Understanding Adderall and ADHD Treatment

Adderall is basically a combination of amphetamine and

dextroamphetamine.

Now, some of you probably realize this, that Adderall is amphetamine,

but I'm guessing that there are a good number of you out there,

perhaps even

parents and kids, that don't realize that these drugs like cocaine

and amphetamine, methamphetamine, which are incredibly

dangerous and incredibly habit-forming and

have high potential for abuse, well, the pharmaceutical versions

of those are exactly what are used to treat ADHD.

Now, they're not exactly like cocaine or methamphetamine, but they

are structurally

and chemically very similar, and their net effect in the brain

and body is essentially the same, which is to increase dopamine

primarily, but also to increase levels of a

neuromodulator called

epinephrine or norepinephrine, also called noradrenaline and adrenaline,

those

names are the same. And to some extent, to increase levels of

serotonin in the brain and blood, but not so much serotonin.

That's just kind of a, a small smidgen of effect, okay?

So dopamine way up, norepinephrine and adrenaline way

up, so that's motivation, drive, focus, and energy,

and to some extent, a little bit of serotonin, which is

really more about feeling calm and relaxed,

and you could imagine why that would be a good balancing effect

for dopamine and norepinephrine.

So what I'm essentially saying is that the drugs that are used to treat

ADHD are stimulants, and they look very much like, in fact,

nearly identical to some of the so-called street drug stimulants

that we all hear are so terrible.

However, I do want to emphasize that at the appropriate

dosages and working with a quality

psychiatrist or neurologist or family physician, it does have to be

a board-certified MD that prescribes these things,

many people with

ADHD achieve h- excellent relief with these

drugs. Not all of them, but many of them do, especially

if these treatments are

started