Why So Many People Seem To Be Taking Adderall These Days
The forces behind this booming drug use.
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Adderall XR brand medication on a shelf at a pharmacy.
Photographer: George Frey/BloombergOver the last few years, users of the popular ADHD drug Adderall have been frustrated by regular shortages in getting their prescriptions filled. Various regulatory and supply chain factors have contributed to the inability of producers to keep up with demand. But this raises the question: why is there so much demand in the first place? How did a significant chunk of the labor force — from tech workers to Wall Streeters — begin using the drug as an aid for their work and everyday lives? On this episode of the podcast, we speak with Danielle Carr, an assistant professor at the Institute for Society and Genetics at UCLA, who studies the history of politics of neuroscience and psychology. We discuss the history of this medicine and related medicines, what it does for the people who take it, and how market forces opened the drug up to almost anyone. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Key Insights from the pod:
What happened to Ritalin? - 6:01
Was there a Ritalin craze in the 1990s? - 7:35
What ADD and ADHD are neurologically - 12:00
What does Adderall do in the brain? - 16:07
What does Adderall do for the white collar worker - 18:46
The internet and rising Adderall usage — 22:59
Does drug popularity and backlash move cyclically? - 25:27
What drives availability of Adderall? - 31:06
How easy is it to get an Adderall prescription? - 37:18
Societal implications of Adderall availability? — 41:27