What are the similarities/differences between Adderall and meth(speed)?

Question by Josh: What are the similarities/differences between Adderall and meth(speed)?
My little brother gave me some of his prescribed Adderall to help with finals in college. I took one yesterday to see if I would notice anything. I’m not proud of this, but I have snorted meth a few times thinking it was MDMA. Please hold judgement, it was awhile ago, and I don’t mess with that stuff anymore. But anyways, I can’t help but notice the Adderall produced very similar, weakened effects of the meth. Sweaty palms, very talkative and alert, difficulty sleeping and others I can’t really explain. I just can’t believe the doctors have been prescribing this stuff to my brother since he was around 10.

Best answer:

Answer by w3rd
Meth(amphetamine) and Adderall both contain amphetamines (the main and really only ingredient in both). Adderall is quite literally a weaker version of meth. Matter of fact, one could get a prescription for meth (trade name Desoxyn) although its harder to get for the obvious reason that it is stronger than adderall and with the amount of adderall abuse its obvious that if Desoxyn were as popular as Adderall, we would REALLY have some problems. Prescription meth is different than meth you would buy off the street. Meth made by Rx companies are held to a higher standard and are not made with the same horribly bad chemicals that street meth is made with. So while Adderall is a weaker version of meth, its a weaker version of a cleaner version of meth than you and most others have experienced, although that obviously does not make it THAT much better.

EDIT: Sorry for not being clearer, my mistake; I meant to say active ingredients when talking about Adderall vs Desoxyn (as in active ingredients in the pills), not the “ingredients” of the amphetamine and methamphetamine compounds.

Regardless, PsychoB is right on with the addition of the methyl group being the only chemical difference between amphetamine and methamphetamine. Adding the methyl group increases the fat solubility of the amphetamines increasing potency as well as the chance of it essentially building up in your body to significantly higher toxic levels. This is a cause of many deaths as the buildup is not immediate, it happens over time with continued abuse until..BAM! =D

Answer by Psychobenzaprine
Methamphetamine molecules have an extra methyl group attached to the nitrogen atom. That’s the ONLY difference.

(There are no “ingredients” in either substance. These are molecules, not damned cookie recipes.)

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