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Adderall Research Paper

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Adderall is prescription drug that is a derivative of two forms of Amphetamine: l-amphetamines and d-amphetamines, the latter being the larger portion (makes up 75%) as well as the more potent of the two [6]. Amphetamine (then called Benzedrine ) was first synthesized in the early 1900’s through a serendipitous discovery while searching for a cheaper substitute of another drug called ephedrine. The chemist who discovered this new drug, G.A Alles, then conducted experiments and found that this new drug was powerful stimulant. As a result, it was introduced to the public in 1935. It was advertised as a treatment for narcolepsy, mild depression, post-encephalitic Parkinson and later as an appetite suppressant. Reports of improvement in intelligence …show more content…

It is a weak base with a pka of 9.9 [6]. and it is better absorbed in the intestine’s weak acid environment, which has a ph of 5-6, whereas in the stomach’s low ph of 1 (high acidity), the amphetamine is more ionized and consequently less lipid soluble and more likely to be excreted. Once absorbed, mostly in the intestine through the epithelium, it is sent to the liver through the hepatic venal portal system, where it undergoes first pass metabolism. First pass metabolism is a system that screens any drugs ingested and enzymes (in the case of amphetamines, the primary enzyme is cytochrome p450) deactivate most of it before it gets sent to the brain. The drug is passed through the liver multiple times; further deactivating whatever may have escaped deactivation the first time. The amphetamine is converted into benzoic acid through oxidation, which is a non-synthetic phase 1 reaction that renders it inert (inactive). It also undergoes phase 2 reactions, which is synthetic unlike phase 1 reactions, and hippuric acid is created from glycine conjugates and excreted from the body through urine [3]. The half life of this drug is around 12 hours [6], depending on the acidity or alkalinity of urine during the time of ingestion. Once in the bloodstream, due to its high lipophilic nature and small molecular …show more content…

ADHD is linked to a dysregulation in the catecholaminergic systems (dopamine, norepinephrine) in the prefrontal cortex and subcortical regions, both of which are implicated in many cognitive functions such as prioritizing stimuli, impulsivity and attention [3]. Seeing as amphetamines are involved in these same systems, one can see why they can be used to treat problems involving those regions. Amphetamines have a high affinity for catecholamine transporters, especially VMAT2, which a vesicular monoamine transporter that carries newly synthesized monoamines in the cytosol into vesicles at the nerve terminal for storage until they are to be released following an action potential. It competes with endogenous monoamines for transport, and as a result, the cytosol remains full of monoamines because their translocation into vesicles is inhibited. In addition, amphetamines also inhibit monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that metabolizes intracellular monoamines, further increasing the level of free monoamines which spurs the VMAT2 to mobilize the monoamines from the cytosol and release them into the synapse, a process called reverse transport [1]. As a result, people with ADHD can function without their usual cognitive impairments. New studies have recently shown that

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