Adderall is a central nervous system stimulant or amphetamine, approved in the U.S. for the management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Adderall is currently prescribed to thousands of adults, children and adolescents diagnosed with ADHD and generates over $600 million in annual revenues.
Due to reports of heart attacks and sudden death in some patients taking Adderall and similar ADHD drugs, such as Ritalin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging the makers of these drugs to include a black-box warning on the drug's label to warn about the risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack or sudden death.
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The drug is made by Shire Pharmaceuticals Group PLC, based in Basingstoke, England, and is sold in Canada and the United States. A related immediate-release form of Adderall XR, sold simply as Adderall, is sold in the United States but has not been approved for sale in Canada. An estimated 11,000 patients are prescribed Adderall XR in Canada.
On February 9, 2005, Health Canada instructed Shire BioChem Inc. to withdraw Adderall from the Canadian market due to information allegedly linking the drug with sudden deaths, heart-related deaths, and strokes in children and adults.
On August 21, 2006, GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Shire PLC said they strengthened warnings that the attention-deficit drug, Adderall, may cause psychological side effects and that misuse may lead to sudden death from heart attacks and strokes.
In the United States, about 700,000 people take Adderall XR, with about 300,000 more using Adderall.
Adderall contains amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which are stimulants. Adderall is prescribed to:
- Improve a patient's attention span.
- Increase a patient’s ability to follow directions.
- Decrease distractibility among children ages three and older.
- Decrease impulsivity, stubbornness and aggression.
Adderall’s side effects included anorexia, insomnia, abdominal pain, emotional liability, and nervousness. Other side effects can include:
- Heart palpitations, racing heart, elevated blood pressure, as well as, isolated reports of heart disease associated with chronic use.
- Psychotic episodes, over stimulation, restlessness, dizziness, euphoria, depression, loss of motor control, tremors, headaches, exacerbation of motor and speech problems, including Tourette’s syndrome.
- Dryness of the mouth, unpleasant taste, diarrhea, constipation, other gastrointestinal disturbances, weight loss and hives.
- Impotence and changes in libido.
- Life-threatening cardiovascular events such as strokes, heart attacks and death.
Adderall XR (time release) is the top-selling treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in the United States. Five million Americans use ADHD drugs and 3.3 million of these users are under 19-years-old.
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