Teen Adderall Abuse
by Scott Sowle
Executive Director – Newport Academy
The different forms of Adderall - a drug widely abused by teens.
Teen Adderall abuse has increased dramatically in the past few years with pediatricians writing more than half of the prescriptions for this highly addictive amphetamine. In fact, there has been a spike in prescriptions of over 500% in the past 10 years. Most notably, children and teens are prescribed Adderall for attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD.) When used as prescribed by a physician, Adderall can reduce anxiety in teens and calm their hyperactivity allowing them to more readily focus on tasks at hand. The problem with this however, is that there is a significant amount of misdiagnosis on the part of pediatricians and manipulation of symptoms on the part of teens who are drug seeking. Also, many teens who have been prescribed Adderall for obvious ADD or ADHD are often providing their friends with pills or selling them to classmates and other drug seeking teens. Additionally, Adderall is also one of the most highly sought after prescription medicines and is often stolen from those licensed to dispense it. More recently, and more alarmingly, teens are using the internet to obtain Adderall and other stimulants. According to recent data, over 4% of high school seniors reported non-medical use of stimulants and there are over 2,000 emergency room visits involving teens and stimulants every year. This number is obviously low as the number of teens who do under report or do not report their use is significant.
Unfortunately teens who begin use of stimulants such as Adderall for properly diagnosed ADD and ADHD, can easily abuse this amphetamine and become addicted. Signs of the onset of addiction to Adderall include irritability, weight loss, outbursts of aggression, paranoia, inability to sleep, picking at the skin, noticeable changes in appearance, and in some cases the onset of more serious psychiatric symptoms. This can be disconcerting to both and parents and teens, as the stimulant when first prescribed and introduced may have had desirous effects such as increased focus on school work and overall concentration. In short, Adderall needs to be prescribed by a physician who understand the potential for abuse, signs and symptoms of abuse, and effective treatment options if necessary. Parents need to be diligent about the use of stimulants such as Adderall, monitor that their children are using the stimulants as prescribed, monitor that pill counts are conducted routinely to make sure that their teen is not selling his/her prescribed medication, monitor their teens computers and internet access (as well as read their texts if necessary), and take a more proactive stance in monitoring their teens behavior.
If you are a parent who suspects that your teen may be abusing stimulants or if you’re a teen who is concerned about your own drug use, please feel free to call Newport Academy to discuss ways we can help you. Call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – 1.877.628.3367
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