Adderall Addiction A Growing Problem October 3
We have posted about stimulant addiction a few times, and so have a few thousand other sites, but it seems that we are still not talking about it enough. When we try to scour the news, we still find that Adderall addiction is still prevalent in high schools, universities – and even the family kitchen.
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools nurse was charged recently with obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or forgery and embezzlement by an employee”. According to a feature by the Charlotte Observer, the 52-year-old nurse was working with a school that serves cognitively disabled students, and was accused of replacing the Adderall prescription of a 19-year-old handicapped student with vitamins. She was supposed to monitor and administer the students’ prescription; the incident led to her nursing license being revoked.
Stimulant addiction can be rather tricky; it is probably due to the fact that as opposed to other illegal substances such as cocaine and heroin, the trigger for taking the drugs outside of its primary medical purpose appears “harmless”. While it may be true that drugs such as Adderall and Concerta are also taken for “recreational purposes” – to get that extra “high”, just like heroin – it is mostly used by students who would like to have an extra boost of energy and alertness to get through a grueling exam week, or by housewives who would like to shed a few extra pounds.
Unfortunately, no matter how noble one’s reasons may be, taking these medicines outside of a licensed physician’s professional guidance and monitoring may inevitably lead to addiction. These medicines are habit-forming, and should be taken only upon a doctor’s advice and within a doctor-prescribed time frame.
Among the adverse and potentially life-threatening effects of stimulant addiction are cardiovascular failure, seizures, and feelings of paranoia.
For those among us who are in the know, the compassionate thing to do may be to be sensitive to the people around us and try to nip indiscriminate stimulant use in the bud before it becomes full-blown addiction.
Tags: adderall abuse, adderall addiction, ritalin addiction, student drug abuse, Substance Abuse, teen drug abuse