Back to Basics: Adderall Part I

With articles in the New York Times, Scientific American, and a host of other respected publications, the study drug Adderall is becoming entrenched in the public mindset. Often, however, articles focus on users of the drug or potential consequences of its abuse rather than address the more mundane question of just what Adderall is. In this, the first article in "Back to Basics", I'll summarize some basic information about the drug.

Adderall is a mixture of amphetamine salts, consisting of 75% dextroamphetamine (or d-amphetamine) and 25% levoamphetamine (or l-amphetamine). Dextroamphetamine, which goes by the trade name Dexedrine or street name "speed", was synthesized first in 1887, was used extensively in World War II, and was available over-the-counter in the United States until 1970. It produces marked increases in mood, wakefulness, motivation, focus, and energy. Levoamphetamine, an isomer of dextroamphetamine, is neither as addictive nor as potent as its cousin, but may have a more pronounced effect on memory, according to a recent study.

It should be noted that the word amphetamine need not refer to either of the constituents of Adderall; indeed, MDMA (ecstasy), methampheatmine, and other chemicals are members of the amphetamine class, though they may produce dramatically different effects from Adderall. The media, an in particular anti-drug movements, have a tendency to make statements about the class of amphetamines as a whole, but the differences between them in effects and addictive potential are considerable.

Typical doses of Adderall range from 10-40 mg per day, and the drug may come as an instant release tablet with a half-life of 12 hours or a sustained release capsule with a half-life approaching 18 hours. Due to short-term neurological adaptations, however, the perceived effects of Adderall tend to last for a shorter period of time.

Adderall is indicated (i.e. approved by the FDA) for attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, though it is often prescribed for depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and traumatic brain injury.

With the basics covered, the next post in this series will look at how Adderall works in the brain.