1. Record Amounts of Students Abusing ADHD
Drugs
Written by Antonino Bologna
May 30, 2013
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 05 June, 2013 09:48
According to HealthDaily news, one in ten teens admit to abusing a prescription “study drug” in order
to get high. Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin have mood altering properties and have been proven not to
help kids study. The drugs are commonly taken in order to feel good, rather than to improve learning.
Most parents think that prescription study drugs should be kept in a secure place such as a nurse’s
office, but in many schools this is not the case, allowing students to share their drugs and leaving them
with more potential for abuse. Many parents are privy to the abusive potential that ADHD drugs have,
but they are often unaware that their kids are taking the drugs, none the less abusing them. Many kids
can get a prescription without needing their parents with them, and the ones who cannot obtain a
prescription can easily get the drugs from one of the many peers at school who are prescribed ADHD
medication.
ADHD drugs are highly addictive and particularly dangerous when given without a prescription.
People who take Adderall need to have their heart monitored every so often to make sure there are no
irregularities and without a prescription there is no way to tell whether or not the drug is negatively
affecting your body. The potential for heart irregularities while taking Adderall is very high, as well as
the potential to develop a serious drug habit. Other side effects from taking ADHD drugs include
psychosis, anxiety, stress, abnormal breathing and overdose. Over the past five years, it’s been proven
that ADHD drugs aren’t effective when it comes to helping people study more or get better grades. That
being said, it’s difficult to rationalize why doctors are still prescribing these drugs.
There are a number of schools across the country that are working to reduce the amount of ADHD drug
abuse that goes on in their institutions. They are doing so through education programs that help raise
awareness about the dangers of addiction and withdrawal when it comes to taking study drugs. Whether
or not these programs will be effective has yet to be seen. As far as parents go, it’s important that they
take a proactive role in the lives of their children so that they know whether or not they need to seek
help for their child if they are indeed addicted to prescription drugs. ADHD drugs have a very high
potential for abuse and can cause serious withdrawal issues especially if the affected teen doesn’t have
a prescription and stops taking the pills abruptly. If you or someone you know is abusing ADHD drugs,
contact us today to explore our substance abuse treatment programs and help get your life back on
track.