When prescribed, stimulant medications are usually started at a low dose and gradually increased until symptoms subside, or until side effects become problematic. These stimulants can have a calming effect on people with ADHD that helps them focus, dramatically improving their ability to stay organized and complete tasks. Doctors prescribe stimulants such as Concerta ® and Adderall ®, sometimes in combination with counseling, to treat these symptoms. For teens, this can result in difficulty with completing schoolwork or other tasks. People with ADHD have problems maintaining attention (e.g., fidgeting or trouble concentrating), and may be more hyperactive and impulsive than others of the same age. How Do Prescription Stimulants Treat ADHD? Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, movement, and attention. Like all stimulant drugs, prescription stimulants increase levels of dopamine in the brain. These medications, which are in the same class of drugs as cocaine and methamphetamine (“meth”), increase alertness, energy, and attention. Prescription stimulants include medications such as methylphenidate (Ritalin ® and Concerta ®) and amphetamines (Dexedrine ® and Adderall ®). Read on to get the facts about prescription stimulants and why abusing them is dangerous. Prescription stimulants are powerful drugs, and when they are abused there can be serious health consequences, including addiction. Unfortunately, they are too often abused by being taken in doses and/or in ways other than intended, or by being used by someone for whom they were not prescribed. When taken as prescribed, these medications help a lot of people. 1 Doctors prescribe stimulants to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy (a sleep disorder), and, occasionally, depression. The most recent Monitoring the Future survey shows a disturbing fact: Prescription stimulants such as Adderall ® and Ritalin ® are two of the drugs most frequently abused by high school seniors, with 6.5 percent reporting nonmedical use of Adderall ® in the past year.
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