IN 1952, 3 billion 10-milligram Dexedrine tablets--basically speed--were produced as diet pills in the U.S., making their consumption about as widespread as breathing. Why do you think Jack Kerouac was able to write On the Road in nearly one sitting, and why do you think that was the last decade during which we still weren't an obese nation?

THEN, IN the '60s and '70s, the drug became popular with students cramming for exams and long protest marches, as well as with long-haul truckers struggling to stay alert enough to keep those 18-wheelers between the white lines.

DEXEDRINE IS no longer prescribed as a diet aid, in light of the smorgasbord of harmful side effects now associated with prolonged use: addiction, insomnia, dry mouth, headache, nausea, weight loss, hallucinations, paranoia, liver irritation/toxicity ... take a breath ... increased heart rate, tics, Tourette's syndrome, sexual difficulties (there's no woody like no woody), behavior disturbances, thought disorders, elevated blood pressure ... take another breath ... overstimulation, restlessness, dizziness, euphoria, headache, weakened motor skills, and diarrhea and constipation (evil opposites plaguing the same intestinal tract). However, it has been reformulated and is currently being prescribed for children with attention-deficit syndrome, popularly known as ADD. God bless America! And get a second opinion.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Weider Publications
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