9 Investigates: Adderall addiction becoming growing problem

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A growing number of young people are becoming addicted to the ADHD prescription drug Adderall.

Experts say most of them don't need it.

Eyewitness News anchor Peter Daut investigated and found out Charlotte may be more affected than anywhere else.

For Erica Tjelta and her 13-year-old daughter, Rhea, Adderall is a welcome part of their daily routine.

“It calms me down, helps me focus, helps me feel quote unquote normal,” Erica Tjelta said.

They both began taking the drug less than a year ago to treat their ADHD and said it's made a huge difference.

“It's more hard to get distracted. You still sometimes get distracted, but you stay focused easier,” Rhea Tjelta said.

Research from the Centers for Disease Control says more than 9 percent of North Carolina children take Adderall and other medication for ADHD -- the highest in the nation.

That's nearly double the national average and more than four times higher than California.

“We are seeing an elevation of the number of patients admitted into treatment,” said Charles O'Dell with the Dilworth Center for Chemical Dependency.

O'Dell said every week, a new patient comes in addicted to Adderall -- some as young as 14. He said 10 years ago, that happened maybe once a month.

“I think what we see is a higher availability of Adderall and other prescription stimulants,” he said.

The Drug Enforcement Agency classifies Adderall in the same category as cocaine and morphine. Its active ingredient is nearly identical to the one in speed, making it highly addicting.

Experts say many parents are not fully aware of the risks, and see the stimulant as a way to help their kids do better in school.

“If you were to walk around the library at any college, you would witness countless transactions of people passing along Adderall,” said 23-year-old Jake Smith, who recently graduated from UNC Charlotte.

He has ADHD and said he's been approached more than a dozen times by students willing to pay up to $10 a pill for Adderall.

“Typically people that try to buy it off of you are wanting it for a productive purpose -- an exam, a sporting event,” he said.

Nationwide, the number of children diagnosed with ADHD has jumped 16 percent since 2007, and one in eight teens admits to abusing drugs that treat the disorder.

O'Dell thinks one reason could be growing pressure to get into college.

High school students diagnosed with a learning disability, including ADHD, can get as much time as they need to take the SAT exams.

“If there's no time limit on the test, then it's certainly to their advantage to obtain a better score,” O'Dell said.

Erica Tjelta worries misdiagnoses of ADHD and the growing abuse of Adderall will diminish the importance of the drug for those who genuinely need it.

“I can't function normally without it,” she said. “I'm not taking it to, like, get an edge on the next guy or get a higher score, I just want to do as well as anybody else.”

Resources:

Dilworth Center for Chemical Dependency

2240 Park Rd., Charlotte

704-372-6969

Anuvia Prevention & Recovery Center

100 Billingsley Rd., Charlotte

704-376-7447

WSOC