"The Pill Craze"

La Replubblica, By Francesca Gerrini and Ambra Radaelli, translated into English by Sienna Hopkins

Phenomena were made to be studied. But in the United States amphetamines are used mainly to curb hunger.

And in Italy…

They call it “A Train”, “Study buddy”, “A candy” but the most diffused name is “A+”. The commercial name is Adderall: a pharmaceutical drug that aids concentration, prescribed to those who suffer from A.D.D. It is a type of amphetamine...”Amphetamines – as with other substances with abuse tendencies, from alcohol to other various drugs – release dopamine in the cerebral area called the nucleo accumbens which creates a dependency,” explains Luca Steardo, head professor of Neuropsychopharmacology at the University of La Sapienza in Rome. “The amphetamine effect is produced instead by the increase of the monoamine in the hypothalamus, and by the synthesis and discharge (release) of an anorectic substance, among which the primary is the peptide cart.”

…If a woman enters the boutiques of Rodeo Drive, Melrose Avenue or Robertson Boulevard and asks for a pair of jeans in size 8, she is met with shocked glances. It is here that the Lindsay Lohans, Nicole Richies, and Olson Twins are making such a hit; all of them extremely thin, and all swearing they only exercise, drink a lot of water, and follow a healthy diet…In the gyms of Beverly Hills, in the saunas of Hollywood and in the spas of Malibu, are whispered the names of doctors who prescribe Adderall with little care. One pill inhibits hunger for up to 10-12 hours. A simple dose of two pills and eating is no longer necessary. And of course if someone collapses in a club, all they have to do is blame stress.

Officially the phenomenon does not exist – everyone denies using pharmaceuticals for the purpose of losing weight – and therefore we do not have statistics. It is also denied by Rachel Zoe, the most powerful stylist in Hollywood, whose clients like Mischa Barton and Kate Bosworth all have skeletal figures. She is reported as stating to a British newspaper: “It was rumored that I was importing pills from Mexico to distribute them to my clients. This is not true. I have never even tried cocaine.” Should we believe her? “The pressure to lose weight in unbearable. Many actresses or aspiring actresses see themselves as overweight,” states Linda Blakeley, a Beverly Hills psychotherapist specializing in eating disorders…

…Adderall produces tachycardia, insomnia, dizzy spells, diarrhea, and loss of appetite (these being the primary collateral effects: if you type the product’s name on almost any search engine, even with the option “In Italian”, you find even more detailed lists). In Canada, the drug was prohibited based upon being responsible for the death of 12 teenagers that were taking it for learning disabilities. But it was eventually discovered that they were suffering from cardiac difficulties and that they misused the drug. Thus Adderall returned to the Canadian pharmacies…On the internet nothing is impossible to find…

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