Adderall

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD too and I've been taking Concerta for over a month now and haven't have any adverse effects other than feeling a little jazzed up every now and then.

I don't know anyone who has been prescribed Adderall. I wish I could offer more assistance.

Let me know how you make out.

CityMouse wrote:

Does anyone take it?

I was just diagnosed with ADHD and the doctor wants me to take Adderall but I told him I'd think about. I'm trying to research it, but I don't know anyone who takes it and it would be interesting to hear about REAL experiences with it.

it just seems a little scary to me for some reason.

You know what I would prescribe

I used to take Adderall XL, which was the 10 hour dose of Adderall. It worked very well for a while. Just make sure you pay attention to eating, the first couple of weeks you won't have much appetite. I would be at work and get going and the next thing I knew it was 3:00 and I hadn't eaten lunch yet. After a year or so, it lost it's effectiveness, I guess I just got used to it. I tried Vyvance (a new brand that's basically the same, but supposed to last longer), but it didn't work any better and cost $20 a month more. Now I'm taking a lower dose of generic Adderall (also known as simply "amphetamine") twice a day and it's working.

I've never been prescribed adderall... but I've taken it numerous times;) I don't know if I have ADHD or not... I've never been to a doctor for that.

The first time I took it was in college when I needed to study for my midterm in Financial Management. I hadn't been to class all semester, or even opened the book for that matter, because we weren't given quizzes or required to come to class. The class was 40% midterm, 40% final, and a 20% project. Anyways, I took some adderall 24 hrs before the exam, and in that time I read all the required chapters and taught myself 6 weeks worth of material. I then went straight from my 24 hr. study marathon and took the test. After I was done, I went to my girlfriend's place and we were going to go out and party to celebrate me finishing my test. Instead, I stayed in at her place while everyone else went out... so I could keep studying:eek: Not because I had another test... but because I wanted to learn more!:D I ended up getting a 94% on that test.

I have plenty of other "success" stories that involve adderall. Numerous college papers, Las Vegas blackjack wins, good song/ lyric writing, etc. It makes you focus like you've never focused before. You get a slight buzz when you first start taking it... kind of like a wave of goosebumps that send chills through your body every once in awhile. The more you take it though, the less you will feel this. As someone said earlier, you will not be that hungry on it initially, so make sure you force yourself to eat. It will also keep you wide awake at first, and you will have a hard time falling asleep.

Basically, you will not be distracted by daydreams or things around you, but rather will be extremely focused on whatever task you have to accomplish. I love that drug for when I really need to get something done, and have it done to the best of my ability... but like I said, I'm not sure if I have ADHD. It might not have the same effect on someone who does have it.. I can only give you my experiences with it.

Adderall is particularly a good choice for those who are ADD or ADHD and overweight, as one of the side effect is weight loss. Some doctors will Rx it for weight loss, but most will not as that is not an "on label" use of the drug and it is a highly controlled medication. A schedule 4, I believe.

As far as your physician only offering Adderall, doctors tend to find something that works and stick with it.. especially when it's tried and true within their own patient population, there is really no need to look further unless a patient fails on that particular drug. Concerta and others are newer on the market and physicians can be leary of Rx'ing new meds with unproven long term side effects.

I hope this helps a little bit,
Peace

CityMouse wrote:

did it do anything to like your creativity or personality?

The only effect it had on my personality was it made me more talkative. Creativity-wise, it really helped, because it helped me follow through on my ideas. My work is writing software and I've always been pretty creative at it, but only in bursts of an hour here, two hours there. After I started Adderall, I could write code for 4 or 5 hours, take a break and come back and pick up right where I left off.

CityMouse wrote:

crap. well, hopefully that's because your friend gave you high dose. I hope this doesn't happen if you start slow...

and it probably needs to be taken to counteract something, hence the whole prescription part of it, which I didn't, but I dont think they were A Low dose, cause he'D take like 4 a day. but I really don't know so please dont let me worry you. Was just my own encounter