Adderall
Adderall is a drug which acts in the brain as stimulant. It is made of a combination of amphetamine isomers (salts) and is primarily used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Another common use of the drug has been in the treatment of narcolepsy (medical condition which is characterized by sudden episodes of excessive sleep and is interrupted by period of waking).
Adderall has almost completely replaced Ritalin as the drug of choice for attention deficit disorder. Recently, Adderall has also been shown to be of some benefit to individuals with depression which is resistant to the traditional Tricyclics and SSRIs. However, this is not an approved indication for the use of Adderall.
Adderall is available as pill which either works instantly or can have a delayed release action. Once Adderall is administered to individual with ADHD, there is a significant improvement in concentration, attention span and ability to perform complex tasks.
Because Adderall works as a appetite suppressant, it is often used as a weight-loss drug. It is also often used as a study drug for example at many American universities. By using the drug students are able to focus their concetration to a much higher level than normal and stay awake long periods of time.
However, using amphetamine for boosting performance and staying awake has its downside. When amphetamine is used to stay awake long periods of time it can result in drastic side effects after the use. These are, for example, loss of energy, vomiting, muscle spasms, and mental confusion.
When using amphetamine the tolerance for the drug grows fastly - user must take higher dosage to get the same effects than before. When large doses of ampthetamine are used for long periods of time a strong dependence is created. Abruptly stopping the use usually results in a extreme fatigue and mental depression.
Despite past concerns, when Adderall is used by the prescripton, it has little chance of causing drug dependence.