The purpose of this report is to inform about the effects of Adderall on the brain and the effects it can have on someone’s performance in their education. Education now days is a very important factor in achieving the best possible lifestyle, but for some learning isn’t the easiest thing to do. A lot people don’t realise how lucky they are to be able to learn properly and the education they have available to them. For people that have ADHD, they have to take Adderall to help them learn and help them to focus more on the work they are doing. Such a simple task to most people is an everyday struggle for people with ADHD. Adderall is a combination of 2 drugs, amphetamine and Dextroamphetamine, these are combined together to give the person suffering with ADHD better control over their condition, but unfortunately it isn’t as easy has that. Taking the drug has its own risks and side effects and it is important that if someone doesn’t have a prescription from the doctor it is strongly advised that the individual does not take this drug to help them try and study for that it does have a very dangerous drug in it.


Background

The synthesis of amphetamine seen in figure 1. The starting product of amphetamine is benzaldehyde. Benzaldehyde and nitroethane are added together in the presences an amine to create phenyl-2-nitropropene. A reduction reaction occurs in the presences of lithium aluminium hydride leaving the final product as Amphetamine as seen in figure 2.


Figure 1: Amphetamine synthesis. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amphetamine_Knoevenagel_synthesis.svg


Figure 2: Amphetamine Structure. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amphetamine_Knoevenagel_synthesis.svg

Dextroamphetamine is a synthetic drug and is made to replicate amphetamines and is used specifically for patients with ADHD. Dextroamphetamine is an enantiomer of amphetamine. An enantiomer is a “mirror image” of something, so in this case Dextroamphetamine is a mirror image of amphetamine, not identical but reversed. Enantiomers have identical chemical and physical properties. Dextroamphetamine and amphetamine are combined in Adderall to give patients a greater control over their condition. It is the patients doctor who decides what drug to prescribe the patients.

Figure 3: Dextroamphetamine structure. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:D-amphetamine.svg

Adderall is taken orally and is then absorbed into the blood stream by the stomach. From there the drug takes it effects on the Central Nervous System. Adderall is a Central Nervous System stimulant that alters the amount of naturally occurring chemicals in the brain. It improves the effects of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine. Not only does Adderall effect the Central Nervous System but it effects the Circulatory and Respiratory Systems, Digestive System and Skin. The drug has different effects on each part of the body. On the Skin it can cause allergic reactions, causing it to itch. It may also result in hives, rash, or blistering skin. With the Digestive System it increases the amount of glucose that is released into the person’s body. It can cause stomach pain and constipation. It can lead to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea and it can slow down a child’s weight gain. On the Circulatory and Respiration System Adderall can cause the person taking the drugs fingers and toes to go numb or hurt and might also turn the skin on their fingers and toes to turn blue or red. Stimulants in general make someone’s blood vessels constrict, raise their blood pressure and make their heart beat faster. Even more serious side effects Adderall can have on someone’s Circulatory and Respiratory System are strokes and heart attacks and in patients that already have heart problems taking Adderall can lead to sudden death. In the central nervous system there are a lot of potential side effects these include nervousness, restlessness, and headaches. People who take Adderall may experience problems getting to sleep, staying asleep or feeling dizzy. Some patients may experience dry mouth, hoarseness, or slowed speech as well as changes in vision. Some serious side effects include fever and weakness or numbness of the limbs. Adderall may cause swelling of the tongue, throat and face. It can lead to shaking, tics, or seizures that are uncontrollable. It can cause hallucinations, paranoia, and other thought issues. 

Adderall is typically used to treat patients with ADHD. Adderall taps into the parts of their brains that control hyperactivity and impulses. It also improves attention and focus ability. What the drug does is basically brings the brain down from a state of overstimulation to a baseline stimulation, which is where most of us are. Once Adderall gets to the brain, it copies the actions of the neurotransmitters adrenaline, norepinephrine, and dopamine, in higher quantities. So, as dopamine brings a rush of reward and pleasure to an area in the forebrain. Epinephrine is tapping into the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our fight-or-flight response, resulting alertness, clarity, and focus. Norepinephrine works to control all of these activities by making communication between neurons easier, and helping them to last longer than they normally should .

Discussion

Adderall is known as and many call it the “study drug”, because of its effects. It gives students studying better focus on their work. According to anecdotal evidence, it allows students to literally cram a lot more information into their brains then they normally would be able to. But other studies suggest this evidence isn’t true. However, evidence has shown that non-prescription users were more likely to use marijuana and alcohol, to skip class more frequently then not and to spend less time studying, so the drug hasn’t been proven to actually work like this. Adderall, although it helps people who suffer with ADHD it comes along with side effects that would really effect one’s ability to learn. Some side effects include restlessness, headaches, feeling dizzy, hoarseness, or slowed speech as well as changes in vision. And then there are some other side effects that can really have a negative effect someone’s education and might even hospitalise someone these include fevers and weakness or numbness of the limbs, swelling in the tongue, throat and face. It can lead to shaking, tics, or seizures that are uncontrollable. It can cause hallucinations, paranoia, and other thought issues. 

On the other side of everything Adderall does improve memory. There is evidence that Adderall improves basic recall of information that has been studied while on the drug. Adderall does though have a limited impact on working memory. It can even decrease performance in some people. This means that even though Adderall may make it easier to remember the information learned it does nothing to help anyone use that information. Study shows that the focus Adderall gives provides that individuals to choose to study longer and harder. This can lead to improved academic outcomes in the short term but it does not convert to long-term knowledge or improved performance without continuing the use of the drug.

Conclusion

Adderall is a very dangerous drug and had to be very carefully thought about before prescribed to someone with ADHD or narcolepsy , as it has some very dangerous side effects. As this report has shown, Adderall can be abused to help someone focus, and this person doesn’t necessarily have to have ADHD for this drug to take its effects. Adderall is taken to help persons with ADHD to focus and to help them learn, but sometimes the side effects of taking this drug can make it even harder for someone to focus and learn. Even though the drug is helping someone’s ability to remember and recall some knowledge it is not improving one’s ability to remember that information long-term. 

Public Education Piece

My public education piece is an artwork to advise the general public of the information learned during this research assignment.

References

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Goodrich, K. n.d. does Adderall effect learning retrieved from https://www.brainscape.com/blog/2016/05/does-adderall-effect-learning/

Pietrangelo, A. n.d. Adderall effects on body retrieved from 
http://www.healthline.com/health/adhd/adderall-effects-on-body 

Rivas, A. n.d. Adderall effect your brain retrieved from 
http://www.medicaldaily.com/adderalls-effect-your-brain-whatever-obscure-benefits-there-are-its-not-worth-it-313862