Adderall: Daily Medication or a Gateway to Meth?
Written by Joffrey Basha
Adderall. Ritalin. Concerta. What do you think of when I name off these medications used to help those with ADD/ADHD? The most common answer from my peers was meth. What about Zoloft, Prozac, or Lexapro? Most people think depression, anxiety, and suffering. Right away there is an uncanny difference in what we associate with these drugs. The idea that Adderall and meth are the same or that Adderall leads to meth has affected those suffering from ADD/ADHD since the day they were diagnosed. As someone with ADD, I’ve heard stories about my daily medication from just about everyone. Each story leaves me with more and more questions. Does a bottle of Adderall today mean a shot of meth tomorrow? Am I in danger of my own medication? Where did this association come from and most importantly is it true?
My biggest question when asked constantly if my medication is just ‘FDA approved meth’ is why are people so hung up on my medication and not the mental illness I take it for. I was quick to find out it was because they didn’t understand what it really felt like. To most people, ADD/ADHD is a disorder that causes inattentiveness, impulsiveness, a short attention span, chronic boredom, forgetfulness, and difficulty staying organized¹. But those are just adjectives. If you want a look inside of what ADD/ADHD is really like imagine that a thought is a passenger on a train. The train's job is to get that thought from one destination to another. Like if concluding that six plus five is eleven the thought process would be getting the thought of ‘six plus five’ to the destination of ‘eleven.’ That seems like a very simple thought to complete. But when riding the train with ADD/ADHD the train can make some unexpected stops -- meaning more passengers (thoughts) come aboard and some may leave before even getting to the destination. Each thought screams and fights for my attention so they can get to their destinations causing me to make multiple stops. So while it took your train only two seconds to get to the destination of ‘eleven’ it would take me longer if I even end up at that destination. I could easily end up at any other train stop long forgetting my original thought too occupied with the multiple other thoughts now overwhelming me. Medication such as Adderall puts that single thought into the train and does not allow for other thoughts to get on and distract me from my route. Without a bunch of different passengers yelling at the conductor where they need to go, the constructor is going to drive a lot better.
ADD/ADHD is more than just not being able to concentrate. It involves forgetfulness, disorganization, impulsiveness -- that same impulsiveness that could lead those with mental illness to abuse drugs. Could this impulsiveness lead them to abuse drugs like Adderall? Well -- yes, any drug can be abused. But to have someone with ADD/ADHD abuse their own medication is actually unlikely. Actually, rather than their meds leading them to bigger scarier drugs it was found to “reduce addiction by 90%” with those medicated for their ADHD versus those who were not [Szalavitz, The New York Times.] So if those medicated for their ADD/ADHD are less likely to abuse any kind of drug why are they warned to not get hooked on meth? To give a simple answer probably because meth was and still is used for ADHD. Now don’t freak out -- pharmacists won't hand you a bag of crystal meth. The only “meth” still used for ADHD is called Desoxyn and it’s very different from meth you’d find on the streets². The biggest difference is Desoxyn is FDA approved. Every Desoxyn pill is made in a regulated factory with a strict recipe rather than in a basement made up of who-knows-what. But being prescribed Desoxyn isn't super common, and most people don't even know it’s an option. But even if someone does take Desoxyn it doesn't mean that they’ll get hooked or that it’s dangerous. But when dealing with such intense and serious drugs how do we know when it’s dangerous? The answer is: what are your intentions in using this drug?
What would be your intentions using Adderall? Most will say to function better but functioning better has a completely different meaning to someone with and without ADD/ADHD. Don’t worry I have another analogy to help get my point across. If thinking is a race people with ADD/ADHD don’t start at the starting line -- they start seven miles back. They start with a disadvantage. When they take their meds, they function normally or “start at the starting line.” To them, this is functioning better. For someone who doesn’t have ADD/ADHD, someone already starting at the starting line functioning ‘better’ means being seven miles ahead. And with Adderall, they can achieve that. The drug has the same effect on me as it will on you. The first time you take that pill you will think clearer, be motivated, be inspired, and get a rush of euphoria. But that ‘rush’ will fade because just like with my body yours will get used to the drug. After our bodies get used to the drug (assuming we both take it daily) I will still function better -- you will not. We’ll start at the starting line. For you to continue to function better you’ll have to keep increasing your dosages -- I will not. Once I found the right dosage and medication with the help of the doctor I’ll still have what I want even when the rush is gone. My goal was to start at the starting line with everyone else not start ahead. That means there's no danger for me. When someone intends to function better when they already function normally and they continue to abuse the drug they have three options: continue to increase until it kills them³, quit and face the long term effects, or switch to a similar drug. We all know what happens in the first option, no need to further explain that. In the second option, the user has the option to quit but has to face the long term effects of their drug abuse. These side effects would include forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, and trouble producing dopamine. Sound familiar? That would be because those are the symptoms of ADD/ADHD. So if I was to stop taking my medicine I would end up where I first started. But what a shame if I did and I started seven miles behind the starting line and turned to see someone who used to start there end up right next to me.
The other option given was to switch to a different drug -- a stronger but similar drug. When looking for a drug to switch to most users would choose one from the stimulants category as that’s the category Adderall falls under. Besides more Adderall, the user gets to choose between crack, cocaine, or meth. They won’t likely go for crack or cocaine because they want what's similar to Adderall -- the only difference they want is that it's better. That would be meth. Meth not only is more potent but will last even longer than Adderall which if using the extended-release kind normally lasts up to eight hours. Meth is special in this way unlike most drugs your body can’t break it down as easily. If you took a shot of vodka your body could break down the alcohol even if it hasn't left your body yet. With meth the high leaves when the meth leaves. For someone who abuses Adderall this definitely sounds like the next best thing.
What a rabbit hole we’ve found ourselves in -- and we can almost see the light on the other side. Don’t worry we’ll be there quickly. I remember the day I first took my medication and I could read. It was life-changing -- I could finally read. I wasn't illiterate before being medicated but I might as well have been. I would spend hours rereading the first paragraph of any texts trying to move on but never being able to. It changed my life beyond being able to read. I finally could remember simple things like daily chores, a lesson from school, or even just brushing my teeth every night. I felt normal; I felt free. I assumed others would be happy for me now that such a heavy heavy weight was lifted off my shoulder but instead it was replaced by another weight. Soon my shoulder hung low from the exhaustion of carrying the concerns, stigmas, lies, and reality of my own daily medication. There’s not one question I asked over my years that can be answered with a simple yes or no but now I know those complex answers. I’m not in danger of my medication -- I never was. My goals taking the drug never lead down a dangerous path but that doesn’t mean that’s how it is for everyone. Although rarely even those with ADD/ADHD get hooked on their medication but more likely it’s those who don't have the illness. But why should I care if I’m in no danger of drug abuse and the community I’m apart isn't likely to be consumed by meth? It’s not meth that’s dangerous to those with ADD/ADHD; it’s the stigma that interlocks meth and my medication that is. There is a stigma about Adderall that stems from people without ADD that abuse the drug that those with ADD have to suffer with. This stigma scares those with ADD/ADHD away from the medication that could change their lives. It has given the idea that the hardships of ADD/ADHD are canceled out by the ‘perks of Adderall’. It has made the topic of ADD/ADHD about the medication rather than the struggle and pain of the illness. A bottle of Adderall today does not mean a shot of meth tomorrow but to keep that statement true you must know what your goal is when taking any drug. We all want to function better but are we ready to face the consequences of being seven miles ahead if it could take us fourteen miles behind?
Sources:
Bhandari, S. (2019, June 07). Adult ADHD: Symptoms, Statistics, Causes, Types and Treatments. Retrieved September 15, 2020, from www.webmd.com/add-adhd/adhd-adults
National Center for Biotechnology Information (2020). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 1206, DL-Methamphetamine. Retrieved September 15, 2020 from pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/DL-Methamphetamine.
Dextroamphetamine and Amphetamine: MedlinePlus Drug Information. (2019, April 15). Retrieved September 15, 2020, from medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601234.html