01-02-2009, 10:43 AM
Because Adderal and other similar psychostimulants cause a release of Dopamine (and norepinephrine and serotonin to a lesser degree.) The chemical dopamine is related to the ability to focus and carry out prolonged tasks. It is thought (but not known conclusively) that people with ADD/ADHD don't produce as much dopamine as people without ADD/ADHD. The psychostimulants boost dopamine, thus returning the ADD/ADHD sufferer to a state of normalcy and allowing them to focus.People without ADD/ADHD get high because they already have enough dopamine, so adding stimulants causes a huge amount of dopamine to circulate in the brain, causing a"high."People with ADD can get high off of Adderall and the like, but many don't like the feeling, for whatever reason.EDIT: That's about as basic as your going to get in regards to the chemistry of Adderall and the brain. As for giving people with ADD more energy, it's not so much that. It should help calm them down, and it often does. Sometimes it doesn't, too - depends on the individual person. Remember, ADHD patients are considered"hyperactive,"they already have a lot of energy. ADD folks simply can't focus and aren't hyperactive.Many people with either disorder say that Adderall calms them down, even"zombifies"or"emotionally flatlines"them. I took this medicine as a kid, and robbed me of my energy. I could focus better, but at a terrible cost. I quit taking it soon after I began, and I've done fine in life.I'm actually a pharmacist now - this stuff is tightly controlled, because it is overprescribed and people abuse it. We actually sometimes fill methamphetamine tablets for people who found Adderall or Ritalin didn't work. So, I guess non-ADD people get high off of it. Some people that have been diagnosed with ADD (but may not actually have it) are prescribed stimulants and develop serious addiction problems from abusing it. It's terrible, and I feel bad for them. Happens more than I would like. Some doctors need to stop handing this stuff out like candy.
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