Mixing Adderall And Alcohol, Addiction, Dangers, Short & Long Term Risks

Adderall is a stimulant medication. It’s used to manage the symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children. As more people are diagnosed with ADHD, more people are being prescribed this medication.

Adderall is a Schedule 2 drug. That means it’s a controlled substance with a high potential for abuse and addiction. Adderall comes with risks. Learn about Adderall and alcohol abuse.

Adderall Addiction is more likely to develop in teens and young adults because of its effects of increasing dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the central nervous system (CNS). Norepinephrine affects how the brain responds to events, particularly how it pays attention and the speed with which it reacts to outside stimuli. Dopamine, the body’s “feel-good” chemical, creates a rewarding effect. Although dopamine occurs naturally, drugs like Adderall produce unnaturally high levels of it. This can cause users to come back for more.

Adderall and other amphetamines are known as “brain boosters” and “study drugs” because some students believe that these drugs help improve cognition. Adderall doesn’t make a person smarter, but it can increase the perception and feeling of being smarter by improving motivation. Also, It can cause side effects like hallucinations, epilepsy, psychosis, and malnutrition.

The prolonged use of Adderall can lead to addiction and its associated risks. Contrary to what many teens — and even some parents — believe about abusing Adderall, amphetamine is a highly addictive drug.

Basic written instructions for nearly every prescription medication warn against taking the medication in conjunction with alcohol. In addition, most physicians strongly advise against using any prescription medication in conjunction with alcohol.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued numerous warnings regarding the dangers of mixing drugs, and textbooks like Concepts of Chemical Dependency and Chemical Dependency Treatment: Innovative Group Approaches discuss some of the reasons that it is not advisable to mix any prescription medication with alcohol.

• Mixing alcohol with most types of medications reduces the effectiveness of the medication. Mixing alcohol with stimulants leads to the perception that the effects of both the alcohol and stimulants are not as salient as they would be if one used either the stimulant or alcohol alone.
• Despite the perception that the stimulant or alcohol is not working as effectively as one believes, the actual content of the drug has not been altered. This makes it far easier to overdose on either stimulants or alcohol when both drugs are used in combination.
• When one mixes drugs with different effects, there are a number of potential unpredictable effects that can occur that often would not occur if one consumed either alcohol or Adderall alone. These can include potentially dangerous side effects, such as seizures.
• The potential for idiosyncratic effects (effects of the drugs based on individual differences in physiology and psychological makeup) is markedly enhanced.
• Continued use of large amounts of Adderall and alcohol in combination can lead to an extremely complicated situation where an individual has developed polysubstance abuse or co-occurring substance use disorders.

• As a result of buying it illegally (without a prescription)
• Under the mistaken impression that the misuse/abuse of a prescription drug does not represent a potentially dangerous situation

• From a friend or relative who has a prescription for it
• As a result of stealing it from someone who has a prescription for the drug

• Based on research findings, it appears that the reason individuals abuse both drugs together is to blunt the undesirable side effects of the stimulant drug (e.g., Adderall) by drinking alcohol.
• Adderall abuse in college students is associated with the onset of college examinations. Individuals abuse Adderall is an attempt to improve their concentration or to study for lengthy periods of time. Because using large amounts of Adderall can lead to hyperactivity, jitteriness, etc., individuals may drink alcohol to counteract these effects.

• In studies, a number of individuals reported drinking alcohol with Adderall in an attempt to allow them to “party” longer. The stimulant will counteract some of the depressant effects of alcohol.
• Some people are under the mistaken impression that because Adderall is a prescription medication, using it in conjunction with alcohol is not as potentially dangerous as using an illicit drug with alcohol.

• Although it appears that individuals primarily drink alcohol when abusing Adderall in an effort to lessen the effects of the stimulant, it is far more likely that individuals will overdose on the alcohol or suffer from alcohol poisoning due to the effects of the stimulant negating the intoxicating effects of alcohol. Of course, alcohol poisoning or an overdose of alcohol is a potentially fatal situation.
• Issues with judgment and rational thinking are exacerbated when an individual is under the influence of both drugs.
• Research indicates that the potential for negative side effects from either drug is enhanced when the drugs are combined. This can include issues with nausea and vomiting that can lead to dehydration, cardiovascular problems, issues with aggressiveness, and failure to inhibit behavior that can lead to taking serious risks.
• Despite the perception that reflexes and motor coordination are not as affected by alcohol when one mixes Adderall and alcohol together, individuals remain significantly impaired in regard to their reaction time, motor coordination, and visual perception. This can lead to a number of potentially dangerous situations.
• Mixing Adderall and alcohol leads to a significant stress on the cardiovascular system and can lead to short-term issues with hypertension as well as long-term issues with cardiovascular disease and even an increased potential for stroke.
• The potential to develop serious neurological effects, particularly seizures, is significantly increased when one mixes the two drugs.
• Long-term abuse of Adderall and alcohol can lead to serious cognitive issues that reflect damage to the central nervous system. These issues most often manifest as issues with attention/concentration, learning and memory, and complex problem-solving. In addition, a number of emotional effects that may represent damage to the central nervous system may also occur, including longstanding issues with depression, apathy, loss of motivation, and even potential psychosis.
• Many individuals are under the mistaken impression that serious ramifications from mixing Adderall and alcohol only occur if one engages in this practice repeatedly for a significant length of time. Research has indicated that this may not necessarily be true. For example, a study published in 2009 in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine presented a case study of a young individual with no prior history of cardiovascular disease or substance abuse who suffered a heart attack as a result of mixing alcohol and Adderall. Based on the information provided in the case study, the individual did not use excessive amounts of either drug.
• Other research looking at the self-reports of individuals who abuse these two drugs in conjunction notes that these individuals have more negative complaints regarding their drug use, such as issues with motivation, quality of life, depression, and health, than individuals who simply drink alcohol alone or abuse stimulants alone.
• Even though one of the primary reasons that individuals give for abusing Adderall is to enhance their ability to study, learn, and improve their grades, research indicates that individuals who abuse Adderall, or who abuse Adderall and alcohol together, typically have lower grades and significantly lower levels of academic and professional achievement than individuals who do not abuse these drugs. Thus, even though the primary reason that many individuals report for abusing stimulant medications like Adderall is to enhance their cognitive abilities, this alleged effect appears to be a myth.