
Dangers of Long-Term Adderall Use
There’s a harmful misconception that prescription drugs are fundamentally safe for everyone. While it’s true that these medications must pass a series of clinical trials before doctors can prescribe them to people, that doesn’t mean anyone can or should experiment with them. Using Adderall without a doctor’s supervision is illegal and dangerous if you don’t have ADHD or narcolepsy.
Like cocaine and opioids, prescription stimulants are controlled substances, which indicates their high potential for abuse and addiction. If you try Adderall in hopes of attaining a competitive edge at work or school, you may find it makes you jittery, disrupts your concentration and impairs your decision-making abilities. There’s no conclusive evidence these medications improve the ability to retain information in people who don’t have ADHD.
How Addictive Is Adderall?
When used correctly under a doctor’s supervision, ADHD medications like Adderall are unlikely to be habit-forming. However, misuse of prescription stimulants can lead to a higher tolerance and addiction. Recreational Adderall users might take a much higher dose than a physician would tell them to – either because they have no idea how much is safe, or because they’re intentionally trying to get high.
An addiction to prescription stimulants causes a belief that you can’t function normally without these drugs. Instead of only using Adderall before giving a work presentation, you start depending on the medication to maintain your “mental edge” during normal daily activities. You may also experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms like insomnia, fatigue and depression when you try to quit.
Along with the risk of physical and psychological dependency, misusing prescription stimulants can have highly dangerous outcomes. For example, Adderall users may be more susceptible to cardiovascular problems, and using it alongside other intoxicants might have fatal consequences.
Warning Signs of Adderall Abuse
Since addiction is a disease that changes your brain, you can transition from Adderall misuse to a fully fledged addiction before you know it.
Red flags of Adderall abuse may include:
- Intense cravings or urges to take drugs
- Inability to quit, despite various problems related to drug use
- A willingness to take risks to obtain or use Adderall
- Spending an excessive amount of time using stimulants and planning where the next dose will come from
- Frequently feeling agitated, anxious or paranoid
- Lack of appetite
- Irregular heartbeat
- Loss of interest in previously pleasurable hobbies
- Dishonesty and denial about when or how often you use drugs
Start Your Adderall Recovery Today
Contact us at Hope by the Sea if Adderall misuse or amphetamine withdrawal has become a significant stumbling block in your life. Our affordable, long-term, evidence-based addiction recovery program offers specialized treatment tracks catering to different needs.
