Adderall - long term addiction and tolerance?; better altern

Hello, I'm 26 yrs old and currently on a low/medium dosage of Strattera. I'm not hyperactive but I do have ADD in the sense of having difficulty organizing, staying focused, and following through with tasks. Strattera has helped but not as much as I would like. People have recommended Adderall and I am currently reseraching it so I can discuss with my doctor. Does anyone know if Adderall is more ideal for a less hyperactive version of ADD? Reading all of the side effects is quite alarming. I repeatedly see that Adderall is very addictive, what happens once you are put on a daily dosage of the medication; are you constantly having to up the dosage? What will then happen 20 years from now? Any suggestions, advice, knowledge is much appreciate... Thank you...

i would suggest trying to get your tasks done without the use of prescription medication. after months and years of usage you will not even be the same person.

Hi,
I would highly recommend that you do not start taking adderall. What they say is true, tolerance builds rapidly and dependence is very likely. If you are anything like me, you will eventually come to the point where you are completely unmotivated to do anything (from laundry to hanging out with friends) without it. Every month I struggle for at least a week because I take my prescription too quickly or have to "pay people back" for borrowed pills. In fact, the only reason I'm sitting at home on a Friday night is because I have no desire to socialize without it. Granted I am going through the immediate withdrawal phase, but my point is, don't start on an addictive and dangerous medication unless you want to experience what I do every month.
Why don't I just take my prescription as recommended? My tolerance is too high and my doctor isn't comfortable prescribing a 24 year old more than 40 mgs per day.
As far as what happens 20 years from now, I'll still have to be taking adderall because I cannot imagine or fathom life without it. The days I suffer without my prescription are absolute hell. I will be taking my adderall for life. These are just my experiences, but I hope you find this information helpful in making your decision.

I've been prescribed adderall 30mg 2x day since I was 15 (9 years) and I never had a problem with it until I started nursing school. I began having to take it every single day, even weekends, because of the unbelievable study/work load. I started noticing that it wasnt working as well as it had previous years. I went to the doctor, and she switched my meds to strattera and focalin...none of which worked. I told her to just forget about the problem and put me back on adderall (i was falling behind in my 8 hour lecture days and 12 hour clinicals without it). To manage my 12-16 hour days she said I could take 60 mg of XR early in the morning and then 1 30mg in the late afternoon. I did this for about 6 months before THAT stopped working. Im very upset about all of this because I know that I can't possibly increase my dose anymore (there are so many heart and hypertensive issues that go along with a stimulant) and I'm falling behind in my studies, and its literally impossible for me to sit still in a lecture hall for 8 hours a day without annoying everyone around me. My work is not nearly as good as it used to be and I pretty much just dont hear what the instructors are saying during lecture. I also have signs of dependence because when I dont take the medication I feel very fatigued and lazy. The last time I didnt take it was a month ago only for a day that I didnt have any studying to do.
But I want you to know that between 30-60mg/day did work very well for me for several years. It worked through high school and college. Im all over the web looking for alternatives for myself now but cant seem to find any that have the same effect as adderall.
Best of luck!

If you're gonna take adderall, understand this: if you need it for more than a couple of years, insullfate (snort) it, are "addicted" or have formed habits (you know you have a party to attend to so you take extra), these are all BAD signs. I have an ex who went straight from years of crystal meth into snorting adderall, and it was sickening to see. I admit, I abused it for about a year and a half in my younger days, but luckily I never became really addicted and still have enough natural energy that it's not tempting to get back into the daily use of it. I'd say, use it for a few months at a time, if that. If you are addicted to soda with caffiene or coffee...I'd stay away. If I was a caffiene addict I'd probably be an adderall addict, too. I think I just don't have a real addictive personality, luckily, but I wish I could say the same for my ex. I'm sure, even in his mid-30's, he's now sitting somewhere tweaking out with his nose full of orange pill-crushed powder. And sad because he got skinnier and skinnier and aged about 6 years over the 3 I knew him.

I take 30 mg of adderall daily. I started a year ago at 20 mg and the year before that I was taking 20 mg of ritalin. The ritalin didn't really help so I switched to adderall and it was a world of difference for me. I'm 23 years old and I also have a sleeping disorder (excessive sleepyness); idiopathic hypersomnia is what my sleep doctor calls it. But I also believe that I have ADD so adderall helps with both. Over time the medication does wear off but that's how your body works; it become custom to usually anything-even a workout routine! So, yeah it's kind of scary to think about what will happen when you keep increasing doses and they keep wearing off but I have had two doctors tell me it's okay to swith medication when that happens and then switch medication again when that one wears off too. And you can always go back on adderall again after switching to another medication. You wont become addicted if you don't abuse it. Some days I don't take it when I know I can lay around and not do much but there's always a slight form of addiction with every drug. That's just how it goes. That is why you wean yourself off medication and not just stop cold turkey.