4 ms·

Theoretically, if you have ADHD the medicine shouldn’t make you ‘high’. If you don’t it will have that effect. This was told to me by a specialist (I am dubious

Theoretically, if you have ADHD the medicine shouldn’t make you ‘high’. If you don’t it will have that effect. This was told to me by a specialist (I am dubious though)

ludamad 5y ago
That's pretty dubious, especially about 'medicine' in general. If that was true it would double as a surefire test for ADHD. As well, all it takes is a little stronger dose and I know of a friend with ADHD that abuses it to party
- sobellian 5y ago
  The dose is managed to be the minimum that treats your symptoms. A massive dose of amphetamines will obviously get anyone high, but we're talking about the response in a clinically relevant range of doses.
- RHSman2 5y ago
  It is Europe and that is what I thought. Aka, anecdotes
jnovek 5y ago
This is a common misconception. The euphoria is a transient side-effect. Some people don’t experience much euphoria from amphetamine. I experienced euphoria for a month or so when I first started treatment, but now it feels similar to a morning cup of coffee.
godtoldmetodoit 5y ago
This is false - if the dose is high enough with a drug like Adderall or Vyvanse you will get the euphoric and high energy when first starting out. Over the course of a week or two your body adapts and that feeling fades.
kar5pt 5y ago
This is false. I was diagnosed ADHD by a psychologist twice (this is the full ADHD test where they put you through IQ and other cognitive testing). My ADHD was severe enough that I qualified for accommodations on the SATs. I was still able to get high on Vyvanse/Adderall often enough to get addicted to it. Drug companies lie to make these medications seem safer than they are.
- adhd-thrwaway-0 5y ago
  Yep. As someone who has been taking these medications for over a decade, I can say the danger of physical and mental addiction is very real. I've also stopped medication several times over this period and the withdrawal can last weeks or months.
  - texasbigdata 5y ago
    Have also done breaks and it’s hard, but it’s confounded with the accompanying massive drop in life functioning. I’d argue it’s 50/50 but anecdotally. The research on street addiction of amphetamine (think homeless not Ivy League SAT prep) and recovery is fairly robust. Doable but hard.
- msrenee 5y ago
  That's really interesting to me. I take methylphenidate as a (doctor prescribed) stimulant and don't get the euphoria much at all. Maybe a little bit the first time I take an increased dose. 5 mg made me feel drugged and tired the first time. At 10 mg, I very nearly puked at about 2 hours and 4 hours after the dose the first week but no euphoria. I just had a more normal amount of energy compared to how tired I am naturally. 15 mg and I'm pretty bright and alert, but wouldn't call it euphoria by any means. I don't know what a recreational dose is. I just got my prescription upped so that I've got a couple 20 mg doses available. If I have a suspiciously lovely day, I'll let you know. I'm definitely not addicted. I feel no need to take it except when I know I need it to get through the day. What did give me euphoria and hypo-manic behaviors was Nuvigil at 250 mg after having been off it for 2 weeks. That was an inexperienced mistake on my part, but it was really fun.
- 5y ago
dj_gitmo 5y ago
A normal dose can make you high or euphoric the first few times you take it. Eventually your body down-regulates and you don't experience a high, but if you read ADHD experiences on the internet you will often come across people who have just had their first dose and are clearly geeked up.
weird-eye-issue 5y ago
I'm commenting just to balance out everyone saying this is false. I took Ritalin in middle school and never felt high whatsoever. One day my mom took it (once) because she was curious and she said she felt high (she told me this many many years later). I took it again after college and can say that yes if you take a high enough dose it will make you slightly euphoric but I think it's different than the high of recreational drugs. If your mood is too heightened when you take it then probably you should cut back on your dosage.

Theoretically, if you have ADHD the medicine shouldn’t make you ‘high’. If you don’t it will have that effect. This was told to me by a specialist (I am dubious though)

ludamad 5y ago

That's pretty dubious, especially about 'medicine' in general. If that was true it would double as a surefire test for ADHD. As well, all it takes is a little stronger dose and I know of a friend with ADHD that abuses it to party

sobellian 5y ago
The dose is managed to be the minimum that treats your symptoms. A massive dose of amphetamines will obviously get anyone high, but we're talking about the response in a clinically relevant range of doses.
RHSman2 5y ago
It is Europe and that is what I thought. Aka, anecdotes

jnovek 5y ago

This is a common misconception. The euphoria is a transient side-effect. Some people don’t experience much euphoria from amphetamine. I experienced euphoria for a month or so when I first started treatment, but now it feels similar to a morning cup of coffee.

godtoldmetodoit 5y ago

This is false - if the dose is high enough with a drug like Adderall or Vyvanse you will get the euphoric and high energy when first starting out. Over the course of a week or two your body adapts and that feeling fades.

kar5pt 5y ago

This is false. I was diagnosed ADHD by a psychologist twice (this is the full ADHD test where they put you through IQ and other cognitive testing). My ADHD was severe enough that I qualified for accommodations on the SATs. I was still able to get high on Vyvanse/Adderall often enough to get addicted to it. Drug companies lie to make these medications seem safer than they are.

adhd-thrwaway-0 5y ago
Yep. As someone who has been taking these medications for over a decade, I can say the danger of physical and mental addiction is very real. I've also stopped medication several times over this period and the withdrawal can last weeks or months.
- texasbigdata 5y ago
  Have also done breaks and it’s hard, but it’s confounded with the accompanying massive drop in life functioning. I’d argue it’s 50/50 but anecdotally. The research on street addiction of amphetamine (think homeless not Ivy League SAT prep) and recovery is fairly robust. Doable but hard.
msrenee 5y ago
That's really interesting to me. I take methylphenidate as a (doctor prescribed) stimulant and don't get the euphoria much at all. Maybe a little bit the first time I take an increased dose. 5 mg made me feel drugged and tired the first time. At 10 mg, I very nearly puked at about 2 hours and 4 hours after the dose the first week but no euphoria. I just had a more normal amount of energy compared to how tired I am naturally. 15 mg and I'm pretty bright and alert, but wouldn't call it euphoria by any means. I don't know what a recreational dose is. I just got my prescription upped so that I've got a couple 20 mg doses available. If I have a suspiciously lovely day, I'll let you know. I'm definitely not addicted. I feel no need to take it except when I know I need it to get through the day. What did give me euphoria and hypo-manic behaviors was Nuvigil at 250 mg after having been off it for 2 weeks. That was an inexperienced mistake on my part, but it was really fun.
5y ago

dj_gitmo 5y ago

A normal dose can make you high or euphoric the first few times you take it. Eventually your body down-regulates and you don't experience a high, but if you read ADHD experiences on the internet you will often come across people who have just had their first dose and are clearly geeked up.

weird-eye-issue 5y ago

I'm commenting just to balance out everyone saying this is false. I took Ritalin in middle school and never felt high whatsoever. One day my mom took it (once) because she was curious and she said she felt high (she told me this many many years later). I took it again after college and can say that yes if you take a high enough dose it will make you slightly euphoric but I think it's different than the high of recreational drugs. If your mood is too heightened when you take it then probably you should cut back on your dosage.