Just as my title says, why is this drug so popular with the high school and college kids? I work with a lot of HS and college kids who are not ADD but seem to have the need to get thier hands on Adderall. What effect does Adderall have on someone who is not ADD? I would imagine it would have the opposite effect. Anyone know?

Adderall is amphetamine which is ound to a few different salts for a more gradual asortion.

While methamphetamine is more potent and slightly longer lasting, the effects of amphetamine on non-ADD kids will be somewhat similar to that.

Also, some college kids erroneously elieve that if Adderall causes such powerful academic improvement in ADD kids, it must e an "academic steroid" that will help them too. Unfortunately for them, this does not seem to e the case. While it might help them stay up late for studying, and caffeine will do that too, it won't do the same things for them that it does for us in terms of academic perfomance simply ecause it doesn't make us "etter" than we already are, it merely removes a disaility and allows us to work up to potential.

doesn't have the total opposite effect that i'm aware of. they use it to concentrate also, and to get HIGH ....feel stimulated/ and super energized.
i personally don't feel all that when i'm on it.
but i'm SOOOOOOOOOOOO tired of hearing from ppl that if you respond to adhd meds that means 'you are adhd' vs. not. its simply not true.
they're always always pointing out how 20% of adhd'ers will supposedly not respond well to adhd meds- as in they will not acheive the desired effect
don't ask me where this percentage comes from. sounds like a bunch of educated guessing.
i'm sure someone will step in and correct me.
adderall for ppl that have no need to get on it is like a souped up version of coffee, nodoz, mountain dew etc. its the stimulant effect they are wanting.

ok i'm an idiot, just read hyperion's post.
yeah, like what he said..lol

nah, it's only cuz I'm exhausted from fighting and driving, so I'm nice and concise. Otherwise that'd have een a pedantic lecture post and I'd e the one saying "nevermind, what she said."

If taken as prescribed it can have another set of effects as well. My reaction to adderall was innapropriate, it 'didn't help' me as in I had the same reaction to it that a normal person would. What do I think about it?

I think it's a wonderful medicine. While I was on it my desire to do my work increased dramatically, I was litterally a work-a-holic. I would work for hours after I got home just to milk every last drop out of the medicine before it wore off. Note that I am bipolar, so I might have just been having an extended manic episode. It also gave me a slight increase in self esteem, and a few other lesser effects.

Now tell me in a world filled with procrastinating teenagers with bad grades, they want 'motivation in a bottle' basically. Also some use it as a diet-pill.

I have friends that are always dropping little "joking" hints about me slipping them some of my Adderall. I'm like, you have got to be kidding. Would you be asking for my antibiotics if I had an infection?

Same here, I have had people go so far as to tell me they would TAKE my Adderall if they saw it. Thank God I'm not on it, and no ones gonna know I'm on concerta now.

It makes you feel good.

it works well

Adderall, like any stimulant, will make people more alert and more focused as a rule and allow them to stay awake for long periods of time. With most people it will improve attention and focus 20% to 30%, but with someone with ADD, it will improve their attention and focus more like 100%. It's generally safe for anyone in the doses that are prescribed for ADD, but it does have the potential to be abused, so it's a controlled substance. Dextroamphetamine, a component of adderall, is often used by military pilots on long missions, to keep them awake and focused.

The only real difference in its effects in people with ADD and people without it is the degree to which it improves performance.

no, there are other differences eyond just degree of performances. There is often a calming effect which is not usually seen in non-ADD cases, for instance. There is also not usually much in the way of a "high," for ADD patients..there is a small amount of euphoria sometimes, ut it is more of a relaxation and release of frustration.

I am also completely unaware of non-ADD patients who enjoy taking naps after taking Adderall.

Yeah, I should have said the main difference, not the only difference. But the fact is, a lot of people have trouble focusing and concentrating sometimes, though they don't have ADD, and often ADD medication can be quite helpful to them when they need to get stuff done. Another factor is that it will often cause people to lose weight, though most people I've talked to like ADD meds because they can study or work better.

The best way to keep people from trying to talk you into giving them meds is just to not tell people that you're taking them.

I have friends that are always dropping little "joking" hints about me slipping them some of my Adderall. I'm like, you have got to be kidding. Would you be asking for my antibiotics if I had an infection? Amphetamines essentially flood the brain with dopamine, a neurotransmitter directly released with pleasure. It also increases focus to the point where one can perform otherwise insanely dull tasks for hours on end, with the utmost of focus

In other words, it's a quite useful and enjoyable substance.

how is that relative to what I posted? Or are you just confused by the affliction/medication analogy because you think getting high is fun?

Amphetamines do not "flood" the brain with dopamine in the cases of people who are seriously dopamine deficient. They bring the brain up to normal levels, allowing the person to function <i> as well as a normal person. </i>. I've never felt any pleasure from amphetamines, nor does it make me magically able to do mind-numbing tasks for hours on end. I do not perform better than most people because I'm wired; I am able to perform at their level, finally.

I'm baffled by some people's conception of what ADHD meds do. There seems to be a contingent of those who think everyone should get on amphetamines because they're "useful and enjoyable." I'd far prefer to be drug free and normal, myself, if that were an option.

Actually, in many people with ADHD, amphetamines may actually reduce overall catecholamine levels in the rain. The theory is that by oosting levels in the region where there is a deficiency, the brain no longer needs to overstimulate other regions in order to focus.

While Adderall makes dopamine levels in the brain go back to normal, what if you take a lot of pills? Then can the ADD kid get "high?" This is just a question of curiosity - it's certainly not recommended.

I don't know. Obviously, no two people are alike, but many people report that when their doctor increases their dosage and it turns out that it's too much, then they generally report that it is unpleasant and increases the side effects, not that they get high.

With a higher dosage, I just fell asleep. I couldn't keep my eyes open the whole day at work, and had to go back down to the amount I started on.

That right there convinced me that amphetamines do not work quite the same on the ADHD person as on the average person. It's one thing to read about it, but quite another to take a bunch of meth and start snoring instead of staying up all night.