Adderall contains an amphetamine component.
Adderall is a combination drug containing salts of the two enantiomers of amphetamine , a central nervous system ( CNS ) stimulant of the phenethylamine class . The two amphetamine enantiomers that compose Adderall ( i.e. , levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine ) alleviate the symptoms of ADHD and narcolepsy by increasing the activity of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain , which results from their interactions with trace amine associated receptor 1 ( TAAR1 ) and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 ( VMAT2 ) in neurons . Adderall 's active ingredient , amphetamine , shares many chemical and pharmacological properties with the human trace amines , particularly phenethylamine and , the latter of which is a positional isomer of amphetamine .