can you have add and still get a stimulant effect from adderall?

[kramermjo]

Hi all,

I am having a very hard time finding anyone who can relate to my situation.  Everyone says adderall has a 'paradoxical effect' in add and can't act as a stimulent.  i find it treats my add at low doses but my energy goes up at higher doses which has led to abuse.  i pretty much have to stop but after i stop for a few weeks i loose the feeling of lethargy but my mind won't stop. No one else seems to have this, only the  lethragy. i can take not having an 'upper' but the add is terribly difficult to deal with. much worse. i am a recovering alcoholic and once my concentration goes i'm strongly tempted to drink to calm down my brain and i never want to go back to that. so here are my questions:

1)anyone else find adderall working on attention low dose but abusive at high dose?

2)has anyone tried or does anyone know about effective non stimulant drugs for add. i stress effective.  i have heard strattera is the main one but two psychiatrists have said it really doesn't help much. i've tried wellbutrin but couldn't take side effects. any other drugs i don't know about. Everyone seems to think i faked add to get some adderall. i did not.

 

[blesbro]

Hi all,

I am having a very hard time finding anyone who can relate to my situation.  Everyone says adderall has a 'paradoxical effect' in add and can't act as a stimulent.  i find it treats my add at low doses but my energy goes up at higher doses which has led to abuse.  i pretty much have to stop but after i stop for a few weeks i loose the feeling of lethargy but my mind won't stop. No one else seems to have this, only the  lethragy. i can take not having an 'upper' but the add is terribly difficult to deal with. much worse. i am a recovering alcoholic and once my concentration goes i'm strongly tempted to drink to calm down my brain and i never want to go back to that. so here are my questions:

1)anyone else find adderall working on attention low dose but abusive at high dose?

2)has anyone tried or does anyone know about effective non stimulant drugs for add. i stress effective.  i have heard strattera is the main one but two psychiatrists have said it really doesn't help much. i've tried wellbutrin but couldn't take side effects. any other drugs i don't know about. Everyone seems to think i faked add to get some adderall. i did not.

 

One of my best friends is prescribed adderall and from my understanding, in the prescribed doses it does not act so much as a stimulant for him. I'm going to be up front and honest and say that if you continually find yourself taking higher doses then you probably are predisposed to adderall addiction and should seek another alternative. Alcoholism runs in my family. My brother's an alcoholic who has went back to drinking and drinks a lot now although it hasn't seemed to ruin his life this time around. I suspect when really tough times come, which I'm sure they will, that it will destroy him like it did in his past. As for what doctors say about strattera, I'd give it a shot. Everybody is different and I bet if you did a google search there are probably people that have found that strattera worked for them otherwise it wouldn't be an option in the first place. Other than that, there are natural ways to cope with adhd such as exercise, a good diet, and different natural supplements. Others on these forums with adhd may be able to chime in. I forgot to say, my brother also has adhd but has learned to cope well with it by becoming a really organized person. When he was younger, he had poor grades and poor attention but as he kicked alcohol the first time, he got back on track and got a degree in mechanical engineering. He has found ways to deal with his adhd such as having a plan for each day, writing down lists, etc. If you're a recovering alcoholic don't go back to drinking and hopefully you have learned from alcohol that you probably have a somewhat of an addictive personality. I personally think that I have an addictive personality and thus I use that knowledge to try and stay away from things that may trigger addiction for me. I hope this helps.

 

Blesbro

[Zerokewl]

ADHD is not a disorder just a difference in cognitive ability.

[blesbro]

ADHD is not a disorder just a difference in cognitive ability.

 

I remember hearing or reading somewhere during my addiction that 90% of the most successful entrepreneurs have adhd. Being a business enthusiast, along with my addiction led me to try and convince myself that I had adhd and needed a prescription during my addiction. Now I know that is not true but I could not agree more. 

[quit-once]

I remember hearing or reading somewhere during my addiction that 90% of the most successful entrepreneurs have adhd. Being a business enthusiast, along with my addiction led me to try and convince myself that I had adhd and needed a prescription during my addiction. Now I know that is not true but I could not agree more. 

I actually did convince myself that I was an ADD case and always had been.  I am not a very good liar and I had to lie to myself in order to lie to the doctor.  Funny thing is, by the time I decided to quit, I had developed moderate to severe ADHD from the Adderall abuse.  Sure glad that went away after I quit.

I do believe it is a real condition and I am sorry for those who are affected by it.  So to address Kramer mojo's question, I do believe that very small dosses of Adderall are effective treatment for ADD.  I also believe that high doses of stimulants will stimulate just about everybody, ADD or not.  But once you have come to abuse the meds there is no turning back to "therapeutic" levels of stimulants.  Like the alcoholic who can't have Ny-quill.

[Cassie]

I also convinced myself I had ADD. After awhile, I did have ADD - induced by withdrawing from my daily doses of Adderall. I believe it takes more than a year for your brain to return to normal functioning. Studies have shown that after three years of use, stimulants start to have an adverse effect on students' academic performance. So, it's a short term solution to a long term problem, in other words. You're better off making lasting lifestyle changes to cope with your issues, such as diet and exercise, cultivating patience, responsibility and persistence, learning new skills, or whatever it is you want to improve on.

 

Adderall helps with attention for everybody. It makes anyone sit still, zoom in and focus on the task at hand - why do you think so many people use it to study?

 

The few people I've known with true ADD who take Adderall also abuse it and use it as a party drug. Amphetamines are simply highly addictive drugs, and addiction doesn't discriminate between ADD and non-ADD.

[Zerokewl]

I really am as about as ADD as you get. A shrink once told me I was on the higher side of the spectrum.  Truly it gives me some amazing abilities.  The stimulant approach helped me with some things my paperwork was better when I was on it.  But I made so many strategic errors and really fell to pieces  when it came to my job Advertising Executive after f'n up a 3 million dollar account I was fired. I am ADD and I did get a buzz off Adderall. 

[chachie0011]

Low doses (as in 7.5 mg) or a quarter of the 30 mg tablet seemed to help with the add but high doses get me that stimulant effect amd is extremely addicting, so my advice is to not mess with any of it and start running and eating chocolate, once you get off this crutch and figure out ways to naturally increase your dopamine you will forever be happy, I've been on it 25 years on and off prescribed 105 pills a month at 30mg tablets and im through and am trying once again made it 3weekz but had a fumble yesterday amd today and am restarting

[chachie0011]

Yes normal