Adderall allegedly creeps into athletics

Medical professionals are weighing in on the use of Adderall…which is becoming increasingly popular in athletics.

College medical professionals will tell you it’s been on campus for years.

“It’s a drug that a lot of students use to stay up late and to focus,” said Jeff Speicher, UCCS Health Circle Primary Care Clinic director.

But now it’s made it to the football field.

“It looks like it’s filtered to the athletic program as well,” said KRDO Newschannel 13’s Dr. John Torres.

Adderall is typically prescribed for ADHD patients. But it’s been used for years by college students, especially during finals season.

Now it’s alleged to be used in the NFL.

“The NFL considers it a performance enhancing drug. Not performance enhancing like I’m going to get stronger and get faster, but performance like I’m going to think sharper, I’m going to think quicker,” Torres said. “If I do have a concussion, there are some reports that athletes take it to get through the testing and get back on the field.”

Officially, Welker tested positive for an amphetamine – and one source told the Denver Post he tested positive for Adderall.

NFL.com cited another Post article in 2013 – that many NFL players reportedly use Adderall as a cover-up for other drugs.

Because the NFL drug policy doesn’t allow the league to say which drug caused a player to fail a test.

Adderall is a prescription drug, which when used by a patient, doesn’t carry heavy risk of side effects.

But when used by others, the outcomes can be different.

“Causing more inattention, impotence, rashes, that type of things, to more serious ones… even heart attacks,” Torres said.

“It increases your heart rate, it can cause problems, even death,” Speicher said.

We checked with athletic departments at several high schools, all of which say they don’t condone the use of Adderall or any enhancing drug among players of any sports.