If you currently use prescription stimulants like Adderall and experience depression, we urge you to continue reading this article. A likely answer to why Adderall can cause depression is attributed to abuse. Anyone who experiences this depressed state is prone to experience sadness, irritability, a lack of energy, anxiety, and a loss of pleasure in activities they once found joy.
Adderall contains a combination of ingredients known as amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. The medicine is successfully used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and is considered the most frequently abused medication in its drug class.
Adderall was designed to increase a person’s quality of life and provide a reduction in their ADHD symptoms. A small percentage of those who use the drug, however, will experience depression and feelings of dysphoria.
Those who overuse Adderall can develop a sense of despair during periods of abuse or when they experience withdrawal symptoms. Fortunately, treatment options exist if you are struggling with Adderall addiction that may accompany your depression. In medical terms, this is phrased as a dual diagnosis treatment, which treats both conditions simultaneously to give you a higher chance of recovery.
How Adderall Causes Depression
Since Adderall falls under the classification of stimulants, it can be abused in a binge-like pattern you may expect from more potent stimulant drugs like methamphetamine or cocaine. When you come off a long binge, you will experience what is known as a “crash” where debilitating symptoms like severe depression will appear. Unfortunately, it will cause a cycle of continued Adderall abuse.
Those who abuse the drug do so for various reasons. Some individuals report using it to improve their performance at work or athletically, while others use it for weight loss purposes or euphoria. No matter the reason, these patterns lead to the dark road of addiction, which is exacerbated by depression or despair when sober.
ADHD, Adderall, and Depression
Unfortunately, ADHD and depression occur together often, and 70 percent of individuals who struggle with ADHD will receive treatment for their depression at some point in their lives.
ADHD may be demoralizing and will have adverse effects on self-image and relationships. If someone struggles with untreated ADHD, the frustration, discouragement, and despair they experience will lead them to a depressed state.
If Adderall does not work as it’s designed to, or if someone’s depression is not treated, their symptoms will worsen while using the drug. In some cases, however, when the person’s ADHD is treated, only specific symptoms of depression will persist.
Either way, someone will believe the medicine causes their depression.
There are times where ADHD symptoms are misdiagnosed for depression or mistaken. Both disorders possess similar traits, which involve poor focus, problems with sleep, forgetfulness, and mood issues. If you are using Adderall and miss a dose, it might feel that your returning ADHD symptoms are that of depression.
In some cases, depression will make it difficult for you to maintain self-care, such as remembering to take the medication consistently.
If you forget to use the medicine, you may experience more severe symptoms of ADHD, which may result in worsening depression.
