Symptoms of Adderall Induced Psychosis

What is Adderall-induced psychosis, and what should you do if someone that you care about begins to exhibit symptoms?

At Time Wellness Tennessee, we understand how severe prescription stimulant addiction can be. Adderall dependence can affect all areas of life, including mental health. If you or someone close to you has been struggling with Adderall-induced psychosis, we are available to help.

Call us at 423-651-8766 to learn more about mental health treatment options in Tennessee. 

Understanding Adderall

To understand Adderall-induced psychosis, it can be valuable to first review a few basic facts about both Adderall and psychosis. We’ll start with the drug, then move on to the condition in the next section.

Adderall is the brand name of a prescription medication that was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001. It is typically used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. 

Ingredients

Adderall consists of equal amounts of four stimulants:

• Dextroamphetamine saccharate
• Amphetamine aspartate monohydrate 
• Dextroamphetamine sulfate
• Amphetamine sulfate

These ingredients speed up the delivery of messages throughout the central nervous system (CNS). For people with ADHD, this increase in CNS activity can have a calming, focus-enhancing effect. For those with narcolepsy, it can alleviate excessive sleepiness.

The focus-enhancing impact of Adderall has also prompted many people – primarily college students and young adults – to use it illicitly as a brain-booster or study drug. 

Popularity

According to a report commissioned by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Adderall and its generic versions were the most frequently prescribed stimulants in the nation in 2023. 

That year, Adderall and generic amphetamine/dextroamphetamine combinations accounted for 49% of the 80.8 million prescription stimulants dispensed in the U.S.

Risks

When used as directed to treat a legitimate medical or mental health disorder, Adderall can be both safe and effective. However, this doesn’t mean that it poses no health risk whatsoever. 

As with every prescription medication, Adderall can cause a range of side effects. Loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea, and insomnia are among the most common. Less common but much more severe adverse effects that have been linked to Adderall include heart problems, hallucinations, delusions, muscle breakdown, and stroke.

As evidenced by its classification as a Schedule II controlled substance in the U.S., Adderall also poses a significant risk of abuse and addiction. Though anyone can become dependent on Adderall, the risk of addiction, psychosis, and other serious side effects is greatest among those who intentionally misuse the drug.

What is Psychosis?

Psychosis is a mental health condition that is characterized by disruptions in a person’s ability to accurately perceive their environment or differentiate between reality and unreality. It is commonly associated with disorders such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and severe cases of bipolar disorder and depression.

Psychosis can also result from a host of other causes, including various neurodevelopmental disorders, brain tumors or infections, nutritional deficiencies, sleep deprivation, and the use of certain substances. Adderall-induced psychosis falls into the final category.

The two most common psychotic symptoms were mentioned in the previous section in the list of Adderall’s more serious potential side effects:

• Hallucinations – These usually involve seeing or hearing things that don’t actually exist, though it’s also possible to have hallucinations involving the senses of smell, taste, and touch. 
• Delusions – These are rigidly held beliefs that a person will cling to even though they can be easily disproven or clearly have no basis in reality. 

Understandably, someone who has been having hallucinations and/or delusions may exhibit confusion and disorientation, paranoia, agitation, and other concerning behaviors.

A person who is experiencing psychosis may also have great difficulty organizing their thoughts and communicating them in a manner that is understandable to other people.

How Does Adderall Cause Psychosis?

Experts believe that Adderall-induced psychosis and other types of stimulant-related psychosis are due to an abnormally high amount of dopamine in a person’s central nervous system. 

Dopamine is a brain chemical that acts as both a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It plays a key role in several functions, including mood, pleasure, learning, attention, and sleep.

Experts have long suspected that excess dopamine is related to psychosis, and advances in neuroimaging technology have supported this hypothesis. For example, citing evidence from brain imaging studies, a December 1999 article in the journal Psychopharmacology called dopamine “the wind of the psychotic fire.”

According to a March 2019 analysis in The New England Journal of Medicine, the dopamine release triggered by amphetamine (which is in Adderall) is four times higher than the amount prompted by methylphenidate (which is an ingredient in two other popular ADHD meds, Ritalin and Concerta). 

After reviewing deidentified medical data from 221,846 patients who used prescription stimulants, the authors of this analysis concluded amphetamines were “associated with a greater risk of psychosis” than methylphenidate.

Symptoms of Adderall-Induced Psychosis

A person who has developed Adderall-induced psychosis may exhibit a range of symptoms, including hallucinations such as:

• Hearing voices, either externally or from inside their own head
• Seeing people, objects, or light patterns that no one else can see
• Feeling that bugs are crawling on or beneath their skin, though this is not actually happening

Adderall-induced psychosis symptoms can also involve delusions such as:

• Claiming they have some incredible hidden talent or magical power
• Believing that they are being spied on or persecuted by someone else
• Exhibiting great distrust of others, even close friends or family members
• Stating that they are in a relationship with a famous person that they’ve never actually met

Other potential symptoms of Adderall-induced psychosis can include:

• Having great difficulty organizing their thoughts
• Speaking in an illogical, impossible-to-follow manner
• Using self-created words that have no meaning to anyone but them
• Withdrawing into a self-imposed isolation
• Displaying sudden, unpredictable outbursts of anger, aggression, or violence
• Falling into a deep depression
• Being persistently agitated or restless

If you suspect that someone in your life has developed psychosis as a result of excessive Adderall use, you should have them evaluated by their doctor or schedule an assessment with a reputable mental health expert in your area.

An evaluation or assessment can confirm the presence of psychosis. It can determine if it is caused by the medication or another influence. Knowing both the scope of the problem and its likely cause or causes can be essential for developing an appropriate treatment plan.

Adderall-induced psychosis is a treatable condition. However, there is no single program or type of therapy that is ideal for every person who is affected. This highlights the importance of finding a treatment provider that will take the time to review your loved one’s history and symptoms, then develop a truly customized plan for their care.

Find Treatment for Adderall-Induced Psychosis in Tennessee

Time Wellness Tennessee is a trusted provider of premier mental health services in a safe and nurturing environment.

Treatment options at our centers in Chattanooga and Taft, TN, include residential care, a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), an outpatient program (OP), and virtual (online) services.

To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.