Adderall is quickly becoming one of the most widely used drugs in both the College Education system and in high schools around the United States. The primary use of this drug is to slow down the mental processes of people with "ADD" and "ADHD". This allows these students to focus better and retain an adequate attention span. Adderall has even been found to be taken by models in Hollywood as an appetite suppressant. It is my suspicion that large numbers of students are taking this drug around campuses whether they are prescribed it or not. There are a few issues I would like to discuss about this drug.
First is the problem of diagnosis. I think that it is particularly hard to diagnose someone that has add and someone that does not have add. Anyone can go to the doctor and get checked to see if they have add or not. The doctor or psychiatrist will basically ask you a series of questions or have you take a test to determine whether or not you have add. Any semi-intelligent person can figure out what answers to give to make the doctor prescribe them to adderall or some other amphetamine to help them study. So, now you have people that are "supposed" to be taking adderall and others that are on it just because they know it will keep them up all night to study. This is a problem because taking adderall in excess can have very serious side effects that most people are not aware of. Increased heart rate and blood pressure can make it very easy for someone to have a heart attack and die. Introduce this combination with sleep deprivation so you can party all night and drink alcohol in excess while you are on adderall, and you just escalate your chances for major damage to your body.
The second problem with adderall is the weight loss issues that are associated with taking this drug. I am prescribed adderall and when I first began to take this drug, my weight loss dropped rapidly. The drug suppresses your apetite so that you are not aware or motivated to eat. This is harmful because for people that are sometimes lazy, as I am, the task of making food is not my highest priority. It takes some control to eat at regular intervals when you are taking adderall daily and can cause serious health issues for those that are not accustomed to the drugs effects.
Third are mental and emotional issues that also come with the drug. One major area here that is a problem is sleep deprivation. Adderall is also used to treat people with a disease called narcolepsy. Narcolepsy involves uncontrollable urges to fall into deep sleep and random times throughout the day and is a very serious health issue for people diagnosed with this disorder. It is not surprising then that adderall has serious side affects including sleep deprivation. If you take adderall too late in the day you will have a very hard time going to sleep. This is another problem which can cause an unhealthy sleep cycle for college students.
Whether or not adderall can be taken in moderation is the key to it's effectiveness for students I believe. Taking it only when it is absolutely necessary and in conjunction with a strict diet will provide the best results for students taking it regularly. Also, staying up all night taking adderall is obviously a very bad idea and should not be done by students who have regard for their own health.
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