Why do people with ADHD who need stimulants get prescribed a safe version of amphetamines instead of a safe version of something like cocaine?

Question

There are so many kinds of chemical stimulants why are amphetamines the thing ADHD patients need?

In: 553

Answer 1

I think the biggest distinction that can be made is that of clinical safety. When Amphetamines are prescribed and used correctly for the treatment of neurological problems such as ADHD, they rarely result in an addiction that extends past “I need these to function normally.” This is unhealthy when it is applied to many other substances/products, but you wouldn’t call a cripple unhealthily addicted to their wheel chair.

Medical amphetamines have been chemically designed to significantly reduce the potential for adverse effects, overdosing, addiction, and unintended physical/chemical responses and changes. In essence, when used CORRECTLY, you could arguably say that it is a safe version of other street drugs as a way of explaining to a lay person;however it is more apt to say that Methamphetamines are a dirty version of Amphetamines. This is similar to the way PTSD survivors have been seeing increasingly positive results from CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and Ketamine therapy whereas buying street ketamine will often result in a near instant addiction followed shortly by destitution and death. Methamphetamines, such as cocaine, are in essence, a dirty version of amphetamines. MAs are synthetic Amphetamines that are “cut” (synthesized/mixed) with toxic substances to increase the “hit” they provide to the neurological system which is extremely dangerous, damaging, and deadly.