4 ms·

Adderall works absurdly well for me, it's actually depressing to see how it can make being productive virtually effortless. For me it's the difference between a

Adderall works absurdly well for me, it's actually depressing to see how it can make being productive virtually effortless. For me it's the difference between an hour of real work per day and 15+ hours. I'm just afraid that taking it often will lead to some kind of brain damage decades down the line. Otherwise I would be taking it every day.

bradleyankrom 8y ago
It freaked me out how much of a difference Adderall made when I started taking it. My productivity and general feeling of self worth have definitely improved since I started taking it seven or eight years ago. I also worry about the long-term effects, but probably not as much as my concern for how I would function if it were ever taken off of the market.
- User23 8y ago
  It's a hell of a drug. The long term effects are why I discontinued, but it made the decade at Amazon not just bearable, but fun. That and half the other SDEs there were taking it too.
  - MetalGuru 8y ago
    What are the longterm effects? And how long is longterm? You didn't have them after a decade? It is a helluva drug though.
    - jniedrauer 8y ago
      My biggest concern would be hypertension and damage to my heart.
    - unixhero 8y ago
      None.
    - User23 8y ago
      Cognitive decline is the main one that concerned me. You don't run an organ hot for years without doing some damage, and anyone who says otherwise is selling a dream.
      - philwelch 8y ago
        If you dose stimulants properly, and you actually have ADD, you're not running anything hot. Stimulants should be used to bring a low resting dopamine rate to normal and healthy levels.
        User23 8y ago
        Sure. That sounds great. Where’s the evidence?
        hu3 8y ago
        Hijacking the conversation to learn from your experience. What would you tell to someone like me, who started taking 30mg Vyvanse for ADHD just a month ago? I'm skipping weekends to delay organism adaptation and put less strain on the body. The drug doesn't let you feel that strain but I'm sure it's there since it works like a processor overclock. Before I functioned at 60% and now I function at 120% for most of the day.
        ThrustVectoring 8y ago
        30mg seems high to me for an initial dose. "Dosing things right" for stimulant therapy for ADHD is something like "little enough that you don't feel much of an effect subjectively, but not so little that it fails to help control symptoms". Like, I got started out at 10mg Adderall XR, and even that has a little bit more oomph than I think is ideal. I might be more sensitive to stimulants than you, but even then you want to take as little as is necessary to control your symptoms. I'd suggest talking to your psychiatrist about lowering your dosage. If you're taking three 10mg pills, try taking just one of them. If you're taking just one 30mg pill, then complain about side effects (feeling wired, upset stomach) and ask for a lower dose.
mepian 8y ago
Reading this makes me wish Adderall was legal in my country.
- namibj 8y ago
  There are other ADHD medications based on amphetamine. Be careful though, they can easily disrupt your sleep cycle and the psychological addiction to the productivity is real.
- hu3 8y ago
  Ask your doctor about Vyvanse.
ip26 8y ago
Just FYI, "normal" people aren't highly productive for 15+ hours a day. So I want to emphasize that's a drug-enhanced state, not bringing you in line with where everyone else already is. Also, forget about direct side effects of the drug, going nonstop all day long every day is unsustainable, the body will crash eventually.

bradleyankrom 8y ago

It freaked me out how much of a difference Adderall made when I started taking it. My productivity and general feeling of self worth have definitely improved since I started taking it seven or eight years ago. I also worry about the long-term effects, but probably not as much as my concern for how I would function if it were ever taken off of the market.

User23 8y ago
It's a hell of a drug. The long term effects are why I discontinued, but it made the decade at Amazon not just bearable, but fun. That and half the other SDEs there were taking it too.
- MetalGuru 8y ago
  What are the longterm effects? And how long is longterm? You didn't have them after a decade? It is a helluva drug though.
  - jniedrauer 8y ago
    My biggest concern would be hypertension and damage to my heart.
  - unixhero 8y ago
    None.
  - User23 8y ago
    Cognitive decline is the main one that concerned me. You don't run an organ hot for years without doing some damage, and anyone who says otherwise is selling a dream.
    - philwelch 8y ago
      If you dose stimulants properly, and you actually have ADD, you're not running anything hot. Stimulants should be used to bring a low resting dopamine rate to normal and healthy levels.
      - User23 8y ago
        Sure. That sounds great. Where’s the evidence?
        hu3 8y ago
        Hijacking the conversation to learn from your experience. What would you tell to someone like me, who started taking 30mg Vyvanse for ADHD just a month ago? I'm skipping weekends to delay organism adaptation and put less strain on the body. The drug doesn't let you feel that strain but I'm sure it's there since it works like a processor overclock. Before I functioned at 60% and now I function at 120% for most of the day.
        ThrustVectoring 8y ago
        30mg seems high to me for an initial dose. "Dosing things right" for stimulant therapy for ADHD is something like "little enough that you don't feel much of an effect subjectively, but not so little that it fails to help control symptoms". Like, I got started out at 10mg Adderall XR, and even that has a little bit more oomph than I think is ideal. I might be more sensitive to stimulants than you, but even then you want to take as little as is necessary to control your symptoms. I'd suggest talking to your psychiatrist about lowering your dosage. If you're taking three 10mg pills, try taking just one of them. If you're taking just one 30mg pill, then complain about side effects (feeling wired, upset stomach) and ask for a lower dose.

mepian 8y ago

Reading this makes me wish Adderall was legal in my country.

namibj 8y ago
There are other ADHD medications based on amphetamine. Be careful though, they can easily disrupt your sleep cycle and the psychological addiction to the productivity is real.
hu3 8y ago
Ask your doctor about Vyvanse.

ip26 8y ago

Just FYI, "normal" people aren't highly productive for 15+ hours a day. So I want to emphasize that's a drug-enhanced state, not bringing you in line with where everyone else already is. Also, forget about direct side effects of the drug, going nonstop all day long every day is unsustainable, the body will crash eventually.