Adderall News and Research

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Adderall (dextroamphetamine-amphetamine) is a combination of two synthetic agents with central nervous system stimulant activity. Both agents are non-catecholamine, sympathomimetic agents that elevate blood pressure and cause bronchodilation. These agents are commonly abused psychostimulant drugs that induce psychologic dependence manifested by elevated mood, increased wakefulness, concentration, physical performance and a feeling of well-being. Tolerance to various effects develops unequally, so that tachycardia and enhanced alertness diminish while psychotoxic effects (hallucinations and delusions) may occur.

Misuse of ADHD stimulant medications declines sharply among young adults

Misuse of stimulant medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has declined sharply.

9 Jul 2026

Unprescribed Adderall causes significant cardiovascular effects in young adults

A Mayo Clinic study found that a single 25 mg dose of a combination of amphetamine-dextroamphetamine salts (Adderall) can have measurable cardiovascular effects in healthy young adults.

2 Mar 2026

Brain imaging reveals how stimulant drugs improve performance in ADHD

Prescription stimulants, such as Ritalin and Adderall, are widely used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including in children.

26 Dec 2025

Researchers to analyze shorter ADHD treatment lengths among Hispanic and Black patients

The National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has awarded $3.7 million to Indiana University researchers to investigate the complex relationship between ADHD medications and serious substance use problems among vulnerable youth and young adults.

3 Oct 2025

Study reveals unequal burden of the fentanyl epidemic across the United States

A new study illuminates how some areas of the country have been hit much harder than others by the fentanyl epidemic, which took more than 70,800 lives in 2022 alone.

17 Sep 2025

Chronically ill? In Kennedy’s view, it might be your own fault

On a recent weekday evening, Ashly Richards helped her 13-year-old son, Case, with homework. He did math problems and some reading, underscoring how much he's accomplished at his school for children with autism.

31 Jul 2025

FAU neuroscientist receives NIH grant to study amphetamine effects on the brain

Lucia Carvelli, Ph.D., associate professor of neuroscience at Florida Atlantic University's Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College and a member of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, has received a $571,675 grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance critical research into how amphetamines affect brain function.

15 Jul 2025

Fentanyl poisonings among children in the U.S. increase sharply over eight years

Incidents of children in the U.S. being poisoned by the synthetic opioid fentanyl "increased and became more severe", a new study reveals.

8 Mar 2025

Telehealth for ADHD treatment linked to higher substance use disorder risk

For nearly five years, people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder have had the option of getting their stimulant medications prescribed and renewed by doctors they see only over a computer screen, despite the risks that these stimulant drugs can pose if misused.

6 Mar 2025

Prescription drug misuse rates higher among adults with disabilities

Adults with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to misuse prescription drugs as adults without disabilities, according to West Virginia University research.

4 Mar 2025

Adderall shortage linked to shift in ADHD treatment for children

A national shortage in a common treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was associated with changes in stimulant prescriptions filled for children over recent years, a new study suggests.

27 Jan 2025

Stimulant users are caught in fatal ‘fourth wave’ of opioid epidemic

In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, near a storefront advertising "free" cellphones, J.R. sat in an empty back stairwell and showed a reporter how he tries to avoid overdosing when he smokes crack cocaine.

3 Jan 2025

Internet searches predict ADHD medication prescriptions during COVID-19

In a groundbreaking study published in Brain Medicine (Genomic Press), UCI researchers have uncovered a striking correlation between internet searches for ADHD medications and actual prescription rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.

24 Sep 2024

High-dose amphetamine use linked to increased risk of psychosis or mania

Prescribing rates for stimulants that treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have increased significantly over the past decade, with some of the largest increases reported during the COVID-19 pandemic.

12 Sep 2024

Google searches reveal growing interest in microdosing amid changing drug policies

Loosening local, state and federal regulations on cannabis and psychedelics has increased Americans' interest in microdosing, according to a study from researchers at the University of California San Diego.

28 Jun 2024

Study reveals sharp surge in illicit fentanyl seizures

The number of illicit fentanyl seizures by law enforcement in the United States grew by more than 1,700 percent between 2017 and 2023, according to a new analysis.

13 May 2024

More kids are dying of drug overdoses. Could pediatricians do more to help?

A 17-year-old boy with shaggy blond hair stepped onto the scale at Tri-River Family Health Center in Uxbridge, Massachusetts.

5 Apr 2024

Study links long-term ADHD stimulant use to increased risk of cardiomyopathy

Young adults who were prescribed stimulant medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were significantly more likely to develop cardiomyopathy (weakened heart muscle) compared with those who were not prescribed stimulants, in a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session.

27 Mar 2024

Taking "study drugs" can lead to other drug use and decline in mental health

Taking "study drugs" like Adderall without a diagnosis is not only dangerous in itself, but can lead to other drug use and a decline in mental health, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.

11 Mar 2024

Patients with narcolepsy face a dual nightmare of medication shortages and stigma

Nina Shand couldn't stay awake. She had taken afternoon naps since she was a teenager to accommodate her "work hard, play hard" attitude, but when she was in her mid-20s the sleepiness became more severe.

3 Jan 2024