The field of medical science has progressed a lot in recent decades. Medicines are easily available for every disease, disorder, and medical condition today. This fact applies to not only physical problems but also to mental, psychological, and developmental problems as well.
Therefore, people who suffer from physical or mental health issues can seek proper and timely treatment. One of the neurodevelopmental conditions for which people get treatment is ADHD, i.e., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This disorder begins in childhood and can continue even during adulthood. Patients suffering from ADHD face difficulty in paying attention. They also show symptoms like hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
What is Adderall? What Does It Contain? Why Is It Used?
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Before you find out how long does Adderall stay in your system, you should know that Adderall is a branded medicine used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Other medicines that work similarly to Adderall are Adderall XR and Mydayis. All these medicines are made from formulations that contain a combination of two stimulants which are amphetamine and dextroamphetamine.
Both amphetamine and dextroamphetamine belong to a class of medications called central nervous system stimulant drugs. Amphetamine works by making the messages between the body and the brain move faster. Thus, it makes the person more physically active and mentally alert. Dextroamphetamine works by changing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain.
Due to the effects that amphetamine and dextroamphetamine have on the body and the brain, people use these drugs to enhance their cognitive abilities and concentration. With the help of these drugs, people can improve their performance at school, at work, and in sports. We know you must be curious to know how long does Adderall stay in your system. We are getting there, but before that, we want to discuss the uses of Adderall.
Along with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Adderall is also used to treat narcolepsy, which is a chronic sleep disorder. It is a neurological disorder that hampers the ability of the patient to wake and sleep. Narcolepsy causes excessive daytime sleepiness or drowsiness, sudden attacks of sleep, hallucinations, sleep paralysis, and even sleep disruption.
Adderall releases its components immediately in the body, so it is known as the immediate-release form of the drug. On the other hand, Adderall XR and Mydayis release their components in the body slowly, so they are known as the extended-release forms of the drug.
Read How Long Does Adderall Stay in Your System
Before we discuss how long does Adderall stay in your system, we want to share information about how long the effects of this medicine last. The effects of Adderall, the immediate-release version of the drug, last between four to six hours per dose. Whereas the effects of Adderall XR, the extended-release version of the drug, last for a day. Hence, Adderall XR needs to be taken once each morning.
When the patient consumes Adderall medicine, it gets absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. Then, it gets broken down or deactivated by the liver. Adderall gets removed from the body through the urine of the person. How long does Adderall stay in your system depends on various factors, including but not limited to the pH (Potential of Hydrogen) of the urine of the person, age of the person, rate of metabolism, dosage level, frequency of the dosage, weight, body composition, and functioning of the organs of the person.
For example, Adderall will get eliminated faster from the body of a person who has a low urine pH compared to a person who has a high urine pH. Thus, the rate at which Adderall leaves the body can vary from person to person.
Whether Adderall is present in the body of the person or not can be detected in different ways. It’s possible because even if Adderall gets removed from the body through urine, it works throughout the body. Adderall can be detected through urine, blood, hair, and saliva.
Thus, whether a person has consumed the Adderall drug or not can be determined from urine tests, blood tests, hair tests, and saliva tests. Authorities like business firms, sports organizations, government departments, and medical bodies conduct these tests on employees and sports players.
How to Detect Whether Adderall is in the Body or Not?
Irrespective of how long does Adderall stay in your system, you can find out whether Adderall is present inside your body from the tests mentioned above. A blood test can help you detect Adderall within 46 hours after last use. A blood test can detect the presence of the Adderall drug most quickly after it has been consumed.
A urine test can help you detect Adderall within 48 hours to 72 hours after last use. A urine test is used more commonly than other forms of testing as Adderall leaves the body through urine. This test shows a higher concentration of the Adderall drug. A hair test can help you detect Adderall within 3 months after last use. A hair test can help you detect Adderall within 50 hours after last use.
When a patient with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) consumes the Adderall medicine, the dopamine available in the frontal lobe increases as this medicine stimulates the central nervous system. The frontal lobe is the front part of the brain. It controls key functions related to attention, memory, consciousness, and communication. Thus, the intake of Adderall helps ADHD patients to study or work with increased focus.
Conclusion
Adderall is a highly beneficial drug, but it can also have some side effects if patients take a higher dosage level than prescribed. Due to the way this drug affects the body and the brain, many people misuse it and become addicted to Adderall. If Adderall has been prescribed to you by a medical professional, you should take care not to get addicted to it.
