Adderall abuse with students
Another interesting psychopharmacology issue. We’ve covered the SSRIs here before but the newest trend is among high-school and college-age wanting something to help them focus, do better on tests, etc. Adderall, prescription amphetamine salts for ADHD, seems to be the drug of choice. Article from the Christian Science Monitor follows. (A quick search on Google News shows just how much press this issue has been getting.)
A drug kids take in search of better grades
By Rebecca L. Weber | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
When Paul left home to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder, he took his prescription for the drug Adderall along with him. The medication is normally used to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but Paul – who now believes he had been misdiagnosed – no longer used it for that purpose.
Instead, the journalism/business student says he took Adderall only occasionally and with a very specific intent: to help him focus on homework, or to stay up all night cramming for an exam. He also shared the pills with other students who did not have prescriptions, but who wanted Adderall for the same reasons he did.
Fellow students “always wanted my Adderall for studying,” says Paul, who asks that his last name not be used. “Certain individuals couldn’t study without it. They figured, ‘If I study all night on Adderall, I’d better take it for the test, too.’ ”
Adderall is the amphetamine most widely prescribed to treat ADD/ADHD. As with other amphetamines, regular users of Adderall can soon become dependent on it to get through the day.
Dubbed “kiddie coke,” Adderall is being used – and abused – by increasing numbers of high school and college students on campuses across the United States.
Although students often take the drug together – sometimes in study groups – their intent is not recreational. Rather, they use the stimulant in an attempt to enhance their powers of concentration and improve their academic performance.
“It’s a performance-enhancing drug,” says Punyamurtula Kishore, president and founder of the National Library of Addictions in Brookline, Mass., and a physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “They start accessing the drug legally, and then they find they can sell it for five or 10 bucks a pill to college kids.”
Pressure to earn ever-higher grades appears to be a primary motivation in the Adderall craze, say Dr. Kishore and other experts. In Massachusetts, where parents and school officials often have high expectations for students, more prescriptions are written for Adderall than in any other state.
Often, students begin imbibing while still living at home, and sometimes parents – unaware of the dangers involved – tolerate their misuse of the drug.
“A lot of families look the other way so that kids can stay up and study,” says Kishore. “It’s a myth that they’ll do better on exams … [But while on the drug] they feel they can conquer the world. Then they come down and crash.”
Although Adderall is often perceived as legal since physicians and pharmacists are involved in its dispensing, ultimately it is an illegal drug when used by somebody without a prescription. Campus policies on handling student drug users and dealers vary, but range from a warning with counseling to expulsion.
It’s hard to quantify the extent of Adderall abuse among students. Certainly the availability to children of drugs to treat ADD/ADHD has soared in recent years.
In the last 10 years, the number of preschoolers taking ADD/ADHD drugs has tripled; the number of school-age children has multiplied by 20. More than 2 million American children are prescribed drugs for ADD/ADHD. Adderall represents about a quarter of the market.
Statistics on the legitimate use of Adderall, of course, don’t reveal anything about patterns of illegitimate use. However, some experts suggest that the fact that the drug is viewed as a legitimate one may enhance its appeal – and its danger – to youthful users.
When Adderall is passed on from family or friends who have prescriptions to those who don’t, it has an aura of legality that street drugs don’t have. It’s pure, which makes it seem safer than unregulated drugs, where users don’t know what else it may have been cut with.
But in many states it’s a felony to be in possession of drug that has not been prescribed for the person using it. Prosecution, says Robert Goldstein, chief medical officer of Somnia, could be “equally as damning to a student” as addiction. When people see a prescription bottle, they think it’s OK – even when it’s taken inappropriately, says Dr. Kishore.
Students are more likely to take a single Adderall pill than drink 10 cups of coffee because, at least in the short term, it’s “longer acting and has fewer side effects than caffeine,” says Dr. Goldstein. “When used appropriately, it lasts an entire day.”
For 22-year-old Ben, it helped him concentrate for hours on end at the University of Michigan, his alma mater. Ben (not his real name) restricted his Adderall use to study periods.
After about 20 minutes, the drug would kick in. He says that the ability to concentrate intensely “helped time pass by better. I could read for four hours straight without looking up at the clock.”
When Ben describes the widespread use of Adderall at his alma matter, he said many students retained prescriptions from when they were young even though they no longer used the drug themselves. Some had stopped taking Adderall because of headaches or other side effects, yet were willing to going on supplying it to others, either to “help a friend in a crunch,” as Ben puts it, or to make some quick cash.
At Ann Arbor, blue pills (10 milligrams) normally sold for $3, and orange pills (20 milligrams) for $5, says Ben. Prices rose as demand exceeded supply during midterms and finals.
Ben, an English major, would frequently take the drug with his peers during study groups in the library. They also met afterward to share a joint to alleviate the inevitable side effects, which include restlessness, dizziness, and insomnia.
Kishore has counseled a number of such clusters – small groups of friends who have taken Adderall together, and become dependent on it together.
Overcoming the dependency is tough, Kishore says, especially for students who were using Adderall specifically to help them stay up to study and who need to learn to approach their studies in a new way. Treatment is normally done on an outpatient basis and involves teaching new coping behaviors and techniques.
Some also hope a new version of the drug could help reduce its misuse among younger students.
In 2001, Shire Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Adderall, introduced Adderall XR, a time-release version. The new version was developed primarily as a convenience, the company says. But because it is taken as a single daily dose, children don’t need to bring it to school, thus minimizing “any potential misuse or inappropriate transferring of medicine to individuals without a prescription.”
But some experts say that Adderall abuse is still not being taken seriously enough by many parents and adults.
Widespread toleration of Adderall misuse is similar to the blind eye too many adults cast on teenage drinking in the 1980s, says Goldstein.
“People didn’t pay attention or take it seriously, before groups like MADD,” he says. “[Minors drinking] isn’t just bad because they’re underage, it’s dangerous. If somebody gets in a car, they can injure others and themselves. It’s similar to being a parent throwing a party with kids drinking, only to find out you’re responsible for the car crash that happens later on.”
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February 4th, 2005 at 10:34 pm
Adderol as a study drug, rather than a prescription medication used to treat ADD/ADHD is fast becoming a mainstream problem amongst college students. As a student, I have been exposed to the magnitude and seriousness of this problem. People need to be aware of how this is affecting our youth. I am currently writing a paper on this topic and would appreciate feedback/opinions/experience.
February 9th, 2005 at 7:47 pm
I am a college student at Texas State University in San Marcos, Tx… I have been on some for of the medication Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Stratera) since I was 8. When I stopped using the drug around age 15 I noticed that in a few short weeks, my attention span had decreased severely and that my mood swings were begining to increase. Lately at age 19 I have been taking Adderall from a frind that lives in my dorm.. I have noticed that I can study alot better, reading for hours with out wondering what time it is, remembering information better. I don’t loose much of my appetite, I still eat regularly, but my sleep is shorter and more restful. I have noticed though, that with the kids that take this drug for study purposes, their appatites do tend to be curbed, their sleep schedual becomes thrown off, but the way they look at it is, “If I’m making better grades, then it’s worth it.” Recently I went back to my doctor and told him that I had been taking Adderall to see if it would help me and it did, so I asked for a script, so now as a person who is perscribed to the drug hope that all the abusers out there don’t get this privilege taken away from me, but then again.. I feel that what ever helps you get the grade, do it.
Sincerely
Decoy DeVille
February 10th, 2005 at 2:07 pm
I’ve never had such a high GPA untill I took Adderall. I almost flunked out of college, untill I started taking it. THANKS ADDERALL, I owe it all to you
February 16th, 2005 at 1:18 pm
I’ve never taken it to study, but after a bunch of beer, it helps the party go into the night.
February 16th, 2005 at 3:56 pm
Adderall has helped me with some tough times. thanks A LOT adderall!!!!
Peace All Of you adderall “users”,
Shawn Crouton
February 19th, 2005 at 8:27 pm
Docters believe that frequent use of Adderall by our college son (he is not ADD or ADHD) contributed greatly to him getting clinically depressed. He got mono, had to abruptly quit taking Adderall, which he took 3 to 4 times a week to study. The “crash” and withdrawal contributed to the onset of depression. Good grades were NOT worth all we have been through – 3 hospitalizations. We never thought this could happen, but it did. It is best not to take other’s prescriptions.
February 26th, 2005 at 4:11 pm
I am a student at Penn State University and I know tons of people that either take adderalto study or snort to give themselves extra energy for the party. I have tried both and it has helped me learn and have fun. I don’t take it regularly because I don’t look for it, but if its there why not? I know it turns you into a beer drinking champion that keeps going and going and going. I was intrigued by this phenomenon among fellow students and have decided to do a research project on its abuse. It looks like I won’t have trouble finding subjects to survey.
Kelly M
March 1st, 2005 at 3:01 pm
I am a high school student and right now i am working on a project for my health class. I have been assigned to research Adderall. this site has been a great source of information on both the good and the bad of this drug. thanks to the people who set up this page.
March 4th, 2005 at 10:41 pm
i love adderall but i think its probably killing me. that sucks
March 8th, 2005 at 6:33 pm
I was prescribed to Ritalin when I was a young boy in 3rd grade. I took Adderall until I was 16 yrs old and near the end of my use I HATED it. It makes me feel like a completely different person. I recently took it to help me write a speech during crunch time and it didn’t even help! It just brought the same depressing feelings. I hope I never have to rely on anything like that again!
March 26th, 2005 at 12:36 pm
I would like to say that I take adderall on the weekends because I work long hours and still need time to study. I’ve never had any bad side effects or dealings with depression. I started taking it a few weeks ago and it makes me feel amazing and really helps my motivation to get things done.
But then again, I really think I have serious problems concentrating and when I read a book to study, it takes me hours and hours to get through even short chapters, because I can’t keep my mind straight. I’m planning on visiting my doctor soon to talk about it, because it has been a problem for me all through school since I was a little kid…perhaps its not ADD but a different kind of learning disorder and I can fix it and stop taking the adderall….who knows.
I’ve never taken it recreationally, because I think taking drugs for fun is one of the dumbest things you can do…And I question whether taking them for grades and work is just as dumb, and usually end up with the answer “most likely.”
The only thing I have noticed when taking it, however, is that on weekends when I don’t have it, getting through my work shifts effectively and well is really rough on me physically and emotionally. I work 12 hour shifts into the middle of the night (2-3am) and its just rough to handle without something to help me out. Drinking cof fee only lasts a short period of time and when the caffeine wears off, I’m exhausted completely. And when I get home at 2 or 3 in the morning, and still am feeling the effects of the Adderall, its really nice to be able to relax and sit down and study, not having to worry about when I’m going to have time to study for the exam I have Monday…..
March 27th, 2005 at 6:37 pm
I’ve used Adderall about 5 times during exam periods and I must say there is no way I could have gotten all of my work done without it. I’m really good at cramming for tests but exam week just piles it all on and it’s no surprise people are looking for some help…a competetive edge. It’s a very impressive drug and most people who I’ve talked to that also take it have reported basically no side effects except maybe irritability, like if someone calls your name “HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE?” haha because you want to get all of your work done. I don’t think everyone should be so alarmed. College is about learning and learning to be resourceful. In pressured environments like universities, you have to do whatever it takes to get the best grades. And if some measly amphetamine salts a few times a semester present themselves as an opportunity to get an A, then by all means, a few sleepless nights are worth it. Hell you’d be up studying anyway and not getting anything done.
March 28th, 2005 at 6:34 pm
getting wired is awesome
April 1st, 2005 at 11:16 am
i used adderall once and my lip got totally swollen and i had to show my face at school and i told everybody that i got hit in the face with a lacrosse stick….it got even worse the next day so i skipped skool..taking adderall was so not worth it! i had to tell everyone the same story over and over again! So dont take it!
April 4th, 2005 at 7:34 am
man…
here is the scoop…
back in high school, i drank, smoked weed, did acid, and all sorts of pills including adderall…hit the bottom of the pit. one day decided to get serious, and joined an IB school in my senior year of high school and went into college with 18 credits right off the bat.i dont use any adderoll, but i will admit i drink coffe e 3 times a day, and i only drink expresso shots and i ussualy drink 6 to 8 shots at a time, or when im on the run im grab some red bull. Im an accouting major at a college which ranks 4th in the nation…
i dont cram, because i wanna learn, taking adderol will help you in the short term, but you wont be able to go above and beyond, you wont be able to transcend what you learn in class and make it useful…school is not about the grades, is what you do with what you learn, the grades are simply a gauge to let you know how you are doing, and a measuring scale for the people who will potentially hire you.
you cant go your whole life taking adderol, people who NEED TO sometimes wish they didnt because of the long term side effects.
i have a 4.0 GPA, and its due to organizing, scheduling, studying ahead, focusing, prioritizing, and discipline. all natural skills, that not only get me good grades but further energizes me to do more, its free, there is no negative side-effects.
you know, one day human kind will realize the power of ideas, thoughts, and intention, and conditions such as ADD and ADHD will no longer exist because as we realize that ideas have consequences human will be able to cure themselves of any psychological disorder such as ADD and ADHD.
The people you hang out, the music you listen to, the thoughts you evoke, all contribute to you well being…remember that
April 6th, 2005 at 7:08 pm
I started doing adderall when I was visiting a friend on the east coast, just to party. It was really fun. I could stay up all night, never ran out of things to say, was energetic and talkative. Plus I could drink like a fish. I wasn’t nervous, and I felt more confident. I started buying adderall from friends, to study and party with. Pretty soon I took it every time I needed to study or party. I went to a doctor and got a prescription. I was crushing it up and bumping it because I liked the effect better. I really saw no negative side effects until I broke up with my girlfriend and went off the deep end with the drug. I did it all the time. And now I feel empty without it, and I’m the complete opposite as I was when I was on the drug. I think about it all the time, and I’m depressed as all hell. There is no such thing as ADD, I proved that anyone can get diagnosed with it. Aderrall is just speed, and eventually it catches up to you. Trust me, don’t do it.
April 7th, 2005 at 4:44 pm
People need to develop ways to learn, no one is born knowing how to learn. The public education system is known for the omission of such instructions…They are quick to place you in a class they think fits you best based on your past performance, but they will not access your present ability to learn and try to enhace your current abilities and place you in a higher level class which corresponds to your newly attained ability to learn.
My theory is any pin head can learn…if one really puts themselves into it.
the reason im bringing this up, is because adderol will create an illusory ability to learn, your burning out your brain cells, and putting them into a un-natural mode for some short term gain. the more you use it, the more you will loose touch with the natural tools and mechanisms that you can use to learn and enhance your cognitive ability….that happens until dependency is reached, and an individual can no longer learn without the drug, because it doesnt know how to otherwise. IMAGINE…if you played basketball every day…and you were good at it,,, but then for some reason you stopped for about a year, you wouldnt be nearly as good…same happens with adderol, if you take it, and use it to psyche yourself up to learn, you will loose touch with your own abilities to foster knowledge.
if you are worried about you ability to learn…dont drink alcohol, im not even trying to lecture people..but why dont you look up ALCOHOL DEMENTIA on google, and see what you get…and if you have time investigate how come a drug as dangerous as alcohol is still legal, you will be surprised and maybe angry.(the reason has its roots in politics)
April 16th, 2005 at 3:19 am
I can see the pros and cons of adderall. Concentration, but irritibility when it wears off. I am putting together a project on drug abuse trends, and have a prescription for Adderall myself, so was looking for pictures and new info or horrible side effects.I take it every day. I have always had trouble concentrating and wish it weren’t so…I stuggle with everything,even listening to music lyrics or conversation, because I go off and think of something without knowing I switched focus. On Adderall,I can hear music and lyrics. I am not cold all the time anymore either. i was always freezing, especially my hands. I was always embarrassed because I miss so much of what is said. I can have more normal conversations now. I have discovered that it does not work as well lately. I take forever to finish a paper, and have trouble moving from activity to activity…the opposite as before, but I don’t finish things. I crave more of it at times.
I have to keep working all of the time. But I get stuck doing one thing, like reading one aspect of my research topic, for hours and hours and my kids wonder why I never want to do anything but do homework anymore. I have legal script. I don’t sell it. Because I am having trouble with some “perseverating” and insomnia, I am cutting back on the meds and hope to stop craving it someday before my brain is fried. I wonder what we are missing in life, that we need to stimulate our brains with drugs? Purpose or “love” perhaps?
April 16th, 2005 at 10:06 am
This page has really given me some insight about this drug. I am writing an argumentative paper about the frequent use of adderal amongst college students.
April 24th, 2005 at 5:46 pm
oh man! i freakin love it!!!! i saw some 1 takes it after drinking, yes i do to, i sumtimes wonder whats its doing to my body right after i take it bu then it kicks in and i dont care anymore=] adderall makes me smarter then you=P
May 2nd, 2005 at 7:35 pm
those prices are sooo off.. lol. them people are gettin ripped off.
May 3rd, 2005 at 5:20 pm
I have taken adderall for several years now. At first i took it in a 10 mg dosage (the lowest dose offered) and it helped, even at that low amount, my concentration immensly. I even got several comments from my teachers regarding how much better my work ethic was. I switched to the 20 mg xr version and have bot experienced any negative effects of it to this day. I am an honor roll student and i recently scored in the top 10 percentile in maath on the ACT tests as a Freshman. I have never abused my adderall nor have i attemted to sell it to others. I have however been asked to sell it for about 4 dollars a pill. Adderall has helped me tremendously but i am not naive enough to believe that it does not get abused. A good way to solve the problem of adderall abuse is simply to reduce the number of prescriptions going out and also set stricter penalties for abusing it.
May 9th, 2005 at 2:57 am
“oh man! i freakin love it!!!! i saw some 1 takes it after drinking, yes i do to, i sumtimes wonder whats its doing to my body right after i take it bu then it kicks in and i dont care anymore=] adderall makes me smarter then you=P”
Thank you, Einstein, for that wonderful demonstration of the intellect-enhancing effects of Adderall.
May 21st, 2005 at 4:58 pm
I have been on adderall xr for about 2-3 weeks now and I have to tell all that I am a much better worker,wife,and mother. I am 26. I wish I had got it sooner. I would have had a easer time in school.
May 23rd, 2005 at 2:51 am
I love Adderall with an passion. I become filled with happiness just thinking about it, but i probubly will die before im 30. But I’ll have an awsome gpa and leave a fabulously thin corpse. I HATe YOU Adderall! Is it not normal for my palms to itch when i pick up my script? anyone know? I love you Adderall
June 14th, 2005 at 7:17 pm
A friend gave me the peach rock (orange pill) about a week ago and I found myself extremely happy..smiling all the time and reading this psychology book really intently. I stayed up all nite..me and my friends drove around all nite without being paranoid because we dint have to be worried about being pulled over and getting caught with the usual drugs and alcohol. We talked about everything imaginable and had deep conversations. Surprisingly I wasnt bored either. I often feel like I need alchohol and a crazy nite to have fun..but I was content with it all and even started up convo with this guy at a gas station. Its better than alcohol in the sense that i was in control and knew my surroundings. But, when I wanted to sleep I couldnt and it was hard to not talk. The next day I felt like I had a horrible hang over. I could tell my body wanted me to sleep but my mind wouldnt. I felt like I was bad tripping..but I probably would do it again..jsut not make it a habit..cuz I need sleep. At some points I felt depressed though, I just thought things over too much. I mean, Im already a thinker and very anxious..this amplified it and made me paranoid at times.
June 27th, 2005 at 12:25 pm
I am a reporter with The Salt Lake Tribune, looking for students in Utah that use adderall to help them study.
Please contact me if you do, and if you are willing to share your experience. We will consider anonymity for you, if you are concerned about it.
Thanks,
tpeterson@sltrib.com
June 27th, 2005 at 5:54 pm
Wow, I’ve been taking Adderall for about 1 year now. It started with 10 Mg, and then 20, 30, and so on. Yesterday I took 100mg. It’s euphoric, energetic, and even the thought makes me tingle. If it’s been a few hours since I’ve taken it, I begin fantasizing about swimming in a pool of orange pills. I don’t have ADD.
I’m a smart girl, I don’t need anyone to tell me what I’m doing to myself, but I’m so far gone. Without it, I feel empty, depressed, incredibly tired, and I turn to alcohol (the second best thing). I’ll take it from anyone who has it, even if I have to steal it.
Since taking Adderall, I’ve lost 30 pounds, gotton my sorry ass back in college, started a buisiness, accelled at my oringinal job, made my parents proud…the list goes on.
I’m 20 and I’m hooked. Despite this, it’s so hard to deny the delicious feeling I have as my 3rd pill today just kicks in. Got some work to do. Peace.
October 4th, 2005 at 12:08 am
This site has given me lots of insite about Adderall abuse in college students. I am writing an essay about Adderall in my English class, and most of this information was very new to me. It was very interesting to find out how Adderall was used in study groups,and how many study groups would take it to enhance thier concenration. I have worked as a Pharmacy Technician for about two years now I count, dispense, and sell Adderall to patients almost every day. I haven’t really ever thought about how it would make you feel, but from what i’ve heard in these blogs it sounds like it would make you feel pretty cool. I haven’t ever tried Adderall, and i’m not someone who put something down until I try it. But I was just wondering is the energetic and euphoric effect worth the crash? Are the study benifits and good grades worth the depression, tired feelings, and craving for the drug? It just sound like any other drug it really cool for a while, and then you have to start taking more to get the same effect. Eventually you will have to quit and it is going to suck really bad.
October 5th, 2005 at 3:39 pm
i am scribed adderall because i have add and i took it for a while and loved it. i would abuse it on occasion but mostly i think the thought that it was going to help me concentrate is what helped me in school. It stopped working i guess so i took more and then one day i took a lot. I had a really BAD crash and everytime i would say it’s not worth it im never doing it again. The crash for me is REALLY REALLY bad but some people don’t really feel anything i guess it depends on the person. I get really paranoid, anxious, depressed and worst of all you can’t sleep. So the whole night your thinking a million things and its just a horrible feeling especially if its at night and your alone. At my school people know that i have adderall and i feel so used because people are starting to be my friend just so they can get some from me i think. i like drugs and all but really i hope one day people will just live without them. Reading some of the things people say about how they love it and are smart and better with it makes me think they’re really pathetic and dumb. But then i realize im a hypocrite because im the same way. the crash is really frickin bad so if thats what your worried about i wouldnt take any chances. for me i’ve always seen drugs as temporary cause can you really imagine doing it all your life?
October 18th, 2005 at 7:45 pm
wow i never knew that this was going on all over. I’m a senior in high school and hae not really heard all about this. I am doing a paper on the growing trend to use adderall, which i can cleary see is happening. I do not know much about the drug but i know that life can be uncontrolable nd you have to turn somewhere for help. Aren’t there other possibilities? um maybe GOD!
I hope you all can find some help with whatever is so stressful that you have to take this drug.
November 3rd, 2005 at 10:50 pm
i have a question for u all… wat if u take adderall and u are already on a ADD medication called concerta?
November 5th, 2005 at 11:14 pm
i began taking adderall because i loved the high and heard it was the ‘magic diet pill’. i found it GREATLY improved my mood and social interaction. i started taking it at school and am able to concentrate and study better.
November 8th, 2005 at 5:17 am
adderall is wonderful, but if you take it at night, there will be reprecussions- you will feel a throbbing sensation in your head, you’ll get nervous, sweat excessively, etc.
November 9th, 2005 at 2:23 pm
Adderall seems like a god-send at first. You feel like you’re on top of the world, that you’re more organized, that you can talk to anyone, get your work done. I’ve been taking adderall for about a year now and I wish that I never had started.
I’m a 20 year old college student. I am smart and I get consistently good grades. I started taking adderall because I always felt that I just never quite worked as hard, or was as organized, or studied as hard as I should. I figured that if other people took this stuff that made you focus better, that I should give myself the same advantage. Also, I did exhibit many of the “symtoms” of ADD/ADHD, but honestly, everyone does to some degree. So I convinced myself that I had slight ADD and got my doctor to perscribe.
I took non-XR 10mg 2x daily to start with. When I first got a perscription, I thought I was dreaming because now I could have this stuff all the time, not just when I had a ton of work and begged a friend for some. I really wanted to use it to be a better student, not just to cram for exams, but to actually be more organized and get work done ahead of time. At first adderall seemed like a good thing. I felt great when I was on it. I felt more social. I was always thinking about how to be more organized. I compulsivly made lists of thing to do. However, today Adderall no longer seems like such a great thing for me.
I didnt realize it at the time, but the side effects of adderall were taking a heavy toll on other aspects of my life. I had recently gotten into an intense relationship and found that when I was coming off adderall at the end of the day, I was both irritable and restless. This lead to two things. Depending on sex and intimacy with my girlfriend to distract myself and arguements with her when she wasn’t willing to accomodate my needs. I think back at the things I got upset about and they seem ridiculous. And it wasnt just the heat of the moment. I’d been in relationships before. I was acting irrationally and I didnt know it. Additionally, because I became so dependent on her for my emotional stability, I cut my friends out of my life to a degree that I cannot believe. My bestfriend and roommate from the year before lived down the hall, and after I started taking adderall I never saw him. The problem was that while I was on adderall, all I could think about was getting work done and getting organized, and then when I was off adderall, I woudl be with my girlfriend or getting drunk as hell…or smoking pot. Now arguably these other behaviors are not healthy, but they were intensified significantly by my adderall use.
I now look back on a relationship that could have been so happy, but instead ended bitterly because I was acting irrationally. I dont get work done in advance because I know that I’ll always have adderall to get me through an intense cramming session. Research papers are impossible because adderall makes me focus too much on one thing, not the big picture. At the end of last semester, I stayed up for 56 hours straight working on a paper because I could not just write, I had to obsessively research far beyond the scope of what was required. Similarly, I had a draft of a 40 page research paper due and despite working during every waking hour of the weekend and staying up all night the night before it was due, the end result was terrible because I couldnt see the big picture. But I couldnt get myself to start the paper without taking adderall, and once I’d taken it, I couldnt stop or I’d “crash” and not be able to concentrate. Now, let me make this clear. I dont feel particularly addicted to adderall. I’ve begun to stop taking it most of the time. I feel a bit tired, but I make it through.
Ok, obviously, I’m not a fan of adderall, and I’ll tell you why. Let me preface this by saying that adderall might be right for some people, but that if you’ve made it to college and you get decent grades, but feel like you have a huge procrastination problem and that you can never get work done, ITS BECAUSE WORK ISNT FUN, not because you have ADD. In my opinion, what adderall does that is so harmful, is that it rewires the motivation and reward signals in your brain. Instead of motivating yourself because you want to get a good grade, or because you cant wait to have the work done and go party, or because you really want to be a neuroscientist, you motivate yourself by popping a pill. You forget how to make yourself work FOR YOURSELF. It feels great to study when your on adderall, but you forget the life skills that you need to do well after college. I can understand taking adderall occationally, when you’re in a crunch. But before you go get a perscription or spend your beer money on speed, make an appointment with the study/skills center or a health center counceller or whoever is available at your school and as about how you can learn to be a better student.
Our country has become obsessed with instant gratification. We dont like unpleasant things. Unfortunately learning is not always easy, but taking Adderall, or the equivilant, is not going to help you become a better person in the long run. Even if you get a couple tenths higher GPA, so what?? Do you really want to depend on a drug to get yourself to do the unpleasant aspects of life that will always be present. Do you think that life’s just gonna be a breeze after you graduate? Hell no, not unless your a trust fund baby or something. You’re always going to have to get work done that you dont want to do. College, and high school, and graduate school, are places where you learn how to learn. Don’t waste your time there by focusing on cramming to make a grade. Learn how to motivate yourself and be a happier and healthier person.
November 9th, 2005 at 2:35 pm
One more thing…I know I’ve written far too much already. But for those of you interested in the increasing adderall use/abuse in high school and especially college, I think that this is a very interesting and important topic and I hope that you pursue it. I believe quite strongly that there is an adderall epidemic going on in many of our country’s colleges, one that I have fallen victim to. At my college, a small new-england liberal arts college, adderall is everywhere. I hear people talking about it all the time. When people find out I have adderall they often express interest in getting some. Its impossible for me to prove how rampant it is, but on my college I clearly can sense how widespread the illegal distribution of adderall is. I have talked to friends who say the same thing about their campuses. Very interesting. Personally, I think that if our country made the decision to focus on non-medical treaments for milder ADD, we could deal with the problems much more effectively than with medicaiton. I believe that the only reason why Adderall etc is the treatment of choice is because of the lobby and campaign donations of big pharmacy companies.
And just a side note, no, I am not on adderall right now…lol.
November 9th, 2005 at 6:09 pm
Hi. I’m a news reporter in Houston, Texas. I’m doing a story on Adderall, and I am looking for someone in recovery who we could interview about their experience, in particular, a student.
If you’re interested please reply.
[ mgradney AT tribune DOT com ]
November 16th, 2005 at 8:55 pm
if those ppl are payen 5 or 10 $ for 1 20-25 mg adderall there gettin ripped the fuck off…the most ive seen a 25mg is 2.50 …dumbass college kids
November 21st, 2005 at 2:01 pm
I’m a college reporter from Western Kentucky doing a story on adderall abuse and other extreme study methods. This page has been really enlightening. I had no idea that abuse was this wide-spread. If you are a student who has ever used adderall as a study aid, especially in the Kentucky area, and would Iike to talk I would love to hear your story.
Reach me at katie.brandenburg@wku.edu
December 2nd, 2005 at 1:42 pm
Hi! I am also a college student doing an article on Adderall as a study drug. If you have any interesting stories please let me know!!!! sylviaashleymcadams@yahoo.com
December 5th, 2005 at 2:17 pm
reading some of these articles makes me think, wow, maybe adderal could improve my performance. But i live for me, not to impress others, and if i was ever on adderall it would be completly for someone else. I already feel some of the symptoms people say about aderall, when im not even taking it. like the deppression, and the thinking to much, and the realtionship problems. i have enough problems cuased by myslef, i dont need some drug to make them worse even though it may make me study better. But im smart. I got into college. and thats what matters. i did it on my own. im probably a stronger person for it too, becuase i never gave into peer pressure. Quit wasting your tuition money for craming. thats the biggest waste of money, becuase when you get out, your going to be the stupidest person out there.
December 9th, 2005 at 12:41 am
I’m a college student and I will admit that during exams I have been known to pop Concerta or Aderall for an all night cram session… But just be carefull if you plan on abusing it. I don’t really have the “Bad” crashes that some have, but be carefull not to become addicted. I have seen many students, most who are in the top 10% of thier class, become dependent on the drug. I’m not saying that its bad to take it once in a while to help study, just don’t become dependent on them, cause I’ve seen what can happen, and its not pretty. My words of adivce towards Aderall, and Concerta… Once in a while is fine (hell almost anything is fine for you once in a while) but when it comes to the point were a person can not function unless he or she is on Aderall, then there is a problem… All I’m really trying to say is just be smart about it, and if it becomes more recreational usage then studying usage, ask yourself if you can stop…
December 13th, 2005 at 10:40 am
If Aderall helps college students study, what is the problem with it? I am a junior in college and use Aderall only during exam times, I would say probably 30%-40% of my friends use it as well to study. We need to learn the material, and aderall helps us to do that.
December 15th, 2005 at 11:31 pm
hey guys
I have a question
Aderrals speeds up your hear rate
the thing is I took it during school
then had wrestling practice after school
is it bad to take it, and while “high” on it to exercise and have a heart attack or something?
please let me know
also
if you do take it…do you really actually do better? in any sport
December 15th, 2005 at 11:32 pm
sorry i mean, if you exercise while you are high on it
is it bad?
December 19th, 2005 at 2:52 pm
I like to take aderralls because it makes me think better, and stay up all night to have fun with my friends.If it was not for aderrall than I would not do as good in school as I do now
December 21st, 2005 at 12:31 am
Ok folks, get used to it now. Adderall is a drug that can give you an unfair advantage in the world.
Hmmm, darn, seems like someone is always getting ahead unfairly. Exactly when was it that life was supposed to be fair?
The only epidemic America is having with Adderall is the sudden emergence of self-proclaimed experts who seem to know what an addiction is about. The truth is that most of them don’t have a clue what this drug can do.
If you get addicted, get a spine and own it. The drug didn’t jump into your mouth, it didn’t subdue you by force.
http://religiondrugspolitics.blogspot.com/
December 24th, 2005 at 6:55 am
Adderall, talk about a double edge sword. In high school, i got terrible grades because i could never make myself study, but on standardized test like the ACT I scored a 31, which is very high. Well, my story is a lot like other people, in high school, I had been a huge pothead, and drinker, but never really took narcotic pills, until a friend one day offered to sell me 7 20 mg adderalls. well i had never tried it, and I had been suspecting that maybe I was ADHD. Well at first I absolutly loved it, i took one 20 mg pill and was amazed at the amount of work I was able to get done, or how chatty I was, and as someone who has always been very shy, the ability to just talk to people I dont know was very liberating. I immediatly told my parents, that I think i needed to be prescribed to adderall, if I was to do well in college. 2 weeks later, my doctor started me out with the little 5mg pills. they seemed to work, but also at the same time in my life, i was descending deeper and deeper into a “junkie” lifestyle. I started abusing XTC, to the tune of about 7,000 dollars in about 2 months on credit card cash advances. At the same time I noticed that I was taking more, and more adderall to recieve the same effect. My script was upped to about 30 mg XR, which has just come out. Well, thanks to pot, and all the other drugs that had become priorities to me started to negatively affect my grades, they dropped, and dropped lower. But then Cocaine really entered the picture, with stimulants I found my Drugs of Choice, and hellish dive into that world continued unabatted for about 3 years. By the time, the Private University that i was attending, finally had enough of bad grades to kick me out. By this time, it was not uncommon for me to go through a script of 30mg XRs in about 3-4 days. 250-450 mgs a day seemed to be the only thing that worked, for days i would spend awake, and alone in my dorm room, snorting lines of cocaine, and popping my adderall. I can remember how exicted I would get when my script would come in the mail, and then i could finally have a free high, because my parents of course were paying for this miracle drug that was going to help me academically. As the cocaine really started to grab me, adderall seemed like the last of my worries. it was absolutly no problem for me to wake up, if i had sleept the night before, and pop 200 mg XRs to get started, and start my daily process of securing pot and cocaine, which at this point was costing every penny i had, besides money for cigs. about half a gram of coke, 200 mgs of adderall, and a couple hits of acid, with a big bag of pot was what i needed to spend my day in my room alone staring at the computer screen, and pacing. Pyschosis had me to the point, were i rarely left my room, exept to get drugs. Class was forgotton, grades hit rock bottom. I would spend days and weeks at a time, alone thinking obessesively about a girl that i had been sure i was going to marry, but broke up with my because once the serious drugs entered my life, I was “not here anymore”. Well finally the semester ended, with 5 F’s, a serious stimulant problem, and an extreme sense of failure, and a monkey on my back. but, by that time, i had begun to hate adderall so much, I just refused to renew my scrip, I was tired and exausted by being wired all the time, and the lonliness it entailed. I still continued to smoke pot, but dropped the cocaine and adderall. and after being so wired so long time, slowin down seemed like a good idea, but by then I had become dependant on drugs that slowing down meant getting into painkiller heavily, you know the usual oxy-contin, methadone, and Loratab 10s. So then i got a real habit, and after 6 months of not working, selling drugs to support my oxy habit. i decided to stop, and eventually did. I got a job at a resturant, but then quickly go back into cocaine (anyone whos worked at a busy resturant knows what im talking about.) 2 arrest later I am looking at 2 years of probation, with random drug test. Well at around this time, i went to a new kitchen, and for the first time stopped doing any drugs, pot, alcohol, cocaine, anything. I started to succed, and in 3 months went from the bottom level in the kitchen to the kitchen manager. I was so proud, but then it struck me that it had been about 6 months since i got on probation and no drug test, so i decided to start smoking pot again, well 3 months in lala land, and once again I am spending about 100 dollars a day on loratab 10s. well i started to slack at my job, and before you know it I was fired, and this was devasting as this was one of those jobs that you absolutly loved to go in the morning. also as a bonus the GM called my probation officer and informed that I was selling drugs at work, which is fucked up because the only person I ever sold drugs to at work was her. (she aint no saint). well they drug tested me and failed, and starting procedings to revoke my probation and make me server about 6 months in parish prison. well i struck a deal with more community service and more regulated drug test. so now i couldnt do much of anything, so i decided to take another wack at college after about 3 years, but I was clean and motived for the first time since i was probably about 17, im now 24. So i went back to school, but only part time, like 2 classes just to kinda warm me up. Well i got striaght As, but was intimidated by taking a full load of hours 15-18, and sitting in classs, because i know that naturally i cannot concentrate in class, and Fs result, and i was trying to bring my GPA up and was very motived to tackle college like a job i love, so i decided to reactivate my old adderall script. and with out the pot and other shit, I was doing great in school, nothing like showing a 4.0 semester, when they are used to hearing about .9 semsters, and at the same time I knew that there was this “adderall demon” very close to surface, and it was a constant battle to use it only as prescribed. and for a while i did very good at this, but then for some reason after going through katrina, and rita, I found i could not afford the XRS, so i had to get the reg 30 mgs, which last about 3-5 hours, in comparasion to the XR, which lasted about 7-10 hours. so, well how do i get through the day of classes, when my medicine only last 3 hours, but im in classes for 5 hours a day, and i need to study for about 5 hour after class are over. well take another one.
see where im going, were i think I am taking more adderall in mgs, then i was when i had the problem with it, but before it just really, really fucked me up like a self-destructive, lets see how much I can take of this. I run out of # 45 30 mgs in about a week, which isnt bad, but the last few refills have last about 3 days again. But it just seems that no matter how much take at a time, even 120 mgs of reg tabs, just simply wasnt doing all the much. but its affected my pyschological, being shy is probably prone maybe social aniexty, which was become almost diabiliting, in my ability to be in any sort of social situation, beyond one-on-one. Even the friends I have know my whole life. I have become incredibily isolated, exept for one girl, who i am very close too. and its really starting to bother me, i have a 4.0, i am finally breaking a pattern, having gained some maturity, and started to start my life. But, now i am prescribed to now benzodiazapams for the anxiety, and i am given 30 regular 30 mgs, and 30 mg XRs a month. I got this on monday after exams. Its now thursday, and out of 60 i only have maybe 5. I know that this “demon” has made his comeback much stronger than before. But my grades are great, and with the benzos the anxiety has gone, but the not sleepings, and having to take ridcilous amounts to feel anything, when I have nothing to do. so now its 5 in the morning, and i have to drive 6 hours to memphis on christmas eve, and my whole family is going to be congradulating me on how im finally “on my way”, but im disturbed by the fact that, they attribute this to not doing drugs at all anymore, like im reformed. but honestly i quit pot, and painkillers, but only because i thought drugs like pot, as not worth it anymore, i had moved onto bigger and better things, a heavy abuse of amphetamines. I know this has to be doing something to me horrible pychologicall, and socially, the isolation caused by my “amphetamine pyschosis” in social situations, had made pursuing school all-consuming. Is it worth it? 300mgs a day, in two doses of 150 each to acchieve grades that will enable me to fufil my potential, instead of some loser, to finally attain what deep down I had wanted hear for a long time “Im so proud of you, son”. But at the same time being just as big as drug addict as i was before, i just simply dont let anyone know this is going on. when i run out, i run out and bear the consequences, and almost enjoy the break from it, and after a week of not taking anything, i start to feel more normals, and almost dread the day when that scrip comes in the mail, but i almost cry, when i put all these fucking pills in my mouth, when i swore i never do it again. but im still succeding on the outside, but honestly, even though i lie to myself about this, and few friends abot it, im changing something fundamental about me this time, I just have really become very emotionally dead, no matter how much amphetamine is flowing through my viens. and i havent always been like that. so i dont know, what to do. i keep telling myself, that this next semester I am going to do it without adderall, and just throw myself into it, and get another 4.0 so i can stoop feeling like this. But i know deep down, when that times comes around to refill in a month, im going to be somewhere between crying, and salivating at the thought of all those adderall, to eat, and feel somewhat good. so is it worth selling your soul, to put a proud smile on your mamas face, for the first time in long time. And this last semester, i did so well, because the week that i did have some, or the courple days, i did nothing but study and keep up. so by the time exams came, i pretty much knew all the material. but this next semester, my abuse cycle for the script of 60 pills is about 2 1/2 days, and he class are much harder. I guess just time has to tell. adderall, is something im just really bother by right now, because of my moral problem with living two lives, and being fack, and acting all reformed, like im on the path to some to law school finally, where i’ve always wanted. but i know from experience i am a drug addict, no matter what the benefits it one day gives me, still am losing something i hold sacred, even through everything. I feel like judas, selling my soul for 30 peices of silver. is it worth it? i know, i know i love seeing a smile on my mommas face, and pride on my fathers, and having some sort of matarial success as a lawyer, does appeal to a very base part of me, about just being able to get what i want when i want. but also a spiritual side, saids now. I dont know, I could quit adderall, but in all truth, i need it bad for school, without it i cannot function in class, without i have watched my grades drop slighty, when i did nt have it, and the longer the it when on the worse, it got. so to not “sell” my soul, i have to break my mamas heart, and have my father give up on me, because they put so much value on adademic degrees and such, all my other siblings, have phds and masters and shit. i dont know, i know over the holiday i have to figure out someway to do it without adderall, or just finally just accept it and become that guy the 30 year old loser, who has just failed at anythig worthwhile, and maybe balding, like george constanza. i might flip a coin.
December 24th, 2005 at 9:05 am
If any of you would want to voice your opinions in some research on this topic, I have a VERY brief survey going on Adderall.
Just wanted to get input from people who know.
Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Psychology
University at Albany
State University of New York
Here is a link to the survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?A=13493677E44976
THANKS!
February 21st, 2006 at 2:21 pm
I’m a 16 year old high school student. I use Adderall just for fun. The thing is, I’ve never taken it orally. I snort Adderall. It gives me this feeling, it’s hard to explain. Euphoria. Especially when mixed with marijuana. None of my friends snort it. It’s only me. They don’t believe that I get high off of it. I’ve done coke before, and I can definatly say that it is a similar high. It makes me want to move. I’ve cleaned my entire house from ceiling to floor on Adderall. Scrubbing and vaccuming. I just want to know if there are any other people out there who do this like me.
Will D.
February 21st, 2006 at 6:47 pm
Im a college student and I got prescribed 10mg of Adderall once a day about a month ago. I just finished my first bottle and it does seem to work. I dont abuse the drug in any way. I take one everyday in the morning just as I am supposed to. My question is for others who take the medicine as they are supposed to. Has anyone had problems with a skin rash? Also, around like 6:00 I feel sort of “brain dead”, Im kind of taken over by long pointless stares. This doesnt bother me so much being that Im done with class by that time anyway. Im more concerned about the annoying itchy rash.
Would deffinetely appreciate a response. Thanks.
February 26th, 2006 at 5:24 pm
A few days ago my friend offered me Adderol ( the orange, 20 ml kind). I thought to myself that I should keep it on me until I need it. On friday I tried it because I had such a heavy workload, a paper due and teachers to go see. To my surprise, when I took it, it worked all day from the time that I took it at -8:30 am to 5:30 pm. I was very happy to see that I was fully engaged in my work, listened to lectures 100x times better, and just felt like I could complete and do anything in such a small time spand. Because this drug is not prescribed to me, I do not know when the next I can take it will be, but I am definitly waiting until my friend will give me more. My plan is not to abuse the drug nor use it for parties, but only to use it when I have extremely busy academic days. I am concerned in a couple of different ways because when I took it, I didn’t feel like eating not a bite of anything, and when I thought it was time to go to bed the night that I took it, I jsut couldn’t. I ended up going to bed at 4:00 am to find that when I woke up at 8:45, I wasn’t that tired. I am also concerned of the rapid heart rate it causes and body temperature change, because when I took it I had a bad case of sweaty hands and my heart was pounding.
February 28th, 2006 at 6:00 pm
Looking to hear from any students in upstate New York who use Adderall as a study aid. CBS 6 news is researching a story on the subject and would like to speak with students who can talk about its effects.
Email jerry@wrgb.com
Thanks!
March 4th, 2006 at 8:42 pm
I really hope that the makers of this site aren’t trying to send the message that it’s okay to use adderall for this reason. I’m 15 years old and I have ADD and take Adderall. When I was first prescribed with the drug my doctor told me that most people will take it every day through out highschool and then take it every once and a while in college when they need it. He also informed me that it is ILLEGAL if I was to sell it or share it with anyone. I know quite a bit about the subject through research and personal experience, so trust me I’m a valuable source. Snorting the ingredients of the capsule is something I don’t quite know about, but I do know that it’s not safe. Through reading this website I’ve learned that many college students use it and then they can drink even more alcohol. Well, that is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. The more you drink means the more likely your chances of getting alcohol poisoning. You should definitely not mix drugs. It’s like smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol together, the marijuana will dull your sense of pain(that’s why it was used as a presribed drug for a while), so then you won’t feel the effects of alcohol poisoning, so you’ll keep drinking and drinking(because you won’t want to stop) until you die! Also, most people don’t know that doing the drugs isn’t always the part that kills you. They think what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but they’re wrong. Withdrawal is the deadly part. If you start taking Adderall or other drugs and then somehow can’t get it anymore you are going to experience some bad stuff because your body builds a reliance on that drug and it starts to need it in order to function so when it’s not there anymore your body is going to react in a negative way, both mentally and physically. The one thing about Adderall is it changes your perseption. You become a different person when you’re on it and when you’re not on it. One side effect of it is depression and this could be while you’re on it or off it. When I say depression I don’t just mean being sad I mean you are very very unhappy and you cannot snap out of it. It’s also an appetite suppressant which means you don’t get hungry and that isn’t good if you have an eating disorder. Now, I have been taking Adderall for quite a few years now and am not as easily affected by these side effects, but anyone who just wants to do it for a while will have a problem. I take one 25mg pill a day to make me focus and act normal because of a chemical imbalance in the brain. For anyone else(w/o ADD or ADHD) they wouldn’t get the same effect. Adderall is a stimulant, an upper, so it makes any normal person seem like they have ADD or ADHD, but really they are just hyper. For those with ADD and ADHD it corrects the imbalance of amphetamine and noradrenaline so that they resume normality and can focus. So this means that people that use it to study might not get the effect they want. So what I’m trying to say here is, IF YOU DON’T HAVE ADD OR ADHD THEN DON’T USE ADDERALL IT’S THAT SIMPLE! IT’S JUST LIKE 8TH GRADE HEALTH WHERE THEY TELL YOU DON’T DO DRUGS! IT’S SO INCREDIBLY SIMPLE, THEY TOLD ME NOT TO DO DRUGS OR ABUSE PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS AND I DIDN’T! IT’S NOT THAT HARD FOR PETE’S SAKE! I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE DEAL IS! PEER PRESSURE ISN’T THAT HARD TO OVERCOME! IF IT’S BAD DON’T DO IT! I DON’T CARE HOW MUCH THEY BEG YOU TO TRY IT, JUST DON’T DO IT! DOES THAT SOUND HARD?
March 4th, 2006 at 8:58 pm
Also, Adderall can be very deadly to certain people. It was outlawed completely in Canada until recently because of the number of deaths in Adderall prescribed children. It was found out that most of them had heart problems. If you have heart problems or there is any history of it in your family or you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol then you could have DEADLY side effects, in which case you’d die of course. Abusing it and taking higher than the recommended dose only heightens your chances of death. It’s possible to OD on Adderall. I wish I didn’t have to take it because I hate taking medicine, but I have to take it in order to be normal and focused. So really, unless you have ADD or ADHD then you don’t need it. Somebody else mentioned coffee and that’s a perfect substitute for studying. Caffeine is also an upper, so you’ll be more alert and more awake. It has lower side effects, that’s why they allow it to be in pop and coffee. The only problem is you have to take reasonable amounts. If you want to know more about what these drugs really do to you, go learn chemistry and biology that’ll teach you how the drug affects the cells.
March 4th, 2006 at 9:12 pm
Okay, just on more thing to add. I got this off of http://orient.bowdoin.edu/orient/article.php?date=2006-02-24§ion=3&id=3
The legal consequences:
Adderall is a Schedule II Controlled Substance, and by federal and state law, it is only available by special, restricted prescription for supervised treatment of specified medical conditions. Taking someone else’s Adderall is illegal. Giving someone some of your own Adderall is illegal. Selling a friend some of your Adderall is illegal. In fact, selling Adderall is dealing, and constitutes an unambiguous violation of state and federal drug trafficking laws as well as College policy.
March 4th, 2006 at 9:14 pm
If you have any questions my email address is spiketheswede@yahoo.com
March 5th, 2006 at 6:53 am
“I really hope that the makers of this site aren’t trying to send the message that it’s okay to use adderall for this reason.”
Spike: No, we’re not trying to send that message. We’re just reporting on this trend, as we think it’s interesting news for people interested in neuroscience.
March 5th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
oh okay
March 7th, 2006 at 7:42 am
I’m a college student who uses adderall to study. I think I’m becoming dependent on it, and I don’t know where to turn for help. I wish I wasn’t pressured into this situation, but I’m a full time student, working full time, and trying to have a social life. How else am I supposed to cope with these burdens? I’m actually on adderall right now, pulling an all-nighter to finish a paper due in a few hours, but I’m too preoccupied with my ‘little problem’ to concentrate on my school work.
March 7th, 2006 at 3:27 pm
My hearty thanks to everyone who did the survey. (I don’t know who because it’s anonymous.) For those of you concerned about symptoms (rash, rapid heart, etc.) and dependence, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE talk to your prescribing physician. In theory, the rapid heart rate should go away after a couple of weeks unless dosage is too high. For dependence, you’d want to look for tolerance, withdrawal, and some kind of impairment in your social, recreational, or school performance. If you’ve noticed these, GO TO THE DOCTOR. Seriously, you might benefit from a different dosage or a different treatment. It’s no big deal. That’s why they make the big bucks. Tell them how you’re doing and let them recommend a change.
March 28th, 2006 at 4:35 pm
Adderall Pros & Cons
Pros:
-I want to do things
-allot of energy
-I can concentrate
-euphoria feeling
Cons:
-you could get dependent
-the come down sucks, I get headaches, VERY depressed, and just feel like shit
-increased heart rate
-sometimes I think too much and it slows work down
So overall if I can get a way to counteract the come down (sometimes alcohol, weed, or just food and some music I like) it is a pretty good drug.
April 2nd, 2006 at 11:57 am
I have major depression. I tried all the SSRI’s and stuff and they help but I still felt very unmotivated. I lived with my Mom and my only responsibility was mowing the lawn once a week and that was too much for me. My Doctor decided to try Adderall and now I have a full time job and I think if this continues I’ll move out of my Mom’s house soon. I take one 30mg xr pill daily. I think it’s great.
April 2nd, 2006 at 12:39 pm
adderall is great. it helps me study, helps me get my job done faster at work, and helps me big time in social situations. i used to be that shy quiete kid, now i can interact with people better and hold conversations better, and i am now not afraid to strike up a conversation with strangers(especially the ladies). take enough adderall and you will find yourself as the life of the party.
April 9th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
I’ve been taking Concerta for 4 years now as well as Methylphen for night time studying. I am a freshman at a small liberal arts school in MA, which as you all probably know from this website has the highest perscription rate for add/adhd medications than any other state. Since I have been here I have had to hide my medication because of incidents in which it was stolen right out of my room. Although I dont take Adderall, my dosage of Concerta is very high and therefor very appealing to students that don’t actually have ADD or ADHD. I find it really sad and frustrating that people can be so greedy as to steal medication from their peers who cleary need it to help them pull B’s and C’s in school. I think it is unfair that the abuse of these medications is such a huge problem in this country and especially this state because the people that actualy DO have the mental disorder are now not being considered for things like untimed testing or different location. If people that do not have ADD or ADHD could understand what it is like to see your peers getting A’s on tests, or whipping through homework assignemnts or banging out papers in less than two hours. If you could understand how frustrating it is to not understand a concept that everyone else in the classroom seems to get with ease or the hours that are spent with tutors or the humiliation one feels when they have to leave the classroom to take a test in a room with no one else in it because THAT is what it takes for them to concentrate. These drugs were created to help medicate people with a serious mental disorder not for people to take so they can get A+’s instead of A’s. or so they could pop one before a long night of drinkin so they can talk everyones ear off and be the “life of the party”. I pitty the people out there who have ADD/ADHD and sell their pills because someone has given you the chance to NOT be the kid that never “gets it” or has to be seperated from friends because they are “distracting” and you are missing out on your own potential just because you need a few extra bucks. And to all those people out there that don’t know what it is like to have ADD/ADHD, you dont know how lucky you are. So think of that the next time you want to just pop a pill or snort a line of Adderall so that you can finish your homework in less than 2 hours and be able to go out and party on a tuesday night. Try having days of long hour testing where you have to do reading comprehension and memory tasks to find out after 9 years of struggling in school you are diagnosed with a mental disorder that is incurable. To hear people going on and on about the perks of abusing these medications is a blatent slap in the face to every person that struggles with ADD/ADHD day in and day out.
April 11th, 2006 at 9:23 am
I decided to start taking stimulents again(used to take ritalin in elementry/middle/high school on and off). I always hated the side effects but this semester, my last one. I have absolutely no time to be even writing this message. I’ve never been this busy in my life(maybe b/c i’m actually studying). But my success is totally attributed to adderall. I’ve never had so many people come up to me and ask “how do you handle that courseload” or “You must have been an overachiever in high school”..when only the opposite was true. I neve even bothered to do homework b/c I didnt’ see the point in most classes. Ones I like I got A’s without adderall. I just can’t focus for more than 20 min.
I don’t plan on taking it when I graduate except maybe once or twice a month to do tedious chores such as cleaning and other housework(it gets done very quickly and I don’t stop to do 10 other things)
The side effects are getting worse, I try not to take it on the weekends but I’ve been at school 6 days a week. I’m definetly developing a dependency and having to take more(I was taking under my perscibed dosage for a while, I’m about 7mg more than I should be taking currently) The headaches are bad now and I get a horrible rash on my chest and neck, which is odd. Two more weeks and I’m done.
On a side note to those who go out drinking with adderall. I did that the other night(I had been up since 5am so I figured why not try it for a friend’s party at the bar- That was horrible, I felt like I should be doing homework the entire time I was there. I was also just worried the whole time my heart was going to explode or something.
I really wish there was a better place to get credible information online than all these online pharamacies that pop up when you try and type in other over the counter stuff you may need to take or even just side effects.
April 11th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
“I really wish there was a better place to get credible information online than all these online pharamacies that pop up when you try and type in other over the counter stuff you may need to take or even just side effects.”
Some things I try when searching for drugs and trying to avoid reseller hits are:
1) Search for the medical name of the drug, not the brand name
2) Go to the relevant Wikipedia page first, and then follow links from there
3) Read the patient information sheet and the doctor information sheet provided by the manufactorer
4) When searching on Google, use the “-” (minus) option to restrict the search to only pages that DON’T mention certain terms; for instance, searching Google for “cialis -buy” (not in quotes) cuts out some of the online pharmacies. “Tadalafil -buy -pharmacy” is even better (but probably cuts out some of the good results too)
btw, in regards to the rest of your comment, i’m not a doctor but if I were you I’d begin to taper off that drug now, not in two weeks, if it is giving you headaches and rashes. hopefully it is “just” the stress causing that (not to say that the drug isn’t magnifying the stress, or your physical response to it), but why take risks?
April 11th, 2006 at 5:18 pm
By the way, in general, I find it ironic that it sounds like this drug improves people’s grades by making them obsessed with getting work done. I often get that feeling naturally, but I don’t like it; when I get obsessive, I get better grades, yes, but I feel like my mind is getting warped when I start thinking about what I have to do even when I’m out doing something fun on the weekend.
You might conclude that if I can train myself to get this feeling without drugs, you can too, and therefore the drug is an unnecessary and harmful “shortcut”. Or you might conclude that different people have differently tuned neural parameters and what is possible for me naturally is only possible for some people with drugs. I think which of these is the case is an empirical question and I don’t know the answer.
However, my suspicion is that, although for a small amount of people, it is actually physically impossible for them to get in that state of mind without drugs, that most people who use drugs for this purpose could have trained themselves into it if they had put in the time and effort.
I should also note though that I am usually genuinely interested in the subjects I get obsessed about working on. I’m sure that has a large impact, and I don’t know how successful I would be studying something that truly bores me. On the other hand, I’ve consciously tried to develop the skill of finding a way to get interested in what at first seems to be a boring subject.
April 12th, 2006 at 1:16 am
Hey guys, I am a 22 year old college student. Almost three years ago (freshman year) i took adderall in the library because a friend gave it to me and said it would get me focused and stay up all night. Well I wish I would have just not procrastinated and never gotten into that situation. But Life’s full of surprises. The summer was clear of Adderall, i had taken a little bit that finals week and thought it was pretty cool. Then the Fall ’03 semester rolled around and on of my freshman teamates happened to have a scrip and plenty of it. So every test….this was the easy way out. I just asked him and got it whenever. I wasn’t partying on it, i had never been a huge partier then. I was very involved with church too. However I started turning away from that old lifestyle quite abruptly. By the spring I had adderalled out for a whole finals week…i was taking twice as normal. I would be done with it and then i’d stop taking it and maybe crash a little but not too bad.
Then Summer came and I met a friend from my hometown who was prescribed and he just handed me about 40 (20 mill) pills for the next year for free, he was about to move outta town and i was leaving for vacatoin then to take a job in another state for the summer. Well i was doing some correspondence classes and just took it like crazy to try to get those done early before i left town. I was also beginning to take it for long drives, and just for random recreation)By mid summer i was out already and crashing……..I had to go to work everymorning and bust my but. Well about a week after I ran out i started to feel normal again…naps every afternoon. But i was back to working out again and doing great! Then I decided that adderall was not good….and i dont need to do it. So I told myself I was giving up. It went great and I hadnt taken it for 2 months.
Then School Started and it got stressfull and the freshman teamate was now my roomate so the adderall was waaaay more than accessible. Before I know it, I would take adderall from 9 to 9 or so. I wouldnt on the weekends or when i needed to be athletic. However more times than not i was on adderall. Because of that on a normal “addy day” in the fall of ’04 i was taking 40-60 milligrams a day and loving it. By the spring i was up to 60-80 mills a day. I thought it was getting crazy then and i wasnt liking my crashes or the depression because i was having trouble with family life and friends and my normal routine and biological clock. Also i had developed a problem of taking adderall and going to casinos and losing tons of money…and just not a care in the world becuase of the adderall effect. I put myself in about a $4,000 hole.
I went away again for the summer where I had no access to adderrall and pledged to not take it anymore. I got back into my workout heavily scheme that i normally like to do. I looked great and felt great physically. However i abused my dad’s credit card all summer and basically lived the fun summer life on his american express and had borrowed money from my stepmom because my parents only give me money in the schoolyear and i get a pretty good amount. —ALL A HUGE HOLE THAT ADDERALL PUT ME IN—-. With only 2 weeks left in the summer job, this girl i really like flew to visit me. We had a great time, but then she left and I was kinda sad because now I was really starting to feel like there was a possible relationship there. So I was getting depressed that i had two weeks before i go home and get to see her. I couldnt focus so i went on an all out search and got some 20 mill XRs and was taking them like crazy for the last two weeks.
i got home in August of ’05 and my dad hit the roof with his AMEX bill and my stepmom broke the news that she had loaned me money (because i lied and said it was for an investment…told the lie while on adderall!!!) So it all came crashing down and the parents were worried something was wrong so i told them I was having problems with gambling addiction and had been taking adderall for study purposes(far from the real story). I started then and still go to a Outpatient counseling center for the gambling and kinda the adderall.
The lady rarely drug tests anymore and in a year of seeing her like twice a month she has only urine tested me three times….so i know when i have to not take it for that. I never have failed a test. But i can’t tell her im addicted to adderall because i dont know what would happen with my father who is a die hard alcoholic and extremely hard on me. So because my Dad is that way he made me get a part time job along with my 16 credit hours of school and it drove me insane. I was soooo busy…so short on time and behind with school i started taking adderrall from sun up to sun down to get through my days. I was also paying whatever to get it so I could be prodictive in the day and have that ambitious feeling you get from the drug. I was also taking 80 mils a day consistently. Then suddenly i have an accident and tear my knee up and have to have surgery. So then I didnt want to ask the parents for money so i started gambling while i was high on the adderall again in a desperation that my sober self here talking to you doesnt understand.
It has just continued through this, my hardest semester yet, where I am no longer working because i need to focus on school b/c it is getting so hard and demanding. However it seems that if i am having an addy day i will take up to 100 or so mg’s a day to suffice and most nights once im dont with school i will head to the casino where I will be there for hours most of the time until i run out of all the money i have brought. Then it got to the point to where I was so freaked about the debt i put myself in with this, that i cant even focus like i should in school because i am an MBA hopeful with a 3.4 GPA who needs to bust his butt.
I am not always on adderall….its an on and off thing…but the off’s are either b/c i cant find it or im trying to quit….but both those max last only a week. I am not on it now but i have several pills here ready for tommorrow if i want to take em.
Anyway I dont know what to do. I am really scared that end of this, my 7th semester could yield me a card full of c’s, a total addiction, and thousands in debt. I am just in the dumps now, and adderall has put me there. I want to be able to not do it, but its tough when you know your more productive in some things and have that well-being feeling with it. My Dad, who i love to death, is all over me saying i am always needing money and he hates it and its killing me because i am dissapointing people and they dont even know it…..HELP!!!!PLEASE!!!!!!! I WANT TO CLEAN UP THIS MESS AND GET ON WITH MY LIFE Because i miss the person i was before i met Mr. Adderall and I want to be him again!!!!!!!!!!
May 15th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Me again,
If you need help just go to your family practice doctor(you know…the doc you go see for check ups). They will admit you to a dependancy clinic. Don’t be shy, all records are confidencial. You can’t stop on your own, well you might, but I highly doubt it. Talk to your doctor about it you aren’t going to get any better if you don’t and it won’t hurt if you do. Plus, you might actually find out that you need it in which case they’ll prescribe it to you and it won’t be illegal and it won’t cost as much. If you do want to get tested for ADD though, I recommend laying off the Adderall for a while so they can give an accurate test. Take my advice.
May 15th, 2006 at 3:37 pm
http://orient.bowdoin.edu/orient/article.php?date=2006-02-24§ion=3&id=3
Go to this website for the legal consequences.
May 25th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Of courser there is a such thing as ADD.
There’s also a such thing as pill junkies who go get it prescribed to them so they can become addicted under the guise of having A REAL PROBLEM.
May 25th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
The adderall and ritalin research that you have all been so helpful with in the past is continuing. If you’d like a chance to win an amazon.com gift certificate just for filling out a few questions on adderall or ritalin use, I’d sure be grateful for the help. Thanks again to all of you who helped last time, too.
Sincerely,
Mitch Earleywine
The survey is at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=294411900312
June 2nd, 2006 at 12:11 am
I’m on adderoll right now, no i’m not prescribed it
taking 30mg on and off, and now i think im permantly depressed at night time
i can’t even type like alot … like it used to do me.. i need more to get a kick
more to smile..
and hoping i dont gotta live my whole life needing a pill to make that happen
June 16th, 2006 at 4:47 pm
i used to take ritilin a few times a week when i’d have driver’s ed really late and this guy in my class would bring me a few pills from his prescription. then i lost touch with him and didn’t do anything but smoke weed for like 5 years. in january, i met a guy and we went out. being interested in altering reality and being pretty experienced with drugs and how people look on them, i IMMEDIATELY noticed that his pupils were VERY dialated. i asked him if he was on street drugs, or prescription. he told me he was prescribed to ungodly ammounts of amphetemine (both adderall and ritilin). of course, i found a way to charm some (a LOT) out of him. for about 3 months he was GIVING (yes, for free) me bottles of 20mg xr adderalls. usually about 30-60 pills at a time. i’m a VERY addictive personality and so of course it got out of control. to the point where i was taking about 50-90 mgs a day. there was a few weeks when i didn’t sleep AT ALL and i basically stopped eating.
it feels amazing, but after you loose 50 pounds (i didn’t have 50 pounds to loose) and people start to notice that you look like a junkie, it starts to suck. i feel totally dependent on adderall. i would literally DO ANYTHING for it (which is a very dangerous place to be). i am determined to find a doctor to prescribe it to me so that i don’t have to feel like these guys could use me. . . they could if they wanted to, if they knew how much i NEED it.
there are times i feel like a cocaine addict…. like, i’ll feel bugs crawling under my skin, or i’ll get UBER paranoid or think people are talking about me or looking at me, or i’ll just feel detached from the real world, not caring if i go with out a shower, or if i brush my unruley hair. i know that people at my college probably think i’m a meth head or something. b/c i go to class with bags under my eyes from not sleeping for days and because my clothes are all falling off b/c i keep loosing so much weight. the other day a guy at my work even told me “you look like shit” and i started crying, and i said “do you think i wanted to do this to myself? don’t you think i know i have a problem?” but since it’s technically legal (if you’re prescribed), no one really considers it a hard drug.
ADDERALL IS THE MOST ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE I HAVE EVER PUT INTO MY BODY (and i’ve done REAL coke before, and other nice drugs, and none of them compare to my love affair with extended release adderall).
like someone else said way up there ^^^, i love adderall, but i think it’s probably killing me. . . even knowing this though, i continue to search out new ways of con-ing people into giving me thier medication. knowing that it’s killing me doesn’t even stop me wanting more, doesn’t stop me enjoying the fucking high.
beware,
is it better to have loved and lost? or never to have loved at all?
sometimes i think maybe i’d be better off if i never found out how fucking great it feels!!
June 27th, 2006 at 1:07 pm
Almost everyone who has written about their experiences with Adderall here has missed the point to some degree. First, Adderall is extremely effective in adults with ADHD who have always had trouble concentrating and focusing their attention. I know this, because I AM that adult. I have always had trouble, even as a child, in the areas of concentration, motivation, and focus. After taking Adderall, I noticed two things: First, I was able to maintain interest in one particular area long enough to complete the task. Second, being able to stick with a task until completion felt damn good. It’s a feeling I wish I had experienced more of growing up, because I would bounce from one thing to another, never really accomplishing anything not because I was unable to, but because my interest in something would fade quickly, despite my best efforts. I believe that Adderall does not GIVE you energy and confidence, but rather, brings it to the surface. Anyone who has taken this medication will tell you that in about 20 to 30 minutes they feel more powerful, focused, and aware. These feelings, are not GIVEN to you by Adderall- they are revealed! These are the SAME feelings that one gets from completing a difficult task, accomplishing a goal, or overcoming some difficulty that has stood in their way. For those of us who have ADHD, and have had it our whole lives, this is a magical feeling, a feeling we have been searching for our entire lives. I have found that the initial “rush” I get from taking the Adderall is dwarfed by the feeling of accomplishment I get when I am FINALLY able to focus my attention, complete a task, and reap the rewards. This is the whole point of taking Adderall. Adderall is merely a tool, which is something that people taking it can forget. The high of this medication becomes the point, and replaces the high of accomplishment, which is what they were taking the drug for in the first place.
June 28th, 2006 at 9:40 pm
Dan is absolutely right. I’m 53, finally figured out I had adhd, confirmed by psychiatrist who prescribed adderall and my life has changed. One week ago. I listen better, I speak better, I drive better… I am calmed by Adderall. Adderall is allowing me to become who I always wanted to be, but could never be, until now.
July 5th, 2006 at 12:24 am
I think many readers of this forum are normal students, probably in college, who’ve heard alot about Adderall or are currently taking it to some extent.
My take on Adderall is that it is “here to stay.” The drug isn’t going to be outlawed — the lobby is too powerful, there is a *real* medical need, and the cons aren’t nearly as bad as other controlled substances. A byproduct of this fact is that Adderall is going to be in your school, college, ect. Until an efficient drug test is created and a non-invasive system is put in place in every college, some students who don’t “need” Adderall WILL TAKE it.
The pressure to succeed and the minimal downside is the motiviating factor. Most of the adults out here drank large quantities of coffee or popped caffiene pills for similar effect when they were in school. Well Adderall is “the new coffee.” I am a college student so you can quote me on that one in your newspaper articles, though for obvious reasons I’m not going to give out my name.
I am posting here to help those of you considering taking it or taking it. If you are going to do it, it is your choice and yours only — nobody else can make you do it, and you take all of the risks upon yourself if or when you choose to.
================================
Title: Adderall for Studying
Release: 1.0
Date: 6/1/2006
by FSADD
MD5 hash code chosen by the author: bfe3b22af1fb731ed3ccafb22e730ed8 (ignore this)
(For entertainment purposes only.)
I recommend that you gain strong study skills, ask counselers for help, and especially speak with your parents if you have studying or procrastination issues. Tell them if you have considered taking Adderall. If your parents aren’t usually helpful, talk to a good friend’s parents, or a similarly helpful parent figure. Perhaps you have a favorite teacher you could catch after class. Parent-types are often more receptive to your concerns and will give you far better advice than your peers.
However, I have decided to post a sort of “guide” for those of you who inevitably will take Adderall illegally, anyway. This decision shouldn’t be taken lightly, and you should work to educate yourself. This guide is intended to show you the facts and educate you, not influence your decision. The accuracy of this guide is not gauranteed in any way, and you follow this information at your own risk.
I have not been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, but I may have used Adderall occassionally for studying, usually just prior to an exam or in a “review” stage. Let me emphasize occasionally.
What follows is a complete and detailed information sheet on the practical use of Adderall as a study-aid. Here is a summary:
============ Summary =================
* Read the warnings in the following guide. Do not take if you have any heart conditions. Do not take if you are using ANY other medication, unless told to do so by a doctor.
* I am NOT a doctor. This guide is intended for entertainment purposes only. Use of this information is at your own risk.
* I do not advocate the illegal use of Adderall.
* This guide deals only with Adderall, not Adderall XR or Concerta. Please read the full guide for more information if you do not know the difference. Do not cut pills unless you have read the full article and you understand that doing so is at your own risk. Cutting an Adderall XR or Concerta may be dangerous.
* If you have acquired standard “non-XR” Adderall pills, you should cut them into 5mg peices (if they aren’t already in 5mg doses). “non-XR” pills are solid in color and do not have a “plastic-like” shell. The number on the pill indicates the # of milligrams. Doses greater than 5mg are very likely to have a negative impact on your studying and are potentially more dangerous without medical oversight. You shouldn’t take a full 10mg, 15mg, 20mg, or 30mg pill at once.
* If you so choose, take ONE 5mg peice about 10 minutes AFTER you have started studying. You should have already eaten a large meal before studying. Effects will take about 1 hour to kick in.
* You should be able to focus very well and study for a duration of 7-10 hours. If you need more time, or the effects wear off to soon, you may choose to take a second 5mg piece after a few hours. It is not recommended to take more than 3 pills in sequence like this — your body can only handle so much.
* For “all-nighters,” if you are starting at say 5pm, take a 5mg at 5pm, another at about 3am, and another at about 10am. Basically every 7-9 hours. You should be able to judge when to take the next pill (these are rough estimates) when your concetration starts lagging. Never take more than 20mg in a 24 hour period. Never use Adderall for more than 3 days in a row – Adderall can be addictive (yes, even for you).
* Vitamin B is a good addition to any studying regimin and perfectly healthy. It helps your neurons communicate more effectively. If you wish to take this or other vitamins, try take it before your first meal (at least 30 minutes prior to taking Adderall). The effects of vitamins and minerals on the absorbtion of Adderall are generally unknown, but may stop Adderall from reaching its full effect.
* Caffiene should not be necessary while using Adderall and is not recommended. If you are a soft drink, coffee, or tea fan, put it aside while you are on Adderall. The caffiene may cause you to have an “overwhelming” sensation of focus which is actually detrimental. You could end up staring at a wall or cleaning parts of your house you didn’t know existed. You might also find yourself endlessly researching the fine points of what you are trying to study, rather than seeing the “big picture.” So caffiene + Adderall can have esssentially the same effect as too much Adderall.
======================================
Continuing the guide…
I suspect I have ADD or ADHD, but I haven’t had time to go in and speak with a doctor. If you suspect you have it, you should consult with a doctor ASAP. However, I also suspect that ADD and ADHD (especially the mild-moderate diagnosis) are to some extent inventions of our modern information hungry culture, which is placing new demands on the brains of those who choose to participate.
An interesting side note here: most of those I know which have been diagnosed with ADD and have a legal prescription DO NOT TAKE their pills daily. They “don’t like it” or are “afraid of becoming addicted.” These people did not “fake” their visit and have been genuinely diagnosed. Despite this, they tend to reserve their pills for “study time” only. One reason there is such a surplus of Adderall available on campuses is because, by my limited survey, most prescribed users don’t use the pills every day, but in fact 3-5 days out of a month. Although there is some motivation to sell the pills for “beer money,” the money isn’t the main reason people give out their pills. Those who do so see it as fairly harmless, and figure they’re not using them anyway so they might as well “help a friend.” Please note that selling or purchasing Adderall without a license or prescription is illegal. It is also illegal to give away a controlled substance or to accept it from others (Adderall is a controlled substance in the U.S.).
Adderall seems to have the “awake” effect of coffee, and the “concentration” effect of coffee (or red bull), but much more consistent and smooth, without the need to constantly sip coffee. Taken properly, it also seems to cause less of a “crash” for many users than coffee does when you stop.
This guide is very detailed so as to give you as much information as possible on Adderall’s practical use as a “study aid.” A shorter guide would be more effecient, but would lack alot of necessary information and warnings.
Note: Concerta and “Adderall XR” are similar to regular Adderall (non XR), but are contained in a “time release” capslets. XR stands for extended release. This capslet should NEVER be broken prior to ingestion. It is designed to deliver a steady dose over the day, whereas Adderall is often taken twice a day by prescribed users to keep concentration steady. Adderall XR and Concerta are NOT RECOMMENDED as an alternative to standard non-XR Adderall for students who do NOT HAVE ADD or ADHD. Please refer to the notes on Concerta (and Adderall XR) at the bottom of this post for more information. I have (ancedotal) knowledge of Concerta, and if you plan on taking it you should read the attachment at the bottom.
Warnings:
* Do NOT SNORT Adderall, this is deadly and is tantamount to snorting Cocaine.
* DO NOT TAKE Adderall to PARTY. If you have made the choice to take Adderall for studying, you MUST BE self controlled — Adderall can be extremely addictive if not used carefully.
* DO NOT TAKE Adderall if you are on any other medication, or any other drug (legal or non-legal). Mixing drugs, especially with an ampetamine like Adderall, is highly dangerous. Blood-thinning medications are particularly dangerous in conjunction with Adderall.
* DO NOT DRINK alcohol while on Adderall. Despite the obvious reasons — you won’t be able to study — you run a greater risk of alcohol poisoning or heart issues.
* DO NOT TAKE Adderall if you have had ANY past heart conditions without consulting with a doctor. If you have heart conditions, even if you plan on acquiring some from a friend, at least tell a doctor you are considering it. While they will obviously disapprove, tell them that you at least wanted medical advice before doing this. Note that they may be able to take certain actions based on what you tell them; I am not a lawyer. Please do not take Adderall if you have any heart conditions. Several children have died in Canada because of this.
* NEVER take Adderall pills to school with you unless you have a prescription. If you have a prescription, I believe your pills must be legally kept in the clinic’s office. If you are found to have Adderall pills without presecription, you may be open to severe penalities — including suspension. It is unsafe to purchase pills on school grounds as well (or within a certain distance – refer to your local laws). Penalties are far greater for the trading and/or possession of controlled substances on school grounds.
* Talking about non-prescription Adderall use with fellow students that you have no reason to trust may result in negative consequences. Often, students feel threatened by the perceived advantage, and if they are unwilling to try Adderall, they may tell a teacher, or another student who will tell a teacher or authority of your use. Though their claim may not be “provable,” the teacher will likely immediately lose respect for you academically, and you will be walking on thin ice. So by all means, if you need help speak with an adult, or even a teacher, but I wouldn’t recommended speaking with a teacher with whom you’ve taken a test using Adderall before. I don’t see it as cheating but as a study aid like caffeine, though your teacher is from a different generation and will likely have a different perspective if s/he finds out from someone OTHER THAN you first.
* As a peer, you have the responsibility to report the serious abuse of drugs by your peers to someone who can help them. If you or somebody you know has a severe issue with Adderall (like frequent snorting or staying up for more than one night / “tweaking”), please do the best thing FOR THEM and tell somebody who can help, despite the consequences for your friendship. Talk to your parents about it for advice. Even if you don’t have a serious problem, your casual use could have a negative effect of reassurance on someone who does.
* Do NOT TAKE Adderall ON A DAILY BASIS unless you have been prescribed. Frequent use causes you to become pyschologically addicted in a far more serious way than most other drugs (this isn’t marijuana). I don’t even recommend it daily even if you are prescribed, honestly. Doctors are human too.
* NEVER take Adderall pills back-to-back. Never take more than two pills in a day. Never take more than a total of 20mg in a 24 hour period (for instance, if you are studying the day and then the same night). I recommend keeping it below 10mg, but certainly don’t exceed 20mg.
* DO NOT TAKE Adderall more than twice a month, or for more than 3 days in a row. In other words, limit it to two weekends per month (like before a test or paper due date). This should be the MAXIMUM. Do not take Adderall more than 8 months in a year.
I recommend not taking it more than once a month, and not more than 2 days in a row — but the above warning is to emphasize the avoidance of addiction, by giving you a “maximum.” You should make a pact with yourself that if you exceed this maximum in any given month, you will seek medical help. There are private counselers available at all schools who will be happy to help you. Tell them.
These limits and maximums are arbituary, but by my own personal estimation should be sufficient. I am NOT A DOCTOR and am only speaking to you as a peer. You should not take Adderall at all without a prescription — this guide is to help those who choose to do it anyway.
Adderall (non-XR) comes in a few doses:
* Adderall 5 mg-blue, round tablets (5 is printed on surface)
* Adderall 10 mg-blue, round tablets (10 is printed on surface)
* Adderall 20 mg-orange, round tablets (20 is printed on surface)
* Adderall 30 mg-orange, round tablets (30 is printed on surface)
Standard, non-XR/non-extended release Adderall comes in a regular pill similar to a standard vitamin in texture. If cut with a sharp knife, it is easy to see that the contained substance is powdery and caked together, but the pill will generally cut evenly. Concerta and Adderall XR have a plastic-like shell that contains the medication. DO NOT CUT THESE PILLS OPEN. These are not the type of Adderall I am refering to in this guide. Please refer to the attachment below about these extended release pills.
For the average student’s studying needs, a 5mg pill should be sufficient for 7-10 hours of solid studying. Chances are, however, that you will obtain a higher dose of Adderall from your source, such as the 10mg, 15mg, 20mg, or 30mg variations. A stronger dose will most likely impair your studying, not improve it, especially the 20mg-30mg variations. You might find yourself staring at a wall for 15 hours. So you MUST break these down to 5mg pills. NOTE: DO NOT cut open a Concerta or an “Adderall XR” which have a plastic-like shell. Notes are available at the bottom.
The way it works is fairly simple from here: If you have more than you need, cut the pill proportionally to the amount you need. In most cases, it shouldn’t be more than 5mg. So if you have a 10mg pill, cut it in half. This gives you two 5mg pills. Ditto for 15mg, though your halves will be 7.5mg. If you are concerned about the extra 2.5mg, shave a bit off and throw it away before taking the half. Cut the 20mg in half, then cut the halves in half again to get approx. 5mg pills. Doing the same for a 30mg will get you approx 7.5mg pills.
5mg is good for about 7-10 hours of solid and smooth studying for most people. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half to kick in. However, if you are not studying BEFORE you take the pill, you may find yourself cleaning your whole house instead of doing your homework when the pills effects begin. So start studying first.
In order, what you should do:
1) First, eat a LARGE meal, preferably heavy in carbs. Adderall surpresses your appetite. However, your brain needs the glucose in food to fuction at peak performance. This is why teachers give students snacks before and during standardized tests. You should also make yourself snack during your study time, even if you are not hungry.
When you are done studying, you may feel a bit “hazy” or feel physically slow, but your mind will still feel basically awake. It may take some time to go feel tired enough to go to sleep, but many (non-frequent) users report that the sleep is deep and they wake feeling rested.
2) Cut your non-XR Adderall pill into 5mg doses (if you haven’t already), but don’t take it yet.
3) Consider whether or not you have exceeded the maximum amount as laid out above for this month and/or year. If so, stop what you are doing and seek help.
4) Set a full glass of water next to your studying materials. You must drink lots of water on Adderall to counteract some of its effects. Users often report “cottenmouth” which is basically a dry mouth. Keeping your fluids up is a good habit, and is very important when taking Adderall.
5) Get your materials together and begin studying the first part for at least 10-15 minutes. If you have an essay, begin brainstorming for ideas, ect. This will prevent you from becoming side tracked once you take the pill.
5) If you have chosen to take Adderall (it is always YOUR CHOICE) take a 5mg peice.
6) Commense your studying. You should notice a slight effect after an hour or so, but don’t think about the effect, just focus on your studying. BE SURE TO NOT BECOME DISTRACTED. “Stay on point.”
7) After about 7 hours or so, if you notice your concentration reducing or are becoming tired, you may consider taking one more 5mg pill. Be sure to EAT SOMETHING… make yourself. Eat two bananas, or a bowl of cereal, or anything else of similiar amount. Carbs are preffered, they will supply your brain with the needed glucose. Then you may consider taking a second 5mg pill. Note that for most, ONE pill should be sufficient for reviewing or even completely studying for the average math test, or completing a 15-20 page paper well. 2 pills in the same 24 hour period is “pushing it.” Two pills, taken seven hours apart, will likely keep you awake and alert for 20 hours from the start of the first pill to the final effects of the second. After this you will need to sleep for 8-15 hours.
Tips:
* If you have a test the next day, try to take the 5mg and begin studying as early as possible. Then you can sleep that night and your brain can better absorb the information. The day of the test, take another Adderall at least 3 hours before the test and do a brief review (30min). Taking Adderall the day of the test is not required, but will probably enhance your performance.
* The morning before is preferred for starting, but later than 5pm and you might as well consider it an “all-nighter” and be sure to have 2 pills on hand. If you take one at 5pm, you will probably begin to loose concentration by about 3-4 am and grow tired. So you would need to take the 2nd pill around 3am and take your test before 1pm. A third pill is not recommended, but if you must, take 2.5mg not 5mg.
* If you must review for 2 days, begin your review 2 days before the test. This is recommended for any test, but some procrastinators will ignore this advice. Just note that you may finish all of your studying a day in advance, which is a good thing. Take one 5mg each day (sleeping each night), and one 5mg a few hours before the test (with a brief review session – 30minutes or so). Do not exceed three days of taking Adderall or you run the risk of addiction and reduced overall performance.
Most users who have bad experiences with Adderall seem to have taken more than 5mg in a session, at once. This is especially true for those who have taken the 20mg or 30mg pills. It is essential to break these pills into 5mg or 7.5mg peices, and space their use out over time.
Possible side effects:
* You may get sweaty palms. This seems pretty much harmless.
* You may get a “nervous twitch” like your foot or leg having a tendency to shake. This doesn’t seem to effect study performance. If the twitch is annoying, reduce your dose next time.
* You may find yourself “overfocused.” If so, reduce your dose next time by half.
I hope I have covered most of the common concerns at this point. The best way to study is daily and naturally, without the aid of enhancing drugs such as Adderall or caffiene. I believe that students can compete without taking Adderall against students who do, but those students should have very strong and consistent study habits. I’ve seen students outscore Adderall taking students, but these people are often very regimented with their studying.
MD5 hash code chosen by the author: bfe3b22af1fb731ed3ccafb22e730ed8
====== begin of note on Concerta or Adderall-XR (extended release version of Adderall) ======
HERE IS THE NOTE TO THOSE CONSIDERING CONCERTA OR ADDERALL-XR (not standard Adderall). These are extended release pills and designed to provide a steady doseage over time. I do not recommend cutting these pills open because I do not know how they work or what exactly they contain. I suspect it is the powedery substance within many layers of slow desolving “plastic-like” covers, but I do not know with certainy. If this is the case, it might be difficult to figure out how to create the standard 5mg study dose. If you have obtained a low dose of Concerta (18mg) you are probably OK to study with one pill for about 10 hours, with instructions similiar to those above. The higher does (27mg, 36mg) are quite strong and will probably have adverse effects ie. leave you staring at a wall. I don’t recommend these (27 or 36mg) for studying.
I have read that Adderall-XR contains “beads” of the main ingredient which dissolve over time. I do not know if the Adderall-XR pills (labeled 5mg, 10mg, 15mg, 20mg, 30mg) match up directly with the doseages for non-XR Adderall, but if so, a signle 10mg over a period of 10-12 hours is certainly sufficient. 5mg will probably do the trick as well. 15+ mg is likely too much and will probably have an adverse effect ie. leave you starting at a wall. I don’t recommend 15, 20, 30mg for studying, though some may be able to get away with the 15mg.
So basically, I’m saying don’t cut these pills because I don’t know how exactly they work or what they contain. In a worse case scenario, if you cut open a 36mg Concerta pill or 30mg AdderallXR pill and take the contents all at once (or even a portion thereof) you may cause a coicane-like high (but much more dangerous), or maybe a serious heart condition. Some people have reported hallucinating about very horrible things after taking high dosages of amphetamines such as Concerta or Adderall, or taking them for extended periods of time to stay awake for 40+ hours. I have read specific reports of this on Adderall among drug addicts. So limiting use, length of use, and doseage is key… and I don’t know enough about the extended release pills to recommend cutting them open. If you are determine to take a strong-dosed extended release pill you have acquired (against my advice), please do not cut it open unless you know exactly what you are doing (which you don’t). Just take it whole and ride it out, while attempting to study.
====== end of note on Concerta or Adderall-XR (extended release version of Adderall) ======
MD5 hash code chosen by the author: bfe3b22af1fb731ed3ccafb22e730ed8
Additional hash: 15c33a29bb007737743c5f2d1d587dfb
Conclusion:
This guide has been produced over several weeks and is being posted at multiple websites. I am in the early phases of launching a website dedicated to dissiminating knowledge about study-aid drugs, which as I said before, are here to stay whether we like it or not. This coming site, like this guide, will not focus on making moral judgements, but will strive to educate its visitors. Those who are taking this drug, both legally and extra-legally, need more facts and knowledge, and a place to share first person stories. I am not promoting the use of Adderall. The extra-legal use of Adderall is so widespread that I doubt the release of this guide will have any significant upward impact on the number of users. If you have any doubts about the level of Adderall use going on in highschools and colleges, you are not a student. The focus of this guide is safety and moderation for both legal and extra-legal users. Your use of the information contained herein is at your own risk. This “guide” is printed for entertainment purposes ONLY.
The hash code included above is intended to prove the original author of the guide if there is a need for copyright issues. I possess the key which produced this MD5 hash, so that I can prove I am the original author if necessary. You are free to dissiminate this guide in full; this guide is copyleft 2006.
———- end of guide ———-
July 9th, 2006 at 7:20 am
I snort aderall recreationally, and I love it. I used to smoke crack, and I find this the way lesser of two evils.(cheaper too) I play guitar in a band, and I’ve found that I play very well, with lots of energy and stage prescence while “high” Anyway, it semms relatively harmless compared to crack, so I’m all for it.
July 28th, 2006 at 2:07 am
Adderall is destroying my life.
August 6th, 2006 at 3:54 am
i’ve recently been prescribed adderall, and i must say, i’m still not sure if i was dianosed correctly. its hard to say. i have all the symptoms of add, but then again, dont we all have some of the symptoms? its helped me focus and stay awake in comparison to my high school days of come home, sleep, and no homework. my motivation is better, i can listen to boring conversations. my personality and charactor is a bit different. i’m more tuned to listen instead of show off, and go crazy. i can enjoy my studies a bit more. but still, i think the possibility of myself being mis-diagnosed still weighs greatly. sure i’m more motivated, but maybe i was just lazy and rebellious?
ya, i can listen to conversations i once thought were boring and like them, but maybe the conversations really were just a boring pain in the ass? i mean, adderall may have corrected a porblem with my concentration, but did i ever really have a problem in the first place? i mean, is just a fact that work sucks? school sucks? and we’re just looking for the easiest way out with a pill? some people enjoy school and work, so why don’t i? is it because i havent found something i enjoy? or is because i’m just a lazy kid with no real motivation in life because i’ve trained myself to take the easy way out? they say its easier to fall in a hole of nothing than come climb out of it. maybe i’ve mentally trained myself to just a be a lazy bastard with no real motive, except to solve it with drugs instead of working at the real problem? problems such as dealing with myself and the rest of society. why is that i can not function like the rest of em? why am i so different? can we just have a little more communication to let me know that i’m socially normal? or ya medical fucks gonna keep jamming these pills down our face because we can’t hide our true selves? actually i dont know my true self anymore. i cant tell if i’m supposed to be a pill popper controlled by your society, or a nturally think for myself kid. either way, i know you’ll keep telling me theres something wrong with me. if you dont find ADD, you’ll find the many other disorders that are immposssible for not everyone to have atleast on of em. do i have ADD? probably. probably not. then again, whos to say this shit isn’t made up. ADD cures might just b about control for a society who can’t keep sit down and keep their mouth shut becuase they’re sick and tired of the same ol everyday bullshit. if you can’t train to keep us down, you’ll drug and dope us up. maybe some people actually do have a chemical imbalance. schizophrenia… then again, maybe we all have a chemcial imbalnce!? such as… some people like to sleep too much, or he/she isn’t doing good in school because he cant get along with anybody because people dont like him because he is so different and it ruins his concentration, so he makes bad grades. augh fuck it, i think i’ll just keep using Adderall, and i better not get any stupid emails. but i’ll leave you with these last words. i think the band Dead Kennedys said it best when they sung ” You’re a hyper active child, got too much of a mind, wouldn’t you rather be happy? now this won’t hurt a bit! drag me to the floor, pull down my pants, ram a needle up my butt, and put my brain into a trance! Pledge allegiance to a flag, now you will obey!”
August 30th, 2006 at 1:44 am
I have always been a pretty impulsive/hyperactive person. I’ve done really well in school throughout my life and never had a problem being ambitious. About 1.5 years ago I was nearing my last semester of college when I started to think that I may have ADHD. So I went to my school doctor and informed him of my concerns. He gave me a simple little test which broke down ADHD into 4 seperate categories. Of the 4 categories, there was only one that I scored pretty high on and that was the Impulsive part. So my doctor recommended that I try Adderall for a bit and see if it helped. Not really knowing anything about Adderall, I did. It was great. I remember driving down the road being paranoid everytime I saw a police car because I thought I was doing something illegal. I told everyone how great it was……………………….
About 5 months into it I started to get panic attacks for the first time in my life. I really wasn’t sure what was going on. It was pretty scarey. I’d be in class and would have to get up and leave in the middle of it because I was afraid I was going to pass out. I finally put two and two together and realized that the adderall was the reason this was happening. So I decided to quit cold turkey. And then the chaos began…………………………….
Initially it was really difficult to notice the changes because I was substituting the adderall with Coffee and alcohol. But I soon realized that without either of the two it was really difficult for me to have a good time or to do anything productive. The first time I realized that my brain was severely messed up was when I got really drunk one night and found myself depressed for the next 5 days. I remember contemplating suicide, questioning my job/passion, and wondering what was the reason for living. These are all things that have never crossed my mind. That was the last time I drank. I quit drinking alchohol and caffiene which made the negative side effects even more noticeable. It would come in waves. I would be depressed/very unmotivated for about 3-5 days then I’d be alright for a week or two. Then it would happen again. Everytime I would get depressed I would do a little research on the internet to try and figure out what was wrong with me. I eventually come across a few websites that talked about Adrenal Fatigue……….
So I persued the notion that this may be my problem and started seeing a holistic doctor. I’ve been seeing her for about 5 months with some improvement, but I am still hesitant to say that I will ever come out of this. It makes me really sad to think that I may never be who I used to be. Looking back I realized that there was nothing wrong with me. I may have been impulsive, but that is nothing compared to what I experience now. I find it difficult to get into social situations because I am afraid I will have nothing to say. I also find it difficult to find enjoyment in things that I used to love. My sex drive isn’t what it used to be. I find myself not caring whether I ever get laid or not (which used to be a priority). I feel as though I’m drifting away from my friends and feel extremely lonely. I know that all the pain could be relieved with a cup of coffee, alcohol, or some adderall, but that is only a temparary fix. There’s got to be a solution……………….
I urge anyone who is currently taking Adderall or who is planning on taking adderall to get off of it as soon as possible. It is only natural that for every high there is a low. The pharmaceutical companies don’t care about your well-being. Profit is their number one concern. If people abuse it or become addicted they make more money. If they cared they would pull adderall along with a ton of the other drugs off of the market, because they don’t fix the problems that they are supposed to, they only mask them. PLEASE……..Learn from my mistake and stay away from it………. Your life will be negatively affected whether you can notice it now or not.
September 2nd, 2006 at 1:18 am
I work graveyard at a major facility and I have been taking adderall to halp me stay focused through the night on my work. I’m 19 and I want to get a prescription for it. What do I need to convince my doctor I would like a prescription? It would be cheaper and legal if I could get diagnosed from my doctor. What should I say?
Longboarder2660@hotmail.com
Thanks,
Eric
September 17th, 2006 at 4:54 pm
after reading on this site, and literally reading every single comment posted I have had a spiked curiosity on Adderall. I have been diagnosed with severe ADHD, but my parents do NOT believe in any sort of medication. As a result, I am not taking any medication and constantly stop in middle of doing something and completly lose track, and forget entirly what I was up to, and do something else, with a lost feeling. It seems to happen at bad times also.
FOr example today I was carrying wood, then all of a sudden my mind went to daydreaming, and I complety forgot where I was carrying to wood to, I ended up circling my house twice while daydreaming and then snapping back and remember=ing I had the wood… But I forgot where I wanted to put it still. Our wood is ALWAYS placed behind our barn, in the same spot, for the past four years, yet I constantly snap out of concentration, and FORGET.
WIth such curiousity I contacted a friend who takes ADDERALL, the orange pills. I know shes lost 43 lbs since she began taking it, but has also became an extreme druggie… With good grades tho! She is dependant on Pot and ADDERALL. But today she said she would sell me three orange pills for $10… I wnat to try them out… and see if they really do help.. I dont drink and I dont do drugs of any sort.. Im just hoping to find SOMETHING that will let me live NORMALLY. If it works, when I turn 18 in two weeks, i am going to order my prescription, since I have already been diagnosed. But if I do not like the effects, Ill just live this shit out. Maybe Ill grow out of it one day… Im kind of taste testing the product… Just to see if itll help me to concentrate at least enough to try,,
any comments… please help?
September 24th, 2006 at 9:41 am
Where do I even begin? I started dabbling with rec drugs in college…I did it all blow, k, E, pot, vicodin etc. Never got out of hand. JR year in college I transferred schools and had friends that had a scripts for Ritalin, adderall etc. I had ALWAYS been told from my friends and teachers that I was the most ADD person they have ever met. I never got any treatment for it. I think it was mainly due to the folks not believing in ADD. SO since I had tried every other drug under the sun I figured why not take a drug to study with. I could not believe what happened. Suddenly that kid who always got B’s in class, who couldn’t sit still and study for more than 10 minutes and thought the word Potential was created just for him got STRAIGHT A’s. If you saw my transcripts you could tell w/o a doubt when I started taking it. After school was over I stopped. Started working and that was that. I even got my Masters and did ok w/o it, not great. So fast forward from school to 1 yr ago. My business was doing UNBELEIVABLY. I had be my own boss since my ADD symptoms (problems with authority, disorganization, etc) did not work well in corporate America. But I was still doing coke (recreationally 1 to 2 times a month). Until the day I found a bag of coke in my pocket that I thought I had lost. Being very compulsive by nature I did it at work that day. It was also an eye-opener. My desk became clean, I was organized, structured, dare I say I was anal….everything I wasn’t before. I happen to be pretty smart so I was able to be pretty successful with all the obstacles I had in my way, up until then. This is when the story gets bad. I started doing coke more and more often until I was doing it 3 times a week at work. The confirmation from my employees, secretary, assistant, brokers etc did not help. They did not know I was on coke they just known that there disorganized boss all of a sudden discovered structure and organization and follow through. Nonetheless even though I was doing well at work I ended up checking myself into rehab and got a shrink. Again I was told that I was the most disorganized person by every health care professional and I was officially diagnosed with ADHD. My shrink asked me if her friend could use me as on of her subjects in a book she was publishing on adult ADHD. They put me on 30 mg adderall XR 1 time a day. Since then (6 months ago) I haven’t touched coke or even wanted to. The thought of it or even how I used it in the past makes me sick and I am ashamed of myself. I do have to admit that I have thought about and often wanted to abuse my adderall…but I know if I do that I will have days that I don’t have any meds and that really sux…so I haven’t. From a recovering drug addict, I am telling you it is DEFINATLY a drug and can make u high. I don’t get a real effect now but that is because I take it as prescribed. I know I can get high if I took more than I should. If you need it and I mean REALLY need it, taken properly your life will change. If not it is the equivalent of buying drugs on the street and getting high. It is also more than just taking a pill. Any adult with untreated ADD or ADHD will probably have no foundation for organization. I literally revamped my work habits. It is not about being able to manage chaos everyday…which I did when I first got the script and when I did coke at work. Eventually that will catch up to you. It is about changing and developing work ethics, organization, structure and a system that works. These days I go to work and I calmly and without that hyper go go go mentality I am known for do 4 times the amount of business with half the stress and work I did before. I hope that one day in the near future I can lower the dose and get off it totally. I am hoping that ADHD with the right meds and work hygiene can be corrected and is not permanent. I will keep you posted.
BTW if ur wondering I usually dont write my own letters or e-mails that are longer than 1 paragraph. I cant write very well and I know that…I am sure you do by now also.
September 28th, 2006 at 12:36 am
POSOTIVE:(yeahhhhhh adderall is fucking gooood as shiiit. i love it soo much dude)
-get all work done
-learn a lot more in school faster, and easier than being sober every fuckin day.
-enjoy learning and the ability to move ur pencil fast as fuck and have the best confidence in yourself you’ll be surprised how good you did and how smart you feel
-Makes u excited to go to school and learn about different things,and youl want go to school more.
-Makes you want to talk to more people and communicate, and you are intrested in what anybody says no matter how gay it sounds when ur not speedin, u enjoy talkin, its the best
-Enjoy music about 5 times as much than u would if you wer sober.
-gives you tingly feelings in the neck and back (usually happens when it kicks in and just makes you feel soooo good, and makes you sooo happy, jus bcuz of the way it feels.)
-Better grades in school, higher GPA, more respect and better reputation bcuz of your attention spand, and your grades, and your ability to communicate better to teachers.
Negative
-loss of appetite
-sucks balls when comin off, bcuz u get depressed for like an hour, than it goes away.
-addiction(but you wont even care if ur addicted when ur addicted, soo get addicted and fucking enjoy school, dont fuckin’ go to school and be all lazy and shit, and not learn anything and not get good grades, and teachers will like u wayy more too bcuz they will notice you pay attention, and theyl know you enjoy school)
-Getting too perenoid (little taps on your shoulder can sometimes scare the living shit out of you and you’ll fucking jump soo dont be all fuckin perenoid and shit around ppl if ur on it)
-penis fucking shrinks along with the balls & sack(fuckin gayest thing)
-kottonmouth, dry throat, dry eyes. (drink water, or somethin with flavor, and it will taste 3 times as better than it would if you wer sober, soo this isnt even rele a negative effect but if u didnt have nuthin to drink than it would.)
-constant deep breaths(increase of heart rate), (really this negative effect is always positive when ur speedin, bcuz it lets you know that you are still speeding, and that your happy as fuck and having a good time.)
Snorting adderrall feels 10 times better than swallowing the pill or capsul, it makes you feel soo much more tingly and happy and more enhanced to music. Snorting about 2-5MG of adderrall equals up to swallowing 40-50MG of adderrall.(P-save more money, better effects, funner time. N-bad as fuck for you, and very addictive(remember wat i said about being addicted though
lol.
September 30th, 2006 at 11:55 am
After reading some of these, I can tell that 75 % of the people who wrote them were on Adderall at that time. HAHA! I know this because I am a slave to the little blue pill myself. I LOVE IT and HATE IT. I would not be able to do half the things I do with out it. It is by far the best thing that has ever happend to me (in the aspect of school), but when you drink 23409732457890 gallons of coffee and take more and more and get less and less sleep; it gets old. Your body will begin to break down and you will sooner or later crash out on life for a little while. BUT! it never fails! Just as soon as you “wake up” and ask yourself..”What the fuck am I doing?”..YOU WILL PICK THE PILL UP AGAIN! and do it all over again…….Oh ya, for all the true drug abusers out there…my God if your going to abuse the number one school drug…GO TO SCHOOL AND GET AN EDUCATION…..shit.
October 16th, 2006 at 11:00 pm
I started taking adderall when i was sixteen years old. i wasn’t prescribed to it, i bought it from one of my buddies at the time. i snorted my first adderall in school and felt so great it be described in words. very soon i was very addicted to the stuff. i liked to snort abour five or six 30mg pills and sit and listen to music and write music lyrics. i did this for about five years, about once or twice a week. after about three years i started to get light headed after i snorted the pills and when i came down i was so depressed life seemed pointless. i’ve quit and have been off the shit for about three months now. i quit because it was getting so bad that i would stand up and temporarily go blind. sometimes it looked like snow would be falling right before me. i started getting dilluded thoughts, and i won’t go into detail about that. i went “blind” a few times and collapsed right back down. i started to get these heart palpitations, where it feels like my heart would skip a few beats and start beating in a different rythm. that’s what it felt like. many times i thought that my heart was simply going to explode, so… i stopped doing the damned things. not to say that it doesn’t help some people who do need it, but beware of becoming dependant. it can kill you. and also i still struggle with the temptation to revert back into the addiction. be careful…
October 18th, 2006 at 10:41 am
OMG everyone who wrote in this forum was tweekin lol. I became obsessed with the pill when i got off of meth. It was so awesome at the time. I didnt worry about anything and nothing could bother me at all. That is until my friends noticed i wasnt myself anymore.I couldnt function without it. i was horribly depressed. I got pregnant and had to qiit. I dont think i would have been able to quit if it wasnt for me being pregnant. My son is due in four days and if i ever went back to that drug then i would go nuts. If you have never done it dont. THat shit will fuck with your head. I am so much happier now that i am sober. It took awhile to function after i quit but you have to give your body some time to deal without the drug. After a couple weeks in hell you will notice your boy fucntioning better. you just need to stick it out you will be so much happier in the end. I PROMISE!! If anyone needs help or would just like some support email me a kborts@gmail.com ADDERALL IS ADDICTION!! If you need help dont be afraid to ask good luck
October 21st, 2006 at 8:55 pm
It bothers me that so many kids are given Adderal. It can be forced on them by teachers even if their parents dont want it for them, because child services can make it happen. Adderal seems to be the cure for being human. When I take it I no longer have trouble doing homework or any work for that matter, as I no longer have much of a sense of humor. Something has been lost. The scope of ADD/ADHD diagnosis is to broad; if i were a shrink I could find a reason to put anyone on it. I have many stories I could tell about myself and friends using Adderall, but it’s all the same as shit on this page. I do drugs, mostly cannibus and alcohol, and never had the feeling I needed them to do work or that they make work easier; in fact im under the impression they make about every aspect of my life harder. There is no miracle drug, i’ve tried about 25 psycoactive substances, they all are drugs. What really scares me is the government has the ability to dictate which drugs are legal and illegal, to tell you what to put into your body. Granted, we all have free will but most of us will obey the law and Adderall is legal. If a healthy portion of the population pops pills for their happy/sad problems, with the government dictating which ones take, is this not a form of mind control? Possibly just paranoid, but it really feels like something greater is at play here, as if we are trying to diagnose the characteristics that make us human as a disease. Maybe its the pharmaceutical companies behind this shit, I just cant believe that so many people can be naive to this, maybe someone in the FDA is getting a really fat pension for dosing the population. Now, I’m not saying don’t take Adderall, Dexedrene or Cocaine, but be real with yourself, what you think is making you stronger could be weakening you. Think about the things and people you love and fucking think for yourself. But I digress, as im a 22 year old student, who probably smokes too much, drinks to much and spends too much time on his computer, most of what I say falls on deaf ears accordingly. Hope this has be interesting or informative to somebody, but if not fuck it I just really needed to vent on this topic before I join some obscure group of hacker extremists living in the desert or some shit. Peace. email: gregbla@gmail.com
October 25th, 2006 at 4:22 am
After being *prescribed* 20mg of Adderall-XR (for ADD, not ADHD), and extensive research over the last week or so, I took my first pill yesterday. My experience was that after about 3.5 hours I had a focus crash, which improved again in about 30-50 minutes. According to my research (check the facts for yourself) XR is designed to release the stimulant in 2 phases – half the dose nearly immediately and the other half several hours later. The drug is designed to come on and go off smoothly. This correlates with my experience, and the duration of focus in the second release seemed quite a bit longer. My heart rate (normally 60) jumped to 100 for several hours, along with a number of the other typical side effects.
Concerning breaking the capsules apart, my research indicates (since you can sprinkle the contents on applesauce — see the drug website) that breaking apart the capsule isn’t exactly the issue, as much as you should NEVER CHEW the granules inside. This could mean a couple of things; chewing them increases the surface area of the drug, which MAY be a consistent formula all the way through, therefore massively changing the dose, OR there is a slow-dissolve layer between the two doses (second dose at center), or something else. If the first bit is true then each granule may be a different drug (I believe Adderall contains 4) and therefore not very smart to take it apart and try to change the dose. If the second bit is true then perhaps it’s a simple matter of volume.
Since IMO my first dose seemed quite strong (and the pharmacist thought it was a little high for someone who’s never taken anything like this) I would like to know that I can reduce the number of granules in the capsule and take that. Since I am not a physician (and am not providing medical advice anywhere in this speculation) I really can’t say. All the standard caveats apply, e.g., capsules serve some useful purposes, ranging from the correct delivery location to protection from reactive elements (such as air) before ingesting. So, take all of this with a grain of…salt…and always ask your doctor.
November 1st, 2006 at 4:08 am
Responding to recent researcher: If you dont feel you need 10 to 30mg XRs or whatever, take it out man and use at your own discretion, it’s your f*cking brain. From my experience air will not hurt it it’s not LSD, do what you want. Also this is a great forum, but everybody check out erowid.org for information about all drugs including individual experiences many may find useful (not an ad for erowid.org, dont think they have money to give me anyway). Places like neurodudes.com and others give us knowledge for the drugs we may take.
November 1st, 2006 at 8:30 pm
Hi
I am working on a documentary film that features a segment on Adderall and its use particularly in high school. I am trying to get a sense of how the drug is being used and abused – thank you for all the information here.
Specifically I am looking for a high school age kid (or college) who has a prescription for Adderall or uses Adderall but does not officially have the ADD disease. Maybe they don’t even like the pills but continue with the prescription just to sell it to friends. Is there anyone out there would be interested to talk with me??
This is not a documentary out to slander anyone or make you look bad. I’m just interested to hear the facts!
Thanks so much, Eve Marson
BSF Film
Santa Monica CA
310-399-8505
November 6th, 2006 at 1:15 am
Okay, just a though for those people here who say ADD and ADHD are not real…
BULLSHIT.
I have a brother and a sister, my brother with ADD and my sister with ADHD. Yes, people are sometimes misdiagnosed, and that’s sad. If you have ADD/ADHD, you will present signs before age 5. I know the difference between my siblings on meds and off them, and I know that my sister off meds scares her teachers, bounces all over the place, and literally can’t sit still. My brother off meds talks fast, switches focus quickly, and has a bad temper.
No, it’s not a made-up illness.
If you have it, you know when you’re little. People on here who say they started taking adderall and then went and got a prescription, that’s not “getting diagnosed”. It’s knowing what you think you need and saying it to a doctor, and doctors can only rely on what you tell them and how you behave. There is no way for them to get inside your brain and double check; it’s not lik the flu. It has symptoms, but you can’t check for it.
And I’m not saying that being diagnosed as an adult means you don’t have it;some people are not diagnosed as children when they should be.
What I am saying is that ADD/ADHD are not made-up illnesses; they’re real. Living with an older brother with ADD, a younger sister with ADHD, and a mother who is a physician, I at least have a basic understanding of what I’m talking about. I’ve seen the effects of the pills, though I’ve never needed to experience them.
So, yeah.
Pretty much there’s my view.
December 7th, 2006 at 1:19 pm
Lol i been readn these article for like an hour now, well 20 minz seems lik e an hour. I could not stop readn it, if u havnt figured i just started usin adderol. I did one pill 2 nights ago it was 30mg, than yesterday i took one pill at night, than 1 in this morning (Cuz i didnt sleep at All) and werked out a lot today. I came home grabed a red bull and took another one. So im woundern how much is too much, like all you guys make 90 MGz sound like its horrible, but is it that bad? I dont intend on doin it all the time basicly weneva I feel like getn it, juz wanna see stats on it or sumtn, put into the equation Im drinkn red bull, burnin tres, and downing Adderall. And also do you guys take this stuff everyday, cuz the last 3 day ib enn eatn em like eminems, lol well not that much but in the last 72 hours i had about 120 MG but 3 today, so let me know what u gota say. And I want to see how often ppl do doses of 90 right off the bat. A lil overdoing it? IDK lol have a good 1 evryone
December 28th, 2006 at 1:33 pm
First of all, IF YOU TAKE THIS DRUG WITHOUT A SCRIPT IT IS VERY VERY VERY DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!! I am a 30 year old nursing student who was prescibed this drug by my doctor who ran tests on me and diagnosed me with adult ADD over a year ago. Now I take 5mg AS NEEDED (class, studying mainly) and have NO side effects except I dont get get drowsy while reading or in class. I can remain focused, blah blah. No “coming off” effects or anything. It really does what it needs to do for me and that’s it. I would not EVER EVER dream of taking this drug at a party and mixing it with alcohol….do you idiots have any freakin idea how BAD that is for you? Most of you dont even have ADD thats why its effecting you so bad and your getting hooked. Your taking way too much and its making you nuts. I have gotten mine STOLEN out of my purse twice from some little college punk who just wanted to get his high. Then I have to call my dr. and explain to him i got it stolen….how convienient right?? Thanks to all these stupid little druggies that abuse it.
Anyway, my main message here is that I think doctors are being way to liberal about giving scripts out for this and if you think you REALLY have ADD then get tested and diagnosed. But stop ripping off the people who use the drug for legitimite reasons. I can’t believe how ignorant some of these children are here that have written blogs. I TAKE 5mg and these kids are taking 30-100mg a day???!!!! Holy shit! They need help…..PLEASE GO SEE A DR BEFORE YOU KILL YOURSELF!! because you will.
January 5th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
I think your being a litle Harsh, ppl are just experimenting, n yes Overdoin it has bad side effects, found out the hard way. So everyone without the prescription its not worth it and plz be safe, go smoke weed or sumtn lol have a happy new year ^.^
January 9th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
What a conundrum. I have synptoms of ADD and I am seriously considering consulting my family doctor for a prescription. My problem is I feel guilty asking for an amphetimine to help my problem. I occasionally took adderall in the past, for both school and recreation, and found it quite beneficial. Is this medication right for me? I currently have a B+ gpa in my 6th semester @ Penn State and my past experiences with adderall lead me to beleive I can do much better. Are the short term benefits worth the long term side effects?
January 27th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
I do not have a prescription for Adderall, but I am however prescribed Dexedrine, can anyone shed some light on how this compares with Adderall? Is this any more or less safe? I have taken Adderall a few times when my old roommate would give them to me when I had procrastinated before a term paper was due and that sorta thing. After seeing the way my roommate behaved when he didn’t take his medication, I was able to recognize my own symptoms of ADHD. This was not until I was 26 years old.
I have been diagnosed with both ADHD, and severe bipolar disorder. I refuse thus far to take medication(lithium or such) to treat my bipolar disorder. I am already on enough medication already now with the Dexedrine, and in order to treat severe pain I am prescribed Oxycontin 10mg, and Percocet 5mg. I have cut way back on the pain meds, so as not to mix stimulants and depressants any more than I absolutely need to. I don’t suspect I will ever be able to quit taking them all together due to the injuries I received in a skydiving accident 4 years ago, and the fact that I refuse to quit snowboarding, skydiving, and riding motocross even after having burst fractures in seven vertebrate and many other broken bones due to a complete malfunction of both my main and reserve parachutes while skydiving. I feel I have to mention this because my psychiatrist among several other people tell me I don’t need to take pain meds.
I would like to know realistically how harmful it really is to mix these meds. I am as careful as possible to mix them as little as possible. I need 2 percocets early in the morning daily, and take 10 mg of dexedrine about 2 hours later. As the day goes on I take 5mg of Dexedrine every few hours as they begin to wear off. I don’t take the Dexedrine after 2pm because I like to sleep, but around 6-8pm I need to take usually 20mg of oxycontin. Is this safe? It hasn’t caused me any problems thus far.
February 7th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
i am perscribed with adderall and i love it . but i havea question i drink alcohol very seldom with it what are the consequences of that?
February 7th, 2007 at 9:06 pm
Josie, none of the neurodudes admins are medical doctors and probably most of the visitors aren’t either. I suggest that you ask your doctor a question like this rather than posting it here.
February 11th, 2007 at 12:58 am
I simply feel that what ever someone injests for what ever reason, as long as they learn and master self control and are aware of the facts, it should be nobody’s (parents, doctors, FDA etc.) business or concern but their own. But I emphasize SELF CONTROL and MODERATION because, unfortunately, a majority of people are unable to reach such level. But it can be achieved by a strong willed individual with common sense. Therefore, I think if it works for you and you’re not hurting no one, that’s all that matters. Life is very short-Enjoy it! (just don’t be stupid)
February 11th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
adderall is awesome! i use it strictly for studying. i get physical cramps in my toes sometimes. other than that, i am super productive. i can read a book in one night, or when writing a paper, it seems the right words flow from my fingers. on top of that, adderall gives u a huge mood bump on onset (usually 15 mins to 30 mins). the only downside is the mild depression and insomnia. otherwise, great “supplement”.
February 11th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
one more thing. if you’re trying to use adderall for academic purposes, then just do adderall (and please, don’t snort it you morons.)
DO NOT mix weed and alcohol with adderall – it will get you F’ed up. great for parties, not for school work.
February 13th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
I am 22 and was recently prescribed Adderall XR at a low dosage, 10mg/day, without a very extensive interview – diagnosed ADD inattentive type. I was hoping to recieve medication for anxiety and depression – but I took the Adderall, thinking, I admit, I could use it to get work done or stay up.
The results,however, have been remarkable. My anxiety, ever present, has now dissolved! I can also stop an activity im very involved in and do something else i actually need to do, which was difficult before. Mainly, though, Im just calm – no overdrive feeling at all, im actually sleeping more. Im a bit confused because I dont think I have ADD – but this is great.
February 17th, 2007 at 8:39 am
You guys really worry me. As a Mom of 2 younger boys taking Adderall, I am sick at reading about all of the abuse with this drug. No friggin’ wonder it’s a controlled substance! Until reading this, I was really annoyed at having to go to the Pediatrician every month to physically pick up their scripts and take them to the Pharmacy – after all, I stay very busy with 5 kids and it’d be SO much easier if it could be called in – but now I completely understand why.
I’m totally baffled at how you guys even get your hands on this? I know that Dr’s will Rx it if a full eval has been worked up, but it must be handed out in BULK if y’all are selling it, buying it, stealing it. I yi yi.
For those of us who actually NEED it – and go about obtaining it legally and in a safe way, you guys make it a lot harder for those of us who aren’t abusing it.
Last word of caution (I’m not intending to come off like a preachy Mom) – Last year, our daughter died. She was only 2 and it wasn’t because of anything preventable. In fact, she was perfectly healthy, vibrant, simply BEAUTIFUL. They never did find a cause of death – after doing every study imaginable, NOTHING! My point in sharing this is that even someone who ISN’T abusing drugs/alcohol/etc., can die without warning. How much more of a risk is it for you kids who are purposely putting things in your body that are potentially lethal? As a parent who’s experienced the sheer horror of losing a child, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE be careful and don’t put your parents through that. It is the shittiest, most painful, rip-my-heart-out-of-my-chest, feelings ever.
Be careful. If you do live through it, you may have irreversable consequences one day that you will come to regret…
Thanks for letting me vent – and don’t even think about replying with a bunch of cussing and disrespect. Don’t go there.
February 20th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I am SUPERMOM!!!
I swear.. on Adderalls.. I make June Cleaver look like Roseanne!
February 22nd, 2007 at 2:47 am
I was never diagnosed as a child but I really think I have some sort of ADD. I started looking into what the symptoms are and came across a few which I can relate to. I told my regular doctor about this and he reffered me to a psychiatrist. I’ve been looking into this for atleast two years now and I wanna do something about it. Now to see a psychiatrist I would have to wait a couple of weeks. What I was wondering is that since the wait time is like 2-4 weeks for each appointment, what can I tell the psychiatrist for him to be able to diagnose me in one visit or two. What kind of questions, tests is he going to run?
February 22nd, 2007 at 9:06 am
I went to see the Doc yesterday. I’ve suspected for a long time that I have ADD – I’m 34 now and I can see that wayyyy back into the days of Elementary School, I exhibited all the classic symptoms. Back then though, there wasn’t really a name for it and they sure didn’t medicate. It was just assumed that you were not “working up to your potential”, as all of the teacher comments on my report cards showed.
Our 2 oldest boys have been on Adderall XR for 3 and 5 years, respectively. Anyway, I took the assessment yesterday, and as I knew I would, I totally scored showing Adult ADD symptoms. She conservatively started me on 10mg IR Adderall. I cannot take the XR because I had Gastric Bypass surgery 2 years ago and so nothing stays in my stomach long enough to do a slow-release.
So, as I have a pretty high resistance to most meds (It’s so frustrating!!!!), I shared with her my doubts that 10mg would be enough, but she still wanted to start low. Ok. So she writes the Rx for 10mg, 2 times a day. First of all, if I’m looking for coverage from when I wake at 6am and lasting me through (at least) dinnertime, am I nuts in thinking that 2 doses a day isn’t going to cut it? From what I’ve read, the IR will last *maybe* 4 hours? If that’s the case, and my system is now different from my Gastric Bypass, things go through much quicker, so I’m doubtful that it’ll even last 4 hours. For argument sake, let’s say it DOES last 4 hours. That still puts me taking one at 6am, 10am, 2pm and 4pm. In my world, that’s 4 pills a day. So why would she assume that 2 pills a day would be adequate???? It is clear to me that she hasn’t dealt with a lot of Adult ADD patients/diagnoses, etc.
I called her nurse and shared these concerns with them this morning. I will hopefully hear back today. Also, the 10mg doesn’t seem to be doing much. I know she’ll probably think I’m nuts calling to report that after less than 2 full days, but this is a STIMULANT medication, right? Stimulants don’t take time to “build up” in your body. From my experience with our kids, the dose either works or it doesn’t.
Can ANYONE shed any light on this for me? I am uninsured, so I just picked a Dr. and went to her. Apparently I didn’t get one that knows much about this….Which totally sucks for me. I am going to have to be very assertive in this, it seems.
February 22nd, 2007 at 11:28 am
I’ll be going to the doctor soon and hopefully my doctor knows what this is all about. What kind of questions did your doctor ask you just so I know that my doctor knows what he’s talking about. Also what kind of questions shud i ask my doc?
February 27th, 2007 at 10:46 am
All of these people that are saying that ADD or ADHD is not a real diagnosis and that no one really has this problem obviously are not suffering from it. Since grade school I have been an honor student. I took all of the Advanced Placement classes and graduated with above a 4.0. I started taking college courses when I was a sophomore in high school and that’s when I really realized that maybe I wasn’t smart after all. I could not figure out how it was that in high school everything just came to me. I never had to study or read the book or any of that. The first time that I actually had to read a chapter I was stuck. I can’t read more than about a page and a half in one sitting. I always thought that the kids that bounced off the walls and got into trouble all of the time were the only ones that had ADD. Not true. After I graduated high school I met my husband and fell in love and didn’t go to college right away so life seemed somewhat normal. I always knew that the way that I had to think of things in order to remember or learn anything was different but I just thought that everyone had these little ways around things. I now know that I was actually compensating for my inadequacies. Long story short, all of my life I have always felt like I was not very smart. I could not explain how I got good grades because I never really learned things like the other students I just found ways to make it look like I actually learned the information. I didn’t even really know my multiplication tables until well after high school but I took calculus in high school meaning that I had to take algebra I and II to even be able to take the class. The only way that I was able to pass Algebra and do it with an A is that I had come up with little ways to figure out multiplication problems without actually knowing what the answer was off the top of my head like most normal people do. I mean really who has trouble with 9X7?? Answer is: ME!!! After years of being disorganized and trying so hard to organize my life I was depressed. I was depressed because I felt like no matter what I did I would never finish what I started. My husband and I have two beautiful children and after they were born this problem just became even more obvious. My sister killed her self and that was really the last straw I was so depressed that I just didn’t even know what to do with myself so I decided to go to counseling. After a year of counseling we worked through my sisters death and I was still depressed. I went back to college and the depression just got worse. I was spending about 8 hours a night trying to finish my homework. I was going to school online and raisng two well three kids including my husband and I was totally disorganized and couldn’t concentrate for more than about 10 minutes if even that. My doctor finally decided that he thought that I might have a few “concentration issues” as he put it and sent me to two diffent doctors for testing. The tests came back and I was scored at about a 90% chance of having ADD combination type. They explained to me that the executive functions in my brain were way off whack. I started to take strattera and after about 3 weeks I saw a little improvement but it gave me really bad headaches and I had to stop taking it. I have now been on Adderall XR for about 2 months and it has been great. I don’t get a buzz as some people have described it and I don’t feel wired. All of the energy that I felt inside now feels like it is under control finally. So my point of all of this is that once upon a time I thought the same way that some of the people on this post do. I thought that if a person really wanted to pay attention they needed to just do it and quit making excuses. Well it’s not that easy especially if you don’t even realize that your problem is that you can’t pay attention. I think that it is wrong for people to share drugs that are prescribed to them with other people because someone could really get hurt. I don’t think that parents should get these drugs for their kids just to help them do better in school unless they truely need the drugs. There are a few people out there that really do need the help that these drugs offer and for me it has saved my sanity. Being a mother of two, having an epileptic husband, a full time job and going to school is a lot easier when you can actually concentrate. Because of Adderall XR I finally like my life and I love the challenges of being all of the things that I just mentioned and eventually I will graduate with honors and feel like I have finally accomplished my goal.
March 12th, 2007 at 8:29 am
I am a senior in high school (not prescribed) and have just found out about adderall. At first I was a little worried about taking it because i didn’t know how it would affect me. Eventually I took it 1 day during the school week. During school I find out how different My progress was and enjoyed how smart I felt. While on adderall I experienced euphoria. I would have a posative attitude, ability focus A LOT BETTER, and increased social activity. With those effects, who wouldn’t want to use it. The next time I took it was during my finals week. The first day I took 20 mg, and I did geat. Now I have a psychology type of mind and i got curious about the drug so I experimented with it further. The next day I took 40mg, my performance-even better. Finally on my last day of finals I took 60mg which i thought was such a great experience, and it was, I got A’s on all my finals and didn’t look up once from the test. I found that on 60 mg i was able to find ways to solve the questions even though i had not remembered he formula, and i didn’t want to move onto the next question until I found out the answer. althought my performance was great I dont think that i will ever try that much again because I know that this drug can mess up your brain when you dont need it. now-a-days I will take it on average about 4 times a month which is pretty good considering people do it a lot more than that, because they become dependant or addicted. Now I will admitt I want to do it more than I do because I love the euphoria. It doesn’t help that I have a few friends whosell it too me for only $1 a pill which is very cheap so I could buy 10 at a time if I wanted to. As good as the effects are I wouldn’t recommentd it. If you decide to do it I would recommend doing a lot or research to find out what u may be doing to yourself.
ps. i’m on adderall now, and missing class to fiish this.
March 16th, 2007 at 4:16 am
I am a sophmore in high school, I was on ritalin from ages 7-14 and stopped taking ritalin because it wasn’t working, when I was in ninth grade I ran across adderall, being that I do have ADHD the drug was easy for me to obtain with a perscription, it is meth in pill form, and helped me through 9th grade and part of tenth it is not worth it, I usually snorted it and the side-effects were horrible (even by mouth) I can’t eat on it, I feel kind of high on and it makes me really depressed, it’s not hard to fake ADHD and get an RX for this, but just research it before you experiment.
March 16th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
ADD is a real problem. Adderall changed my life. I agree that it is being overprescribed, and I think that’s where all the negative press stems from. I have ADD and I am on adderall every waking moment. I can’t imagine life without it. I’m a horrible mess without it, socially and cognitively. I wish I didn’t have to take it, though, because I hate having to be on drugs all the time and I am scared of the long-term consequences. I especially hate hiding it from my friends and being considered a freak. Adderall is not addictive if you actually have ADD. People who have the condition don’t build up a tolerance to it because it fixes a chemical imbalance in their brains. People who don’t have ADD do build up a tolerance and are much more likely to become abusers because it gives them a euphoric “high” and then they begin to crave it. As for me, it just makes me into a normal person like everyone else. I take a normal amount of time completing tasks. There is no “superhuman” concentration that I get from taking the pills. I BECOME A NORMAL PERSON on adderall. To those who don’t actually have a problem, please refrain from giving adderall a bad rep.
March 20th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
what happens when you mix an energy drink, cigarettes and adderall??
April 6th, 2007 at 6:02 am
Has anyone noticed that while reading over the various opinions on the stimulant, a trend appears…those that have just been prescribed the drug (within the last 3 months) can’t emphasize how much they love the “medication” and they wished they had gotten it sooner, and rave about the numerous positive effects it has had. The other common group of those who have been on the “drug” for a while (more then 2 years) start off by saying, “At first,….” and end up describing an isolated struggle with addiction, depression and withdrawl.
The reason I’m writing this, (Not a regular blogger) is to underline the problem with reading this blog as a “Pro’s and Con’s” type of site. I’m on Adderall right now, and have been for 5 years. I actually have ADHD, because when I was initially prescribed on it in high school my parents were skeptical, so I had to get a 2nd and then a 3rd opinion, all of which confirmed the first doctors diagnoses. The medication has helped in certain area’s drastically, for example in highschool I had a 2.2 when they put me on it. My senior year I got a 3.8 and went off to a good University with strong SAT’s and an upward trend in GPA. (Took the SAT’s on it). I am now finishing up my last semester at college, where I will graduate Magna Cum Laude and then attend Law School in the fall.
However, while there is no denying the positive social/academic effects of the substance, there are very real problems with the Addiction/Withdrawl Side effect. I have never “spun out of control” or “hit rock bottom” but there was a 4 month period where I did up my own dosage…not drastically (prescribed 60mg, moved to 100mg)because I was graduating a year early, which meant taking 6 courses, and I can tell you first hand, as someone who has never had a substance abuse problem, it was a gut check to move down to 40mg after the semester. I think it often gets misunderstood that those who develope a tolerance, or go through withdrawl are those who have a history off drug abuse problems and it just not true. I’m not saying it’s like Reqeum for a Dream or anything, but it takes a lot of disipline, probably equivilant to quiting smoking to stop taking Adderall if you have been taking it regularly for more then 2-3 years and not abusing it. (Like I said I am now down to 40…and been on it for over 5 years, more then 60 prescriptions, and taken more then the daily dosage less then 4 of them).
I am not trying to write a journal entry, I just want those college/high school students who have recently began taking Adderall to understand that: 1) You WILL eventually develope a tolerance, whether it’s in 5 years or some of the more drastic posts I have seen of 2 months…and 2) When you develope that tolerance you will be faced with the choice of either increasing your own dosage, or Stopping…the first is dangerous and the latter is not fun…I wrestled in highschool and lost 36 LBS in 10 Days (Before The adderall, just a coincidence) and the Crash from the withdrawl was 10X harder then the fast.
Whether or not ADD/ADHD is something we have recently uncovered, or have recently created as the label for a very different learning enviroment compared to our parents and grand parents (I have two younger brothers, and one is learning Algerbra and Spanish in Elementary school)is irrelivant. Adderall WILL produce positive changes in your Acedemic performance, and in some peoples social performance. If you take it once in a while to study, then you have nothing to worry about…but if you are contemplating getting a prescription, or just got one I urge you to approach the decision seriously, think about it in terms of having that 12th drink that you know you shouldn’t…(Relative to your tolerance) because it is inevitable that you will go to sleep and wakeup with that Hangover, but in the case of stimulants it will last for around 2-6 weeks.
April 14th, 2007 at 1:40 am
I stay up for days at a time. My longest was Sunday to Friday.
I can easily not take the pills..but when I don’t, I can’t concentrate at all. I also feel really depressed.
I don’t feel like my friends do when they take adderall. They say they feel like they can concentrate so much better. When I take it, I finally feel like a normal person.
I wish I had never tried it, but when your first experience with adderall leads to getting an A on a test for a class you’ve never gone to..why not?
April 23rd, 2007 at 2:52 pm
When i started taking adderall my grades went up, gymnastics came so much easier, and losing waigh was awsome!! I actually paid attention in school and had fun diong it!! gymnastics became the funnest thing ever..the medicane did it for me!! Losing waith was no problem.. i love not wanting to eat…i could go 3 days with out eating or sleeping when i was on it!!! But on the flip side my attitude changed.. by the end of the day i never wanted to talk so my friends lost intrest in me..i would also have lots of emotionsl break down and nt want to do any thing..some times its worth it other times it not!!! So i normally fall back to it when my grades drop, gymnastics isn’t going so good, and i pick up weight!!! Then once i get caught up i quit taking it bc using it 4 to long will mess me all up and change who i am completly!!!
April 24th, 2007 at 3:57 am
For those of us who finally figured out that our thought processing is drastically different than most folk, medications like adderall are a God-send. I went back to school later in life and got my chemistry degree at 34 and a Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutical science following. I started taking adderall about 13 years ago while an undergraduate chemistry student who had struggled in my earlier years due to ADD. It was literally like someone turning on a light when I began medication. To give an example of how different my mind worked without medication. Most people can sit in class and listen to a lecture and take notes while following an instructor writing on a classroom board while instructing. I honestly couldn’t understand how people could both listen and take notes. When I would take notes from the board, it was like I was deaf to anything discussed. Conversely, if I listened to the instructor, I could not take notes. There was no way I could do both…not even a little. I honestly could not figure out how other people seemingly kept such great lecture notes and listenened to the lecture in a meaningful way. No wonder I struggled as a child with even the most fundamental classroom learning. This is a very simple explanation in how an ADD mind works. When I began getting medicated not only could I listen and take notes, but I actually followed the professor’s methodical instruction. Even so, I still had to tape record all my chemistry classes and relisten to them every day while rewriting my notes. But I was rewarded with nearly straight A’s when previously I had been failing. My dosage is and has been 90mg a day and I see no reason to live without the medication. While I go off it for periods of 45-60 days every so often, I notice no issues with drug dependence. I look at it like this, your body is one big chemical reaction that sometimes needs help whether it is high blood pressure, depression or in my case ADD. Those that feel they have ADD regardless of age, I highly recommend that you educate yourself and see a doctor as it can have a profound effect on your life.
April 25th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
I agree that the abuse of Adderall is becoming a problem. As a college student, however, I understand the unnerving pressure that comes from the need to maintain a high GPA. Not only do students get it from their parents, but even professors are now emphasizing more and more the need to have a high GPA in order to land a good job upon graduation. It is no wonder that students are turning to Adderall so that they can keep studying even after they have worn themselves out doing so. I’m not saying that unauthorized use of Adderall by college students is OK, only that there are many people who criticize but don’t fully understand the situation at hand.
May 2nd, 2007 at 10:54 am
Thinking about colleges and careers. I know the military isn’t for everyone, but it’s out of the question if you take adderall. Also many other types of licensed careers. No one will give a straight answer about the way this prescription (and ADD diagnosis) can possibly limit your choices in life. Any more info on this?
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:15 am
It’s funny that adderall blogs are often far and away the best on the internet. Like ecstasy or meth, it seems to be really stimulating to talk or read about adderall when you’re on it. And since adderall is such a proactive and productive (sometimes counter-productive) drug all these blogs are huge; consistently being posted on for years with often long, direct, and purposeful posts. Only people on adderall could make a blog like this. Ha ha!
August 16th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
I was told that I had it by my DR., and I never actually wanted to believe I did. That was about when i was 14, but I did notice I could not concentrate and I cant sit still at all, not to mention I get out of focus so often it was not funny.
I had detention and Saturday school every possible day of the school year, and I did not blame it on my adhd I just thought it was me naturally. If you did not have anything I wanted to learn I was in my own world.
I had a summer camp at 16 and I excelled in rock climbing, river rafting, horse riding, archery, golf, ceramics, leathery, and anything else that made you use your body. They even had a thing for me and a few other kids to do after the 10pm curfew. We did what they call “le Parkour” or freestyle running for an hour which let me sleep at night (5-25 miles). (our counselor had adhd as well so he understood and wouldn’t take his adderall). Id be awake at 5 or 6 in the am and go run some more. The problem now is that I work and go to school I cant do all of these things so I am always acting like an adhd kid. I was so active they gave me weight gainers to suffice for the calories I lost, I wasn’t fat but wasn’t skinny lol.
Now I am in college and it is really hard as the only class I liked was psy 101 and i only passed b/c I wrote a 28 page paper on S. F. which earned me 489 pts out of 200 so I was excited.
I took adderall xr that I had from a while ago and now I can concentrate like no other. EVERYTHING seems interesting and life works so much better. I can take notes and actually learn and not be distracted. I just took one about an hour ago bc I work a 430-9 shift and am able to type this. It really helps me as I truly have this disorder or whatever it is, but those kids that do it bc it gives them energy I am really jealous as it just makes me normal. I kind of wish I could get the same effect you do lol. But then again If I don’t eat 4000 calories a day I turn into a flippin twig so maybe its not that bad at all
School is starting again and I am prepared with my adderall xr which i have a Dr. approved bottle of. So I say Peperdine here I come and ill bring my miracle drug with me lol!
August 24th, 2007 at 10:17 am
I work all day long in a pharmacy, and have seen the negative and positives of any stimulant. if you feel the need to take ritalin, adderall or any other stimulant, the only thing i advise to do is talk to your doctor, be honest with him. Tell him the reason why you think the drug is right for you. If it is learning problems, he might write a prescription for you, thus you taking the medication will be legal. Who knows, this stimulant can be harming you in the long run, only your doctor or pharmacist can be sure that it is safe for you to take. I don’t mean to annoy or hurt anybody here, i’m just posting what i have learned from experience in a pharmacy.
September 13th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
PLZ LISTEN…maybe my words can help you!!!!.i am not hear to bash or praise adderall, i was tested in kindergardn for add, my teacher said i was the worst case she ever seen, my mother didn’t want to accept that there was anything wrong with her “BOY”, being from arkansas that is a typical redneck mentality…it took me until i was 26 years old and many failed attempts at college and massive times of drug abuse for dealing with my depression to finaly see a doctor for my head and add. so leand me about 5 min of your time and maybe i can help. here it goes…
first i thought i am never gonna be able to function so i am gonna give up and start drawing disability. i started down that road, seeing councler , shrinks and all kind of other ppl to test me for disability, thank god one of my counclers brought up have you tryed going to school while taking a.d.d meds, i said no, i spent many years of my life on meth and it helped, i doubt they will right me that, besides that fact that i had quit meth about 3 years and start doing oxys, i spent 2 years shooting up oxys, then the last year taking methadone to get off oxys. ~~~~ by the way it is 10x harder to get off methadone and it takes about 5x or more as long for the withdrawls and detox prosess than oxys~~~~~,, the only thing that would make the withdrawl symptoms go away was the occasionl days i would do meth,,, in my early 20′s maybe 21 i tryed adderall, i am 26 now, when i tryed it i was on meth alot so of course it didn’t seem like anything noticable… well to sum it up i got adderall written to me…. for the first time in my life i feel alive… i am not sayin that everyone should go out and get adderall, but if you have trouble comprehending your readings and staying focused on reading or when you read sometihing it takes you a lot longer that most others, talk to a free councler in a town near you, it might just save your life as it did mine, i am more motivated, my depression is gone, my opiat adiction got kicked (and i thought that was gonna be imposible),..i am the person i want to be, all because to cleaned my life up and got on adderall. yes there are bad things about abusing adderall or any stimulant, but it maybe the only way…… don’t be scared to try medication cos you don’t wanna feel like you are stupid, or disabled or retarded,.its ok to need medication, don’t feel stupid…get off the illeagal drugs and quick fixes and get on the medication you need, i needed addarall, it is not for everyone, just give it or ritalin at try to help you, honestly takeing 2 20 mg ritalin is what i had to start on, cos i had to do it by the books to get adderall, it is not EASY to get it written, i am so so so glad i put the effort into it, it was my last ditch effort to live the life i wanted, it worked, it works, ……STAND UP AND BE THE PERSON YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO BE, ATTERALL HELPED ME BE THAT PERSON, MAYBE IT WILL HELP YOU TO, MAYBE……..to who ever reads my rediculously long post, i hope i have helped you,…be safe, be smart, live…….live
September 24th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Adderall IS amazing for studying. It gives you such a rush of ambition. The first time I took it I was so thrilled about how I cleaned the entire house and finished a week of homework in just one evening. I don’t use adderall regularly, and haven’t for a few months now. I am studying for the SAT and am going to start using it again to help. It’s wonderful if you don’t become too into it. Set a limit for yourself and stick to it. Don’t allow for yourself to become dependent. I know it’s not that simple, but use common sense.
About pressure to perform well.. It is so true that everywhere there is competition and someone telling you to do better. It is great, but sometimes the pressure is too much to handle. Learning vs getting the grade: When I was using adderall, the information wasn’t just applied to my studies/exam and then lost. The information was attained and stored in long term memory even when I was on the drug. I agree that it is better to actually learn, rather than just get the grade, but still… the pressure!
October 10th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
im addicted to adderral and i love it ive been taking it for 2 years now and i take one pill everyday or everyother day depending on how much i have. im dont have add/adhd but i believe i do…
so if your having issues weather taking it or now contact me
October 19th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
I am a sophmore in college and my freshman year i almost failed out of my university because i never made time to study and when i would study i would end up just getting distracted and not getting anything done. during the summer i went to my doctor and told her i was worried for the up coming year because i was constantly feeling stressed about my grades and worried i would fall into the same trap. She prescribed me Stratera which i took for about a month but could never sleep more than about 4 hours a night. I went back and she precribed me Adderall which I have really mixed feelings about…The amazing thing is that i can sit in the library and study for 8 hours and get everything i need to done without even noticing the time! I have Aced all of my tests and get my homework done and turned in on time every day. (this is something totally new to me) The thing i dont like about it though is that I never feel the sameway I used to. I feel sort of disconnected and lightheaded/dizzy. Which could be from NEVER eating since the adderall has completly gotten rid of my appetite…which has almost made me anorexic (not by choice) but food never looks good and when i do eat i can only eat a few bites. Its nice to have lost some weight (about 10lbs in a month 1/2) but it scares me that i feel so coked out all the time. I dont know…i love how good im doing in school but some of the side effects i can see becoming worse than getting bad grades…I think its crazy how freely they give the stuff out to. All you do is go to your doctor and say you cant concentrate and WHAM you have a prescription just like that. I can completely see how people want it and become addicted to it. its sort of scary!
October 29th, 2007 at 11:16 am
My cousin took adderral so he could stay up for a long drive. When he got where he was going, he took sleeping pills so he could fall asleep. He slipped into a coma and died a day later. I used to take it to help me study in college as well but I’ve learned that messing with drugs is playing with fire. Everybody’s bodies react differently to medicine so ppl need to wake up because it’s not worth your life.
November 13th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Never mix adderral with percocet/Vicodin. You will throw up all night.
November 15th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
Okay so i actually read the majority of this page… which would be the entire collection of all your blogs about adderall. first of i am 20 years old. I have been taking Adderall XR for about a year now. At first i took it cause my boyfriend gave me some of his to do a book report that had been due in like 2 days which i did and got an A on it(300+ pg book 4 pages report). Jan 07 i decided i should get some of my own. my dr prescribed me the med and diagnosed me with ADHD. I havent actually been prescribed a new bottle since May because i requested to not recieve anymore and to try to find something natural that worked for me.
SO now i have 3 20mg pills of adderall XR left from my may 07 prescription. after college was out for the summer i completely stopped taking it, i wanted to save it for when i needed it because the only positive effect i gained was concentration in my classes. after i stopped taking it, about a month later i was back to my old self…well i was beginning to be. so i only took these pills twice a week, the 2 days that i go to school. i cant wait until they are gone because i can move on with my life.
so i came to this blog for encouragment. i say that because i have had some of those negative side effects many dont experience. in which is why i told my doctor that i no longer wanted any controlled substance to treat me.
here is a list of the side effects that drove me away from this drug…
-paranoia
it got so bad i was freaking myself out. i would be in the shower and i couldnt close my eyes cause i pictured a horrifying clown on the other side of the curtain.
i use to be able to sleep in complete darkness, but now i MUST have some light. if i dont then i stay awake paraniod about what is going “to get me” (this is still something that affects me. hopefully one day i can be normal again)
-headaches
oh my god these were the worst anybody could imagine. persistant and frequent.
-amneia
couldnt sleep. i could never sleep
-chain smoking
its like you “only smoking while you drink” yet while i was taking adderall i was smoking WORSE than i would if i had been completely wasted.
-moody, irritated, short-tempered, lonely…
i was a bitch once the pill began to wear off. if i took another one it just made me more of a bitch. the smallest thing irritated me. and i disconnected myself from the world.
-personality
my family, my friends and my boyfriend noticed that i was not the hyper sarcastic bubbly girl i was anymore. my dad was even afraid to talk to me.
overall this medication altered my entire life. i have finished my perscription because i didnt want to give them away, i wanted to somehow benefit from what was left for my school work. in which i have. the only positive thing i have gotten from this “magic pill” is concentration and weight loss.
so really i guess i came to this blog for encouragement, and it feels good knowing that i am not the only one. i know that some take adderall then they get psychosis symptoms and they just get prescribed different meds for that. but as soon as i got those side effects i KNEW it was this drug. i know that im not crazy. i had never felt like that before this drug, and it just so happens that once i start taking it the symptoms pop up? yeah right. people that take adderall DONT REALIZE it IS THE ADDERALL. NOT YOU.
my major is psychology. im going all the way to be a psychiatrist and i will not prescribe this medication. that is my goal. i am going to make a difference because i feel this med has ruined my life…and obviously many others as well.
i know for some it has helped but you are ruining your body and your heart. adderall IS NOT the only answer. for the ones that abuse it, your an idiot. you want to snort adderall? who wants to ruin more of thier well-being for a high? i never used this med to get high, i used it for school. and i should have stopped once i noticed how it began to alter my whole self. i dont understand how cocaine can be illegal, yet they will put the same thing in a little pill and give it to children? that is the dumbest thing i have EVER heard of. who gives their child narcotics!
anyway. this is my short story. i know that for you that feel adderall has helped, it may has helped but your damaging your whole body inside. this drug needs to be banished. just like in canada. they banished it. america needs to do the same. nobody even cares about their health anymore. and thats sad.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
you all need to grow up and get off this shit. this is the worse product ever, and im just waiting for a class action lawsuit to get started. you don’t realize it now, cuz you been gone so long. when your dead, or lose it all, then you’ll know. its fucked up my brothers life. was 25, easy going, got along with others, laid back. his wife thought he had add cuz he wasnt doing well in nursing school. so dr. patel in olean gave him the med. ever since then, it has casued him to do things that he would never have done. he is on a hitlist, for gambling addiction due to adderall. he lost his home, marriage, car, no job, etc. thanks to adderall which you all turned into sum party drug. fda needs to pull this now before more lives ar eruined, and deaths. if oyu want join class action suit, get ahold of me. till then grow up, losers.
December 12th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Adderall helps get shit done, but it’s not a wonder drug so stop obsessing over it.
January 12th, 2008 at 10:34 am
Reading all the comments posted above, I have no idea where to begin. I have been in a 12 step program for 21 months and just started taking Adderall. I didn’t want to take a stimulant but Strattera didn’t seem to be helping much. I went back to school after 20 years and always had problems with focusing so I got tested of ADD. Now add on to that alcohol and drug abuse problems. I wanted to make sure I was on the same playing field as the rest of the college kids when it came to my learning ability. The very first pill of Adderall I knew my addictive personality was off and running. The red flags were there! Yet I did not use my tools of the program. I’ve gone back to school to become a counselor in addictions. I want to give back to those professions who have made me understand my demons. Yes, I do believe that there is a need for Adderal. I do believe Doctors are given it out far too easliy. I had a doctor who I felt would give me almost anything because I was able to read the PDR. This is a red flag to change doctors! I do not want my children on this drug. I feel with 80% chance of them becoming addicts (genetics) they do not need a stimulant in their developing minds. I’ll change their diet, envirnoment, and or school. This is just my belief.
I too noiced that from the comments above that the people who loved Adderal were new to it. Those who have had life changing events and not for the good, my heart goes out to you. The pain in your stories come through loud and clear. Thank you for your honesty. As to the girl who suffers from paranoia, I can relate and good luck to you. For the young man who has a gambling addiction. There are 12 step programs for that and how to deal with an alcoholic parent. To the mom who lost a child. I too lost a child. It took me nine years of self abusing hell to find out why I lost this beautiful baby girl. The best wishes only for you. I’m sorry I don’t want to affend anyone, however, anyone taking Adderall for pure “fun” is an idiot! I know the temptation that looks new and fun in what may be a boring and painful life but their are tools to learn other than self abusing methods. Good luck to all.
February 27th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I began taking Adderall last September after i talked to my doctor about feeling unmotivated and having a hard time concentrating on my school work. After a simple questionaire i was prescribed 20mg two times daily to treat ADD. As a Sophmore in college i came back up to school and at the beginning the Adderall worked wonders on my concentration and my ability to keep my schedule together. However, I felt myself becoming a completely different person. I no longer felt like the happy bubbly popular girl i was known as being, i suffered from horrible headaches, could never sleep for more than 4 or 5 hours a night, felt absolutly exhausted every day even though i could never fall asleep, I became a machine who just went threw the motions everyday with no emotion. I took the pills religiously as prescribed until the middle of December when i went back home for Christmas break. I figured i needed to take some time off from the pills since i wouldn’t be doing any studying and just had about a month to relax and try to feel like myself again. Unfortunatly, it only worsened. I became horribly depressed and felt like i had no passion for life anymore, i would cry at the drop of a hat and was always really bitchy and in a mad mood. My mom told me that she thought that the pills i was taking had stolen my personality and was making me go crazy. (that was really hard to hear!) I am still prescribed to the medication and am trying my hardest to completely stop taking them and hopefully regain my love for life and happiness. Now i rarely take them and only if i have alot of things to get done. I know that sounds horrible but Adderall will alter your mind into thinking that you cant get things done with out it. Its a horrible drug that ruins peoples lives. DO NOT take adderall recreationally or even just to pull all nighters to study. Its very addictive and your a fool if you will sacrifice yourself and everything important to you to get a high at a party or to get a little better of a grade on a test. This drug is prescribed much to easily and doctors should really be more caring about the well being of the patients and have a little more of an in depth evaluation before just handing it out like candy and masking a problem!
March 5th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I have been prescribed Adderall for ten years. I was prescribed Ritalin for two years before switching to Adderall. Regarding the Adderall, my initial dosage was 10 mg instant release daily. I increased the dosage to 12.5 mg instant release twice daily in high school. My Freshman year of college I increased my dosage yet again to 15 mg twice daily. I abused Adderall in the later months of my Freshman year, taking 15 mg pills as many as five times daily. I would drink heavily to get to sleep. This year, after going through a train-wreck of an experience where I did not sleep for four days, I stopped taking Adderall for about a month. Realizing that my abuse of the drug was instigated by my underlying depression and discontent with myself and life, I started taking Zoloft to get back on track. Now I am taking 30 mg of Adderall twice daily with 200 mg of Zoloft once daily and I am sleeping well, accomplishing my goals and getting good grades. Adderall has done great things for sufferers of ADD/ADHD like myself, yet has a high abuse potential when the patient is not self-aware. Although I did become heavily psychologically addicted to Adderall last year, the experience has made it physically clear to me that I had mistaken the good that I saw in taking Adderall for the good that was actually inside me. My brain is even more capable than has ever been before, but this is only maintainable if I strictly adhere to my prescription and frequently take breaks from the medication. Adderall is not for those who do not actually have ADD, though it will not harm them if used extremely sparingly. For those with ADD, it is extremely important to know that personal motivation is the biggest factor in utilizing the Adderall. Although “medicine breaks” can help reduce tolerance via the brain’s neuroplasticity, building up a tolerance to the drug is inevitable yet manageable. By taking too much Adderall for very long periods of time without allowing recovery, the patient is actually worsening their own condition because no amount of Adderall can replace personal motivation and natural energy. Basically, my message is that if anyone has abused Adderall in the past and has ADD–it is still possible to use Adderall responsibly and have it be as effective as it was prior to the period of abuse. For me, it took going into the extremes of taking Adderall to realize that the “optimal mental state” that I had achieved and was constantly trying to rereach, was not all a product of Adderall. Rather, by embodying that state in the pill, I was making it psychologically impossible to comprehend that 95% of my mental ability was already naturally a part of me. The Adderall just helps connect the dots for sustained periods of time–a task that is extraordinarly difficult for those with ADD/ADHD. Anyway, excuse me for rambling… I coming out of a cold that has put my head in a fog.
March 14th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
OK, you people talking about crashing are just being dramatic. Adderall definitely increases your ability to think, remember and it will make you a more successful person. Be smart about using it though. Use it when you don’t have to sleep. I find if I take a 10 then I can sleep within 6 hours. So take it at 5 and sleep at 11. I have never ever woke in the morning and felt like I had a hang over, anyone who says that is being dramatic. Given though I have only taken a 10 in the morning then a 10 in the afternoon. It will help you. It is addicting. If you only take one a day and ween yourself off but taking one every other day or so, you will be fine. As far as depression, I personally have never felt it. I think it has helped with any depression I have ever had and has made me a more confident person. I am not saying this to get anyone to do it or anything like that. I am just trying tp put the rest all the drama some people are saying. I think if your responsible about using is and understand that you will need to ween yourself off of it, the benefits far outweigh the downfalls.
March 18th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I have ADD and a very bad bad case of it all my friends at school say wow dude you have the worse case of ADD i have ever seen and i just laugh and say thanks. i am a sophomore in high school and have been taking medicine since 3rd grade the first neurologist i went to was a phsyco he prescribed me with epilepsies pills! then he prescribed me with a generic alza or something like that, after this i actually went to a not dumb neurologist in about 8th grade because my grades were so bad 7th through 8th i went to a guy named Dr. Robert Kohn he is the most brilliant doctor i have ever talked to his ideas went beyond just trying different medicines to see what happens, together we found a perfect medicine from 8th grade till the end of freshman year i had been taking Adderall XR, with this medicine i had no appetite but incredible focus in the summer i wouldn’t take it because i would be like a stick if i did. up until sophomore year in HS Adderall was working great but it all the sudden just stopped so me and Dr.Kohn tried this new stuff called Vyvanse this stuff worked miracles now i am getting a 4.0 and never been better. seriously if your going to take a ADD medicine take this shit it is absolutely amazing! this is my doctors site i was talking about if you wanna visit it and poke around http://www.drrobertkohn.com/
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I would like to know, if Adderal is so bad, why would all of your doctors give it to you by simply asking for it? I am finding it hard to believe that a doctor will just prescribe something so horrible to a teenager just because he asked? Aren’t there tests for ADD/ADHD that have to be done before a prescription can be processed?
September 7th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Im seriously thinking about trying this drug…This sounds to good to be true, and if I could just use it to get through this last semester, I would be content…
September 26th, 2008 at 2:19 am
I have been perscibed Adderall XR for narcolepsy. If I had a choice I would use Provigil less side effects and no chemical dependency, my insurance will not cover it because there are other therapies such as adderall…. I cannot afford $900 for a month persciption of provigil. All the people abusing Adderall XR and others are just going to make it harder for the people who need the drug. Think about your family members and children who may need the drugs one day. It would suck if they could not receive Adderall XR or any other drug for their medical condition because of your drug habbit.
October 1st, 2008 at 8:54 pm
does adderall hurt you if you try to take it when you want to win a sports game, like if you took one 30 mg to win a soccer game, to get more motivation, or is it bad because your heart is beating a lot?
November 11th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
I’m 16 and prescribed. 30mg.
Loveddd the loss of weight. And my grades went up like hellll but like..even right now at 6pm, I’m so depressed.
Restless is actually what I am. Like..you NEED to get out of the house or take the car somewhere. You just need to leave!!
You tweek out completely. And then if your in my situation and you cannot take the car and go anywhere, you just start crying!! Honestly!…crying! And the thing is, is that you KNOW its the adderal. Not you thats freakin out. But you still can’t stop wanting to hit someone ahah. If anyoneeeeeeeeeee knows how to stop this, please inform me ha
November 19th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Adderall is by far the most appealling drug on the market. At my South-eastern costal university, ADD and ADHD drugs are used by almost everyone. my personal pill of choice is the 20 MG Adderall XR, which comes in a capsule that can be opened and crushed and snorted. I also enjoy 20 MG instant release Adderall as well as the new drug Vinase, which was mentioned in the article as the new Adderall like drug. though it can not be snorted, the high MG doses make it easy to get jacked up on taking just a few. Though i dont, i often see other people taking and snorting other drugs like ritalin, focalin, concerta, and stratera. i personally dont like them because they arent amphetamine based, and i need the amphetamines to get jacked. prices around here are about 3-4 dollars for 20 MG XR Adderall during the down time, and up to about 8 during exam time. as for overdose, im not sure. i frequently take up to about 140 MG of adderall in a day, mostly snorted but some taken. ive taken large amounts of adderall in combination with Ecstasy as well, which had no negative effects. have fun!!
December 4th, 2008 at 6:30 am
I think it’s important to note that the reason that people end up taking such ridiculous doses – needing such ridiculous doses – is because they start too big. Adderall, amphetamines, whatever you care to call it, promotes by its very nature tolerance. If you’ve never taken it before, its best to start with a *very* small dose, say 5mg. Weight/Size/Stature has nothing to do with how Adderall will effect your productivity because it is all mental, it works in your brain without regard for your body. Therefore, you do NOT need more if you are bigger or weigh more. It will work, *you* will work, you’ll get a buzz, you’ll get the high. That being said, the physical side effects DO depend on dose and body size, and they can get pretty nasty, including cardiac arrest (Heart Attack). I don’t say that to scare anyone, just for full disclosure and to encourage you to start with a reasonable dose.
So, start with a 5mg dose, and take it as you sit down to work on a project, paper, assignment, whatever. (I don’t recommend Adderall for use in a party setting just because it can be HELLA dangerous in combination with alcohol – it makes it REALLY easy to give yourself alcohol poisoning, because you don’t feel ANY of the “bad” drinking feelings, just the silly nice feelings, so you feel like you can drink forever and you can’t. I’ve seen a friend have very serious health troubles because of a situation very similar, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to experience the hell s/he went through. So, I recommend it only as a Studdy Buddy, and I accept its use recreationally though I don’t like it, but I recommend against its use with alcohol.) Make yourself start working, and between 20 minutes and an hour later, depending on the person, it will kick in. You will work faster, smarter, longer. If, after 2 hours, you don’t feel anything or if the effect was mild, you may need to try adding another 5 mg, for 10 total. Nobody should need to start on more than 10. If you took the first 5 at say midnight, then you can take then next 5 anytime before 4am and you will still get the effect of all 10 in my experience.
Okay, so you’ve taken your 5 or 10 mg dose, you get a TON of work done, and you decide to use it again the next time you have a big project. The SAME dose will work for you again. But, after you use it regularly, i.e. every day for a week, every other for a couple of weeks, you will begin to see a reduction in its effectiveness. This is when you up the dose, very slightly. I recommend an increase of 2.5 grams, because it’s easy to split a 5mg pill in half and a 10mg pill in quarters for this purpose. You will probably have to keep doing this every few weeks for awhile, until you hit a plateau, probably somewhere between 20 and 40mg for a 5-8 hour study period. The point is, if you start with 5mg, that plateau will be 20-40mg. If you STARTED with 20mg, that plateau might be at 100mg or higher. And, as time goes on, the plateau will start to inch up again, from 20 to 25 or from 30 to 40. Again, if you had started with 20mg or higher, that plateau would be reaching for 150mg, the on-the-record, FDA-sanctioned “lethal daily dose” for a 250 pound person.
Not only is it safer, in regards to avoiding cardiac arrest and other potentially fatal side effects, to start with lower amounts so that your plateau will be lower, a lower tolerance/plateau means that if you are, as I assume, obtaining Adderall on the street or from a friend or in some other non-price-controlled manner – i.e. you’re not getting it from a pharmacy, where the prices are set by pharmaceutical companies – you will pay less. Much less. For example, someone I know uses Adderall illicitly, and they pay $8 per 15mg pill. Someone else I know pays 10$ per 15 mg pill. So, assuming you are lucky and don’t live in Morningside Heights, New York City, where Columbia students are known for having more money than brains (which is saying something), you can get a 15mg pill for $5, or about .33cents/mg. If your plateau was a nice round 30mg, it would cost you $10 per 5-8 hour study day. Lets say you have 3 such days a week throughout the academic semester, and 5 during midterms and finals. Your cost is $30 per week for the 13 normal weeks of the semester, plus $50 per week for the 2 exam weeks, for a total cost of $490/semester or $980/academic year. Wow. Expensive Habit (or necessity), right? Right. But, if you start with a higher dosage of 20mg and end up at a nice round 90mg plateau, your cost goes up to $30 per study day. Using the same calculations as above, that makes your semester cost $1470, and your academic year cost $2940. Can anyone say, “Hello, extra student loan!” ? (Note: Complete JOKE! I do NOT advocate taking out loans of any sort to pay for psychoactive substances of any sort. If you cannot afford it, please, please, PLEASE do not put yourself in a situation of doing something unethical, illegal, or self-demeaning for a psychoactive substance.)
So, basically, starting at a lower dose can save you almost $2000 a year! (Remember, thats based on a price of $.33/mg. Prices in New York and other metropolitan areas, and in college and university neighborhoods especially, can be as much as twice that much, and sometimes even 3 times that much.)
NOTES: All Adderall use in this comment by its author was legal, obtained at a pharmacy with the prescription of a Licensed Medical Professional. All other substance use shall be considered hypothetical, as shall any speculation on the street price of said substance(s). The advice contained herein is NOT the advice of a Medical Professional, nor of someone trained in any way to professionally deal with the situations depicted. Please consult a Licensed Medical Professional before obtaining or using any substance, and only use substances that *are* prescribed to you in the manner in which you were instructed. (i.e. Do not insulfate (snort) substances which were meant to be orally ingested, do not smoke substances that were not meant to be smoked, etc.)
December 4th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Oh, by the way: Yes, that ridiculously long discourse of sorts was written under the symbolic “auspices” of Adderall. That just proves that Adderall doesn’t eliminate procrastination. It just makes it more focused, and sometimes, MORE time consuming…
Note that though I am a longtime user of the substance (by prescription, of course, though I don’t neccesarily follow the daily dosage schedule, preferring to dose myself), I have used only 30mg in the last 7.5 hours, and the dose I currently on will last at least another 4. See the benefits of starting small? 12 hours of concentration cost a hypothetical $20 at the ridiculously inflated CU price, as opposed to a hypothetical $120 if I had started out with a higher dose and my plateau was now over 100mg/5-8 hours.
December 6th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I am a Junior in highschool and I have barely started this whole adderall phase, have tried it once or twice before with scary results. My heart was pounding and beating randomly. i said it was a bad idea and wouldnt do it again. I then took more of course 2 days ago. I have no tolerance and started off with 30 mg in the morning, left to smoke some weed, and then 30 mg more later in the afternoon. i was up all nite and couldnt wait for more. got ready early took 45 mg this time and brought 30 mg with me which i took a couple hours later. waited a little after gettin home and took 45 mg more . fun days. its now 4 in the morning and i think im gonna miss my second day of sleep. my arms are bright red i guess from my blood pressure increase, and they have a throbbing feeling slightly. I’ve been getting this wierd icy shivering feeling in my head, which just takes over my whole head if i rub or massage my head. i can still feel my heart pounding somewhat and my chest just kinda aches (not too bad). I have eaten but not as much as usual. ive had a shitty highschool cheeseburger the first day, and a single slice of pizza today. im having random muscles/nerves twitch. im not quite sure why i keep burping at least every once half hour when ive barely had any food. I’ve actually forgot to breathe (very briefly). If im still getting some of the good high effects currently, im worried what the complete crash is going to be.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Adderall is a stimulant medication created specifically to treat ADHD, which is a real disorder that many people DO have. For those of you who say, “Oh, anyone can learn if they work harder! Back in the old days…” you need to do some research, because it is people like you who prevent others from getting psychological treatment when they need it. People who suffer from ADHD often work just as hard as anyone else. In fact, they can spend three times the amount of time and energy than someone without the disorder and still find it difficult to accomplish the same task. There is a chemical imbalance that hard work and good ol’ fashioned studyin’ won’t fix. Some forms of therapy can be useful in helping childen find ways of dealing with their ADHD, but this doesn’t eliminate the problem. For adults with the disorder, therapy is pretty ineffective because most people have already adapted to performing a certain way. Yes, people abuse adderall. Yes, it can be addictive if it is not taken exactly as prescribed. And admittedly, in can be fatal for some people-as is the case with ANY substance. But for the majority of people, even the amount needed to overdose is extreme, and more than even the most frequent abuser might take. There are NO proven damaging long term effects of adderall. And for those who talk about the restlessness and irritable associated with the adderall wearing off; maybe you should try a smaller dosage.
December 16th, 2008 at 1:45 am
Well, I feel sorry for you all who seem to love the adderall “high”. I was a daily methamphetamine user for over 10 years. I quit 2 years ago. I have snorted, smoked, shot, drank, illegal uppers all my adult life just to get the will to live. I am a “manic depressant”, bi-polar, or whatever. I really needed a boost to get me going and just bear life. When I had to quit meth due to legal reasons and insanity, literally meaning insanity, I lost the will to live again. I turned into a reclusive hermit after 10 years of hard partying and never wanting to be home, I couldn’t even bring myself to leave the couch. My psychiatrist finally gave me ritalin. I had O.K. results but it made me very cranky and also terrible headaches every morning. I used it though and eventually got used to it, somewhat. I wanted to get away from the headaches so I began taking adderall. It is a much gentler drug on the body in my opinion. I’m not grouchy all day, I can arrange my thoughts, no more headaches. So, what I’m saying is, all of you “hardcore adderall addicts” are full of it. Yes you could stay up cramming on it, but I don’t see anybody turning into an adderall junkie. I asked for ritalin from a doctor a decade ago, I wonder if I would have got it back then like I should have if I would’ve turned into such a mess. I seriously doubt it. So you people who abuse the legal drugs that some people need and brag about it so it makes it harder to get; you know what you can go do to yourself. It aint the medicine that’s the problem it’s the user. I mean your all like ya’hoo I’m cool. Your just idiots.
January 21st, 2009 at 11:05 am
I just started taking Adderall xr for 2 days now. I had to go through 3 different meds. genreic ritilan, Folcain and another one, but they all made me jittery like I drank to much coffee. Because of medical ins. I had to get the generic brands. So I heard great things (and bad) about Adderall , but I have taken 10mg and I still feel jittery and hungery too ? I don’t understand, this sucks. I do horrible on consintrating, fosucing, can’t sit in class for a long time I get to figity, all the add stuff. It might be that I have to give it more time?( it’s only been 2 days)but I thought it was supposed to work instandly. I just don’t see all the hype about Adderall. To be honest, I was hopeing to lose weight with it because of all the weight lose people have been raving about! Do anybody else get like this?
April 12th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
I have ADHD (combined type) and nothing makes me more angry then seeing people use adderall, and other stimulant adhd meds for recreational purposes. I first started looking into ADHD when I nearly flunked out of high school, but was told at the time that I was too old to get tested, and that you have to have corroboration of being hyper from elementary school teachers. I was a well behaved kid, and all my report cards noted my maturity and helpfulness. Sure I was a daydreamer to the point where it was difficult to follow conversations, and fidgeted (tapping my foot, clicking pens, tapping my fingers, hypergraphic doodling and notetaking, assemblign and disassembling pens and other desk nicknacks) but those were not taken into consideration. Basically I was told by Doctors that I was just drug seeking and needed to stop being such a lazy a-hole. Caffeine addiction and sleep deprivation scheduling are the only things that kept me passing in high school, particularly when moments of hyperfocus would strike. In college I was able to skate through for a while, but things began to fall apart. After getting into a really cool program of classes all related to my major, and failing the second section dispite spending all my time thinking about the class and things related to it (but unable to start the work, even if I spent the entire day sitting in front of it) I decided to get tested.
Because I was uninsured and am a poor student (whose parents are not in a position to help financially), finding a therapist to test me and a doctor who would work with me was virtually impossible. It took two months following my diagnosis to gain access to a doctor. The reason: I would call saying that I was being treated for ADHD by a psychologist, and that I had a letter from her suggesting I work with a doctor about this, and possibly another physical problem (thyroid, which also impacts focus, and was suspected due to my very cold hands and lack of sense of smell). I was usually turned away because they said that they didn’t want to work with someone my age about ADHD unless they had a note from an insurance co. testifying that they werent a drug dealer.
During that two month gap I did buy adderall on the black market, which at my school is pretty large. I bought it for a friend who had been taking it for studying on and off for years. This friend lives off of energy drinks, and adderall doesn’t make him hyper-focus or crazy, but just helps him study, keeps him calm, and prevents distraction. He’s watched the way I’m reacting now that I have medically supervised treatment (on lower cost, and IMO, more effective dexedrine SR) and is now seeking assessment himself. Research done by therapists who work with ADHD patients suggests that self-medicating with caffeine and illegal amphetamine use is common among those who are not diagnosed, and that the majority of people with ADHD have never been assessed or diagnosed, in part because they were not seen as disruptive or hyper as children. The zombie effect and other complaints that people, particularly kids, have about meds is possibly a result of misdiagnosis of very active children as being hyperactive. Women make up the majority of undiagnosed adhd cases, followed by primarily inattentive men.
Sorry if this is kind of rambling. My main points are these:
1) recreational use of adhd stimulant meds by college kids makes it harder for their peers who have adhd to gain access to the services and treatment they need by creating a bias that people in this age group are frivelous drug seekers.
2. because it is very hard to get adhd legitimately if you do not have insurance (even if you have been diagnosed with adhd by more then one therapist or counselor) sometimes people who really need that medication have to turn to the black market.
3) frequent recreational users, particularly those who don’t see some of the more negative side effects listed above, should seriously consider getting tested for adhd, or at least spend some time on the google machine looking into the research done on addiction and self-medication (esp. with amphetimines) by people with untreated adhd. Particularly look at studies of testing done on men in prison for meth.
4) Many people currently prescribed ADHD meds do not need them, and many do not have ADHD. Most people with inattentive type ADHD are not diagnosed. While the black market for stimulants is a good way for people in the first category to make money (and I won’t deny this), it makes it more difficult for the second to recognize that they need treatment, and once they do decreases their ability to get treatment, both because of the stigma attached to seeking treatment because of the positive effects of illegal self-medication, and because both people who have ADHD and people who don’t take adderall recreationally it normalizes the behavior, and suggests to those who legitimately need treatment that their struggles and responses are normal, and are the way everyone else is reacting to school, stress, and the stims.
One final point: if you fall into the category of people who have used stimulant meds recreationally and think that you might actually have a problem, please get tested. And if you are serious about wanting to get help then your best move would be to not tell whomever it is doing the assessment that you have used adderall etc. illegally. They will turn you away, and you will go on a blacklist. Also, best of luck to you.
July 25th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Many posts here are informative, but the long ones are clearly written by folks who are wired-to-the-gills at the time of writing.
42-yo male. Diagnosed w/ADHD (although, as some here have indicated, it is not a chemical test, but an interview, which can be fudged.)Adderall for 5 years. 30mg XR. Taking 45mg daily. 1 cap, + 1/2 loose from another cap. Sometimes chew, sometimes not.
It has helped me a lot, but I have also had those days where 90mg seems to be the only thing to get me through the day.
Acidic agents/compounds (juices, vitamins, sodas) make it harder for the body to absorb. Alkaline agents (antacids, sodium bicarb) make it easier to absorb. So if you are drinking a bunch of juice and taking vitamin C, then yes, you’ll need more Add. to feel the effects. So pay attention to EVERYTHING you put in your body and note how it affects your overall day – I love a big Mexican food fiesta, but feel AWFUL (bloated, fat, tired) afterward. So pay attention & be careful. If you are just using it for fun, STOP. Adderall may not be THE thing that fucks up your life, but using it as you do is a BIG warning sign that you will lie to yourself about why you’re doing foolish things. You will smack into a wall someday – rock bottom as they call it, but there are ways out and people who will help you. Just ask.
October 3rd, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Back when I was in school we used to take “Dr Foy Specials” That would ‘allow us to focus’ on our studies. Riiiight. These are addictive anti-depressant drugs that the manufacturers have found a new market for. The fact that a whole new generation of students are getting addicted to these drugs is criminal.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:11 am
oh for crying out loud people!! you know, for people who truly have add/adhd, those who maybe have some motivation issues due to depression and even the occasionally using college student in the midst of finals, it’s one thing. to use it to be able to drink more or to get fucked up is entirely something else. this is the shit that some news show will love to get it’s hands on and act like it’s the end of the fucking world that some kid uses it to cram at the end of the semester. they will find some set of parents who for whatever reason(s) didn’t address the signs that their troubled child was showing (probably for YEARS) and blame it all on adderall. people have used chemicals for years to both legitimately medicate and to temporarily enhance many things, be it caffeine at starbucks, viagra for your dick or a joint to calm the nerves at the end of the day. while there are the rare backfirings for some (and the risk is always present), addicts and abusers ruin shit for everybody.
guess what? i managed to work 2 jobs, raise a child, run a household and get a degree in chemistry, all while smoking pot daily, which i essentially outgrew. i did it as a reward, much like a person has a glass of wine at the end of a day of hard work, and it was not a gateway drug as i did not drink, snort or inject anything else. i did not peddle it to children (mine has no idea), support terrorism or burn my brain cells into oblivion. now i take adderall because 2 years ago, i went through a depression that while lifted, left the lethargy and lack of motivation to get everyday things done. i plan on taking it to get me back to where i need to be and then be done. i don’t plan to continue taking it to get myself or someone else killed, so i can ruin for everyone. chances are, if you feel like you shouldn’t be taking it or it is beginning to overshadow it’s supposed benefits, then stop. get help and address the root of your problems. either find another medicine that may work for you or get some kind of therapy and quit expecting a fucking pill to be the answer to hard work and sifting through the rough shit in life. if you are taking it to get some sort of buzz or enhance your beer pong skills, you are a fucking douchebag who will probably be dead in 10 years anyway.
December 4th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Pro-tip: if you’re taking adderall without a prescription, you’re taking it recreationally. Even if you only use it to study, if you don’t have a diagnosed need for it (diagnosed by a DOCTOR not your roommate), you’re doing drugs. Don’t fool yourself. Hate to break it to you, but the fact that all your buddies are doing it doesn’t make it any healthier. If you feel you really need adderall for ADHD or ADD, go to a doctor and ask. If you just want to take it to get a buzz, or cram for an exam, go for it, but don’t try to cloak it as some kind of safe-option miracle pill.
Also, the mechanism of dependency and addiction varies from person to person. Some people can smoke a cigarette at a party once every couple months and nothing more. Some people can’t. Be smart. Don’t be too sure that ‘self-control’ is going to keep you from becoming addicted to amphetamines. Some people can get away with taking a pill or snorting a line every so often with minimal effect. Lucky them. I’m certainly not one of them. I’d rather have the 4 years of my life back that I spent putting stuff up my nose in order to feel smarter, thinner, and better about everything.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t take adderall if you have a diagnosed condition and your doctor feels that it will help you (and if it does help you). I’m not even trying to tell you how to get your kicks. Just be aware of what you’re doing. And be aware that if you find yourself taking meds without a prescription, the underlying reason you’re doing so may be different than you think. Many people try to self-medicate legitimate psychological problems with drugs and alcohol without realizing it.
I don’t mean to come off as too preachy (even though I am), I just wouldn’t want anyone else going through what I went through with addiction if it can be avoided. Entirely apart from the psychological effects, I spent time in jail. For prescription drugs–not coke, not crystal meth, not heroin. My case isn’t exactly typical, but I’m proof. You can be a relatively smart, well-meaning, normal person, and still succumb.
Final note: abusing stimulants stops seeming cool after college. Just like drinking until you black out and having sex with every person you come across just because you can.
May 19th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
it helps me get through the day…………tanks adderall
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:13 am
My family recently found out that brother had become addicted to adderall. Our family has gone through hell. He was discharged from detox too early and crashed, and now he is back in the hospital. He became a monster over the past year and the stress and pain it has put on our family is a sin. If any of you are considering taking adderall, I beg you, I implore you, I plead to you…Please do not do it. This drug is very dangerous and it will destory your life. Get off it if you are taking it. God blessed each of us with a brain and cognitive thought – we don’t need drugs to succeed. We put a man on the moon without adderall. Please, please, please…with all of my heart… I plead with you…stay away from adderall. It is the devil.
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:15 am
There is no such thing as ADHD
August 7th, 2010 at 6:06 am
Old blog, but super interesting. For Jame, the last reply, I’m curious as to what kind of Adderall user your brother was. I’m sorry you and your family had to go through that, but was your brother prescribed Adderall? Did he have any underlying anxiety or depression issues, or was his use purely recreational for the partying purpose?
I really learned to love studying this last quarter and I couldn’t have done it without the Adderall. It just gave me that motivation and extra push to study, if anything.
A few of my friends had recommended taking Adderall to study and whatnot, but I didn’t feel right taking it without a prescription so I saw a therapist at my school, who then referred my to a psychiatrist. Discussing the symptoms of ADD, I easily recognized situations that backed up the diagnosis, but I’m still not completely sure of it. Technically, I was diagnosed with ADHD, seeing as my “hyperactivity” could account for my presumed anxiety, lifetime talkativeness, bad habits like biting nails/etc, constant munching, and difficulty concentrating on anything. At the end of the first appointment with my psychiatrist, I couldn’t believe that he was already writing up a prescription. Due to my disbelief, I asked him if that was common, for individuals to be diagnosed later on rather than as a child. According to him, the smarter an individual is, the later they would notice symptoms of ADD, which made sense. As a child, I never really had to sit down and study for school since it always came easy to me. During high school, my grades slightly dropped as I spent more time sleeping than learning in classes. I always kept busy, whether with extra classes or work, which I think was really what got me through and into UCSB with a 3.8 GPA. Classes suddenly became more difficult as they required more of my time and I found it difficult to keep up in college. My first two quarters, I had a composite GPA of 2.3. Once I started taking about 20mg Adderall XR on school days my third quarter, I got grades no lower than an A- and brought my GPA up to a 2.90
Regarding “increased tolerance” of Adderall, it doesn’t exist. Adderall is effective in reducing the symptoms of ADD by stimulating this chemical in your brain called dopamine. Basically, since the dopamine can be used up quicker than it is produced, it can feel as if your tolerance is increasing. In that case, it’s true that an increased dosage will be more effective than your current one, but even if you take a day or two off the Adderall, your original dosage will become more efffective. My psychiatrist even recommended taking a few days off or even taking smaller doses rather than stronger ones, should my dosage seem ineffective.
In my opinion, it’s an astoundingly helpful drug if used with care. The only negative side effects I’ve noticed have been on days I haven’t taken any. When I’m on Adderall, I really don’t mind the dry mouth and I actually like the loss of appetite, which is a prevalent reason I’m using the prescription during the summer. When I skip a day or two (usually when I end up sleeping in since taking it later in the day isn’t the best idea), I end up eating much more in comparison, and just feel sluggish and tired as hell, so I can definitely see how it can become addictive.
I practically wrote an essay; go figure, critics would definitely blame it on the Adderall… I also had at least 4 cups of coffee today too, to get in a better mood before work, so they definitely compliment each other.
Essentially, I’m unsure of whether or not I’d recommend this drug considering its wide potential for abuse. If you do consider it, I would ONLY RECOMMEND using it under the supervision of a licensed doctor. It’s definitely not something you should take just to stay awake because it will screw you over, and you really don’t know the side effects or dangers of it, prescription/legal drug or not. RX drug or not, it is still illegal if you are not prescribed it. Everyone reacts to RX drugs differently, so you never know what side effects you might experience even if friends/yourdrugdealer claim not to have any negative effects.
Good luck!
May 12th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
I abused adderal for a long time. I understand the respect though there is another drug for you to try. it is a non script form from the doctor. you can recieve it at CVS pharmacy under the vitamins section or ask a pharmasist for FOCUS FACTOR. works just the same…this is a miracle vitamin for me. so please mother’s and/or father’s try using FOCUS FACTOR it is $40 a bottle. god bless you guys…
December 6th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
Just figured I would toss in my two cents without fear of the change being thrown back at me.
As someone who is diagnosed with ADHD and is prescribed adderall ir, very large daily quantities, and someone who has had to sell it to survive, I have seen normal people take this and enjoy the superhuman effect so much that within a week they are fiends for the drug. And I do mean fiends. They have begged pleaded cried etc. all for enough to get through a day. I hate myself for ever thinking I was helping anyone. This is a dangerous highly addictive drug, it is not to be taken lightly. One thing that no one seems to mention is the tolerance issue, you will build a tolerance up so fast that instead of taking one to study its two then 3 then 1 to study 1 to remember, 1 to party, preatty soon they do not work at all and you end up bumping them, and looking for anything that might give you the effect. Myself I guess because I have ADHD I am able to sleep normal, and the euphoric feeling doesn’t exist now, in the beginning it did. Who doesnt want to be superman? But this drug will also make you a machine, unable to think or care about tomorrow, only the now this very second, and also excessive use can lead to being antisocial because others don’t fit into the bubble you now live in where its just you and your adderall.
In a nut shell I have seen what this drug is capable of, both good and bad. If you don’t have a disorder that needs it please dont take it. It is prescription cocaine. And to take this recreationally is to be digging your grave both physically mentally socially etc. would you dig your grave for fun? How about make your own tombstone? As funny as that sounds it is exactly what you are doing. Just because it comes in bottle from a pharmacy does not make it safe, morphine, methadone, both come from a pharmacy and in my opinion are just as bad as adderall. You look at the addict taking heroin and think at least you are not that bad, when in actuality your both in the same boat. I just can’t stress enough the addiction the comes with this drug. Most likely no one will listen to me for who am I to preach? It is just not a safe drug to be toying with.