A mother says Adderall caused her son's death in a car accident.

[pnwmom]

We lost a young relative to this drug, too. It's not as harmless as some think it is.

I won't be surprised if Michael Hasting's toxicology report shows that a Ritalin type drug was involved. Doctors are over-prescribing them for both children and adults.

http://autos.aol.com/article/Harley-Johnson-Zook-car-adderall-car-accident/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D343175

Debris littered a highway. A car sat split in two. A young man was dead. At first, the horrific crash that killed 20-year-old Harley Johnson seemed inexplicable. That night, he drove eastbound in the westbound lane for six miles on Highway 283 in Pennsylvania before crashing head-on into a tractor-trailer hauling cattle. Police suspected the young man was taking some sort of narcotic. Blood tests showed the presence of the prescription drug Adderall in Johnson's system. Now Johnson's mother, Sandi Zook, is speaking out to warn others of the drug that claimed her son's life.

Adderall is an amphetamine commonly prescribed for people with ADHD, and abused by some looking to stave off fatigue. Zook told WGAL 8 she thinks her son was taking the drug to cope with his busy schedule of work, college classes, and band practice.

[hobbit709]

1. Amphetamine is not a narcotic.

[pnwmom]

3. Who said it was?

[hobbit709]

6. To quote the OP

"Police suspected the young man was taking some sort of narcotic."

[pnwmom]

7. Yeah, they suspected it and they were wrong. The point is

that he had symptoms that made them think he was on something, and it turned out he was.

Just not a narcotic.

But even Adderall can make someone seem out of it, depending on the circumstances.

"When taken recreationally, Adderall can cause blood-pressure spikes, confusion and dizziness."

[markpkessinger]

9. Here's the problem with amphetamines

No, it isn't that they will suddenly make you do something insane. It's that they keep you awake. For long periods of time. But after a certain point, if the user is consistently being deprived of sleep, he or she can be prone to falling asleep without warning -- even though he may not recognize himself as being tired or fatigued. I'm not saying that is what happened in this case (I really don't know what happened). But amphetamine use, depending on how much and how long a particular bender lasts, can be really insidious.

[virgogal]

2. All drugs have dangers but this young man apparently had

no prescription.

The accident is his fault.

[pnwmom]

4. Our relative had a prescription and his blood levels were within the correct limits.

But he became increasingly agitated over a few days and suddenly died, at the age of 30.

[virgogal]

5. Good lord--I am so sorry !

[pnwmom]

8. Thank you, virgogal.

I'm just trying to let people know that this is a medication, even when prescribed, to take seriously. I know it helps some people but it also can be misused -- and college students are an at risk group.

[Kali]

12. hope that you find the help you need

this is TMI and not the sort of thing to do for a first post.

[Punkingal]

11. My granddaughter, who had just turned 14, died of an adderall overdose a year ago.

She took it on purpose, though, and her ignorant mother didn't call 911 until 3 hours later. She died a horrible, unnecessary death. It is a dangerous drug, and way over-prescribed.

[Sissyk]

13. Punkingal,

I am so so sorry for your loss. That is a terrible, horrible, tragedy.

[Punkingal]

14. Yes....Thank you for your kind words.

In my mind, her mother is responsible for her death, because she didn't call 911 although she knew full well Tamara took the pills. I tried in vain to get the small town hick law enforcement to charge her with something, anything, but they didn't.

It drives me nuts sometimes....I think that's why I sympathize so much with the Martin family. Senseless, unnecessary death, although mine is different, of course.