Adderall Abuse Risks Becoming Another Opioid Crisis, DEA Says.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has warned that the rise in prescriptions for stimulant drugs like Adderall, along with online treatment and advertising, could lead to another drug crisis similar to the opioid epidemic. The DEA is working on new regulations for online stimulant prescriptions and cracking down on businesses that violate the law. Stimulant drugs are used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, but they can be addictive and prone to abuse. The DEA is concerned about the accuracy of the diagnosis for these drugs and the lack of standard guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in adults. There have also been shortages of generic Adderall, Concerta, and Vyvanse since 2022, which some drugmakers have blamed on manufacturing limits set by the DEA. The DEA has identified three similarities between the beginning of the opioid epidemic and the current situation with stimulant drugs: a public health concern, exploitation over the internet, and an increased number of drugmakers manufacturing the drug. The DEA urges people not to buy stimulant drugs on the internet, as there are fake pills being sold that may contain dangerous substances like fentanyl or methamphetamine. [Extracted from the article]