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Good to clarify that it's only methamphetamine that is neurotoxic, the dextroamphetamine used for ADHD medication is not. And meth turns out to have several mec

Good to clarify that it's only methamphetamine that is neurotoxic, the dextroamphetamine used for ADHD medication is not. And meth turns out to have several mechanisms through which it is neurotoxic, seems to just generally be a very reactive molecule: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7457172/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7457172/

LoganDark 4y ago
> Good to clarify that it's only methamphetamine that is neurotoxic, the dextroamphetamine used for ADHD medication is not. Interesting, actually. I've gotten conflicting info on this before. I've been told by my doctor that he'll happily raise my dosage over time to meet tolerance, but been told by others that developing this tolerance is Bad(TM) because I'd reach neurotoxic levels, and the only way to use stimulants is to constantly take week- or month-long breaks, entirely defeating the purpose of trying to treat ADHD. My entire problem is that I have periods of being able to do stuff but then long periods of not being able to do anything. The periods of not being able to do anything are the problem! Do you have any opinion on this?
- spiralx 4y ago
  You're on daily dexamphetamine right? I don't really have any experience in taking that medicinally although I spent a decade or so where for good chunks of it I was taking speed every day to go to work, consistently enough to have some sense of what being on Adderall would be like. And I went through phases of manic production and other phases where I just did lots of stuff but wasn't productive. When it worked and made me productive it was when I had a concrete goal to work towards, and the other kicker about ADHD is that you have deficits that make future goal-directed behaviour really hard - in working memory, in the mind's eye and in the mind's theatre, meaning you can't just "imagine" what the end goal would look like and use that as a thing to work towards. ADHD makes us time blind and that robs us of motivation to do things. But that aside the urgency and focus that dexamphetamine provide is tiring over long periods I think, which is why I've not sought it out as a medication option and settled on slow-release methylphenidate - I get a tiny dopamine kick in the morning after taking them, which is enough to wake my mind up from hibernation in time for the stand-up, and it's otherwise... just better than when I'm not on it? It's been almost 15 years now and it still helps, tolerance is when your brain adapts to the medication and that's actually what I want, right? Not sure if any of that was helpful or not, but that's roughly how I see things.
  - LoganDark 4y ago
    > You're on daily dexamphetamine right? Haven't been able to get my new prescription yet (ran out yesterday) but other than that, I take 30mg/day dexedrine XR. > ADHD makes us time blind and that robs us of motivation to do things. That's one way to put it. I like to put it as "your own brain will stop listening to you", because it will. No matter how much you yell and plead at yourself to do something, it won't happen if your brain just won't let you. > But that aside the urgency and focus that dexamphetamine provide is tiring over long periods I think, which is why I've not sought it out as a medication option and settled on slow-release methylphenidate I've consistently been recommended ritalin/methylphenidate as something to try, I do plan on trying it at some point but dexedrine helps me so much I don't think I need to go to anything else. I still want to try methylphenidate though to see how it is. > tolerance is when your brain adapts to the medication and that's actually what I want, right? Probably~ I was somewhat high for 4-5 days at first but it was actually incredibly distracting because I would do crazy stuff like fall over in the shower because it felt too good for me to focus. That shower was just repaired, I nearly broke it again. > Not sure if any of that was helpful or not, but that's roughly how I see things. Always nice hearing someone else's viewpoint~
    - spiralx 4y ago
      > Haven't been able to get my new prescription yet (ran out yesterday) but other than that, I take 30mg/day dexedrine XR. Heh, snap. I ran out of my medication yesterday and haven't got my new prescription either. What got me this month was that I only got 28 days worth of pills which is so petty - I don't get 31 days worth on the majority of months that have more than 30 days! But anyway, that aside I'm glad to be in the UK where I get my 108mg/day methylphenidate and 10mg/day Ramipril for a tenner a month. > I've consistently been recommended ritalin/methylphenidate as something to try, I do plan on trying it at some point but dexedrine helps me so much I don't think I need to go to anything else. I still want to try methylphenidate though to see how it is. Be aware that you might be underwhelmed when compared to dexedrine, the effects are way less obvious immediatetly - methylphenidate is closer to cocaine chemically than amphetamine in fact. There's an old (2006) book called "Speed, Ecstasy, Ritalin: The Science of Amphetamines" that's pretty interesting if you want more detail. > Probably~ I was somewhat high for 4-5 days at first but it was actually incredibly distracting because I would do crazy stuff like fall over in the shower because it felt too good for me to focus. That shower was just repaired, I nearly broke it again. Lol, I've managed to destroy a freezer and my own PC through amphetamine-induced over-zealous housecleaning sessions. > Always nice hearing someone else's viewpoint~ Likewise! If you've never watched this lecture from a renowned ADHD expert to parents of ADHD children about how it affects them then I found it very illuminating about a lot of the effects of ADHD that aren't so obvious but can have a profound influence upon your life i.e. having aphantasia explains why being told to "imagine this" was always something that frustrated me because I couldn't do it in the way the other person would be able to do - but I didn't know that I couldn't, and neither did they. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCAGc-rkIfo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCAGc-rkIfo

LoganDark 4y ago

> Good to clarify that it's only methamphetamine that is neurotoxic, the dextroamphetamine used for ADHD medication is not. Interesting, actually. I've gotten conflicting info on this before. I've been told by my doctor that he'll happily raise my dosage over time to meet tolerance, but been told by others that developing this tolerance is Bad(TM) because I'd reach neurotoxic levels, and the only way to use stimulants is to constantly take week- or month-long breaks, entirely defeating the purpose of trying to treat ADHD. My entire problem is that I have periods of being able to do stuff but then long periods of not being able to do anything. The periods of not being able to do anything are the problem! Do you have any opinion on this?

spiralx 4y ago
You're on daily dexamphetamine right? I don't really have any experience in taking that medicinally although I spent a decade or so where for good chunks of it I was taking speed every day to go to work, consistently enough to have some sense of what being on Adderall would be like. And I went through phases of manic production and other phases where I just did lots of stuff but wasn't productive. When it worked and made me productive it was when I had a concrete goal to work towards, and the other kicker about ADHD is that you have deficits that make future goal-directed behaviour really hard - in working memory, in the mind's eye and in the mind's theatre, meaning you can't just "imagine" what the end goal would look like and use that as a thing to work towards. ADHD makes us time blind and that robs us of motivation to do things. But that aside the urgency and focus that dexamphetamine provide is tiring over long periods I think, which is why I've not sought it out as a medication option and settled on slow-release methylphenidate - I get a tiny dopamine kick in the morning after taking them, which is enough to wake my mind up from hibernation in time for the stand-up, and it's otherwise... just better than when I'm not on it? It's been almost 15 years now and it still helps, tolerance is when your brain adapts to the medication and that's actually what I want, right? Not sure if any of that was helpful or not, but that's roughly how I see things.
- LoganDark 4y ago
  > You're on daily dexamphetamine right? Haven't been able to get my new prescription yet (ran out yesterday) but other than that, I take 30mg/day dexedrine XR. > ADHD makes us time blind and that robs us of motivation to do things. That's one way to put it. I like to put it as "your own brain will stop listening to you", because it will. No matter how much you yell and plead at yourself to do something, it won't happen if your brain just won't let you. > But that aside the urgency and focus that dexamphetamine provide is tiring over long periods I think, which is why I've not sought it out as a medication option and settled on slow-release methylphenidate I've consistently been recommended ritalin/methylphenidate as something to try, I do plan on trying it at some point but dexedrine helps me so much I don't think I need to go to anything else. I still want to try methylphenidate though to see how it is. > tolerance is when your brain adapts to the medication and that's actually what I want, right? Probably~ I was somewhat high for 4-5 days at first but it was actually incredibly distracting because I would do crazy stuff like fall over in the shower because it felt too good for me to focus. That shower was just repaired, I nearly broke it again. > Not sure if any of that was helpful or not, but that's roughly how I see things. Always nice hearing someone else's viewpoint~
  - spiralx 4y ago
    > Haven't been able to get my new prescription yet (ran out yesterday) but other than that, I take 30mg/day dexedrine XR. Heh, snap. I ran out of my medication yesterday and haven't got my new prescription either. What got me this month was that I only got 28 days worth of pills which is so petty - I don't get 31 days worth on the majority of months that have more than 30 days! But anyway, that aside I'm glad to be in the UK where I get my 108mg/day methylphenidate and 10mg/day Ramipril for a tenner a month. > I've consistently been recommended ritalin/methylphenidate as something to try, I do plan on trying it at some point but dexedrine helps me so much I don't think I need to go to anything else. I still want to try methylphenidate though to see how it is. Be aware that you might be underwhelmed when compared to dexedrine, the effects are way less obvious immediatetly - methylphenidate is closer to cocaine chemically than amphetamine in fact. There's an old (2006) book called "Speed, Ecstasy, Ritalin: The Science of Amphetamines" that's pretty interesting if you want more detail. > Probably~ I was somewhat high for 4-5 days at first but it was actually incredibly distracting because I would do crazy stuff like fall over in the shower because it felt too good for me to focus. That shower was just repaired, I nearly broke it again. Lol, I've managed to destroy a freezer and my own PC through amphetamine-induced over-zealous housecleaning sessions. > Always nice hearing someone else's viewpoint~ Likewise! If you've never watched this lecture from a renowned ADHD expert to parents of ADHD children about how it affects them then I found it very illuminating about a lot of the effects of ADHD that aren't so obvious but can have a profound influence upon your life i.e. having aphantasia explains why being told to "imagine this" was always something that frustrated me because I couldn't do it in the way the other person would be able to do - but I didn't know that I couldn't, and neither did they. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCAGc-rkIfo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCAGc-rkIfo