Adderall abuse on the rise

By Staff Writer

According to a study done by the National Center On Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, between 1993 to 2005 teen usage of prescription drugs increased 93 percent.

The State News reports that Adderall, one of the most abused prescription medications, was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pediatric use in 1996. It has since has become a common medication prescribed for those diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

As of 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated more than 4 million children and adolescents had been diagnosed with ADHD and millions more had been prescribed Adderall to help control their condition.

Listed with drugs such as morphine, cocaine and oxycodone, Adderall is a Schedule II drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration standards. Schedule II drugs are those that have an approved medical use in the U.S., but they also are associated with high abuse levels.

Almost 8,000 drug-related emergency department visits in 2004 in the U.S. involved either methylphenidates or amphetamines, like Adderall, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Services Administration's Drug Abuse Warning Network.