5 ms·

I have ADHD, when I take my Adderall I feel like I am a normal person. However if I take a break for the next 3-4 days it is like having a major depressive epis

I have ADHD, when I take my Adderall I feel like I am a normal person. However if I take a break for the next 3-4 days it is like having a major depressive episode, super tired, no interest in anything, and a ravenous hunger.

gonehome 5y ago
I'm really skeptical of these claims, but I hear them repeated often. Not that your description is wrong, but the assumed explanation of why. I suspect many people are in this category and people just have a bad classification for 'normal'.
- ojkelly 5y ago
  I started meds for ADHD just under a year ago, and it was the most profound experience of my life. Until I started and experienced my brain fog lifting for the first time in my life, my mind and body physically relaxing an becoming quieter, I had no concept of how off my perception of normal was. The explanation of how stimulants affect the brain, by increasing the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine and inhibiting re-uptake, is something I feel I understand now. When I read the experiences of those with and without ADHD taking stimulants they’re pretty consistent. Those without take some, are in a ”high” get a load of stuff done, then crash hard. If they take it for too long, their normal starts to sound closer to the normal I experienced before taking medication. I kind of agree with you in the sense of having a bad classification of normal, I did. The cause and treatment are some of the most well studied areas of psychology, and stimulant treatment is one of the most effective in all of psychology. ADHD, aside from being incredibly poorly named, is looking more and more like something we will come to know as a collection of related but different conditions, that happen to all respond well to stimulant medication. I’d also add, stimulants don’t solve ADHD. They’re not a cure, they’re at best a pair of glasses, a crutch for someone with a broken leg, or a wheelchair for someone with mobility issues. They can help a lot, but they’re only one part of living with ADHD.
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    > ADHD, aside from being incredibly poorly named, is looking more and more like something we will come to know as a collection of related but different conditions, that happen to all respond well to stimulant medication. Not all ADHD responds well to stimulant medication, so not even that.
  - gonehome 5y ago
    Yeah - this kind of thing makes me think I might benefit from it. I get a very positive response to coffee (reducing anxiety, helps reduce compulsive tics, increased focus). My skepticism is that I suspect everyone shares the benefits you describe when they take the meds. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I haven't really seen compelling evidence otherwise (people will just state it affects non-adhd people differently, but that doesn't seem to be the case imo).

gonehome 5y ago

I'm really skeptical of these claims, but I hear them repeated often. Not that your description is wrong, but the assumed explanation of why. I suspect many people are in this category and people just have a bad classification for 'normal'.

ojkelly 5y ago
I started meds for ADHD just under a year ago, and it was the most profound experience of my life. Until I started and experienced my brain fog lifting for the first time in my life, my mind and body physically relaxing an becoming quieter, I had no concept of how off my perception of normal was. The explanation of how stimulants affect the brain, by increasing the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine and inhibiting re-uptake, is something I feel I understand now. When I read the experiences of those with and without ADHD taking stimulants they’re pretty consistent. Those without take some, are in a ”high” get a load of stuff done, then crash hard. If they take it for too long, their normal starts to sound closer to the normal I experienced before taking medication. I kind of agree with you in the sense of having a bad classification of normal, I did. The cause and treatment are some of the most well studied areas of psychology, and stimulant treatment is one of the most effective in all of psychology. ADHD, aside from being incredibly poorly named, is looking more and more like something we will come to know as a collection of related but different conditions, that happen to all respond well to stimulant medication. I’d also add, stimulants don’t solve ADHD. They’re not a cure, they’re at best a pair of glasses, a crutch for someone with a broken leg, or a wheelchair for someone with mobility issues. They can help a lot, but they’re only one part of living with ADHD.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > ADHD, aside from being incredibly poorly named, is looking more and more like something we will come to know as a collection of related but different conditions, that happen to all respond well to stimulant medication. Not all ADHD responds well to stimulant medication, so not even that.
- gonehome 5y ago
  Yeah - this kind of thing makes me think I might benefit from it. I get a very positive response to coffee (reducing anxiety, helps reduce compulsive tics, increased focus). My skepticism is that I suspect everyone shares the benefits you describe when they take the meds. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I haven't really seen compelling evidence otherwise (people will just state it affects non-adhd people differently, but that doesn't seem to be the case imo).