Wait a minute. Aren’t prescription drugs safe?
When used in line with a physician’s instructions, yes. When abused, they’re anything but.
“Drug abuse” includes any use of a drug outside its intended purposes, such as:
- Sharing prescriptions
- Taking more than the recommended dose
- Using the drug recreationally
Often prescribed to treat ADHD, Adderall is also abused as a study and party drug by college students.
Adderall is an amphetamine and chemically resembles illicit stimulants. It causes the nervous system to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter which creates pleasurable feelings. These feelings drive addictive behaviors. At high enough doses, Adderall can cause high body temperatures, seizures, and heart attacks.
Prescription abuse can be very stealthy and hard to detect. While detoxing from Adderall isn’t as hard as say, opioids, it’s still best done in a medically supervised environment by professionals.
