Adderall, Stimulants & Modafinil for ADHD: Short- & Long-Term Effects

**Andrew Huberman** (0:00)
Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.
I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. Today, we're discussing stimulants, in particular stimulants for the treatment of ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. As many of you know, there's tremendous interest in drugs like Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, and other stimulants, as well as non-stimulant prescription drugs that have been shown to improve the symptoms of ADHD, such as Modafinil, Armodafinil and Guanfacine. Today, I'm going to discuss all of these compounds in the context of how they work to improve the symptoms of ADHD. I'm going to address common questions about these compounds, such as, are they just speed? Are they similar to meth or methamphetamine? I'll talk about their addictive potential, as well as their potential to cause psychotic symptoms, both in the short and long term. And of course, I will talk about the scientific literature surrounding the most frequently asked question about these compounds, which is, what are the long-term consequences of taking any of them in childhood or in adulthood? Now today's discussion centers around the use of these compounds, both for childhood and for adult ADHD. But of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that there are a tremendous number of people that use these prescription drugs without a prescription in order to improve their ability to focus and indeed also use them recreationally. In fact, some surveys reveal that as high as 80% of college age young adults have used one or several of prescription drugs such as Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse or similar at some point and are doing so without a prescription. So they are either obtaining those drugs from those that do have prescriptions for them, for ADHD, or they are obtaining them through black market sources, which of course carries an additional and very serious risk related to the so-called fentanyl crisis. That is as high as 75% of black market drugs nowadays of various kinds, but certainly including the sorts of drugs we're going to talk about today are contaminated with fentanyl and therefore are very deadly. So today I'm going to describe what these various drugs really are, how they work at the level of neurons and brain networks and how they change those brain networks in ways that really can allow people with ADHD to be able to focus better. I will answer the common question, which is why is it that giving children speed, because indeed several, not all, but several of the compounds I'm going to discuss are speed. They are amphetamine. Why would that cause a reduction in hyperactivity if speed is a stimulant? So I'll answer that question for you. And I will also answer questions that are commonly asked, such as how these drugs impact things like sleep, hormone health, reproductive health, as well as what is their impact on height? Indeed, it was one prominent hypothesis that these ADHD meds could actually restrict the height of children. I'll tell you whether or not that's actually true or not. And I'll discuss the data surrounding whether or not these drugs predispose people to becoming addicts to other substances, even if people cease or continue taking the stimulants that can help them in the clinical sense for ADHD. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, I'd like to thank the sponsors of today's podcast. 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