Can ADHD meds like Adderall turn you into a better student with better grades?
Are Energy Drinks really that bad? M
Subscribe to ensure you don’t miss a single video
Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!
/
S
Find out more about our interviewees in our video
Gloria Joy Sherrod
/
t
Lisa Weyandt
/
/
What are ADHD meds? *
Stimulants are the most common ADHD drug. They stimulate and activate your central nervous system within 15 or 20 minutes of popping a pill. ADHD drugs, while stimulants are Caffeine, is not a stimulant. Adderall is one of the most popular stimulant medications in America. It is made from amphetamine and has been in use for many decades.
What is ADHD? *
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it’s one of the most common mental health conditions in people under 18. It’s similar to having 100 tabs open in your browser. But, in your brain, you start to pay attention to the wrong stuff and not what you really need. Adderall, the most commonly prescribed drug for ADHD in the United States, is the most popular.
*How can ADHD drugs be used to help ADHD patients? *
It all comes down to a neurotransmitter that is found in the brain, which you may have heard of, dopamine. This is crucial for your brain’s reward systems. You can maintain motivation even if you aren’t interested in something if you have a normal amount of dopamine in your brain’s synapses. ADHD sufferers have less dopamine in their brains. This means that there is less motivation to do things. There’s a greater desire for short-term reward to increase dopamine levels. ADHD medication works by increasing dopamine’s retention in the synapses. ADHD patients can focus and avoid distractions. This can make it easier to get things done at school and work.
What happens if someone with ADHD uses Adderall? *
Although many studies done in the lab have not shown that ADHD patients get an increase in cognition, real-life situations such as writing papers and exams have not been fully tested. Many studies have shown that these meds can make you believe you are doing better than you really were. There are also serious side effects that could cause long-term problems.
SOURCES
Smart drugs are on the rise
Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder and reward deficiency syndrome
f
Morning stimulant administration decreases sleep and overnight work memory improvement f
The effects of psychostimulants upon sustained attention for a 24-h period
America’s First Amphetamine Epidemic
f
Neurocognitive Effects Of Adderall
f
Mixed Amphetamine salts in healthy people have both objective and subjective cognitive enhancement effects.
What is Cognitive Enhancement?
/>
About KQED
KQED provides a public-supported alternative for commercial media to the people of Northern California. An NPR and PBS member station based in San Francisco, KQED is home to one of the most listened-to public radio stations in the nation, one of the highest-rated public television services, and an award-winning education program helping students and educators thrive in 21st-century classrooms.
KQED members are supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Koret Foundation.
CHAPTERS
0: 00 The Hype Around ADHD Drugs
0: 59 History Of Stimulants
2: 52 History and Treatment of ADHD
5: 41 Dopamine, ADHD
7: 20 The Non ADHD Brain on Stimulants
#adhd #adhdmedication #adhdlife #adhdstrategies
