ADHD - An Illustrated historical overview

B enzedrine is the trade name of the racemic mixture of amphetamine (dl-amphetamine) and was marketed under this brand name in the United States in the form of inhalers. Benze- drine was used to enlarge nasal and bronchial passages and is closely relat- ed to other stimulants, such as Dexe- drine (d-amphetamine) and metham- phetamine. Benzedrine was initially employed for medical purposes, but early users soon discovered its eu- phoric stimulant effect, making it one of the earliest synthetic stimulants for recreational purposes and brain dop- ing. In the 1940s and 1950s, reports began to emerge about the abuse of inhalers, and the FDA finally listed it as a restricted drug in the United States. Dub and Lurie describe the effect of benzedrine on 48 depressed female patients in 1939. Bradley's landmark article of 1937. One of the many follow-up studies, Bradley and Bowen, 1940. Molitch and Sullivan report on the beneficial effects of benzedrine on children taking the “New Stanford Achievement Test” in 1937. Benzedrine