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ADHD Drugs Aren't Doing What You Think, Scientists Warn (inverse.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Inverse: The study authors Lisa Weyandt, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Rhode Island, and Tara White, Ph.D., an assistant professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University, started out investigating the effects of ADHD medications in students that actually have a diagnosable attention deficit disorder. They showed that in these students, there is decreased activity in the areas of the brain controlling "executive functions," which can make it hard for them to stay organized or focused. But because both authors work with college students, they soon became more interested in the misuse of Adderall. In students whose brains aren't affected by ADHD, does Adderall act as a supercharger? Does it make those areas fly into overdrive and unlock otherwise untapped intellectual ability, as all pill-popping students hope?
Weyant and White's double-blind, placebo-controlled study on 13 college students was a small sample, they admit, but their experiment had a rigorous study design. Neither the students nor the researchers knew who was getting Adderall and who was getting placebo sugar pill. The six tests evaluated different aspects of cognition, like working memory, reading ability and reaction time. While students on Adderall did make fewer errors on a reaction time test, it actually worsened working memory, as shown by a decline in performance on a task where they had to repeat sequences of numbers. In short, Adderall improved focus and attention -- but it didn't actually make anyone smarter. The research has been published in the journal Pharmacy.
Weyant and White's double-blind, placebo-controlled study on 13 college students was a small sample, they admit, but their experiment had a rigorous study design. Neither the students nor the researchers knew who was getting Adderall and who was getting placebo sugar pill. The six tests evaluated different aspects of cognition, like working memory, reading ability and reaction time. While students on Adderall did make fewer errors on a reaction time test, it actually worsened working memory, as shown by a decline in performance on a task where they had to repeat sequences of numbers. In short, Adderall improved focus and attention -- but it didn't actually make anyone smarter. The research has been published in the journal Pharmacy.
Exactly. There wasn't any mention of testing to see if long-term memory retention is affected. After all, I thought that students took adderall to study for tests.
One could surmise that if working memory is affected, long term memory will be affected as well.
It is interesting that this recent test found different results regarding working memory than a 2015 test did. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
Granted, the Wikipedia entry reads more like a drug company propaganda piece, taking an amphetamine and elevating it to miracle drug status. Probably to make parents feel good about drugging their young boys to keep them in line.
Which would be contradictory to the rest of the world's not so good experiences with amphetamine drugs.
Back in the day, in college, we had access to various amphetamines. It always followed a predictable course. Take them, cram all night, take the test. Crash. The trick was to not crash before taking the test.
Homie didn't play that. I tried cramming a few times, because it was what you were supposed to do. It really doesn't work. And since I don't sleep much anyway, there was no need for speed.
The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
That's completely incorrect. Don't spread misinformation.
Adderall, and its generic equivalents, are a combination of 25% levoamphetamine and 75% dextroamphetamine salts. They both have the chemical formula C9H13N.
Methamphetamine is a different drug entirely. In its medical form, it is generally sold as dextromethamphetamine hydrochloride, or under the trade name Desoxyn. Its chemical formula is C10H15N.
Both are approved for the treatment of ADHD in the US, but Adderall is much more likely to be prescribed. Under long-term medical use at therapeutic doses, addition is unlikely to occur with Adderall. While methamphetamine is approved for the treatment of ADHD, it is seldom prescribed due to the risks of recreational abuse and addiction associated with it. That said it is a safe and effective treatment for some people when other treatments fail.
Abuse of these drugs is another matter entirely.