Diary of an ADD “Drug Holiday”
Like many folks, I have ADD. For the past nine months I have been taking 15 mg of Adderall XR (the XR means extended release) a day to treat it and until this week I had no idea how well it has been working. Today is day ten without the Adderall in my system.
Feeling like the medicine was not working as well as it initially did, I told my doctor and he decided it was time to try a “drug holiday” and evaluate how I felt after ten days. Honestly, I was pretty surprised how nervous I felt about going off the medicine. For the past nine months I have felt like most of my ADD symptoms were gone for the first time in my life.
Days 1-6: Getting Adderall out of my System
After stopping the medication it was all I could do to stay awake. Most ADD medications are stimulants, with the notable exception of Strattera which is stimulant free. Adderall is a form of amphetamine salt that is believed to increase the production of neurotransmitters to counteract the ADD symptoms. It took me about five unpleasant days to get to the point where I felt back awake.
I also immediately became hungrier. A very common side effect of Adderall is appetite suppression. Amphetamines were used as diet pills for a long time. I’ve a pretty good sweet tooth normally, but it went off the deep end for the last few days. I’ve wanted breakfast (very rare for me), and invariably wanted sugary things. I ended up getting desserts at meals and wanted snacks. I got cookies and M&Ms from the vending machine. At one point of desperation with the tiredness and sweet tooth I actually got a frapuccino (I HATE coffee).
Days 7-10: Just How do I Feel?
By Thursday I was conscious again. This was about the point where I could really start to analyze the effect of the medication (or lack thereof). I was stunned to see how little I got done this week (sorry co-workers reading this!). For me, the best way for me to describe ADD is that I know what I need to be doing, and I can do anything but that. I am productive, just on everything that I’m not eager to be productive on (notice the relative frequency of blog posts this week). It is deeply frustrating and troubling to not be able to do what I need/want to do.
Over the next few days I’ve been thinking to myself “Yes! this is what it felt like a year ago where I would go through a days at work getting lots done but never what I needed to get done. Now that I have had nine months of relative control, a week without it feels pretty devastating. Before, I never had any other perspective to know how bad things were. Now I know what treatment feels like and I will be very very prompt for my appointment tomorrow.
It is interesting that since I had no context for feeling any way other than I did before treatment, I had no idea how bad things were. There is really very little way for us to ever know how “normal” something is that is going on in our brain since we have no way of experiencing anyone else’s brain. Now that I at least have the context from the medicine, it is a wonder I made it through school! 
Some interesting behavior changes I noticed this week in both work and play:
- I’ve blogged more
- I’ve read blogs less
- I’ve read novels more (I feel like I can’t put the book down even though I am tired and need to get up for work)
- I’ve played video games more
- I’ve been making more “To Do” lists
- I’ve needed to listen to music at work
- I forgot a meeting
The reading part is pretty expected for me. Non-fiction has always been very difficult for me to read. Unless I am reading something that I think of as entertainment I have a very difficult time focusing. In fact, one of the things that I am least proud of is that I rarely read in college. I made it through a few novels in English and Spanish Literature courses, but the rest I just faked it and went off listening to lectures. It is something I wish I could go back and redo. I can’t imagine how much more I would have learned! On the medication I’m still not an avid reader of non-fiction, but I can apply myself to reading documents at work without too much problem.
I am a bit more surprised about the gaming though. After spending the weekend playing Metroid Prime Echoes (a game I bought but didn’t really play right when it came out) I realized that I really have played very few games recently. I play some games with friends at work, but have played almost nothing at home in almost the whole time I’ve been on Adderall. I never really noticed until this weekend.
Day 11 (Tomorrow): What is Next?
I plan to ask my doctor to put me back on Adderall. This is pretty significant for me as I really don’t like the idea of patients requesting things of their doctors. I’m generally of the opinion that a patient should describe symptoms and the doctor should reach a diagnosis free of coaching. For this, I am pretty sure that the doctor will reach the same conclusion as me, but I am completely prepared to ask for what I want if he disagrees.
The reason I feel this way is that even though there are some trade offs for choosing to treat ADD, I like myself a lot less when I am off the medicine. I waste a lot of time and it impacts my life both personally and professionally. If taking a small blue and white capsule a day can change that, it is well worth it.
If you don’t believe in ADD, or feel like writing a negative comment, please read this “Note to Naysayers.”
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September 19th, 2005 at 5:06 am
Thats just scary man.. I hope you’re able to stop one day..
Cocaine has simular effects; it’s more bad for your body but I consider the addiction the same.
September 19th, 2005 at 5:20 am
I can relate in a much less significant way to your point of not knowing what it is like without treatment until you take away the treatment, or in my case add it. I took an anti-inflammatory for one month due to chronic back pain. During that time I noticed my knees stopped hurting. The weird part is I never knew they hurt in the first place. It had built up so gradually for so long that my brain didn’t seem to know it wasn’t normal.
September 19th, 2005 at 9:50 am
Very interesting read. I’m 36 now and only last year did someone tell me that they thought I had A.D.D. I was very quiet as a kid. Geek galore and very little social contact for anyone to even notice it I guess.
It always bothered me that after doing something for 3-7 months I could take it no longer and had to go off and do something else. I think I waited tables and bartended at a different place every 6-7 months through highschool and college.
I went through testing last year and was stamped A.D.D. I really went to just shut up my mother-in-law who was the first to suggest it. I was shocked to have been labeled as such. I went to a health specialist to try and control this naturally, but he hasn’t been able to find the right mix of herbs and such to keep it under control. My biggest fear with drugs is “long time side effects to the body”. As well I am equally concerned about it taking away the creative wave of ideas that flow into me all the time.
It is interesting to read your thoughts. Sometimes no matter how hard I try I can’t focus on the task at hand. Even if there is a deadline I just can’t get it done, but yet I can go off and work on a ton of other stuff that has my interest. It is like someone else is controlling me (thoughts).
When I was first diagnosed I read a few articles. A little boy said something like… “you wouldn’t want to be in my head…. you’d be trampled to death”. This in reference to the amount of thoughts that flow. I’ve found this to be the case at times. I find if I have too much coffee or too much sugars (even natural sugars like fruit) I’ll get waves of ideas, but I can’t work on any one thing for any length of time.
I could go on and on. My biggest fear is losing that creative edge and the creative ideas that flow so often. But when I hear of folks like yourself describing the ‘calmness’ and steadiness effect the drug has on your life I really start thinking about going the drug route rather than the natural herb route.
September 19th, 2005 at 10:16 am
I was (very effectively) treated for ADD when I was in elementary school, but then sometime got off it and didn’t seem to need it. Recently I’ve been exploring it as the possible reason for my difficulty concentrating. Some of what you write really lines up with how I’ve felt my mind is working.
fwiw, I tried one of the add/adhd meds for a few months this spring, but the stimulant effect made me too ‘jittery’ even at low doses. I’ve been debating whether to explore other options. Your experiences are encouraging that this isn’t just something I should ‘put up with.’
September 19th, 2005 at 11:13 am
I had heard a lot about people worried about losing their creativity if they treat ADD. Right before I started mine there was a 60 Minutes article talking about how the CEO of JetBlue has ADD but doesn’t wnat to treat it because he has been successful up until now and doesn’t want to lose his ability ot think outside the box.
I have not felt any less creative. In fact I am very happy with how my personal work has progressed after treatment. I have been able to buckle down and really devote myself to what it is that I want to do.
As far as ideas go, I’m still having lots. It is still a lot more than I can really develop, but now I can weed out the ones that are less important to me and focus on the good ones. My follow through actually means I do stuff with my ideas more often now.
As far as visual design, I’m really not sure what to say. I’ve never known what makes me feel more or less creative. It just comes in waves. In the last 6 months I’ve actually felt pretty good in that area. I’ve been able to escape my normal design problems and really do some work that I am proud of.
I’m not advocating for anyone else’s treatment though. This is just what works for me.
September 19th, 2005 at 1:11 pm
Thanks for the followup comments. This has been a huge inner debate I’ve had ongoing. And the JetBlue CEO was another thing I’ve thought of as well.
Most the people I associate with are A.D.D. central. I relate to them better. They are wicked creative, but volatile. My Dad is afflicted as well, but I’d never tell him. He found a unique sales role in life many years ago that feeds his A.D.D.
He has traveled the U.S. selling marketing/products/stuff his whole life. He travels to a new city almost daily for one or two sales pitches. Each lasting about 30-45 minuutes. If they buy he is there another 30 mins filling out paperwork. So he only really needs to stay focused for 2 hours a day. And he is really dynamic.
Lucky for him he found a niche by accident that allowed him to provide for us as kids. He always made 70-100K a year, but he was constantly on the road. To this day he can’t sit still. When he is home he is starting multiple projects at the same time and finishing none of them. Repainting, plumbing, etc. The house has been worked on in one way or another for 20 years and at anytime you visited some room was in disarray during the week until he returned home to work on it during the weekend.
A great guy. Lots of energy, but I realize now that his A.D.D. is much worse than mine. But it was only this last year that I realized that his career path has been perfect for him. No followup, no details, no desk job… just someone setting appointments for him and he flys in or drives into towns to make pitches and close sales.
I look back now and realize there was no way I could have gone pro as a golfer (I played on a mini-tour). Because I was tweaking my swing or my putting style every other week. I got bored so easily. As good as I got I couldn’t stay focused enough to make a career out of it.
I really think I’m going to end up doing the drug thing. Again, my big concern is long term affects on the body. But my bigger concern is how A.D.D. has affected my day to day and week to week abilitity to focus. Sometimes it is madening.
September 19th, 2005 at 3:03 pm
Scary.
I don’t think this problem has only biochemical solution.
Try this
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0974373710/ref=pd_sim_b_ 2/104-8242473-5426355?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance
It’s scientific and effective.
September 20th, 2005 at 3:17 pm
I was on stratera and I went off of it and i feel the same as you do and i think i’m going to ask my doctor for adderall becasue i liked aderall better kept me awake! your awsome!
jess
September 20th, 2005 at 4:27 pm
Interesting link… Wow! Who knew balancing an old guy in a speedo on your legs could cure ADD?!?! But I’m trying to figure out what’s scientific about it… Does the old guy have to be a scientist?
September 21st, 2005 at 1:20 pm
Several years back i tried a Proxac derivative, it worked wonders for about a year. I didn’t know i had always been depressed till i tried the antidepressents… amazing.
Then it seemed to not be working as well and was giving me skin rashes, so i got off it.
Ayear or so later, the ex wife had read some books on ADD and told me i had every symtom. I got the only two books out there and my life pattern matched exactly… what a surprise.
They used to call it blue baby syndrom and minimal brain damage in the old days… when i told my mom she interupted me and said she thought i was dead when i was born, because i was so blue!
Found a smart doctor and got a 20milligram a day Ritalin scrip… best anti depressent ever, and no skin rashes (another typical symptom of ADD)
I am sooo much better off using the drugs it’s unbelievable, much more productive too.
One of the books described the syndrom as a branching of the evolutionary process, it goes like this:
Originally, all humans were explorers and inventors, the the agricultural branch evolved.
The agricultural brain buys into the ol’ “son, here’s a howe, these are weeds… chop the weeds from the rows and in forty years we’ll go to heaven together.”
The ADD personality will just wait till the coast is clear and leave the farm for undiscovered adventures.
The agricultural brain will do the farm thing, and they out populated the ADD types, invented banks (for seed loans) and set up schools around the farm seasons.
ADD types came to be known as rouges, artists inventors and disrupters… if you ask why, instead of doing what you’re told… you may be one too.
My advice… try the drugs if you’re not sure. If they work - use them, if not the drugs won’t be your way.
The world benifits from having both brain types and it helps to understand the differences… it makes life both stable and a bit more interesting.
Worst thing for an ADD type to endure = bordoom…
Best to you all, ya gotta love this Flash community.
Dave
September 28th, 2005 at 2:15 pm
[…] Your Bag is Fake September 20, 2005: Flash Lite JPG2SF source September 19, 2005: Diary of an ADD “Drug Holiday” September 18, 20 […]
November 10th, 2005 at 1:01 pm
a suggestion: you could really use either a pretty-print link option or alterntive print CSS that ditches the side blocks, or some work on the structure of your blog pages. Printing is pretty ugly.
November 17th, 2005 at 4:25 pm
just wanted you to know, I too am and ADD sufferer. Adderall is a wonder-drug, and I too am more creative on my meds than off. not only that, but I can keep a job for more than a month, and pass my classes with a’s instead of c’s. My social life is better, I retain friends, my marriage is better and I can remember to pay my bills. (I have been off my meds this summer due to financial restraints caused by going back to school, I had my utilities disconnected on more than 4 occasions, and nearly had my car repo’d simply because I FORGOT to pay the bills.) Things are just much better all the way around when mental illness is taken care of!
good luck!
-megan
December 3rd, 2005 at 10:02 am
Interesting comments. I am 39 and was just “officially” diagnosed with ADD yesterday. I had already come to the firm conclusion that this was the case. However, I have ADD without hyperactivity, which is probably why I slipped through the cracks. I am quite intelligent, so I have been able to compensate at least enough to achieve many of my long term goals, including making it through a top MBA program. However, I have been plagued my concentration and productivity problems. In the professional world, things like “execution”, “sense of urgency”, and “bias for action” matter just as much if not more than how intelligent you are (depending on the job). So, the doc prescribed Adderall XR 15 mg and I ran immediately to the pharmacy. I am only on day two, so it is too early to really tell how it will help my overall productivity; also, having my mood instantly changed takes some getting used to even if it is a positive change. However, it is already clear to me that it is helping. I am able to read faster and comprehend and stay more focused on things. I am even paying attention to my kids, actually comfortable sitting with them for a long period rather than itching to get up and only hearing half of what they say. I was always an “anti-medication” kind of person regarding these kinds of things and believed that a person can overcome such problems by will. This was probably good since it caused me to devise and implement some very good coping strategies that enable me to make best use of my reasonable intelligence. However, as life has become more demanding, I found that I was having to work so hard and spend so much time to accomplish relatively little at work that there was no time or mental energy left to focus on other important things such as family. Therefore, I decided to try the medication to see if can help me be more “present” in life. At some point, I will also try a “holiday” to really appreciate the benefits. We will see….
February 1st, 2006 at 5:33 pm
I have thought all my life something was not right…. I didn’t understand how people could just grab a book and read it… I would come up with thoughts that I just didn’t like to read. I also had problems talking to people, I would get bored easy and just “Zone out”. If I was doing something I didn’t REALLY want to do then I would “zone out”. Something that really stood out was I was real quick to get mad at anyone. I would go off the deep end.
I have been taken Adderall RX for two weeks and notice a “Night and Day Difference”! The only side effect I notice is I am getting Pimples like crazy! I used to get them before but I am getting them in big amounts… I did notice after reading about others and the dosage they are taken mine seems high… I think I am going to cut back to Half and see how that goes starting tomorrow. Believe it or not I am on 25MG of Adderall RX / Twice a day. That seems like alot for a first time user.
Shoot thought to cwindsor@gmail.com if you have any thoughts!!! I would love some insight from others that run across this.
Thanks!
February 9th, 2006 at 2:00 pm
After taking adderall for the first time when I was 37, I realized how different my life would have been if my parents realized my problem when i was younger. I was doing 200 piece puzzles when I was 3, yet in fourth grade I was in a special class for poor reading comprhension. You would have thought they would of thought that was strange. I was able to do okay at school because I did not have the hyperactivity, and was smart enough to just coast by with little or no effort. It’s like your mind is always thinking about 10 different things, and you can’t do anything. Adderall makes me more creative. I am addicted because I like feeling good for the first time in my life. However, I do believe that one can learn from a drug, and even when I take a day off I am tired but am able to stay in the same frame of mind. I think alot of people do not realize that when taking a drug you can train your mind to feel the same way without the drug (to a lesser degree).
February 22nd, 2006 at 11:58 am
I have been taking stimulant drugs (including Adderall 20mg, Adderall XR, and Dextrostrat) for my ADD approximately five (5) years now. When I began taking them I was failing out of college. The next semester I was a straight “A” student, literally. It is a miracle drug, but every miracle comes with its downfalls! I am starting to worry about the FDA “black box” warning. I have thought about stopping many of time before, after undergraduate graduation, after getting my Masters, and/or once I got a job. But I am still getting my prescriptions every month. I would like to warn people thinking about these drugs, they are addictive! Driving the addiction are the side effects when it comes to the time to stop taking adderall! Besides the obvious (lose of concentration) the major side effect is depression.
February 22nd, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Suzanne:
thanks for the post. what is ‘FDA “black box” warning’?
February 23rd, 2006 at 7:50 am
The link below explains the FDA “black box” warning better than I could:
http://www.dispatch.com/health/health.php?story=dispatch/2006/02/10/20 060210-A7-00.html
February 27th, 2006 at 1:48 am
I know EXACTLY what you mean. I went off the drug today (Adderall makes me tired and I wanted to be awake today) and I was ADD to the max at work today. It wasn’t worse than my non-drug norm… it’s just that it was striking to actually see how bad I am “normally” aka without treatment. I wish adderall didn’t make me so tired though. Anyway, I just wanted to stop by your blog, which I randomly ran into, and say a few words of support.
Cheers!
~Eric W.
March 2nd, 2006 at 11:36 am
My gosh….I never would have thought I had ADD, I guess because in so many ways Im not hyper. Only in my head….or when I feel pressure do my emotions get out of control mostly due to feeling way overwhelmed with something I can’t seem to finish or accomplish. I seriously havew believed for soooooooooooooo many years that I was crazy.. Why could other people live life and get normal everyday things done and it was so hard for me….Just thinking about all the stuff I had to do in a day exhausted me….I would procrastinate and then just not do it unless it was absolutely neccessary to my survival. hated grocery stores and malls, mostly lines….stop lights and anything that had me waiting. I am usually on time –to the point of being obseessive about it…but it takes me hours and hours to get somewhere or to get ready to go somewhere. Im usually exhausted by the time I leave the house. I will wake up at 5 am to be somewhere right down the street at 10 am. I hate being rushed, I cant stand noises and interuptions. Things that dont seem to bother everyone else, really get on my nerves. I am smart but only with things I am interested in. I am 35 years old and this has taken a major toll on my self esteem. I have been through many relationships only to have them end with, “You are such a good person and have such a big heart but you are so intense, too emotional and high maintenance. You never ever stop thinking….how do you think so much? you just exhaust me. My own mother has told me that. I never wanted children becasue I knew deep down that I could not maintain a career and a family. I had a child about 2 years ago and it has been the most challenging thing I have ever done. I love her beyond belief…but I secretely wonder if I will be a good mom…I get impatient easily…I dont like to sit and just be with her alot because I am exhausted by the end of the day…I hjust want her to be quiet most times so I can think. Its like my brain wont function is there is too uch going on around me. I am very creative andI am just wanting to cry right now at the FRUSTATION I am feeling with my life and myself. It is so hard sometimes. I have few times where I may have a day that everything is going right…I get a lot accomplished and I start to think hmmmmmmm maybe I can get organized and so this more often…only to find out the next day that I am back to feeling the same old way. I am constantly in a rush…..I always feel as though I am in a hurry for absolutely everything….I am at my wits end…I start the testing for ADD tommorrow and you dont know how scared I am that they will tell me I am a nutbag and lock me away. I have kept so many of my flaws a secret for so many years. I have pushed so many people away for fear that they would see the real me and not like it. I also just didnt have the energy it takes at times to have a relationship . Everytime I have been close to people I seem to feel bad about myself and ultimately the relationship ends and I feel like failure (once again) …….I pray there is something out there that will help me because I feel like I am drowning. I am tired of feeling like this. I dont know if I have ADD but some people have told me they thought I did. After reading about it…I was suprised to know that I am classic but that so many other things look like ADD. I just dont want to be crazy, because that would confirm my feelings of feeling so odd for so many years and I would feel like I was doomed to a life that just never quite seem to fit. A constant struggle to fit and never fit…I feel like such a failure when I look around. I am pretty emotiional today…Im really worried about this test. Sorry I just went on and on and on. Does anyone out there feel like me? Am I alone in this world? GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, I just want to scream!
March 21st, 2006 at 6:26 am
i am a 26 year old and i have a 6 year old son who has adhd, he’s on ritalin for it and it is amazing the difference i see in him. i truly believe that throughout school i was add myself but was never diagnosed, i was told girls tend to self monitor their behaviour so it can be difficult to recognise. my son is extremely intelligent but he is like a wind-up toy that never stops, he cant even walk through our house - he has to run, skip, jump, bounce anything but walk, he can’t help it at all. he has weekends off ritalin (uses it basically for when he’s at school) and most of any holidays without it, but you can see a huge difference, it’s like he gets himself so wound up he cant stop and it freaks him out, which is quite scary to watch let alone go through. i find you page quite interesting as you’re an adult living with it obviously, and you obviously function well with meds, so i have some hope for my little boy. ok thanks
April 6th, 2006 at 4:46 pm
Well, there is a very successful natural technique helping ADHD from Israel called BEING IN CONTROL:Natural Solutions For ADHD Dyslexia and Test Anxiety. A movie of many of the techniques was just released and is with Amazon.com
Interview about technique-http://www.adders.org/info142.htm
Dear Parent , educator, student, therapist- thank you for your attention- I would like to mention that a new video/kit from Israel on natural solutions to help ADHD “Being in Control: Natural Solutions for ADHD, Dyslexia, and TestAnxiety” ( Video/book/biofeedback kit) by Jason Alster MSc ISBN 9659025130. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9659025130/ and “BEING IN CONTROL- Natural Techniques For Increasing Your Potential And Creativity For Success In School” ( book as single item)(ISBN-9659025114)” ( different ISBN) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9659025114/
About Jason Alster http://jasonalster.googlepages.com/home
Yahoo group-http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturalADHD/
Interview about technique-http://www.adders.org/info142.htm
Do you, your child, or client want to be a better student? Is it hard for you to sit quietly in class and concentrate? Do you have a problem preparing homework? Do you want to pass exams with less pressure? Then this movie/book /kit may be for just for you. Taking the concepts, techniques, and exercises from the original book “BEING IN CONTROL- Natural Techniques For Increasing Your Potential And Creativity For Success In School” (ISBN-9659025114)” ( different ISBN) and making them come alive with a 40 minute video rendition. The book/ video/ kit portrays in a “roadmap” format topics for improving relaxed concentration for the classroom and when preparing homework -like increasing self confidence; relaxed concentration; seated yoga; creativity; time management; organisation of material; sensory integration; using our senses to relax; biofeedback; games; better cursive handwriting; speed reading; test taking strategies and more. In addition to the CD ROM and book- the kit also includes 2 finger size temperature strips biofeedback monitors used by many biofeedback practitioners for measuring relaxation- stress levels. Produced and edited with Windows Movie Maker 2 and can be played on Windows Media Player.
Also by Jason Alster- Creative Painting For The Young Artist a book for helping children learn to develop an artistic eye. http://jasonalster.googlepages.com/home
June 20th, 2006 at 3:17 am
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July 2nd, 2006 at 7:00 am
Thanks for the interesting blog! Now my wife knows it is not just me who has to sleep all day when I have my drug holiday.
My doctor, who I feel is very good, has me take a 1 day drug holiday a week. Unfortunately that is sometimes difficult to acheive, so if I take a holiday after an extended period without, the effect seems more pronounced.
Taking the frequent holidays keeps the adderall from losing its efficacy so I dont have to keep increasing my dosage to get the same effect.
Also **HE CHECKS MY BLOOD PRESSURE REGULARLY because I also take Effexor for OCD (common that ADD people have some form of OCD) and it affects my blood pressure if I take too much.
For those considering ADD drugs- it took several tries with my doctor to find the right drug and dosage to fit my needs. I started with Prozac but that stuff made me loopy! For me two Adderall in the morning and 1 in the afternoon if needed seems to be good.
September 20th, 2006 at 8:45 am
I was presrcibed Adderol and Straterra after years of Self-Medication with Meth. It seemed to only make my symptoms worse. Any suggestions for non-stimulant drugs that help this type of problem?
October 14th, 2006 at 4:10 am
Its 3:45 oct 14th in the morning and I took Adderall or whatever its called for the first time at 10:00 am oct 13th in the morning. My buddy gave me a 20 mg capsule and I wanted to try it because I knew of its potential. Potential of being me at a higher level I guess. anyways it took till probably 3 pm to feel results in my boiler room sales job. not to mention I am also a student at a cal state university. I have absolutely no complaints while on the drug esp. at its peak which i felt about 3 times through out the day. I felt like I accomplished a weeks of work productivity wise. Plus I didnt even feel like going to lunch. Wasnt hungry at all.I admit that I really enjoyed the drug and wish that I would be on it without being on it.
creativity was there, concentration, positive attitude, focus, about 5 times more than normal.
Now I know that everybody experienced simillar effects but I have one concern. I knew when I was getting off the drug.My body felt a slight difference. I was expecting a huge crash and possible emptiness or depression if u will, but it wasnt as bad as I thought. But I know I want to try the pill again For many personal and important reasons due to my attention deficit, but am worried bout addiction. Addiction is my main concern. How can that be avoided?
October 25th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
What can I tell you? Adderall works for me. I was in my 50’s before I was sure I had ADD/ADHD.
One of the “tricks” I had learned over the years was to “multitask” if I wanted to concentrate on something. I put the TV on if I wanted to read. If I want to watch a movie, I put the closed captioning on, so I’m doing two things at once.
But Adderall works for me. I’m finally productive and not beating myself up for wasting my own time, or my boss’s time.
Adderall works for me. It really is that simple.
November 16th, 2006 at 7:22 pm
I am in college and have been prescribed adderrall 20 r for a few months now. I take it about once a week and I feel I am developin a strong dependance. Since expermenting with adderall I have transfered to the architecture school and am capable of creaing exremely time intensive projects that I feel would be otherwise unatainable without adderall. I don’t tend to use it or conceptualizing my creative ideas, but executing them which seems to be the problem for peple like use. I am the “innatentive type and am overly emotionally charged but utterly incapable of expressin this except for occasionally (when im on adderal). I am in a true love hate relationship with this drug and am not shure if a degree in architecture with a sick portolio is worth the mental and physical toll it takes on me. Any way it was very interestin to read all of your experiences.
November 17th, 2006 at 9:53 am
Hello everyone! I really liked some of the “short” notes that are here. You see I also suffer from ADHD. I was only recently diagnosed with this after my daughter was diagnosed with this. Seeing similar behaviors in the way she acts is exactly like me. I am sure some of you that were only diagnosed as an adult can agree that life on Adderall is wonderful. I started Adderall XR about 4 months ago and for the first time didnt feel like I wanted to scream! When the rush of life was comming at me full force I took it one step at a time and found myself feeling accomplished. Something I had never felt before because it was so overwelming you wouldn’t belive it. I have patients and understanding clarity that I have never had. Who would have ever known that at the end of a long day when everything you needed to get done and then all the things you wanted to get done are complete you have a sense of power inside. then moving on to well if I can do this(somethings never compeleted) and get these results who is to tell me that there is nothing I cant do. I have also noticed that I am way smarted than I thought I was or is it that the thoughts I had before were not completing themselves. Before Adderall thoughts and actions took over my life. I trained myself to not have manners. I was often asked “What are you talking about?” only to realize that I either didnt finish the sentence or picked up in the middle of the thought and just started talking. I also would be doing something and think of something else to do and start doing that. I never felt accomplished. Now on Adderall I have accomplished things that took the help, support and organization of others to do. So to all those who are like myself we are the Brilliant Minds Of Today. Keep thinking out of the Box. All those years of thinking didnt go to waste. Its all still there. For the people who ask you who you are because they dont recognize the person you are after Adderall, tell them its the new and improved form of who you have always been but never able to complete the look. Good Luck to All!
December 9th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
Though my story sounds so similar to those above, I felt the need to post here in the hopes that I may provide more information to the skeptics out there like myself. I am a 36 year old male, married, father of 2 and a software developer for a living. Please allow me be very clear about this…I hate the prescription drug industry, and loathe the notion that just because we can, that we should medicate away every ill. I am not on board with the “Pillsville” society that we are becoming. I take a total of 0 medications, period.
That being said…my son was diagnosed ADD (not HD) in about 3rd grade. Me as the skeptic would not hear of it. “That’s all they want to do is medicate our kids into submission!”, I would say. “I will not have my kid walking around all loopy!”, I would insist. Meanwhile he struggled. He struggled through 3rd grade, then 4th, then 5th, all the while, every year, each teacher, recommending ADD treatment. Finally in 6th grade, after much research (and resistance), I gave in and let him “try” 1 month of medication (Adderall). The improvement was drastic and immediate. He said he had never felt better, and his confidence and self esteem rocketed nearly as rapidly as his grades. We have since experimented a few times and (ever the skeptic) even tried a dirty psychological trick, telling him that the doctor said he would not need them once he was in high school so that he would attempt to convince himself that he didn’t need them anymore. His life fell apart, grades dropped, athletics declined, it was just bad. So back on them he went. It is undeniable, Adderall works for him.
I will not bore you with all of the internal struggles that I faced as I realized that I too was ADD. You see I am the guy that rubs dirt on cuts, and “walks off” whatever hurts. I balk at all of the television ads that tell you what syndrome you are suffering from, etc. You get the point, I am not a person who readily accepts that I am not in control of my body. But since taking Adderall it is like someone turned the lights on for me. As a software developer, it is crucial that I be sharp and alert. I am 10 times more able to grasp new programming ideas, more creative in the solutions that I come up with, and best of all more focused and able to accomplish in hours, tasks that before may have taken me days. My only regret about Adderall is that I haven’t been taking it my whole life. And as resistant as I was (and sometimes still am) it is absolutely worth trying if you or a loved one is considering it.
December 19th, 2006 at 11:35 am
First of all as I sit here I cannot focus. I am addicted to adderall, and I have been off of it for 4 months. I am completly useless without it, but the drug is the devil. all of you who think it is great - well after 4 years of taking it you will no longer have positive effects from the drug. it will just be an addiction. so think twice before starting. Dont even think about putting children on any of these medications. ritalin, dexadrine, and adderall are just speed. I am writing from my painfull first hand experience. Its better to just live with your add. We are just guinea pigs ! stop taking these drugs. your central nervous system will thank you. My hands shake now, and my add is worse than ever. thank you drug companies for the monkey on all our backs.
February 7th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
I have been on both Adderall and and Adderall XR (separate times of course) for about 5 months. I found that the regular Adderall works much better. I had horrible insomnia on the XR. I started out on regular, then for 2 or 3 months had the XR, and it was terrible for me. The insomnia got worse by the week. And I got to where I felt like I had it to function during the day due to the lack of sleep. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I have never been happier. Yeah I know it’s an amphedamine or whatever, but whatever works to get me to not feel fatigue allllll the time. And I actually LOVE to read now. I use to try to read, and couldn’t because, I had to read the same sentence over and over just to comprehend it. Therefore I could NEVER finish a book. I think this medication is amazing. But it is VERY addictive, and I don’t recommend Adderall (or any stimulant for that matter) for children. Especially if they are adHd. Thanks for everyones input. I actually read ALOT of them with the TV on my favorite show, and couldn’t stop reading! I am also paying much more attention to my daughter, school work wise, and I can clean my house too!
February 8th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
hey jamie, i just started on both adderall xr and regular adderall the past few weeks. ive been messing around with doses and combining both with my doctors help. i feel the same way about the adderall xr 30mg, it keeps me up at night, even if i take it at 8am. 30mg of regular adderall doesnt keep me up; however, it is no way near as strong as the xr. the xr is wicked strong and i get more work done in one day than i get done in a month regularly (cause i spend most of my days staring out windows and being frusturated). I actually prefer the xr for the power, then before bed i chug a coupple beers, this puts me right out. also, to everyone who was worrying about addiction, my plan is to skip at least one day per week, just to let myself have a break. today is that day, which is why im wasting my time doing this crap instead of studying. thanks for all the info, its good to here so many people who describe themselves exactly like me.
February 13th, 2007 at 8:49 am
i luv meself
February 13th, 2007 at 8:50 am
drugs
February 13th, 2007 at 8:52 am
dawwen luvs drugs 2
March 25th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
I know that Cocaine has simular effects; it’s more bad for your body.
March 26th, 2007 at 11:27 am
I can only say “wow”. Last night my wife was talking to me about the possibility of drugs to help me concentrate & deal with my problems of focusing. This morning she asked if I knew what we talked about. She said while she was talking I began snoring. I knew nothing substantial about this conversation nor the points or direction. I would never intentionally hurt or avoid my wife because of my intense & constant love for her. But this is only the tip of the iceburg. I can’t count how many times I’ve stopped reading this site to have a cigarette, a bite or a drink. I know I’ve been like this at least since the first grade, like 45 years ago.
Being busy all day with little noticeable progress is one of my constant frustrations. She said I may have some sort of depression since I tend to shut down when overwhelmed….. There, I’m back. I went to swab my iching ear, got a drink then went outside for another cigarette, or as my wife jokingly says “there goes a chicken”. That’s a reference for my boundless distraction capability. I’m sure you all know of this from personal experience. The sense of urgency doesn’t always shine in my direction. Multi- tasking seems more like a dangerous game from what I’ve seen. Balancing a bagel, makeup, newspaper,cell phone & you know that damn steering wheel just gets in the way.
About 5 years ago I read an article in the Sunday Parade section about ADD. It was as if I had written the article! Everything was exactly like me. I spoke with my family doctor and other doctors over the years. They say this is a difficult & long process to diagnose, that its more vague than accurate becaues of all the symptoms and they will give me a referal for a shrink. Thankfully I head to their payment desk where I’m told they have no shrinks to refer.
As always, I have many irons in the fire. There are constant household & yard issues which mostly I enjoy. Relationships deserve concentration and now I’m fielding calls for a new job after 12 years in the same company. My mind swirls with ideas but my lack of organization prove most of them pointless, ignored or unfulfilled.
I need help. I know I need help. I don’t normally ask for help as I’ll try things on my own. Perhaps thats also a sign. Maybe this isn’t the forum I should have stopped to review. Nevertheless, I don’t really have every day, nor the funds to spend with various doctors that have other motives for dispensing medication.
Thanks for the ear, I’ll check back.
May 10th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
thanks to all
May 11th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
reading all of this makes me nervous and sad. i know that were i to be professionally examined i would indeed be diagnosed with ADD - i imagine that my productivity would increase dramatically should i take medications. this isn’t the part that makes me nervous and sad. the reason i feel those emotions is that i think we live in a society where differences and variation amongst human beings is becoming further devalued as time goes on. just because we think and act differently does not mean that there is something inherently “wrong” with us. people are diagnosed with “disorders,” “illnesses” and “conditions” because societies we live in have developed to value goal-driven, ends-oriented production. if we reframe it, the mere existence of “problematic” “symptoms” for “ADD” highlights the illness of a society wherein different types of thinking are devalued and stifled. we do not look to change society so that it can accommodate and make room for different people - instead we make the people fit the society.
sad, really.
May 31st, 2007 at 4:47 am
If you are AD/HD, the central and peripheral effect of the generic drugs will wear you less down than if you did not have it.
Die Wirksamkeit und die Sicherheit des Stimulansmedikamentes denn ADHD zu behandeln, ist in über 150 gesteuerten Studien dokumentiert worden, die Kinder, Jugendliche und Erwachsene
betreffen.
By the way,
“Speed provides the one genuinely modern pleasure.”
-Aldous Huxley
May 31st, 2007 at 7:28 am
October 4th, 2007 at 1:52 am
Weight Loss Guide
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
October 9th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Hey everybody, glad to see that this thread is still alive. I posted a couple of years ago about becoming a successful architecture student thx to adderall and I am still hanging in there. I have never taken the drug daily and reserve it for times of desperation, but I have come to the conclusion that if I could perform at the level I don on adderall everyday then some things would propably be going better for me and I am tempted to start taking it daily. Vyvanse is the new thing, but it is really just a marketing ploy from shire to keep there patents alive, but I do prefer it to adderall so far. Right now I am coming down from it and can tell you that it is no miracle drug, but I did manage to write paper as well as ace a test today. I don’t mind how I am when I don’t take Adddy, but there is no way that I could get through the drudgery that is required from me if I wan’t to become an architect, let alone a great one. I am an artist to some degree and am capable of working on a painting for like three days straight with no drugs, but then the next day, I lose interest and don’t take my skills to the next level. It sucks feeling that you are not talented at anything just, because you don’t have the discipline, or sustained interest that is necessary to develop any type of “talent”. I am also more social and less preoccupied with what others think when I am on the drug, so I just don’t know. Maybe I will give vyvanse a month long trial (it’s free) and weigh the benefits, but depression is the thing that scares/effects me the most. I enjoyed your posts and look forward to more, BTW running helps!
October 18th, 2007 at 10:56 am
fuk vyannebullshit,muthafukkn addiez all tha way bioch!adderallXR 30′zzz!(=
October 29th, 2007 at 6:30 am
Latest Book Reviews
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting
October 29th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
November 29th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Very good information indeed, i have brother having Alcohol addiction from last 7 years.does any one know about alcoholism treatment center or Christian alcoholism treatment
December 19th, 2007 at 6:22 pm
I tried Vyvanse because my doctor didn’t want to up my Adderall XR dossage and thought this would help. He was wrong. I hated Vyvanse. It did nothing for. It felt like the old horrible days before I was given Adderall. He did up my dosage to 40 mg., but now after two months, he is putting me on my first Adderall “holiday.” Last night I had the very restless/disturbed sleep and my speech is back to starting sentences but never finishing. If I need to do holidays off of Adderall I will, however, I will never go off of it and return to that unfocused and unproductive life I had for 49 years.
March 5th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Vyvanse is not something I wanna try again. believe me, it did more wrong than good to me.
March 19th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Hello!
I think this try.
March 28th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I hear you. It’s twice as hard being a married woman. I had to stop my meds (dextroamphetamine) when I was pregnant with my son. Two months later, I had to quit my job. Just as before being diagnosed and starting treatment, I just could not keep up. Now, I am struggling with enjoying my career, but wanting another child. I will probably have to run a lot, as I did in HS, which really worked. However,try imagining some 7 months pregnant chick running three miles a day. I’ve noticed some: “I probably have it, but blah blah drug addiction…speed..” posts. I had no problem stopping the meds before I got pregnant. I just stopped. No cravings, just severe fatigue. My previous symptoms of ADHD just crept back, as much as I tried to deny it. Withdrawal does not equal returning to the state you were in BEFORE you took a drug.