Central nervous system stimulants provide a near immediate boost in confidence, energy and focus. Unfortunately, these benefits only last for so long before a person starts to experience the downside of the drug. Withdrawal symptoms from Adderall are a clear-cut example of how bad this downside can get.
Adderall, one of the more commonly prescribed amphetamine-type medications, offers people suffering from narcolepsy and ADHD relief from distressing symptoms. In spite of its medicinal properties, Adderall effects closely resemble those of cocaine though not as powerful, according to the University of Southern California. This similarity accounts for why people who abuse the drug so often experience withdrawal symptoms from Adderall.
Ongoing abuse of this drug will likely bring on some unwanted effects as withdrawal symptoms for Adderall can impair a person’s physical and psychological health. If at all possible, the sooner a person can take steps towards stopping Adderall abuse the better chance he or she has of preventing withdrawal symptoms from Adderall from getting worse.
Adderall Effects
Most prescription stimulant-type drugs contain two types of amphetamine-based substances: levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Adderall also contains these amphetamine materials.
Insomnia is a sign of Adderall withdrawal.
Amphetamines produce some of the same effects as cocaine, a highly addictive narcotic drug. Whereas cocaine falls under the Schedule I class of narcotics, Adderall belongs to the Schedule II class. In effect, Schedule I class drugs differ from Schedule II class in that they’re illegal under the law. Otherwise, the two drug types both carry a high risk for abuse and addiction.
While withdrawal symptoms from Adderall will likely take longer to develop than cocaine withdrawal effects, Adderall withdrawal can be just as uncomfortable. Unfortunately, many an Adderall user will opt to take more of the drug in order to gain relief from uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.
Physical Withdrawal Symptoms from Adderall
Physical symptoms can run the gamut in terms of the areas of the body affected by withdrawal. Symptoms develop in response to the degree of damage done to one or more bodily processes.
Over time, physical Adderall withdrawal symptoms may take the form of:
- Insomnia – Adderall’s stimulant effects start to wreak havoc on the brain’s ability to regulate sleep cycles.
- Fatigue – Adderall interferes with normal digestive functions, impairing the body’s ability to extract nutrients from food. Energy levels drop as a result.
- Muscle aches and pains – Adderall’s effects on the central nervous system disrupts nerve signal transmissions, which results in random aches and pains.
Psychological Withdrawal Symptoms from Adderall
Adderall abuse causes unusually high levels of neurotransmitter chemicals to be released in the brain. With ongoing use, brain chemical imbalances develop. Over time, this condition alters normal chemical processes to the point where psychological dysfunction takes root.
Psychological withdrawal symptoms typically take the form of:
- Depression – An imbalance of dopamine neurotransmitter chemicals sets the stage for depression disorders to develop.
- Anxiety – An imbalance of serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmitter chemicals makes a person more susceptible to anxiety disorders.
- Paranoia – Widespread chemical imbalances disrupt communications between the cognitive and emotional centers of the brain. As a result, warped thinking and reasoning processes cause paranoid ideations to form.