
Nurses are no strangers to exhaustion. We work rotating shifts, long hours, and often flip between days and nights without a second thought. Add in the constant interruptionsâstudies suggest every 5 minutes!âand itâs no surprise that many nurses struggle with focus, concentration, and sleep.
So it makes sense that a nurse might visit their physician and say, âI canât concentrate, and Iâm always tired.â In response, the doctor prescribes Adderall.
At first, it feels like a miracle. Suddenly, you have laser focus, boundless energy, and youâre even losing a few pounds. You might think, How did I ever function without this? But hereâs the harsh reality: Adderall is an amphetamine, a controlled substance, and it carries a serious risk of addiction.
The Slippery Slope
Many nursesâand even nursing studentsâstart using Adderall to cope with studying, clinicals, and chaotic work environments. But what starts as a helpful boost can quickly become a dependency.
Over time, the body builds tolerance. You might need higher doses to get the same effect, and stopping the medication can bring crushing fatigue, mental fog, and emotional instability. For a nurse juggling high-stakes patient care, the idea of functioning without Adderall can feel impossible.
But hereâs what you need to consider: if youâre involved in a peer assistance program or a substance abuse recovery program, most are abstinence-based. That means even if you have a valid prescription, youâll likely be required to discontinue use of controlled substancesâincluding Adderallâto participate. Some programs consider ADHD a disability and allow the nurse to continue taking the medication.
The Choice No One Talks About
What happens when a nurse is told, âYou can either stop taking Adderall or risk your licenseâ? Unfortunately, some nurses feel so dependent on the drug that they choose Adderall over their profession. It’s a heartbreaking and avoidable reality.
A report by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing titled âThe Epidemic of Controlled Dangerous Substance Abuseâ referred to Adderall as âthe most widely abused prescription drug in America.â The Board raised serious concerns about whether nurses and nursing students should be allowed to practice while taking controlled substances at all.
The article also cited that up to 25% of college students have misused amphetaminesâoften underestimating the long-term consequences.
There Are Safer Alternatives
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 4â5% of adults have ADHD. But here is something many donât realize: there are non-controlled medications that work effectively for most of these patients. These options may offer a safer path, especially for professionals in high-responsibility roles like nursing.
One quote from the Louisiana Board article stands out:
âWe believe that a professional who wishes to take controlled medications should make a choice between the medication and the profession… The overwhelming majority of professional licensing boards choose to take the safest course and prohibit use of controlled substance medications or alcohol while practicing a profession.â
A Final Word of Caution
Even with a valid prescription, a positive drug screen could put your jobâand your licenseâat risk. What if an Adderall is missing and you are asked to take a drug screen and are positive? How does your employer or the Board know if you took the one that is missing even with a valid prescription? If you are ever called before the Board, that prescription might not protect you. What feels like a personal health decision can quickly become a professional crisis.
This isnât to say nurses canât get help for ADHD or focus challenges. But it is a strong warning to know your options, understand the risks, and make informed decisions about any medication you takeâespecially those in the controlled substance category.
Protect your patients. Protect your profession. Most importantly, protect yourself.
Scott Prather says
I agree. We have to challenge ourselves to do better without drugs. It is an interesting conundrum, however, being that we as nurses are compensated and support passing certain medications, but the boards believe in not allowing us to take certain medications ourselves. So are these medications really a solution for our children then if a board of nurses and doctors don’t believe in their own taking them while working? Get rid of them! Find another solution. Maybe holistic care for children/adults dealing with ADHD. Have faith and confidence that you/you’re child will get better with a little patience and confidence. The adderal epidemic in the 90s was started by the schools pushing for certain kids to take medicines in order to subdue the kids with Adhd so the class rooms would be more functional for everyone. Sure the kid might be more productive, but are we causing future harm? I believe so. Good article to talk about!
Anna says
If a nurse has been diagnosed with ADHD from a physician (Psychiatrist) has a valid prescription for it why in the world would the Nursing Board take their license away?
A stimulant for an individual with confirmed ADHD affects them completely different than a person without ADHD. It’s like saying a nurse with a seizure disorder isn’t allowed to take Tegretol.
LORIE A BROWN, R.N., M.N., J.D. says
The Boards are concerned with the use of controlled substances even if for legitimate purposes.
Helen says
Wouldnât a nurse with untreated ADHD be considered dangerous to patients, especially in a high paced area? Or an area that requires extreme focus? For example, ER, ICU, NICU….. but really almost any nursing job. I wouldnât want a nurse taking care of me knowing he/she has untreated ADD/ADHD/treatment resistant depression. And if a physician prescribes a stimulant to treat it, the board of nursing has no business implying they are more knowledgeable about the patientâs illness or the chosen treatment choice by the physician. The BON should have good faith in the PHYSICIAN prescribing for the patient, regardless if that patient is a nurse. Also, if something involving a nurse ever went to court and that nurse is taking a stimulant, there are ways to determine if the nurse was abusing the medication versus taking it therapeutically. Most physicians require a UDS regularly for patients on stimulants. Those results can be obtained easily and used as necessary.
LORIE A BROWN, R.N., M.N., J.D. says
Yes this is unfortunate but the Board feels they can take a non controlled substance to treat ADHD.
Emily says
I would love to know what kind of noncontrolled substance can treat my ADHD, because any that I have tried, doesn’t work. And pretty much anyone with adhd can confirm this. It’s always those without the disability that have so much knowledge on how it affects the person with the disability lol how funny is that ? This whole thread is absurd. The audacity that someone thinks they know more than the doctors discretion for their own patient and say what is in that patients best interest, a patient that they don’t even know. Thankfully my nursing school and state didn’t bat an eye at my legitimate diagnosis or tell me how my doctor should treat me. I don’t understand how we are supposed to advocate for our patients but not for us. Lord, please fix the ignorance.