Frequently abused drug on campus

Do you know a child who uses the drug Adderall? It is prescribed for the treatment of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity) in children and adults and narcolepsy in adults.
What we know now is the very unfortunate fact that Adderall is highly abused by students, especially those in colleges and universities, to keep them awake and to get high. Adderall is a psycho-stimulant that increases dopamine and nor-epinephrine levels in your brain. Usually started as a very small dose, the dose is increased gradually. It provides the user with more energy, increases the sex desire and is also used as a weight loss drug.
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Severe to deadly consequences of Adderall abuse:
Widely misused on college campuses for performance enhancement, (and prescribed legally for ADHD), Adderall is contraindicated to be used with some other drugs such as Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI are the old types of antidepressants such as Nardil and Marplan.) Consequently, it can be deadly.

Adderall use or abuse may cause anorexia, dry mouth, sleeping disorders, difficulty sleeping, chronic headaches, migraines, pain in the stomach, high blood pressure, weight loss (suppresses appetite) mood swings or other emotional changes, nausea and vomiting, dizziness or fainting, feeling of weakness or tiredness especially when the effect wears off, increased heart rate, heartburn, chest pains and if the drug is used for an extended period in children can cause slowing of growth. If usage is stopped suddenly it may cause severe withdrawals, and frequent use can cause amphetamine psychosis.
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Dangerous use of drug Adderall on campus

Do you know a child who uses the drug Adderall? It is prescribed for the treatment of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity) in children and adults and narcolepsy in adults.
What we know now is the very unfortunate fact that Adderall is highly abused by students, especially those in colleges and universities, to keep them awake and to get high. Adderall is a psycho-stimulant that increases dopamine and nor-epinephrine levels in your brain. Usually started as a very small dose, the dose is increased gradually. It provides the user with more energy, increases the sex desire and is also used as a weight loss drug.
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Factors affecting successful recovery

Early in my professional career, I was working as an ICU nurse and simultaneously working on my psychology dissertation. I have had ample opportunity in the hospital and through my private practice witness lives interrupted and/or destroyed from alcohol, drugs and obesity.
As adults, we use food and alcohol to celebrate special occasions and holidays. Children do as we do most of the time. We condition them from the time they are in diapers to copy our behavior.
I have written books on the subjects of wise choices and healthy living which begins with understanding yourself and following your dreams. My goal is to guide you in ways of teaching adolescents to make decisions that are in their best interest. In these weekly tips, I am offering to you ways that we can address the behaviors that lead to self-abuse so that we can help those children with whom you come in contact either through teaching, counseling or parenting.
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Are you sure that you can stop drinking any time?

If this can happen to adults, it can surely happen to teenagers.
Tina a 29 year old female, a professional single mother with a 2 year old daughter. She was preparing for her class reunion. She had been sober for 5 years, but she didn’t want any of her old classmates to know that she was a recovering alcoholic. In our session together, we role played so that she would know how to handle each situation. She was confident that she’d be fine but I wasn’t so sure.
The following day I received a phone call from her parents. She didn’t make it home, and they didn’t know where she was. She was found 24 hours later, disoriented, in an area far way from where the reunion had taken place. On that night Tina, encouraged by a friend, decided to have a drink. She’d intended to stop at only one…but eventually she couldn’t remember how many she’d had. All she remembered was that she had too many drinks. She didn’t ask anyone for a ride home but she made it to her car where she passed out!
Fortunately, this one has a happy ending. She survived and re-started her sobriety program again.
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Subconscious programming
In our cultural obsession with all things media, our children are being instructed by the habits of the rich and famous, primarily by those who are associated with Hollywood. Are we giving them enough intellectual stimulation to discern behavior patterns that are in their best interest?

Actors, actresses and television role models leave a lot to be desired in terms of preparing children for higher education. Anorexic and bulimic actresses on television and magazine covers are on a collision course. They use their bodies to act and make a living and so they work on conditioning their bodies all the time, and barely eat enough to stay alive in the game. Fast talking, glib, action heroes do little to help children think, let alone discuss ideas that will stimulate an intellectual discussion.
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One of the most dangerous drugs on campus

Do you know a child who uses the drug Adderall? It is prescribed for the treatment of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity) in children and adults and narcolepsy in adults.
What we know now is the very unfortunate fact that Adderall is highly abused by students, especially those in colleges and universities, to keep them awake and to get high. Adderall is a psycho-stimulant that increases dopamine and nor-epinephrine levels in your brain. Usually started as a very small dose, the dose is increased gradually. It provides the user with more energy, increases the sex desire and is also used as a weight loss drug.
Sounds like the ideal when viewed by students, doesn’t it? However, the positive effects are short lived and the side effects are serious. In fact, users are gambling with their lives.
Here’s the kicker: While obviously used as a performance drug, it can be purchased easily without a prescription. Parents and teachers praise children for high test scores, high achievement and the unending cycle could end in abuse, addiction and even a fatal overdose.
Check out next week’s tip to continue the information on Adderall.
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Is your child taking a performance enhancing drugs?
As American fascination with weight, and performance enhancing drugs continues so as the use of ephedrine (an over the counter drug containing Ephedrine), despite the dangerous side effect.
Many of the users are teens and young adults using the drug to both lose weight and stay awake. Ephedra with caffeine is used for improving energy and it also stimulates the fat burning process. There are side effects including dramatic interference with other drugs that one may be taking currently.

Certain drugs such as Ephedra are contraindicated for people with a history of anxiety or untreated high blood pressure. College students cramming for exams often take Ephedra with caffeine to increase their energy and stay awake at night. The serious side effects are increased heart rate, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), high blood pressure, dry mouth, heartburn and insomnia. Reported adverse cardiovascular and central nervous system events associated with dietary supplements use of this drug.
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What type of role model are you for children?

Do you control your own eating habits, your use of alcohol and respectful behavior privately and around others? Everything’s a mirror, right? Children do what they see us doing.

If you are working with children who have already manifested illegal, unacceptable or abhorrent behavior, the origin can be rather quickly determined upon close scrutiny just by asking the right questions.

It’s never too late to change your habits, change the patterns you’ve established in your own life so that the children watching you can learn from your courage and confidence.

Zari Alipour, Ph.D.
Making Wise Choices in a Disruptive Age
www.DrZari.com
Zari@DrZari.com
310-574-3832

Dr. Zari is a psychologist for adolescents and adults. She teaches adolescents how to make decisions that are in their best interests and empowers teachers, counselors and parents with the words and accountability tools that reinforce healthy choices.

Setting Parameters?

Do you set parameters for the children with whom you come in contact?

When I assess or counsel children, I know immediately through their body language and expression if they have come from a family that provided fair, consistent and respectful guidance. I am often shocked that parents do not recognize the value of setting limits and boundaries for themselves let alone their children.

It is impossible to teach children to respect civil law if they have not experienced it in their home environment. Drunk driving, sexual abuse, statutory rape and drug abuse are only some of the manifestations of not setting boundaries for children early in life.

Teens respond favorably and are more motivated when they understand the moral implications, legal and social consequences of their actions.

Zari Alipour, Ph.D.
Making Wise Choices in a Disruptive Age
www.DrZari.com
Zari@DrZari.com
310-849-4680
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