Tag: adderall addiction

The Duration of Adderall’s Beneficial and Potentially Harmful Effects

Adderall is a prescription medication widely used in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Doctors may also prescribe the medication to help people with narcolepsy. A given dose of Adderall stays in your system for a fairly predictable amount of time. While in your bloodstream, it produces certain therapeutic effects. A variety of side effects may also occur in anyone taking the medication. In addition, if you misuse or abuse Adderall, you can run into problems that include addiction and overdose.

What Is Adderall

Adderall belongs to a group of brand name medications known as combination products. Medications of this type do not contain just one active ingredient. Instead, they contain a mixture of active ingredients that work together.

What is Adderall made of? The medication’s active ingredients are amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Dextroamphetamine is the primary ingredient. Each dose of Adderall contains three parts of this compound and one part amphetamine.

Both amphetamine and dextroamphetamine belong to the stimulant category of substances. When you take them, they speed up the activity rate in your brain and spinal cord. At the same time, they make you feel more focused and alert.

There are two formulations of Adderall on the market. One formulation, Adderall IR, is the standard, immediate-release version of the medication. When you take it, you feel its full effects all at once. The second, Adderall XR, is an extended-release product. This means that it does not hit your system all at once. Instead, it has a more gradual effect.

How Long Does Adderall Stay in Your System

The question of how long Adderall stays in your system is a bit complicated to answer. That is true because a range of considerations have an impact on the duration of the medication’s presence. Still, some basic facts can be established.

One crucial concept in determining the duration of any medication’s effects is half-life. This term describes the amount of time it takes for half of a given medication dose to leave your system. The half-life of Adderall IR is roughly nine hours. Adderall XR has a half-life that varies from ten to 13 hours.

What do these figures mean? In about nine hours, your system’s levels of Adderall IR will fall by 50 percent. In the next, nine hours, the remaining level of medication in your system will be halved again. This process continues until no more Adderall remains in your body. The same process holds true for Adderall XR, but on a time scale of every ten to 13 hours.

How Long Does Adderall Show Up On Drug Tests

Most of the Adderall in your system gets excreted in your urine. How long will a urine drug test reveal the presence of the medication? Both Adderall IR and XR will be detectable for about two to three days after you take a typical dose. What if a blood test is performed, instead? In these circumstances, testing will show positive for Adderall for up to two days. A saliva test will reveal the medication’s presence for roughly a day or two.

What Affects How Long Adderall Stays in Your System

Half-life is a useful, convenient medical concept. However, it only provides an educated estimate of how long a medication will stay in your system. Why is this true? A number of factors can affect the speed at which you process a medication like Adderall. The list of these factors includes:

• The functional health of your kidneys
• Your age
• Potential interactions with other drugs or medications in your system
• Other details of the specific way your body processes drugs or medications

Together or separately, such factors can have a significant impact. For this reason, the half-life of Adderall in your system may vary from the norm. In turn, the medication may stay in your body for shorter or longer than expected.

Are There Side Effects to Taking Adderall

The use of many medications comes with a risk for unwanted side effects. That is certainly true for Adderall. Doctors break the potential side effects of taking Adderall down into two main groups. The first group contains effects that are only a concern if they take a severe form or do not fade away. Problems in this category include:

• Headaches
• Constipated bowels
• Loose bowels
• Feelings of nausea
• Unusual nervousness
• An abnormally dry mouth
• Increases or decrease in your sex drive or sexual performance
• Painful cramps associated with menstruation

Adderall side effects in the second group are always a concern. If they occur, you should seek medical help as soon as possible. Effects in this category include:

• Skin that itches, peels or blisters
• Rashes on your skin
• Abnormal speech difficulties
• Leg or arm numbness or weakness
• Problems swallowing or breathing
• A depressed mental state
• Altered nerve sensations in your feet or hands
• Hallucinations
• Paranoia
• Delusional beliefs

These are just some of the almost two dozen emergency symptoms you may experience.

What Is Considered Misuse of Adderall

Adderall can trigger side effects even when you take it as intended. If you misuse the medication, you open yourself up to other possible issues, as well. One such issue is Adderall addiction. You can also potentially overdose on the medication.

What actions are considered to be misuse of Adderall or any other prescription drug? Specific behaviors that fit this definition include:

• Increasing the frequency and/or amount of your medication doses on your own
• Using Adderall prescribed to another person
• Taking Adderall for any reason other than needed medical treatment
• Doing anything to make the medication hit your system faster than usual

Stimulants like Adderall are some of America’s most widely misused prescription medications.

When Does Adderall Misuse Become Adderall Addiction

Every time you misuse Adderall, you increase the odds that you will become physically dependent on it. Physical dependence indicates that your brain now expects the medication to be in your system. It is characterized by two main things:

• Rising tolerance to the effects of Adderall
• The onset of withdrawal if you stop taking the medication or rapidly decrease your use

However, physical dependence and addiction are not equivalent things. As a rule, Adderall misuse becomes Adderall addiction when two other issues also occur. The first of these issues is an emotional dependence on the medication. The second, recognized as a defining element of addiction, is a compulsive drive to keep using more and more Adderall.

Factors Affecting Your Addiction Risks

Not everyone who takes Adderall has an equal chance of developing problems with addiction. Instead, a number of factors may increase your level of risk. Examples of these factors include:

• Your genetic background
• How old you were when you started misusing Adderall
• The conditions you grow up in during childhood

Generally speaking, the younger you are when you start misusing Adderall, the greater the chance addiction will occur. The interaction between your genes and your childhood environment can also have a huge impact. Specific environmental factors that make addiction more likely include:

• Inadequate parental supervision
• Having peers who approve of drug use and misuse
• Living in a place with easy access to Adderall

When combined with genetic factors, poor school performance may also help increase your risks.

How Many People Are Addicted to Adderall

Adderall addiction is an example of a condition called prescription stimulant use disorder. This disorder also covers addiction to other kinds of prescription stimulants. It also covers all forms of damaging, non-addicted abuse of these medications.

Research shows that roughly three-quarters of a million Americans have prescription stimulant use disorder. By far, adults over the age of 25 are most likely to develop this condition. Younger adults make up a much smaller percentage of people with prescription stimulant use disorder. Relatively few preteens and teens are affected.

Treating Adderall Addiction

Adderall Detox

How do rehab programs help people recover from Adderall addiction? If you are addicted to the medication, you will probably need to start with a medical detox program. This kind of program provides a safe environment for halting your Adderall misuse. It also provides crucial support for coping with stimulant withdrawal symptoms such as:

• Changes in your normal sleep pattern
• Loss of energy
• Unusual anxiousness or irritability
• Problems focusing or concentrating
• Depression
• Feelings of paranoia
• Ongoing cravings for more Adderall

There are no medications available to help reduce the effects of Adderall withdrawal. Instead, you receive basic support that keeps you safe and helps you stay as comfortable as possible.

Primary Adderall Treatment

Once Adderall is out of your system, you can continue your recovery in a primary treatment program. As in detox, medication does not typically play a role in this phase of your recovery. Instead, rehab facilities provide help in the form of behavioral psychotherapy.

Multiple types of behavioral therapy are known to help most people addicted to a prescription stimulant. One potential option is contingency management, also known as a motivational incentives program. In this kind of therapy, you receive some kind of meaningful reward when you stay sober during treatment. Common examples of such rewards include:

• Goods
• Services
• Food
• Entertainment passes or vouchers

Your Adderall treatment plan may also include something called 12-step facilitation therapy. This therapy was created in recognition of the importance of joining a mutual self-help group while in recovery. It teaches you how self-help groups work. It also helps you prepare to become an active participant in any group you join.

You may also benefit from other therapy options. One additional option is family behavior therapy. This therapy helps you work through family issues that may be supporting your Adderall addiction. It is common to receive more than one form of behavioral therapy will recovering from stimulant addiction.

Get Effective Help for Adderall Abuse and Addiction at Best Rehabs In Arizona

Need help for Adderall abuse or addiction? The professionals at Best Rehabs In Arizona are standing by to assist you. We specialize in the treatment of all stimulant-related problems. That includes problems related to the combined use of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. Our goal is to help you regain your sobriety and learn the skills needed to maintain it. To get your recovery started, call us today.

What is Adderall?

Adderall is a common prescription central nervous system stimulant, a category that also includes Ritalin, Concerta, and Dexedrine. It works by increasing central nervous system activity through two of our brain chemicals: norepinephrine and dopamine.

These chemicals impact feelings of reward and important bodily functions, including heart rate. In proper application, taking Adderall can boost our energy levels, improve our focus, and decrease our feelings of restlessness.

But for every positive that comes with Adderall use, there is a corresponding negative. In both medical and illicit settings, many medical professionals consider Adderall a high-risk medication with the potential for abuse and addiction.

Prescribed Usage of Adderall

Two of the most common prescription uses of Adderall are attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. ADHD is one of the most common childhood psychiatric conditions. While it typically starts in adolescence, symptoms continue into adulthood for roughly half of all patients diagnosed before age 18.

Regulated and cautious use of Adderall can help ease many ADHD symptoms, including lack of focus, restlessness, and lack of energy. But while it does have approved medical uses, prescription stimulant abuse is on the rise.

And prescription stimulants, including Adderall, have been classified by the Drug Enforcement Agency as Schedule II drugs due to their high potential for abuse that may produce psychological and/or physiological dependence.

Methods of Adderall Abuse

Abuse may mean taking Adderall through an unapproved method, like crushing and snorting or injecting instead of swallowing, taking higher doses than you were prescribed, or taking someone else’s medication.

It may also mean taking Adderall to get high or to promote side effects your doctor hasn’t deemed necessary for you. Lying to your doctor about your symptoms or switching doctors to obtain a new prescription is a dangerous abuse method.

The Food and Drug Administration or FDA has not evaluated the effectiveness of Adderall for long-term use in controlled trials. They recommend periodic re-evaluation to ensure that the drug is still benefiting the patient more than it may be harming them.

Adderall Addiction Stories

Whether ours or someone else’s, we all have Adderall addiction stories. A few stories of Adderall addiction even have tragic endings. Others are more positive and give addicts in recovery hope. We’re here to remind you that your story is your own.

Drug addiction rarely gets better when it goes untreated. And though it has been labeled a study drug, misused Adderall more often gives the illusion of efficiency rather than actually making us more productive.

Since many Adderall addiction stories involve students and amphetamines or workplace Adderall abuse, we thought it would be helpful to next talk about the average age when drug abuse begins.

Age at Which Abuse Begins

Recent studies have revealed that the peak ages for beginning misuse of prescription stimulants are between ages 16 and 19. While this is when misuse begins, that does not necessarily mean that it never starts at other ages or doesn’t continue into other age groups.

As we mentioned before, about half of patients diagnosed with DHD under 18 will also experience symptoms into adulthood. Many adults continue to misuse Adderall, whether to combat symptoms or boost productivity at home or work.

Signs of Adderall Dependency

In this section, we want to focus on the behavioral and emotional signs of Adderall dependency before moving on to the physical signs. If you are concerned for yourself or a loved one, there are several signs of Adderall dependency to keep in mind. Here are a few examples:

• Becoming angry or defensive when asked about your Adderall use.
• Lying to friends or loved ones about your drug habits.
• Neglecting responsibilities and hobbies to spend more time under the influence of Adderall.
• Needing higher or more frequent doses to achieve the side effects that you want.

Side Effects of Adderall Addiction

One of the most troubling side effects of Adderall addiction is the presence of stimulant withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop taking it. In addition to presenting mental and physical health risks, withdrawal symptoms are some of the most common relapse triggers.

Some of the most common Adderall withdrawal symptoms include depression, fatigue, and sleep problems. These and other Adderall withdrawal symptoms have led many users to start taking them again to feel better.

But over time, these side effects only get worse. And continued long-term use comes with additional risks, including a higher risk of overdose. A stimulant overdose can cause severe or even fatal side effects, including heart attacks and seizures.

The Connection Between Amphetamines and Mania and Psychosis

Misuse of stimulants is associated with dangers like psychosis, heart attack, heart disease, and even sudden death. Adderall abuse can have long-term or even permanent mental and physical health consequences.

And it turns out that there may also be a direct link between Adderall and more dangerous substances.

ADHD Meds and the Meth Connection

While further research may be needed to better understand the connection, evidence shows a high prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults who use meth. What this tells us is that untreated ADHD symptoms often lead to drug abuse of different kinds.

If you are battling Adderall or methamphetamine addiction, our recovery programs can help. We also offer dual diagnosis programs for those who are battling co-occurring mental health disorders. And this is not limited to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia are some of the most common co-occurring mental health disorders. Treating addiction and mental health disorders together is crucial to recovery.

Treating one and not the other will ensure that neither truly gets better.

Treatment for Adderall Dependency Issues

Depending on the level of your addiction, withdrawal symptoms, and other needs, we offer several different treatment options for Adderall dependency issues. For example, someone with a co-occurring mental health disorder might choose a partial hospitalization program or PHP.

The in-depth care offered during a PHP can provide effective help for both substance-related and mental health symptoms. Similarly, someone with a particularly severe addiction, troubling withdrawal symptoms, or a history of relapse might choose an inpatient or residential program.

In the comfort and safety of our facility, inpatient programs offer 24-hour access to high-level care, support, and guidance. Lastly, someone with a milder addiction, limited withdrawal symptoms, and no mental health concerns might choose an intensive outpatient program.

An intensive outpatient program allows you to continue working, spending time with family, and attending to other responsibilities at home while visiting our facility for treatments each week. Generally, these require nine to 19 hours of your time each week.

Attaining long-term recovery from Adderall addictions starts with choosing the right program. We will help you evaluate your addiction and needs, choose the right program, and customize it to suit you. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions at a Best Rehabs In Arizona.

Paving Your Way at a Best Rehabs In Arizona

The road to recovery looks different for everyone. We are here to help you find your way. Call our confidential line today at 866-576-4892 to start building your customized care plan. Our addiction counselors are always on call to answer questions and guide you through the next steps.

You may know Adderall as a medication that’s used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While it is used by adults, Adderall is most frequently used to treat ADHD in children. Children usually present the first symptoms of ADHD around the age of seven. What Happens When You Mix Adderall and Weed?

Sometimes the disorder goes away but up to 60 percent of children continue to experience symptoms in adulthood. Therefore, some adults have prescriptions for this drug.

Adderall is also used to help people with narcolepsy to stay awake. However, like many other prescription drugs, it’s also used recreationally by people who don’t have prescriptions.

Often, it’s combined with weed in an attempt to negate some of the negative side effects. Even people who have prescriptions may mix Adderall and weed.

In this article, we’ll look at the effects of mixing these two drugs. If you or someone you love is engaging in this practice, you need to talk to a medical professional.

The Effects of Adderall and Cannabis

Before we get into what happens when these two substances are combined, we first need to understand the side effects of each drug when taken separately. This sets the stage for understanding how they may interact.

Adderall is a central nervous system stimulant that’s made up of four amphetamine salts:

• Dextroamphetamine saccharate
• Amphetamine aspartate
• Dextroamphetamine sulfate
• Amphetamine sulfate

Adderall increases the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. It helps to improve attention, focus, listening skills, and organizational skills while also controlling behavioral challenges.

While this drug is intended to make people with ADHD more focused, some people who don’t have this condition use it for pleasure or to improve their performance. Many of these individuals are college or high school students who want to stay awake for long periods while they cram for exams or work on large projects.

However, professionals who want to improve their job performance and athletes who want to do better on the field may also use it.

Like other stimulants, Adderall can cause cardiovascular and psychological distress. Some of the side effects include:

• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Depression when coming down
• Loss of sex drive
• Headaches
• Dry mouth
• Weight loss
• Diarrhea

Cannabis

Weed or cannabis is a psychoactive drug that is often smoked or consumed in an edible form. Many people see it as a harmless and even highly therapeutic drug.

However, the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content today is a lot higher than it was in the 1970s and this makes it more dangerous than some people realize. THC is the main psychoactive component in cannabis and it creates the high for which cannabis is typically known.

Some individuals who have ADHD use marijuana as a way of self-medicating. There are people who advocate for the use of weed as an ADHD treatment.

They say that it helps individuals to manage severe symptoms like irritability, agitation, and lack of restraint while causing fewer side effects than the usual prescription medicines.

While many people find cannabis beneficial, it can have serious side effects for some individuals. These side effects vary depending on how strong the weed is and how high the individual’s tolerance is.

Effects can include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Paranoia
• Hallucinations 
• Brain fog
• Increased appetite
• Blood pressure spikes
• Increased heart rate
• Laziness and inactivity

Chronic use of marijuana can also lead to long-term issues such as:

• Problems breathing
• Increased heart rate
• Nausea and vomiting
• A decline in IQ if started as a teenager
• A decline in verbal ability and general knowledge
• Decreased life satisfaction
• Problems with fetal development in pregnant women

People often believe that weed can’t be addictive. However, between 9 and 30 percent of people who use marijuana will go on to develop a substance use disorder. Individuals who start using when they’re under the age of 18 are more likely to become addicted

Marijuana can also be harmful for people with mental health conditions. For example, individuals who have schizophrenia are more likely to develop psychosis. Smoking marijuana can also make respiratory conditions worse.

What People Who Combine Adderall and Weed Experience

While Adderall and cannabis have benefits when used separately, mixing them is a cause for concern. It can be difficult to answer the question “what does mixing Adderall with weed feel like?” since marijuana can have such varying effects.

We know that Adderall is a stimulant but marijuana can be a stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogen depending on the strain used. Therefore, weed can either enhance the effects of Adderall or balance them out.

Some people who have ADHD say weed reduces the agitation and distress that Adderall often causes.

Meanwhile, some people who use marijuana say Adderall helps to relieve side effects such as fatigue and reduced cognitive function. This may seem like the ideal combination for people who use either drug for therapeutic purposes. However, not everyone will have the same experience.

Dangers of Adderall Abuse

The long-term abuse of Adderall can lead to irregular heart rhythms, increased blood pressure, and even addiction. People are most likely to become addicted to Adderall when they take more than the prescribed dose, take doses more frequently than prescribed or use the drug for longer than prescribed

Adderall can become more addictive when taken with other substances and people who struggle with substance abuse disorders are among those at the highest risk.

Students, people with stressful jobs, athletes, and individuals who struggle with bulimia or anorexia are also more likely to become addicted to Adderall. Even after individuals quit using Adderall, they may continue to face irreversible health issues.

Dangers of Combining Both Drugs

Depression is one of the possible outcomes when people use both Adderall and weed. Long-term Adderall use can make it difficult for the brain to release dopamine and serotonin on its own. The brain comes to rely on Adderall to produce these chemicals.

As a result, the user may experience depression and anhedonia, which is an inability to feel pleasure without using drugs. Heavy marijuana use can also cause the brain to release less dopamine so combining Adderall and weed over a long period can lead to depression.

Another danger of combining Adderall and weed is that the risk of abuse increases. Some people experience an even more desirable high when they take both drugs. This euphoria can drive them to use these substances again. This can lead to addiction.

People who abuse Adderall and weed regularly may need to undergo a medical detox process to get the drugs out of their bodies. Taking combinations of drugs that haven’t been prescribed is often dangerous. If you’re mixing substances and you’re finding it hard to stop, seek professional help.

How Long Do Weed and Adderall Stay in the Body?

Adderall has a half-life of about ten hours. This means it takes about ten hours  for half the dosage to leave the body. Generally, it’ll take around two days for the drug to leave your system.

Meanwhile, the effects of marijuana peak around ten minutes after use and last for one to three hours in most cases.

However, the effects can last for up to eight or ten hours. A lot depends on:

• The individual’s tolerance
• The individual’s body weight and metabolism
• How much weed they took
• How much THC the weed contained
• Whether they ate beforehand 

Can You Overdose on Adderall?

The simple answer is yes. While people often associate overdoses with opioids and other depressants, stimulant overdoses can and do occur. They are different in that they result from an overstimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Therefore, symptoms of an Adderall overdose include:

• Heart attack
• Aggression
• Panic
• Hallucinations
• Tremors
• Fever 

It takes a lot of Adderall to cause a fatal overdose. A lethal dose is somewhere between 20 and 25 milligrams per kilogram of body weight and it’s not likely that a person would take that much.

However, using weed can mitigate some of the side effects of Adderall. This may lead the person to use even more Adderall, thereby increasing the risk of a dangerous overdose. If you think you or someone else is experiencing an

Adderall overdose, call the emergency services and let them assess the situation. 

How to Tell If You’re Addicted to Adderall or Weed

Addiction is complicated and people who struggle with their drug use often aren’t sure about if they’re addicted or not. Given that it’s relatively easy to legally source both weed and Adderall, the lines may be even more blurred.

However, it’s important to note that any substance can be abused and even if you have a prescription for Adderall, you may be misusing the drug. If you’re worried about your drug use or your loved ones have raised concerns, you should talk to an addictions professional. 

Signs of drug addiction include:

• Difficulty stopping or reducing your drug use
• Needing more and more of a drug to get the effects you once did
• Experiencing strong cravings for the substance
• Thinking about ways to acquire more of the drug
• Prioritizing the substance over hobbies and other things you enjoyed
• Developing increased tolerance
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking the drug
• Repeatedly using the substance in dangerous situations
• Continuing to use the substance even though it is negatively affecting your health
• Continuing to use the substance even though it is negatively affecting people you love
• Neglecting your responsibilities in favor of drug use

How Treatment Can Help

Misusing Adderall and weed is considered polydrug abuse. If you’re abusing two or more substances, treatment will need to address all of them along with any co-occurring disorders like anxiety or depression.

Any kind of substance abuse can have life-altering effects and your health can suffer in both the long and the short term. While mixing Adderall and weed may not be as dangerous and combining Adderall and alcohol, it is still unsafe.

The sooner you seek help, the better it will be for you. You may be able to reverse some of the damage caused by your drug use and prevent additional problems from occurring in the future.

By enrolling in a recovery program, you can detox from the substances in your body and learn how you can achieve long-term sobriety. It is highly recommended that you undergo medical detox.

You’ll have 24/7 medical supervision and you’ll be provided with medications to help you manage nausea, vomiting, and depression that may accompany withdrawal.

Making it through the detoxification process is the start of recovery. Getting the drugs out of your body is essential but you also need to take care of your mental and emotional needs.

It’s important that you identify what caused you to abuse drugs in the first place and then learn how to handle those triggers.

Treatments vary from one facility to another but people struggling with substance abuse problems typically benefit from one or more of the following interventions:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Dialectical behavior therapy
• Group therapy
• Individual therapy
• Family therapy
• Motivational interviewing
• Stress management
• Relapse prevention planning

Get Addiction Treatment from Best Rehabs In Arizona

Now that you’re aware of the dangers of mixing Adderall and weed, you may think that you have a drug problem. Given the long and short-term dangers of substance abuse, you need to make it a priority to find a reputable rehab facility. At Best Rehabs In Arizona, we provide individuals with the tools they need to live a life free of addiction. We don’t only focus on detox. We offer a variety of customized evidence-based treatments that cater to the mind, body, and spirit. If you’re ready to start your recovery journey, call us to discuss the available treatment options. We offer fast insurance verification.