Can You Drink Alcohol With Adderall? Dangers And Effects

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Adderall and alcohol: What you need to know

Medically reviewed by Femi Aremu, PharmD — Written by Jennifer Huizen — Updated on May 30, 2023

Adderall and alcohol
Why is it dangerous?
Side effects
Risks
Addiction
Summary

As with many prescription medications, a person should not take Adderall with alcohol, as doing so can pose several health risks. As the length of time it takes for Adderall to wear off can vary, it is best for a person to contact their doctor for advice.

Adderall is a brand name for the combination of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine. It is a drug doctors prescribe primarily to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Mixing alcohol and Adderall can be dangerous. The stimulant effects of Adderall can counter the sedating effects of alcohol, which may prompt a person to drink more due to noticing alcohol’s effects less.

Despite these risks, young people in the United States often simultaneously consume alcohol at the same time as Adderall and other stimulants.

A 2014 study found that 48.7% of high school seniors who recreationally used prescription stimulants, such as Adderall, had simultaneously used alcohol at least once within the past year.

A 2019 study of students primarily preparing to enter college but also some in college or graduate school reported that those who took prescription stimulants recreationally were more than three times more likely to have consumed alcohol in the previous 14 days than those who took no medication.

Is it safe to drink while taking Adderall?

A person should not take Adderall in combination with consuming alcohol. This applies to people who have been prescribed the drug and those that misuse it for recreation.

Examples of misusing Adderall include:

using their own medication in a way not prescribed, such as more frequently or in larger doses
taking the drug in a different form than prescribed, such as smoking, snorting, or injecting it
taking someone else’s Adderall
using their own prescription for solely recreational purposes

Why is it dangerous?

There are several potential reasons why mixing alcohol and Adderall is not safe.

Adderall and alcohol contain chemicals that affect the central nervous system differently. Adderall contains amphetamine salts that increase the effect of the neurotransmitters in the brain. This can improve focus and alertness.

In contrast, alcohol decreases the effects of transmitters in the brain. This can slow down bodily and mental functions. When taken together, Adderall can mask the sedative effects of alcohol.

Alcohol is a depressant, but in small doses, it can act as a temporary stimulant. Adderall may elongate this period of stimulation. It may also delay the sedating effects of larger doses of alcohol. This may cause people to drink more than they would do otherwise.

Consuming large quantities of alcohol can overwhelm the liver, leading to an alcohol overdose.

Additionally, alcohol and Adderall require the same liver enzymes for digestion. People who drink after having taken Adderall may also feel the effects of one of the two drugs more than usual, depending on which drug is processed quicker by the liver.

How long after taking Adderall can I drink alcohol?

Various factors will influence how long Adderall stays in a person’s system. The time taken to metabolize the drug fully will depend on a person’s age, weight, and the drug’s dosage and form.

Some guidance states that the immediate-release Adderall version will last 4–6 hours per dose, while the extended-release Adderall X can last a full day.

Given those variables, a person should consult their doctor or pharmacist to confirm how long after taking Adderall they should wait before drinking alcohol.

What to do if you have taken Adderall with alcohol

If a person is concerned that taking alcohol and Adderall may be causing themselves harm, or if they are feeling any side effects from combining the two, they should contact emergency services immediately.

If another person is showing signs and symptoms of an Adderall overdose but is not able or willing to seek medical attention, someone else must seek emergency help for them.

Symptoms and side effects

Adderall and alcohol cause very different symptoms.

Upon drinking alcohol, a person may experience a temporary uplift in mood. This feeling may be similar to taking small doses of Adderall. However, if a person continues to drink more they may experience symptoms that can include:

stumbling, unsteady movement, or poor coordination
slurred speech
disorientation
reduced reaction time
reduced ability to think rationally
distorted judgment

Symptoms can depend on a person’s body weight, medical conditions, and history of alcohol usage.

If someone continues to drink alcohol, they will experience increasingly severe symptoms. Symptoms associated with heavy alcohol consumption include:

loss of control over body movement
inability to feel pain
inability to make rational decisions
total lack of judgment
vomiting
loss of consciousness

If someone misuses Adderall repeatedly they can develop adverse symptoms. This may happen even if they have a prescription for the medication. Adderall can also cause different symptoms in people who are not using it for medical purposes or not taking it as prescribed.

Symptoms and side effects of repeated Adderall misuse can include:

anger and aggression
paranoia
psychosis

Symptoms associated with using high doses of Adderall over the short term include:

stomach cramps
dry mouth
difficulty sleeping
headaches and dizziness
changes in mood
restlessness or anxiousness
loss of appetite
nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea

Symptoms associated with long-term use of high doses of Adderall include:

irregular heartbeat
weight loss
very high body temperature
abnormally high or low blood pressure
chest pains
hallucinations
difficulty breathing
nerve issues that can cause seizures

There is little research on the effects of mixing alcohol and Adderall. However, a 2012 study claimed that combining the two drugs tends to increase the risk of experiencing symptoms including:

heightened or lengthened period of euphoria while drinking
delayed onset of the sedating symptoms related to alcohol
altered perception of being drunk
intensified or exaggerated symptoms of Adderall or alcohol use

Further clinical studies into the effects of combined alcohol and Adderall consumption are needed to come up with firmer conclusions.

Risks

A major risk associated with drinking alcohol while taking Adderall is alcohol poisoning.

A person who drinks more alcohol than their liver can process may experience alcohol poisoning. This is where alcohol blood levels are so high they become life-threatening.

Prescription stimulants such as Adderall can lessen the perceived sedative effects of alcohol. However, despite this altered perception, a person’s body will still be affected by alcohol consumption. This can lead to physical damage.

Alcohol poisoning can result in:

uncontrollable vomiting, often when a person seems unconscious
coma
organ failure

Adderall itself has associated risks, especially at high doses. Risks associated with very high doses or overdoses of Adderall include:

heart attack
seizures
heart and circulation failure
coma
death

The full extent of outcomes and effects linked with the combined use of Adderall and alcohol is not fully understood yet. However, reviews have suggested that the simultaneous use of alcohol and prescription stimulants may be associated with:

increased risk of substance abuse
greater likelihood of using illegal drugs or misusing other prescription drugs
lowered grade point averages
increased or prolonged symptoms of alcohol and stimulant use

Addiction potential

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration classifies Adderall as a Schedule II drug, meaning it carries a high risk of abuse and severe physical and psychological addiction.

The long-term use of Adderall can cause some people to develop a tolerance to the drug, meaning they need higher or more frequent doses to get the same effect.

Adderall misuse is also associated with substance use disorder (SUD), which can develop into addiction. People with SUD also experience withdrawal symptoms if they suddenly stop taking the drug or greatly reduce their dosage.

Symptoms of Adderall withdrawal include:

difficulty sleeping
unexplained sleepiness
depression

Summary

It is dangerous to combine Adderall and alcohol and people should not do so.

Adderall can mask the effects of alcohol intoxication, making it much easier for individuals to consume too much alcohol. People who mix alcohol and Adderall may also be at an increased risk of developing substance abuse problems and are more likely to experiment with other prescription and illegal drugs.

However, more research is required to fully assess the combined effects of alcohol and Adderall consumption.

A person should consult their doctor or pharmacist to confirm how long after taking Adderall they should wait before drinking alcohol.

Depression
ADHD / ADD
Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Pharmacy / Pharmacist

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesMedical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Adderall CII. (2017).https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2017/011522s043lbl.pdf
Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder. (2019).https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml
Commonly used drugs charts. (2020).https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/commonly-abused-drugs-charts
Egan, K. L., et al. (2012). Simultaneous use of non-medical prescription ADHD stimulants and alcohol among undergraduate students. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3644523/
McCabe, S. E., (2014). Simultaneous co-ingestion of prescription stimulants, alcohol and other drugs: A multi-cohort national study of U.S. adolescents.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4362718/
Prescription stimulants DrugFacts. (2018).https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/prescription-stimulants
Schepis, T. S. (2019). Alcohol use and consequences in matriculating US college students by prescription stimulant/opiod nonmedical misuse status.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6754780/#R24
Thomas, S. (2019). The dangers of mixing Adderall and alcohol.https://americanaddictioncenters.org/adderall/mixing-with-alcohol
Wagener, D. (2021). How long does Adderall stay in your system? https://americanaddictioncenters.org/adderall/how-long-system-body

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Medically reviewed by Femi Aremu, PharmD — Written by Jennifer Huizen — Updated on May 30, 2023

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Is it safe to drink while taking Adderall?

Why is it dangerous?

How long after taking Adderall can I drink alcohol?

What to do if you have taken Adderall with alcohol

Symptoms and side effects

Risks

Addiction potential

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