The use of Adderall is becoming more and more of an issue, “Prescription ADHD medications like Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse are becoming increasingly popular for overworked and overscheduled college students -- who haven't been diagnosed with ADHD” (Canes). This issue however is not only on college campuses. I am going to be looking at the question, Is the abuse of Adderall and its effects worth the benefits which this medication can give? I believe that with the amount of abuse which is associated with this medication and the side effects of the medication itself, that the benefits are not worth these issues. However, there are various benefits and side effects of using these different medications that some may say is worth it to them to treat their ADHD. There is also a number of people who abuse this medication with overuse, some who are prescribed and some who are not. This is what is becoming a huge issue in today’s society. 

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is a brain disorder in which there is inattention and hyperactivity which prevents proper functioning on a normal day to day basis. This inattention may include getting off task, trouble staying focused, disorganization, and many other symptoms. Hyperactivity may include constant movement, fidgeting, tapping or talking, all of which can wear one out after doing constantly. These are all the signs that one may have ADHD. One may have one of these signs, or sometimes all. It is perfectly normal to have these symptoms, but one with ADHD will have them a lot more severely. Although the cause for ADHD is not completely known, scientists believe that it has a lot to do with genetics and that there is not necessarily a way to prevent this or cure it. (The National Institute of Mental Health) 

The main way that people deal with ADHD symptoms is by taking the medication Adderall. This medication was “first synthesized in the 1940s to treat fatigue, depression and psychosis, Ritalin evolved from a drug to keep people happy into a drug to keep kids focused” (Plenke). Since then the use of this drug has continued to increase. Adderall is an amphetamine which raises your dopamine and norepinephrine levels in your brain. This makes it easier to focus, stay awake, and have less impulses and depression. However, Adderall works on your entire brain not just the places that need it, which is why it can be too much for some people. Since this medication is so serious, one has to get a prescription in order to access it. Doctors will decide how much Adderall one should take depending on their intensity of their symptoms. However, many people get ahold of this medication without a prescription. Those with a prescription are selling their pills illegally to make a profit and that is when it can cause danger when we don’t know who all has a hold of it. 

Although Adderall is the main way which ADHD is treated, many are not educated on the other treatment options which one might have. Everyone’s bodies react differently to ADHD medication, so one should try to help their symptoms by other ways before trying medicating. It is proven that exercising is one of the easiest and most effective ways of reducing symptoms of ADHD. “Physical activity immediately boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels—all of which affect focus and attention” (ADHD or ADD Treatment for Children). This is how exercise acts similarly to Adderall. Another way to help ADHD symptoms without medication is regular sleep quality. Many kids with ADHD might have trouble sleeping, but most of this is caused by those who are medicated. Good nutrition can also help tremendously in reducing symptoms. Both making sure you are eating on schedule and healthy foods. An ADHD specialist can work with you to combine all these methods and create a plan to help your ADHD symptoms without being medicated.

The popularity of using Adderall for reasons other than ADHD is becoming more and more common. Using Adderall as a study drug has increased tremendously in the past years. “Full-time college students were twice as likely to have used Adderall non-medically as their counterparts who were not full-time students” (Canes). These medications have become a normal thing for college kids and when asked they do not believe that there is anything wrong with taking it. Students believe that using these medications for studying and to improve grades makes it okay. Therefore, many are getting wrongly diagnosed as having ADHD in order to get these medications, or those who are already prescribed are selling their medications. It has become increasingly easier to get prescribed Adderall. ADHD has before the second most diagnosed long-term disorder, only following asthma. Almost four million American children are currently taking an ADHD drug, which is five times the amount from 1990. No one realizes the issue with taking this medication when it is not needed.

In addition to the college kids who are abusing this medication, there is also an issue with parents getting Adderall prescribed in order to take care of their children’s behavioral issues. There have been various misdiagnoses to the point where one child was prescribed Ritalin when they were really a diabetic who required insulin. Nearly 1 million kids could have been misdiagnosed with ADHD. It is becoming increasingly common for a teacher to see a kid who is not concentrating or is disruptive in class and to tell their parents to take them to the doctor to be diagnosed. Parents and teachers both need to understand that it is normal for young kids to be disruptive and not concentrate, and if we were to just prescribe them all Adderall then everyone would be taking the medication. Once prescribed this changes the personalities of the kids and causes them to rely on this medication long term. This brings us into the various side effects from this medication. 

Although Adderall may have various benefits for those who are diagnosed with ADHD, there are also various side effects. Some of the various short term side effects which are associated with Adderall are sleep problems, restlessness, headaches, depression, and many others. Although some may take this medication in order to pull an all-nighter or stay up late to study, it can end up messing up their sleep schedule in the long run and cause crashes when they are not expecting. After taking Adderall, once it wears off all of these side effects may come into play, making this medication not worth it. However, these can also cause abuse because when one crashes they take more Adderall to make up for it. Other side effects include lack of appetite, nervousness, and changes in sex drive. It has been found that some people will not only take this medication for studying, but to decrease their appetite in order to lose weight. There are even more side effects when Adderall is used for this. Side effects when taken for weight loss are high blood pressure, increased heart rate, anorexia, and mood swings in addition to the previous side effects (Holland). 

Added to all of these short term side effects, there are also various problems with taking this medication that lead to long term issues. There is a huge risk that those who take this medication on a day to day basis will develop a psychological and physical dependence on this medication. One might find that they can no longer function as they used to when they do not take this medication. Your brain adapts to the dosage which one is prescribed as they continue to take this medication. This means that the longer one takes it, the more and more they are going to have to take in order to get the results that they originally had. Therefore, in the long run one may end up taking a very high dosage even though they started out with a very small one. This is what leads to the abuse of Adderall.

Even those who are prescribed this medication can be found abusing it. Even though they might medically need this medicine, when one chooses to misuse their medicine it can lead to a gateway to other drugs. Some are getting used to their dosages and deciding that Adderall alone is not enough. It is found that Adderall is also being used as a party drug and being snorted or taken to energize. For this reason, it is advised that parents watch over their kids use of their prescription and how often it is being taken. Although this is hard, in the long run it can prevent various side effects from abusing their medication.

In addition to the lack of education on the side effects of Adderall medication, there is also a lack of education on the severity of the legal problems with taking this medication when one is not prescribed. Adderall is considered a Schedule II substance. A schedule II substance is defined as; “drugs that have a high potential for abuse. The drug has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions. Abuse of the drug may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence” (“List of Schedule 2 (II) Drugs”). This drug is classified on the same level as cocaine and meth. Therefore, if one was caught selling this would be treated the same as those drugs. Many do not know the seriousness that the law takes this medication. One can face anywhere from 5 to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 to $5 million fine, or both (England). The lack of education of this medication is why it is becoming an increasing problem today. 

Even though there are all of these facts which go against the use of Adderall and the problems which it causes, this medication can also be a huge help to those who suffer from extreme cases of ADHD. When one has such a bad case that they cannot focus on day to day tasks it is understandable when one needs to take this medication to focus. The science behind this medication proves that it does work and does help those who need it. When used wisely and not abused, the benefits of taking this medication can outweigh the side effects. However, one needs to be careful about the amount they are taking and the drug not becoming a reliance. It can help for patients to take breaks from this medication when they do not need it, such as students not taking the medication over the summer when they do not need to be doing any concentrating activities. Another option is not taking the medication on days which you do not necessarily need to. This will give your body a break and help to keep yourself from relying on this medication. 

Even though I see why some people believe that Adderall medication is a necessity for some, I do not believe that the benefits outweigh the harm. Even when prescribed this medication is becoming an issue. The intended use for Adderall is to either improve concentration, hyperactivity, or depression yet it is being used for various other things. The misuse of Adderall is rising among young adults; this is despite the fact that the number of prescriptions has stayed steady, which shows that this is just becoming more and more of an issue. The fact that college kids do not find this drug to be dangerous shows that it is not taken seriously enough. Even the fact that doctors are giving out this prescription so easily shows that not all diagnosed cases of ADHD are as real as they might seem to be. Not only is this medication being abused on college campuses, but also in work places and day to day events. People are self-medicating and getting these medications illegally and not even double thinking doing so. The more that these medications are abused, the more that no one will be able to get any work done without them. We need to stop our reliance on drugs to help us and just schedule out our time to get the work done instead. 

I still believe that the abuse of Adderall is not worth the benefits which are coming from Adderall medication. This argument shows that we need to more carefully evaluate whether or not these medications are necessary. Changes need to be made in who is able to be prescribed Adderall and how it is decided that one has ADHD. I also believe that there needs to be more education for those who are prescribed Adderall about the various side effects. They need to be taught how to cope with taking this medication and how to make sure that they are not taking it too often or too much. If they are told about how taking this medication in the long run will develop a reliance on this medication and how their body will no longer be able to operate the same without the medication, then I believe that some patients would opt out of taking this medication. I also believe that there needs to be more education about the other options which one has instead of taking Adderall medication and how else they can deal with their ADHD symptoms. If this were to happen I believe that this drug would not as easily get into the wrong hands and less prescriptions would be handed out. We should care about the abuse of Adderall because it is mainly happening in the generation which is our future, and if we do not solve these issues now we might never solve them. Also the kids who are growing up relying on these medications might never be able to function normally without taking them. That is why Adderall has become such a huge issue in today’s society. 
