The abuse of Prescription Medications is a trend that continues to rise even with government agencies trying to restrict illegal sale and distribution. Prescriptions for ADHD medication are becoming a popular substance of abuse among teenagers. Medications like Adderall and Adderall XR are becoming a source of addiction instead of a cure for ADHD. It's mainly due to the fact that these medications impact the mesolimbic reward pathway in the brain, causing intense feelings of euphoria similar to illegal drugs like cocaine. Tolerance develops after a certain period of time and more of the drug is needed to achieve the same effects. The increase in tolerance causes kids to use the drug just to feel normal. Once tolerance starts to become stronger, kids will use other methods to take the drug. Some teenagers have started to snort and inject Adderall to get a more potent effect.
 
 

Adderall is a combination of four different amphetamines. It has an effect on the central nervous system that is similar to crystal meth. It's available in two forms, instant release and extended release, which is also known as Adderall Xr. The extended release version is much less addictive, mainly because its initial onset of effects is not as strong as the instant release version. Instead of the drug impacting all at once it releases in the body over a certain period of time. This has not stopped people from abusing the drug though. Many teenagers have started crushing Adderall Xr so they can increase the euphoric effect by making it similar to the instant release version.

This issue has raised some concerns about the abuse of prescription medication. Government agencies around the world are tightening laws in order to stop the drug from being sold and prescribed illegally. This has shown little to no difference to the illegal sale of prescription drugs. The strict laws have caused the prices to rise, one pill now being sold for 10-15 dollars. Adderall Xr is even more expensive because it is rarely found and not covered by most insurance agencies. Most teenagers with a valid prescription can't help selling their medication. Even if they don't sell all of it, the amount of profit they gain from simply selling three pills is worth their entire cost of getting the medication. Most insurance companies cover the cost of instant release Adderall, so most teenagers get the medication for as little as 10-20 dollars per prescription. They can then turn around and sell that medication for hundreds more than what they paid.