Addiction to Adderall - Research Paper Example

? Addiction to Adderall There are numerous drugs that are utilized within our society today, some found predominately within the legitimate frameworkof medical practices and others designed solely for recreational and experimental purposes. These drugs are being used by almost every section of our society and these drugs are becoming a necessity in modern times to a large number of people who are highly dependent on drugs. There are numerous drugs under legal and illegal consumption and businesses. Hence, misuse of drugs which are legally produced and sold are very common among people. Also misuse and abuse of drugs which are illegally produced and sold are increasing at rapid speed among consumers of numerous drugs (Murguia et al., 2007, pp. 122-123). This paper is aimed at describing the misuse and abuse of the drug called Adderall. History and epidemiology of the drug Adderall: Adderall is a salt-based medicine which is used for the curing hyperactivity disorder. This disorder is caused by deficit of attention. The drug is used is for another important medical condition, the narcolepsy. The drug is legally usable in Canada and in United States of America only. The drug is the brand-name of a psychostimulant medication. The drug is “composed of racemic amphetamine aspartate monohydrate, racemic amphetamine sulfate, dextroamphetamine saccharide, and dextroamphetamine sulfate” (Verderber et al., 2011, p. 16). These are all amphetamine salts. The drug is used by the people who suffer from deficit of attention created by hyperactivity disorder and to treat obesity. The drug was first introduced in United States to reduce problems associated with greater work-pressure and greater pressures at schools and at home. Eventually, the popularity of the drug has increased to a significant level and people from every social group and community. People from every profession started to use the drug to reduce the intensity of tension created by hyperactivity disorder. The drug is available in almost all medical stores in the United States of America inspite of the fact that The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists did not recommend the drug to be legally used (Verderber et al., 2011, pp. 15-18). The pharmacology of Adderall: Adderall works in the system of human body as a process to increase the volume of dopamine and norepinephrine. This works in between synapses in the human brain. The drug affects directly the mesolimbic reward pathway located in the human brain. The drug increases the amount of amphetamine salts in human body which is considered as the high abuse potential to reduce the intensity of the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The most important benefit acquired from the drug is that the drug helps to reduce symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The drug has been found to create minimal side-effects among patients. The main medical effect of the drug is that the effect of drug remains active for several hours and the person who consumes the drug can do works for longer hours throughout the day. However, these effects depend upon the degree of doses taken of the drug. If the drug is taken without prescribed dose or above the normal prescribed dose of 30-40mg., then it can create negative effects on human brains by reducing the thinking power of the brain (only in the case where the drug is used in a regular basis). The drug helps to manage the treatment-resistant depression, obesity (mainly of exogenous type), prevalence of rotate sleep cycle disorder etc. The drug is available in two alternative forms as tablets and as capsules (Abadinsky, 2010, pp. 155-157). The drug is available in only two formulations. One is the IR, also called the Instant Release and the other is the XR, also known as the Extended Release. The extended release system of delivery which is also known as the Microtrol is utilized by XR with the process of incorporation of two categories of drops. The first category of drop immediately dissolves into the human body by releasing 50% of the medicine. The second type of drop dissolves slowly in the human body and releases the remaining 50% of the medicine within an average of four hours. Within seven hours after the consumption of the drug, Adderall, the maximum level of concentration of plasma gets achieved. On the contrary, after the intake of IR, within three hours the maximum level of concentration of plasma gets achieved. The level of bioavailability of Adderall XR is very high, compared to the Adderall IR. Due to this high bioavailability the effectiveness of XR can not be easily altered by absorption of food in the gastrointestinal zone. In general, the mean level of concentration of plasma is achieved by the drug within 2.5 hours. The drug also works as a process of altering the urinary pH which is caused by variations in the amount of drops as well in the method of the emission of those categories of drops. Hence, it is suggested by medical practitioners that the usage of Adderall needs to be monitored when the drug is taken simultaneously with foods (Abadinsky, 2010, pp. 161-163). Production, marketing and process of manufacturing the drug: The drug was invented by Shire Pharmaceuticals of USA and the drug was first invented in IR (Instant Release) form only in 1966. However, Shire Pharmaceuticals no longer produces the drug in its IR form. Teva and Barr Pharmaceuticals take over the part of control of producing the drug in both IR and XR forms. But Shire Pharmaceuticals produces only the XR (Extended Release) version of the drug (Verderber et al., 2011, p. 19). In 1996, the first slot of the drug was marketed by Shire Pharmaceuticals in USA. In 2006, Shire Pharmaceutical sold the right to produce the IR version of the drug to Duramed Pharmaceuticals. Again in 2008, Duramed Pharmaceuticals has been acquired by Teva and Barr Pharmaceuticals which is the most important producer of the drug (Verderber et al., 2011, pp. 19-21). The drug is produced and manufactured by Teva and Barr Pharmaceuticals. Also Shire Pharmaceutical produces the IR type of the drug. The drug is produced and manufactured in United States of America and Canada only. However, the drug is also manufactured in some parts of other countries like few European countries, such as England, Finland, and Greece etc. The drug is marketed through medicine stores, both legal and illegal stores, throughout the country. The drug is consumed mainly by two groups of people. The first group consisted of people who work at heavy schedules throughout the year, like professionals and players. This group is basically the group of working people. The other group of people is consisted of students of all ages, but mainly students of higher schools or colleges. These two groups are the most important groups of people because they suffer the most from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Hence, the drug has been marketed to these two groups of people with easy ways. Hence, the most important marketing strategy that the producers of the drug have adopted has been to sell the drug at stores situated in front of offices, schools, colleges, and universities. The drug is manufactured to school students with 70 mg of daily dose. The price of the drug has also been kept under the control of students and the most effective use effects of the drug has been encouraging students and workers to use the drug in a frequent basis. This frequent consumption has been ensuring attainment of greater profits for companies from the sell of the drug. Another important marketing strategy which has been frequently used by Teva and Barr Pharmaceuticals, the strategy of advertising the drug and its effective working results, has been encouraging students and workers to use the drug in frequent basis (Murguia et al., 2011, pp. 77-79). Good effects of the drug: The main competitor of the drug is Ritalin, which is also used extensively by patients suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. But in comparison to Ritalin, Adderall provides more effective results in terms of more effectiveness in curing the problem and also in providing positive effects for longer times. The most important benefit of Adderall over its main competitor, Ritalin, is that Adderall provides better results in terms of increasing the effectiveness of working capacity of people with much lower doses compared to Ritalin. Adderall has been found to be effective among patients of all ages and all types of other medical conditions (like varying levels of blood-pressures, prevalence of sugar and diabetes etc.). Some users of Ritalin have complained about the less-effectiveness of this drug and also have been found to suffer from several negative side-effects. These patients have been suggested to take Adderall instead of Ritalin (Murguia et al., 2011, pp.197-199). These positive effects have been encouraging students and working people throughput the country to frequently use the drug. Studies have suggested that more 90 percent of college and university students use the drug regularly and almost 95 percent of working people use the drug in the regular basis. More than 7 percent of students aged between 18 and 22 frequently use the drug. More than 8 percent of students under the age group of 22-25 consume the drug in a regular basis. The drug is also popular among female workers. Almost 9 percent of female workers use the drug to remain active at office and also to take care of house works (Gislason, 2011, pp. 198-202). Bad effects of the drug: However, there are few negative effects of long-term use of Adderall, especially by the children. This long-term use of the drug affects the rate of growth of these children. But the final adult heights of these children are not get affected by long-term consumption of the drug. The drug helps to reduce the weight of the patient. The most problematic result associated with the long-term use of the drug is the fall in the degree of vision that has been reported after conducting various researches. Doctors have warned women who are in stages of pregnancy to avoid use of the drug, mainly during their early stages of pregnancy. Studies conducted on rats gave shown that frequent use of the drug results in long-term changes in neurological as well as behavioral characteristics of rats. There are other side effects of the drug like insomnia, headaches, increased level of muscle tension, tetchiness, and nervousness. The non-medical use of the drug by college student in a regular basis and also by the workers (including both high-level workers, such as managers and business heads or business executives, and low-level workers, such as security guards, workers who work at mines etc.) has been affecting the long-term health conditions of these people. This frequent use has been reducing the level of working capacity of these people which has been acquired by them by natural health conditions. Students want to study for longer hours and those workers want to work for longer hours. The main intension of these two groups of people is that they want to remain most active during their working days (Verderber et al. 2011, pp. 165-171). Another important side effect of frequent usage of the drug is related to the occurrence of heart attacks or heart failure or stroke. These cases have been found among the people who have been using the drug in a regular basis for a long time. The long-term use of the drug has sometimes resulted in partial breakdown of the nervous system of the person which has been resulted in greater risks of trust or abuse. Various cases have been found by researchers which have shown that the long-term usages of the drug have been resulted in decline in the health conditions among students. These have ultimately been resulted in decline in the environment of the educational institutes and safety aspects of these and other students. The Health Services/Education Department at The University of Rhode Island has applied awareness program named as the "Designer Drug Awareness Project" (DDAP) to aware students of different age groups and of different classes regarding all possible side effects of usage of Adderall. Various NGOs and government officials have opined that the frequent use of the drug by students should be banned in the name of ‘Academic Doping’. According to these government officials it is completely unethical for few students to use the drug and to get the maximum possible result without applying their natural health conditions and abilities. According to Barmen (2011 unless these students and workers are getting aware regarding the possible threats of long-term usages of the drug, it would be very difficult to reduce the use of Adderall in the country, in general, and among these students, in particular (Barmen et al., 2011, pp. 1121-1142). Adderall is used mostly by college students and professionals compared to other drugs. That is why the drug is nicknamed as “college crack” and “cognitive steroid”. Students who take this drug opined that the drug help them study for longer hours without any lack of concentration. The drug is also used by people to spend sleepless nights at parties. The drug is used by women also to reduce their weight in an easy way. More than 76% of US college students take the drug for getting better marks in examinations. More than 35% among these students are severely addicted to this drug. And almost 19% of these students suffer from several bad effects after taking this drug. Among these bad effects the most important are rapid decline in the degree of vision of these students. Users of Adderall also suffer from depression or irritation and exhaustion (The symptoms of Adderall addiction, n.d., p. 1). The most treatment for Adderall users is proper medical treatment which is mostly done to addicted students. These addicted students are given supervised detoxification treatment to reduce their level of addiction for the drug. Another important treatment which is most frequently given to the users of Adderall is individual counseling and group counseling. Counseling helps the addicted person to remove the habit of taking the drug to a great extent. Among other treatment methods most important are spiritual care and continuing education among users of the drug to reduce its addiction (Adderall Integrated Treatment, 2010, p. 1). Conclusion: The use of the drug Adderall gives high level of effective support to the person who is taking it to reduce health problems like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The frequent use of the drug results in various side effects and negative effects among students and people belonging to the working class. However, there are numerous positive effects of use of the drug which can never be ignored. Hence, it is very much difficult to argue that whether the drug should be banned by the American government or not. One definite conclusion can be made in this context which is the use of the drug by school and college level students should be restricted, if not banned (since it is very difficult to completely ban the use of Adderall by large number of students studying in the country). In this way the future of the American society can be secured from severe diseases like heart attacks, strokes etc. The government of America also needs to implement suitable policies to aware parents of students who are using the drug in a long-term basis. These policies of raising the social aspects of the country are highly needed for the country. References: Abadinsky, H. (2010), Drug Use and Abuse: A Comprehensive Introduction, USA: Cengage Learning Adderall Integrated Treatment, (2010), retrieved on February 24, 2012 from http://www.adderallabusetreatment.com/adderall-integrated-treatment Berman, S. M., Kuczenski, R., McCracken, J. T., & London, E. D. (2011), Potential Adverse Effects of Amphetamine Treatment on Brain and Behavior: A Review, University of California Press, retrieved on February 13, 2012 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2670101/ Gislason, S. (2011), Children & Family, USA: Environmed Research Inc. Murguia, E., Tackett-Gibson, M., and Lessem, A. (2007), Real drugs in a virtual world: drug discourse and community online, USA: Lexington Books The symptoms of Adderall addiction, (n.d.), retrieved on February 24, 2012 from http://www.adderallabuse.net/ Verderber, R. F., Verderber, K. S., and Sellnow, D. D. (2011), The Challenge of Effective Speaking, USA: Cengage Learning Read More