An article posted on Fox News discusses the dangerous methods used by celebrities to stay thin. When traditional diets don’t produce fast results, many actresses and models will turn to drugs in an effort to remain thin. One popular choice used by many celebrities is Adderall, a drug prescribed to treat ADHD, and one that can result in significant weight loss.

Some celebrities go so far as to fake the symptoms of ADHD to obtain a prescription for Adderall, while others talk friends who are legitimately diagnosed into asking a doctor for more medication than they need. Others simply buy the drug overseas or online.

Two other dangerous drugs used by celebrities are crystal meth and cocaine. Crystal meth can aid in weight loss, but is also associated with psychosis and meth mouth, a condition of rapid oral decay caused by the use of the drug. Cocaine is also highly addictive and associated with psychosis.

Celebrities who become addicted to drugs in an effort to lose weight often ruin their careers in what is originally an effort to preserve them. While many celebrities can seek treatment for drug addiction in a program designed for that purpose, many struggle in a cycle of treatment and relapse and regret choosing illegal drugs for a faster way to lose weight.

Celebrities Use Drugs for Weight Loss is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

A 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health survey said that students in the 18 to 22 year range, the typical college age, had a risk of abusing Adderall two times higher than their peers who were not attending college. The survey, with results published in the journal Addiction, also said that one-fourth of students enrolled in the 119 U. S. universities studied had used Adderall to help them study.

Adderall, the brand name for dextroamphetamine and amphetamine, was developed in the 1990s for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is a Schedule II controlled substance. A prescription is required to acquire it, and it has a high potential for addiction and abuse. Unauthorized possession of Adderall means a student could be penalized with jail time under the Controlled Substances Act.

Adderall is especially dangerous because it can be acquired at a relatively low cost per pill, and for many students, can aid in concentration ability. However, dangerous side effects include having a heart attack or stroke, developing high blood pressure, seizures, aggressive actions or psychosis. For some students who already have heart problems, Adderall is linked to immediate death.

As the students continue to use Adderall, tolerance develops, and they must increase their dosage to get the desired effects. Adderall abuse may also open the door to students experimenting with substances like methamphetamine and ecstasy.

Sometimes called a “cognitive steroid,” withdrawal from Adderall can include severe fatigue, depression and abnormal levels of hunger. Still, the perceived benefits of Adderall – like being able to concentrate for long periods of time during studying or exams, and staying up for long periods – make the drug a popular trend among many college campuses.

Experts fear that students may consider using a controlled substance drug to help with studying as an acceptable action, if it is in the name of boosting their academic performance. Some university officials also fear that students will not be able to function once they leave college, because taking a pill won’t reduce the life stressors brought on by the workplace and other conditions.

Controlling Adderall can be tricky, because students with ADHD who need the medication should not be refused – yet at the same time, prescriptions should not be given to students who will abuse the drug for purposes such as a study aid or even for weight loss. Not only can many Adderall users manage for long periods without sleeping, some also report a greatly reduced appetite – making it even more appealing among college-aged girls who want to lose weight.

As abuse of the stimulant drug Adderall becomes more widely-known among university officials and health experts, it may encourage more research into teaching college students healthy ways to focus and manage stress, rather than resorting to dangerous prescription drug abuse.
 

Adderall Becoming Abused Drug on College Campuses, With Dangerous Side Effects is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

In fact, a nationwide survey found that one in four college students have reported abusing Adderall – or amphetamine-dextroamphetamine – to stimulate the central nervous system by increasing the dopamine and morepinephrine amounts in the brain.

This drug is often preferred as it is designed to restore the balance of these neurotransmitters to the parts of the brain that control the ability to focus and pay attention. This can be very helpful for those who suffer with ADHD. It also makes the drug popular among those who have no attention problems. The enhanced ability to focus is the draw for students, enabling them to pull an “all nighter” to study for a test or finish a paper.

A University of Tennessee Law student said that not only undergraduate students abuse the drug. “Adderall is even more popular among law school students than it was in undergrad. The course work is more demanding and everyone is familiar with the magic of those pills,” the student explained.

According to SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network for 2009, an estimated 7,873 drug-related emergency department visits involved Adderall. This drug is in the same category as OxyContin or cocaine in terms of potential for dependence.

One alarming study by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Substance Abuse found that nearly 90 percent of students who abuse Adderall have also binged on alcohol in the same month. Such students were also three times more likely to use marijuana, eight times more likely to use cocaine and five times more likely to use pain relievers, non-medically than students who do not use Adderall.
 

Adderall – The College Student’s Pill of Choice is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Adderall is a psychostimulant that is reported to increase alertness, concentration and overall cognitive performance while also decreasing fatigue. This medication is often prescribed for patients who are suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.

Due to the benefits that Adderall can provide, it is turning up more and more on college campuses as students find that the drug helps to improve overall performance. In fact, a recent NSDUH Report, Nonmedical Use of Adderall Among Full-Time College Students, shared the findings from a study that indicate that full-time college students aged 18 to 22 were twice as likely as their counterparts who were not full-time college students, to have used Adderall nonmedically in the past year.

In addition, this same group of college students who were nonmedical Adderall users were nearly three times as likely to have used marijuana in the past year, eight times as likely to have used cocaine or prescription tranquilizers for nonmedical reasons and five times as likely to have been nonmedical users of prescription pain relievers.

Alcohol was also a problem for those college students who used Adderall for nonmedical reasons. Nearly 90 percent of these full-time college students were also binge drinkers who had engaged in the activity in the past month. More than half of these students were also considered to be heavy alcohol users.

One of the reasons why Adderall is of such important focus for policymakers is the fact that it is among the group of legally approved drugs that is classified as having the highest potential for dependence or abuse. As a result, this drug also presents the greatest risk for those who are not using it according to its original intent.

Those full-time college students who are using Adderall for nonmedical reasons tend to be white. Of this group of users, 8.6 percent were white, 1.0 percent were black, 2.1 were Asian, 2.2 percent were Hispanic and 2.7 were persons of two or more races.

Family income also appeared to have an impact on those students who elected to use Adderall for reasons outside of medical purposes. Use appeared to be the highest among full-time students from families with annual incomes of less than $20,000 with 8.9 percent of this group falling into this category. Another 6.0 percent were from families with annual incomes of $75,000 or more.

Aside from the potential for dependence on Adderall when it is used outside of medical reasons, it can also increase a person’s risk for heart attack or stroke. Those students who take Adderall nonmedically may also need to take central nervous systems depressants to counteract the stimulant effects of Adderall, presenting additional risks.

Those educators, policymakers and parents who are concerned about the nonmedical use of Adderall need to take further action to ensure that these students understand the risk they are posing to themselves and to others by engaging in this activity. What may seem the answer to get them through college could end up taking their life.

Students Taking Adderall for Non-Medical Reasons is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment