What Is Adderall?
Is NZT the same as Adderall? Adderall is a very popular supplement throughout the world. The drug literally makes the brain produce more norepinephrine and dopamine, rather than simply making them work more efficiently in the brain. Adderall is literally derived from four different types of amphetamines, so referring to it as the brand name for certain amphetamines is not inaccurate. NZT may have in-fact been based on the prescription drug, Adderall. NZT is the brand name of the nootropic drug the character is given in the movie.
Adderall is almost always prescribed to treat ADHD and ADD, given the sheer prevalence of attention deficit disorders like these. Sleeping disorders, which are less common, can also be treated using Adderall. The off-label use of Adderall among everyone from college students to Wall Street traders has been very common for a long time, however, and it has tremendous implications for their health and for society in general.
History
Adderall’s history and the history of amphetamines, in general, are all intertwined. Amphetamines date back to the late nineteenth century. They were commonly prescribed back in the 1950s in order to treat anxiety and weight problems in the housewives of the time period. They are no longer prescribed for that purpose today, but amphetamines live on in prescription drugs. Adderall has now been used for decades, and there is an enormous industry built around the drugs that are charged with taking care of behavioral problems like ADD and ADHD.
Uses
Adderall is generally used in order to treat ADHD and ADD. When people start showing symptoms of this, their doctors will often quickly prescribe them some Adderall, even at a fairly early age. Symptoms of ADD and ADHD can persist into adulthood. The earlier perception that children will usually grow out of this condition has largely been found to be wrong. Some people will take Adderall for most of their lives.
How To Use Adderall
When you take Adderall for a cognitive boost, nootropic supplements like Piracetam and L-Tyrosine (the bottles in this blog post) are an absolute MUST. They make Adderall not only safer but far more potent. Adderall should be used by the people who have sleeping disorders and attention deficit disorders, and with a valid prescription. People who use Adderall in an off-label fashion are going to have a difficult time regulating their usage, and they will have an equally difficult time deciding on appropriate use in the first place.
Benefits
The benefits of Adderall, for better or for worse, have been very strongly documented by way of both scientific evidence and anecdotal evidence. People who take Adderall find it easier to concentrate and to focus on tasks at hand. The ability to concentrate has tremendous cognitive implications, so this increased cognitive ability can improve people’s cognitive performance in many other ways.
People who can focus more effectively can learn more effectively. People who can direct their energy will have the motivation to be able to complete various tasks. Plenty of individuals who don’t have depression or other sorts of problems can seem like they do just because they’re having problems with their attention spans and their ability to focus. Taking supplements like Adderall really can make all the difference in that regard for the people in this situation.
ADD and ADHD are not always regarded as disabilities, but they are. They’re the sort of cognitive disabilities that really can hold people back, and the people who are leaving them untreated are shortchanging themselves. However, there are many different treatments that are out there for the people who have attention deficit problems, and it is important for them to choose the treatments that are ultimately going to make them better in more ways than one, without making them worse in any other way.
Recommended Dosage
There is no set Adderall dosage. The recommended dosage for Adderall will vary depending upon the age and size of the user, the condition for which the Adderall is intended to treat, and other factors related to the patient’s medical history. In the movie, NZT gives the user increased awareness, unprecedented amounts of focus and motivation, and allows one to memorize at a much more rapid pace than when they are sober brained. Sound like Adderall at all?
On average, an adult who is taking Adderall for the sake of treating ADD and ADHD will take 20 mg each and every day. Adults who take Adderall for the sake of fighting sleeping disorders like narcolepsy will take Adderall at different levels throughout the course of their treatment, often cycling in the process. Adderall can wake people up, but it can also lead to feelings of restlessness, which isn’t always going to be ultimately good for the people who are suffering from narcolepsy.
There is no real recommended dosage for the healthy people who are taking Adderall in an off-label fashion. These people will often find the dosage that works for them purely through trial and error. People’s ability to absorb supplements is going to vary a great deal, which will complicate the situation.
Side Effects
In the film “Limitless,” the character experiences hallucinations, insomnia, loss of appetite, and when he gets off the drug, feels a withdrawal of extreme depression, brain fog, loss of social skills, paranoia, weakened immunity, etc. These effects (while extremely exaggerated) are all very much the same as that of the prescription drug Adderall. The side effects of Adderall are going to depend on the length of time that someone takes Adderall as well as the dosage that patients take. Patients who take the recommended dosages from their valid prescriptions are going to be in relatively good shape when it comes to the side effects. They will probably still experience some of the side effects, but they should not experience the more severe ones. Any patients that do should automatically let their physicians know about it.
Getting headaches, dry mouth, a reduced appetite, and sleeplessness is very common for the people who are taking Adderall. Even people who are taking the supplement at normal and prescribed doses are typically going to wind up with symptoms like this. Most of these symptoms are irritating as opposed to debilitating, but they can still have an impact on a person’s quality of life.
Lots of people end up losing weight when they take Adderall, partly due to the reduced appetite and partly due to the increase in energy that they will usually get on the supplement. Amphetamines were once legally prescribed for the sake of weight loss, particularly to housewives in the 1950’s. It isn’t surprising that modern amphetamine pills can more or less do the same thing.
Very large doses of Adderall can have very severe psychological and physiological side effects. Very large doses are associated with the loss of muscle mass, which is largely due to the body breaking down its own tissues for the energy necessary to support its elevated metabolic rate. This lost muscle can be very difficult to get back. The people who use amphetamines chronically will often lose muscle in their faces, which will permanently change the way their faces look, and they will often lose the muscle that helps support their bones, putting them at risk for osteoporosis and many other conditions.
While normal doses of Adderall can improve a person’s cognitive ability, taking very large doses can actually do the exact opposite. People can find that their memories and other cognitive abilities will suffer if they take very large doses of Adderall, giving them minds that seem old before their time, matching the bodies that will seem old before their time due to the muscle loss that people will get at high levels of Adderall.
It is true that the worst side effects will only be caused by the most severe overdoses. However, the margin for error when it comes to taking Adderall can be smaller than people think.
What Does Adderall Feel Like?
Adderall is a stimulant, with all that that implies. It will wake patients up very quickly. It will usually take some time for the drug to work, but when it does work, it will often feel like a revelation for patients everywhere. They will feel more energized, and they will often be able to feel more able to use their new elevated levels of energy.
Research
The body of research on Adderall is complex because it depends upon what one considers applicable. A lot of the research on Adderall, in particular, is about its potential to treat the people who have attention deficit disorders like ADD and ADHD. Forty years worth of research has demonstrated that stimulants like Adderall can treat people that have attention deficit disorders of some variety or another.
Adderall vs Ritalin
Ritalin is one of the other most common supplements that is used to treat ADD and ADHD. Compared to Adderall, it is less commonly used as a recreational drug or study aid, making its cultural role very different. Ritalin starts working faster, at least according to a lot of the patients who use it.
Adderall vs Provigil
Adderall is being increasingly compared to Provigil or Modafinil. In some circles, Modafinil is starting to replace Adderall as the drug of choice. The people in the financial sector who used to take Adderall like it was going out of style are now taking Modafinil instead. Even college students, who are among the most common off-label Adderall users, are now starting to prefer Modafinil and the supplements that are like it.
Modafinil is growing in popularity in this community because it can also improve a person’s ability to concentrate and focus, but it is not going to have the unfortunate side effects that are associated with Adderall. More and more people are also taking Modafinil for the sake of treating their attention deficit problems. Modafinil can help people with documented attention deficit problems, and it can help people with everyday attention deficit problems as well. Modafinil is not without its own set of side effects, of course, but those side effects do not compare to those of Adderall.
Legal Status
Like all drugs that are derived from amphetamines, Adderall doesn’t have a straightforward legal status. Doctors need to prescribe Adderall to patients for their use to be legal for them. Even people who are caught carrying Adderall who has a prescription may find themselves in trouble temporarily. The people who don’t have a prescription who get caught with Adderall can find themselves in serious legal trouble. Much like NZT in the movie, Adderall is illegal to possess on your own (less you have an Rx that is!)
Final Thoughts
Adderall, if stacked atop of nootropics, helps to improve focus, memory, and overall cognition. Adderall is a supplement used to help people with disabilities first and foremost, and so it should remain. The able people who use Adderall are almost always going to be taking an unnecessary risk, and it is possible that the disabled people who are using Adderall would be better off with something like Modafinil in the first place. The fact that Adderall is used so frequently does not necessarily mean that it is perfectly safe to use, or that it will be just as common to use in the future. The history of drugs is a complicated one.
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