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I can't be the only one thinking that this can not be good in the long run. I still remember my friend who had a prescription for ADHD -medication, and they cut

I can't be the only one thinking that this can not be good in the long run. I still remember my friend who had a prescription for ADHD -medication, and they cut off this medication, and he couldn't do nothing but sleep for 3 weeks almost. What kind of state does prolonged use of amphetamines put the user ? Constantly being pushed to focus on one task, what kind of thought patterns does that create in the long run ? I feel the biggest issue with this is that it's considered okay, like is coffee use, and still coffee and amphetamines are really strong stimulants, but it's so commonplace that we don't even think about it anymore. Are we being just taught by the culture around us to work, work, work .. when we could be taking it more easy, having our thinking be more open, and not so closed and focused on the tasks ahead of us?

JohnBooty 10y ago
I was prescribed approximately 25mg daily Adderall for 7 or 8 years, so here's my anecdotal answer to your questions... > I still remember my friend who had a prescription for ADHD -medication, > and they cut off this medication, and he couldn't do nothing but sleep > for 3 weeks almost. Wow. That is really irresponsible of them to cut him off so suddenly. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. I definitely had a "crash" if I suddenly stopped taking it for a day, cold turkey. Would pretty much be stuck in bed. However, if I slowly weaned myself off over a couple of days (25mg-->15mg-->5mg-->0mg) or something like that, it was no problem. Currently I haven't used any in six months. > What kind of state does prolonged use of amphetamines put the user ? > Constantly being pushed to focus on one task, what kind of thought > patterns does that create in the long run ? Now that it's been six months past, I feel no long-term changes whatsoever. Mentally, I'm back to how I used to be before Adderall. There's no denying, though, that Adderall often made me a bit more prone to anger while I took it regularly. I also have to say that Adderall didn't really "push me to focus on one task." It helped my focus and energy somewhat, but I definitely didn't become some kind of extreme monotasker. > Are we being just taught by the culture around us to work, work, work .. > when we could be taking it more easy, having our thinking be more open, > and not so closed and focused on the tasks ahead of us? Absolutely, yes. I think what bothers me about America's workaholic mentality is that it's not even effective. In the long run I firmly believe that we get less work done if we constantly push ourselves to exhaustion. We try to treat our entire work careers like we're university students trying to power our way through an all-nighter. It just doesn't work. I continually remind myself of this... the hard way.
- xenihn 10y ago
  Mind if I ask why you stopped using it? And do you plan to start again?
  - JohnBooty 10y ago
    I felt like it lost its efficacy over time. Whether I developed a direct tolerance for the medication, or whether there was something more indirect at work, I'm not sure. Also to be honest I found modafinil to be a lot more effective. I don't see myself going back onto Adderall. I wouldn't rule it out, but it doesn't appeal to me right now.
- inDigiNeous 10y ago
  Thank you for your well put answer. I have no experience with amphetamines, but have been thinking about this subject, but it's not something that is exactly being talked about in public. Sometimes I even felt it a little bit unfair as a programmer, that I am competing with people who are medicated. But I don't think like this anymore. And yes, I agree on the doing less is more, with highly intelligent tasks you just start banging your head against the wall at some point, and anything beyond this point can be time just wasted, when we could be just relaxing and resting, to be more in tune again the next day.
  - JohnBooty 10y ago
    I'd feel the same way in your shoes - it would feel a bit unfair. But now that I've been on both sides of the fence I can safely say that it's not a big advantage. If programming was a footrace... on a long term basis I'd say that Adderall is more like a knee brace than a pair of roller skates. On a short-term basis it can be different. The first time you take it, you might be able to pull a very effective all-nighter. But you will have to catch up on sleep eventually. Much like caffeine, a person's body adapts to Adderall very quickly. There's no free gains with this stuff. The ideal usage pattern for Adderall might actually be closer to "take it sparingly 2 or 3 times a month" rather than "take it every single day."
aidenn0 10y ago
I can't answer long-term because I just started stimulant medication. However: "Constantly being pushed to focus on one task" is not at all how I would describe it. It's much more subtle than that. Prior to taking the meds, I could not tear myself away from some tasks (basically anything really interesting to me)[1]. One of the side effects is supposed to be reduced appetite, but I find I actually am eating more often because now I can get up from my desk when I'm hungry. This sounds great and all, and it's actually useful when the task that catches my attention is also one I am supposed to be working on. However, interruptions don't work, and the minutia end up not happening (e.g. self assessment for performance review, answer question a customer or technical writer had about how X works, &ct.). Often times even writing down a note to do something later was not possible for me when I was in the middle of a task. The worst, of course, is when a problem catches my attention that has zero value for my employer. Today I had a similar interruption, I asked for a couple minutes to finish up the part I was working on, and two minutes later, I hit the stopping point I was anticipating and looked into the more urgent matter. Previous to the meds, I would have either completely forgotten about the more urgent matter, or would just have had to work for "just five more minutes" for an hour or two. 1: https://xkcd.com/356/ https://xkcd.com/356/ <-- this comic understates if anything what that's like. Though there is a 50-50 chance I don't even see the sign because I'm still thinking about whatever I was working on when I left work.

JohnBooty 10y ago

I was prescribed approximately 25mg daily Adderall for 7 or 8 years, so here's my anecdotal answer to your questions... > I still remember my friend who had a prescription for ADHD -medication, > and they cut off this medication, and he couldn't do nothing but sleep > for 3 weeks almost. Wow. That is really irresponsible of them to cut him off so suddenly. I wouldn't wish that on anybody. I definitely had a "crash" if I suddenly stopped taking it for a day, cold turkey. Would pretty much be stuck in bed. However, if I slowly weaned myself off over a couple of days (25mg-->15mg-->5mg-->0mg) or something like that, it was no problem. Currently I haven't used any in six months. > What kind of state does prolonged use of amphetamines put the user ? > Constantly being pushed to focus on one task, what kind of thought > patterns does that create in the long run ? Now that it's been six months past, I feel no long-term changes whatsoever. Mentally, I'm back to how I used to be before Adderall. There's no denying, though, that Adderall often made me a bit more prone to anger while I took it regularly. I also have to say that Adderall didn't really "push me to focus on one task." It helped my focus and energy somewhat, but I definitely didn't become some kind of extreme monotasker. > Are we being just taught by the culture around us to work, work, work .. > when we could be taking it more easy, having our thinking be more open, > and not so closed and focused on the tasks ahead of us? Absolutely, yes. I think what bothers me about America's workaholic mentality is that it's not even effective. In the long run I firmly believe that we get less work done if we constantly push ourselves to exhaustion. We try to treat our entire work careers like we're university students trying to power our way through an all-nighter. It just doesn't work. I continually remind myself of this... the hard way.

xenihn 10y ago
Mind if I ask why you stopped using it? And do you plan to start again?
- JohnBooty 10y ago
  I felt like it lost its efficacy over time. Whether I developed a direct tolerance for the medication, or whether there was something more indirect at work, I'm not sure. Also to be honest I found modafinil to be a lot more effective. I don't see myself going back onto Adderall. I wouldn't rule it out, but it doesn't appeal to me right now.
inDigiNeous 10y ago
Thank you for your well put answer. I have no experience with amphetamines, but have been thinking about this subject, but it's not something that is exactly being talked about in public. Sometimes I even felt it a little bit unfair as a programmer, that I am competing with people who are medicated. But I don't think like this anymore. And yes, I agree on the doing less is more, with highly intelligent tasks you just start banging your head against the wall at some point, and anything beyond this point can be time just wasted, when we could be just relaxing and resting, to be more in tune again the next day.
- JohnBooty 10y ago
  I'd feel the same way in your shoes - it would feel a bit unfair. But now that I've been on both sides of the fence I can safely say that it's not a big advantage. If programming was a footrace... on a long term basis I'd say that Adderall is more like a knee brace than a pair of roller skates. On a short-term basis it can be different. The first time you take it, you might be able to pull a very effective all-nighter. But you will have to catch up on sleep eventually. Much like caffeine, a person's body adapts to Adderall very quickly. There's no free gains with this stuff. The ideal usage pattern for Adderall might actually be closer to "take it sparingly 2 or 3 times a month" rather than "take it every single day."

aidenn0 10y ago

I can't answer long-term because I just started stimulant medication. However: "Constantly being pushed to focus on one task" is not at all how I would describe it. It's much more subtle than that. Prior to taking the meds, I could not tear myself away from some tasks (basically anything really interesting to me)[1]. One of the side effects is supposed to be reduced appetite, but I find I actually am eating more often because now I can get up from my desk when I'm hungry. This sounds great and all, and it's actually useful when the task that catches my attention is also one I am supposed to be working on. However, interruptions don't work, and the minutia end up not happening (e.g. self assessment for performance review, answer question a customer or technical writer had about how X works, &ct.). Often times even writing down a note to do something later was not possible for me when I was in the middle of a task. The worst, of course, is when a problem catches my attention that has zero value for my employer. Today I had a similar interruption, I asked for a couple minutes to finish up the part I was working on, and two minutes later, I hit the stopping point I was anticipating and looked into the more urgent matter. Previous to the meds, I would have either completely forgotten about the more urgent matter, or would just have had to work for "just five more minutes" for an hour or two. 1: https://xkcd.com/356/ https://xkcd.com/356/ <-- this comic understates if anything what that's like. Though there is a 50-50 chance I don't even see the sign because I'm still thinking about whatever I was working on when I left work.