While Adderall is a legitimate prescription drug used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy, it is often abused as well. It can be addictive and it can do serious harm to the body with long term use.
It is most often abused by students and business people as it keeps them alert and more focused to study or work. Don’t be fooled that just because it is a legitimate prescription drug, that it does not have serious side effects with long term use.
How to tell if someone is abusing Adderall
Because the typical Adderall abusers do not look like your stereotypical drug users you may not realize they are abusing Adderall. Here are the physical, psychological, and behavioral signs and symptoms to watch for:
- Friendliness, chattiness, and speeding ideas
- Feelings of magnificence, invulnerability, and extreme happiness
- Dry mouth, queasiness, and retching
- Anxiety, jumpiness, and apprehension
- Going to different doctors for prescriptions
- Changing Adderall’s form by mashing and snorting it
- Being afraid of the possibility of not having Adderall
- Spending substantial time locating the drug, using it, or recovering from Adderall use
When a person abuses Adderall they build up a tolerance to it and will need more and more of it to accomplish the same feeling. When they do not have the drug or quit doing it they will experience withdrawal symptoms. Some of those withdrawal symptoms include:
- Weariness Irritability
- Fretfulness
- Gloominess
- Misunderstanding
- Changes in sleep patterns
Common side effects
There are some common side effects to Adderall that will last a few days to a few weeks. These common side effects include:
- loss of appetite
- dry mouth
- trouble sleeping
- headache
- abdominal pain
- constipation
- queasiness
- weight loss
- nervousness
- Wooziness
These symptoms will go away within a few days to a few weeks, however, if they are severe or last longer than that speak to your doctor.
What are the long term effects
The long term effects on the body are not positive ones. In fact, long term abuse of Adderall can lead to some serious health issues. Those health issues include:
- Heart disease
- Problems breathing
- Heart palpitations
- Changes in sleep
- Depression
- Tremors
- Convulsions
- Hallucinations
- Sexual dysfunction
To name a few, there are others but not quite as bad as these.
Withdrawal and recovery
Symptoms of Adderall withdrawal include fatigue, loss of concentration and an unusually slow heartbeat; they can make it difficult for a person to quit abusing the drug.
Generally, the best treatment for people addicted to Adderall is in-patient rehab as it offers a place that will be temptation free. Two treatments that can help are Cognitive Behavior Therapy and a 12 Step Program. Both of these are offered at 449 Recovery. If you are ready to take the step toward recovery, call us (855) 435-7449 today. At 449 Recover we offer an environment that is safe, clean, and free of temptation where you can learn the tools to deal with addiction, that you can use to achieve your recovery.