Concentration pills: can they lead to addictive disorders?

Let's take a look at concentration pills and the addiction problems they can cause.

The concept of "concentration pills" refers to several types of stimulant-type psychotropic drugs that in most cases are prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and narcolepsy.

However, beyond their use in the clinical context, there are those who make a habit of taking these substances, especially students or professionals who are under a lot of pressure and feel they need to use this kind of products to cope with the demands of everyday life.

This type of consumers who use the pills outside the indications of a doctor are particularly vulnerable to developing dependency problems, so that in many cases, in the medium term, the use of these drugs leads to a health problem. In this article we will see up to what point this use of the pills for the concentration come to unchain addictions..

What are concentration pills?

In most cases, what is usually understood by pills for concentration or pills to study are a set of drugs for oral consumption that belong to two categories: methylphenidates and methamphetamines.. The most famous examples of each are Ritalin and Adderall, respectively.

These are substances that have a stimulating and activating effect on the nervous system, although through different mechanisms, and are used to treat psychological disorders such as adhd in children (especially methylphenidate).

These substances emulate the functioning of some chemical substances naturally present in the human brain.This is why once they have been introduced into the organism and have reached the nervous system, they begin to interact with the neurons and cause their functioning to be altered; in this case, causing the nerve cells to be highly activated and therefore with a great capacity to get involved in tasks.

The risk of addiction

These products present very significant risks to consider. First of all, as with all psychotropic drugs, have side effects that can, under the right circumstances, cause more harm than good.. They do not always have to occur, but among them, the most frequent are the following:

• Arterial hypertension
• Dizziness
• Abdominal pain
• Irregular heart rhythm
• Anxiety

In addition, other side effects that may occur and have a higher level of danger (mostly associated with methamphetamines) are the following:

• Seizures
• Cerebrovascular accidents

Secondly, these pills can lead to an addictive disorder. While the risk of this occurring is relatively low if the doctor's instructions are followed and the doses are not high, there are many people who end up becoming addicted to methamphetamines, there are many people who end up becoming addicted by self-administering these drugs themselves (even though access to them without (even though access to them without a prescription is illegal).

This happens because as doses have been taken, the brain "gets used" to support its functioning in the constant presence of this drug in the functioning of its neurons, so that as the weeks go by, it depends more and more on this kind of molecules introduced from the outside. In addition, higher and higher doses are higher and higher doses are needed to stop feeling bad due to abstinence..

On the other hand, addiction to concentration pills can occur at almost any age, although the risk of it occurring is higher in adults, taking into account that it is relatively difficult to have access to them.

Are you seeking professional help for addiction?

If you have developed a chemical or behavioral addiction and are looking for health professionals to offer treatment, contact us.

At CITA Clinics we specialize in the treatment of addictions, and we also offer our patients a residential module fully equipped and provided with all kinds of activities, located in an environment where calm and nature prevail. You can find us in Barcelona and Dosrius (Mataró).

Bibliographical references:

• Berman, S.; O'Neill, J.; Fears, S.; Bartzokis, G.; London, E.D. (2008). Abuse of amphetamines and structural abnormalities in the brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1141(1): pp. 195 - 220.
• Gilmore A.; Milne R. (2001). "Methylphenidate in children with hyperactivity: review and cost-utility analysis". Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf, 10(2): pp. 85 - 94.
• Kimko, H.C.; Cross, J.T.; Abernethy, D.R. (1999). Pharmacokinetics and clinical effectiveness of methylphenidate. Clinical Pharmacokinetics, 37(6): pp. 457 - 470.
• Patrick, K.S.; Gonzalez, M.A.; Straughn, A.B.; Markowitz, J.S. (2005). New methylphenidate formulations for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 2(1): pp. 121 - 43.
• Spiller, H.A.; Hays, H.L.; Aleguas, A. (2013). Overdose of drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: clinical presentation, mechanisms of toxicity, and management. CNS Drugs, 27(7): pp. 531 - 543.