Fourteen million young people take Adderall to treat attention deficit disorder. Many doctors say it's harmless but that's not always the case. Richard Fee’s parents tell how their son's addiction led to his suicide.
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Reporter: SINCE
CHILDHOOD, RICHARD LIVED A
STORYBOOK LIFE, STRAIGHT
"A"S, STAR ATHLETE, LOTS OF
FRIENDS.
AND THEN HE STARTED TAKING
THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG
ADDERALL.
IT JUST CHANGED HIS WHOLE
THOUGHT PROCESS.
Reporter: OVER THE
COURSE OF THREE YEARS,
RICHARD'S LIFE SPIRALLED OUT
OF CONTROL, UNTIL HIS FATHER
FOUND HIM HANGING IN HIS
CLOSET.
THE WORST POSSIBLE THING
YOU COULD EVEN IMAGINE.
HERE WAS THIS GREAT KID,
THAT HAD EVERYTHING GOING
FON HIM, EVERYTHING.
SMART, GOOD-LOOKING KID, AND
THE ADDERALL JUST DESTROYED
HIM.
Reporter: ADDERALL IS
PRESCRIBED FOR PEOPLE WITH
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER,
OR A.D.D.
ADDERALL WORKS ON THE BRAIN
TO HELP THEM FOCUS BETTER.
BUT SOME PEOPLE WHO DO NOT
HAVE A.D.D. BELIEVE ADDERALL
MAKES THEM FOCUS BETTER,
TOO, SO THEY TAKE IT TO HELP
THEM STUDY.
RICHARD HAD MENTIONED TO
ME THAT HE HAD GOTTEN AN
ADDERALL FROM ONE OF HIS
FRIENDS AT EXAM TIME.
Reporter: HE IS NOT
ALONE.
AN ESTIMATED ONE IN FIVE
COLLEGE STUDENTS USE IT,
LARGELY UNAWARE OF THE
PHYSICAL DANGER, AND THAT IT
IS A FELONY TO USE SOMEONE
ELSE'S PRESCRIPTION.
HERE IN THE LIBRARY
DURING EXAM WEAK, YO WEEK,
YOU CAN HEAR PEOPLE ASKING
EACH OTHER, I NEED AN
ADDERALL PILL.
PEOPLE DO OFFER IT TO EACH
OTHER.
Reporter: SOON RICHARD
ONES HIONCE HIT HIS OWN
SUPPLY.
IF YOU JUST GO TO A
DOCTOR AND TELL THEM YOU
HAVE THE SIGNS OF A.D.D.,
WITHOUT EVEN CHECKING,
THEY'LL GIVE YOU A
PRESCRIPTION.
THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT HE
DID.
Reporter: THIS CLINICAL
PSYCHOLOGIST RESEARCHES THE
MISUSE OF DRUGS LIKE
ADDERALL.
SHE SAYS IT IS EASY TO FAKE
A.D.D.
IF YOU TALK TO MOST
COLLEGE STUDENTS, THEY COULD
PROBABLY TELL YOU A DOCTOR,
OR TWO OR THREE, IN TOWN TO
GO TO, AND WHAT TO SAY OR DO
IN ORDER TO GET A
PRESCRIPTION.
Reporter: ADDERALL IS A
CLASS TWO NARCOTIC.
IT CAN BE VERY ADDICTIVE.
YOU CAN GET A EUPHORIC
FEELING WITH A CRASH
AFTERWARDS.
Reporter: AFTER
COLLEGE, RICHARD MOVED BACK
HOME WITH HIS PARENTS AND
CONVINCED TWO SEPARATE
DOCTORS TO EACH PRESCRIBE
HIM ADDERALL.
RICHARD WOULD BE UP FOR
DAYS.
BE UP FOR THREE DAYS IN A
ROW, WALKING THE HOUSE 3:00,
4:00, 5:00 IN THE MORNING,
WIDE AWAKE.
AND THEN HE WOULD CRASH FOR
A COUPLE OF DAYS AND SLEEP
FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS.
Reporter: THE FAMILY
TRIED TO GET RICHARD'S
DOCTORS TO STOP PRESCRIBING
THE DRUG.
I SAID, YOU KEEP GIVING
ADDERALL TO MY SON, YOU'RE
GOING TO KILL HIM.
Reporter: BUT RICHARD
WAS OVER 18, AND HIS DOCTORS
SAID LEGALLY RICHARD'S
TREATMENT WAS PRIVATE.
THE DOCTORS STAYED IN THE
RECEPTION AREA, BEHIND THE
GLASS PARTITION, AND SAID HE
COULDN'T TALK TO US.
Reporter: RICHARD'S
DOCTORS BOTH INCREASED HIS
DOSE.
YOU CAN BECOME PSYCHOTIC
AND LOSE THE ABILITY TO
THINK CLEARLY AND DO THINGS
THAT YOU OTHERWISE WOULDN'T
DO.
I'VE SEEN HIM, HE WAS ON
THE COMPUTER AND HE JUST PUT
LITTLE PIECES OF SCOTCH TAPE
ON HIS FINGERS BECAUSE HE
DIDN'T WANT THE KEYBOARD TO
BE ABLE TO GET HIS
FINGERPRINTS.
WHY, I DON'T KNOW.
HE WOULD COVER UP THE CAMERA
ON IT BECAUSE HE FELT LIKE
PEOPLE COULD BE WATCHING
HIM.
DURING THIS TIME, RICHARD
IS BECOMING MORE VIOLENT.
HE IS MAKING THREATS.
WE WERE SCARED OF OUR OWN
SON DURING THAT TIME.
WE SLEPT WITH OUR DOORS
LOCKED.
Reporter: NOT LONG
AFTER THAT, RICHARD TOOK HIS
LIFE.
IT SHOULD HAVE NEVER,
EVER HAVE HAPPENED.
AND IT WAS THE ADDERALL.
Reporter: PEOPLE WITH
FAMILIAR WITH RICHARD'S
STORY SAY IT ILLUSTRATES THE
NEED FOR STRICTER GUIDELINES
FOR DIAGNOSING A.D.D., AND
FOR TRYING
NON-PHARMACEUTICAL
TREATMENTS BEFORE
PRESCRIBING ADDERALL.
THERE IS NOW CLEAR
EVIDENCE THAT THE MEDICATION
SHOULD BE, IN MOST
INSTANCES, THE LAST LINE OF
DEFENSE, AND NOT THE FIRST
LINE OF DEFENSE.
AND WHAT THE RESEARCH IS
CLEARLY SHOWING IS THAT OVER
THE LON LONG-TERM, THE
DRUGS ARE NOT AS EFFECTIVE
AS BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION.
Reporter: THE FAMILY
WANTS CHANGES, REQUIRING
DOCTORS TO SEE WHAT OTHER
PRESCRIPTIONS THEIR PATIENTS
ARE TAKING, AND REQUIRING
THEM TO NOTIFY PARENTS OF
ADULT CHILDREN WHO ARE IN
DANGER.
THERE WAS INFORMATION
THAT THEY HAD IN THEIR FILE,
THAT IF THEY HAD SHARED IT
WITH US AT THAT TIME, WE'D
LIKE TO THINK THINGS WOULD
HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT.
THEY NOTED IN RICHARD'S FILE
THEY THOUGHT HE WAS
SUICIDAL.
Reporter: THEY SAY
ADDICTS SHOULD FIND A
QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL TO
WEAN OFF IT.
YOU DON'T COLD TURKEY
THIS STUFF.
YOU NEED TO BE TAKEN OFF IT
SLOWLY.
Reporter: ALTHOUGH THEY
CAN'T GET THEIR SON BACK,
THEY HOPE TELLING THEIR
STORY WILL PREVENT OTHERS
FROM LOSING THEIR LOVED
ONES.
LORI JOHNSON, CBN NEWS.
