I was taking Adderall when I went through puberty, and my "man boobs" never went away. I have lost weight and toned up over the years, but i still have breasts similar to womens...could adderall have something to do with this???
After 20 years of taking adderall/ritalin/adderall/ritalin I'd like to mention that while statements about medically sound use of these drugs are almost certainly true. No one here has addressed the fact that long term exposure to this drug without slipping out of that type use is somewhat superhuman. And to think you might be able to continue this for many years with your strict self discipline, that perhaps you've been keeping for 10 years now is somewhat naieve. 98% of those 20 years I have mainteined sound judgement, but I consider myself almost un-effected by addictions, as I've done all the best drugs and never had long term habits. But the fact is, if you use these type drugs for a long time you will slip, and wetheter that leads to your whole new life as a crackhead or just represents you parting for a month is no longer up to you at that point... These drugs are therefore VERY dangerous for long term use.
Almost anyone I've given one of my pills to wake up for a drive, or stay up for a concert typically goes 1, to 2, to how do I get a perscription, to downward spiral. Granted, they are starting from the wrong approach, but they are just taking one for the drive, and may of had no intrest in such things before... I almost never give them out because of this. I'll buy you a bag of coke instead so you can see how you like a much worse drug that is far less easy to obtain or socially acceptable. I'm fully convinced that someone who says they have taken these drugs for 20 years ONLY as medically intended is a LIAR. These are the people who don't jerk off either. It's not true, they aren't admiting it. I'd say it's more likely true you have thrown yourself in front of a train every day for the past 20 years without ill effect. I could believe that, it's possible. If something about sucking penis for your next fix doesn't appeal to you, then that is something to consider for long term use of these drugs.
While I have abused them, I do feel medically acceptable use will wear on your body too. My feet currently swell up in a way I've only seen in people 30 years older than me. I quit these drugs for 10 months and was still not able to stay awake for any more than 8 hours a day, despite all the doctors thinking I'd be "de-toxed" within weeks. At almost a year of 8 hour waking days I self-diagnoised that the damage was permnant and I'm stuck with these nasty little things. Tolorance is still building, so I imagine in another 10 years I'll be awake 10hrs/day WITH the drugs. I refuse to up the dose, and I'm getting close to medically acceptable levels anyways. (60mg adderall or ritalin/day) adult male. This series of events, or the drugs themselves have changed my attitude/outlook on life in a way that makes me not want to post a warning like this so you all get what you deserve. I used to have hope for mandkind or the future. I couldn't fake it now if I tried. From a distance, I possibly appear like a normal person, I have a facebook account etc... But this is only because I like to make as many people cry possible at once. I used to be considered a fun-loving, extremely funny guy, and my mind still contains all that razor sharp whit, I just don't think people deserve laughter. Signs of this happening are available to me in foresight, but it seems I woke up one day happy, the next begging for the sweet release of death. Maybe this is just grownig old? I'm almost 35. With my current tragectory, I can't see working past 45 more than 5 hours a day, which won't matter because I'll probably kill myself soon... I may also just be depressed, but over the past 4 years have tried every drug YOU can name for depression, worked with top psych. doctors in the field, spent over 75k in $100-$800/hour therapy, and spent a quarter of a mil at Austen Riggs. So now I'm not just depressed, but thoroughly convinced there isn't help for me by any means I could find or afford... I guess that leaves God. I'd dedicate my life to satan if their is a God that would create me, to put me through this. I'd rather eat his children than worship him. This might be the type of thing brought on by extreme intelligence too? The only type joys I get these days are thoughts of atomic terrorism, or creating the plague that knocks the world population down to ~150,000 so people can experience the true joys of communism, and shed all their idioic biases and prefrences. You wouldn't be so hot on asian women if there weren't any left alive... or perhaps you'd get rid of your long-standing bias against homosexuality or necrophellia... Just as long as I don't have to stay alive to praticipate in any of it. (Note to nosy feds, I'm making a point about depression here, don't drive me to do this) POW? MIA? perhaps he's with the rest in guantanamo bay... (all known POW's were released by this point after vietnam war, shall I be so bold as to suggest we set our minimum level or morality slightly HIGHER than viet-cong?) Sorry, for some reason I still care about injustice? perhaps that's why I'm sick... :-D :-S
Almost anyone I've given one of my pills to wake up for a drive, or stay up for a concert typically goes 1, to 2, to how do I get a perscription, to downward spiral. Granted, they are starting from the wrong approach, but they are just taking one for the drive, and may of had no intrest in such things before... I almost never give them out because of this. I'll buy you a bag of coke instead so you can see how you like a much worse drug that is far less easy to obtain or socially acceptable. I'm fully convinced that someone who says they have taken these drugs for 20 years ONLY as medically intended is a LIAR. These are the people who don't jerk off either. It's not true, they aren't admiting it. I'd say it's more likely true you have thrown yourself in front of a train every day for the past 20 years without ill effect. I could believe that, it's possible. If something about sucking penis for your next fix doesn't appeal to you, then that is something to consider for long term use of these drugs.
While I have abused them, I do feel medically acceptable use will wear on your body too. My feet currently swell up in a way I've only seen in people 30 years older than me. I quit these drugs for 10 months and was still not able to stay awake for any more than 8 hours a day, despite all the doctors thinking I'd be "de-toxed" within weeks. At almost a year of 8 hour waking days I self-diagnoised that the damage was permnant and I'm stuck with these nasty little things. Tolorance is still building, so I imagine in another 10 years I'll be awake 10hrs/day WITH the drugs. I refuse to up the dose, and I'm getting close to medically acceptable levels anyways. (60mg adderall or ritalin/day) adult male. This series of events, or the drugs themselves have changed my attitude/outlook on life in a way that makes me not want to post a warning like this so you all get what you deserve. I used to have hope for mandkind or the future. I couldn't fake it now if I tried. From a distance, I possibly appear like a normal person, I have a facebook account etc... But this is only because I like to make as many people cry possible at once. I used to be considered a fun-loving, extremely funny guy, and my mind still contains all that razor sharp whit, I just don't think people deserve laughter. Signs of this happening are available to me in foresight, but it seems I woke up one day happy, the next begging for the sweet release of death. Maybe this is just grownig old? I'm almost 35. With my current tragectory, I can't see working past 45 more than 5 hours a day, which won't matter because I'll probably kill myself soon... I may also just be depressed, but over the past 4 years have tried every drug YOU can name for depression, worked with top psych. doctors in the field, spent over 75k in $100-$800/hour therapy, and spent a quarter of a mil at Austen Riggs. So now I'm not just depressed, but thoroughly convinced there isn't help for me by any means I could find or afford... I guess that leaves God. I'd dedicate my life to satan if their is a God that would create me, to put me through this. I'd rather eat his children than worship him. This might be the type of thing brought on by extreme intelligence too? The only type joys I get these days are thoughts of atomic terrorism, or creating the plague that knocks the world population down to ~150,000 so people can experience the true joys of communism, and shed all their idioic biases and prefrences. You wouldn't be so hot on asian women if there weren't any left alive... or perhaps you'd get rid of your long-standing bias against homosexuality or necrophellia... Just as long as I don't have to stay alive to praticipate in any of it. (Note to nosy feds, I'm making a point about depression here, don't drive me to do this) POW? MIA? perhaps he's with the rest in guantanamo bay... (all known POW's were released by this point after vietnam war, shall I be so bold as to suggest we set our minimum level or morality slightly HIGHER than viet-cong?) Sorry, for some reason I still care about injustice? perhaps that's why I'm sick... :-D :-S
I AM NOT A DOCTOR, BUT FROM MY BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF BIOLOGY I WILL MAKE A CONJECTURE ON THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF ADDERALL:
I am speaking from my experience of taking adderall for 1.3 years.
First of all, this drug is very addictive.
Secondly, it is a better alternative to street drugs due to its purity.
Thirdly, swallowing a pill is very much more healthy for you than insufflating it or having it absorb through membranes.
So, if you "abuse" Adderall, you are in a far less leaky boat than if you "abuse" cocaine or meth or whatever else there is.
In my eyes, long term use implies using the drug at least (300 out of 365 days per year) for a number of years.
MY MAJOR IDEA IS:
If you recieve 5X long term effects from using 5mg of adderall a day over 10 years, you will not recieve 60X long term effects from using 60mg of adderall over Y years. Instead, if you use 60mg of adderall a day over 10 years, you will probably recieve 240X or another exponentially increased amount of long term effects.
Why? From my knowledge of neurons, the molecule lodges into place at a receptor site in your brain, where it will stay for a while, until enough of these adderall molecules break the membrane potential causing the release of dopamine. I'm pretty sure if one adderall molecule binds to a receptor site, you will not recieve 1 dopamine in exchange. Whatever the number is, many hundreds or thousands of maybe more of these adderall molecules have to bind to a receptor site in order to "activate" the membrane.
So, there definitely are ratios at work of molecules of adderall to output. Say, it might take 100 adderall molecules to actually break membrane potential.
With this in mind, 5mgs of adderall might only cause a small percentage of the membranes in your brain to fire, whereas 60mg will cause a very large percentage of the membranes to fire.
Remember, this is all my conjecture and is not backed by any evidence. Haha.
Your brain will react very much strongly to a 60mg dose than a 5mg dose, because the effects are far more molecularly widespread and concentrated. Also, your body is monitoring about 5 million other neurotransmitters, and reacting to them as well. So, a small dose of adderall will have cause a very small change to the levels of certain other neurotransmitters, and a very small change to the levels of those neurotransmitters will have even smaller effects on the levels of other neurotransmitters. Therefore, a larger dose of adderall will have a large effect on related neurotransmitters and their related ends. Therefore, your body will be sensing an exponentially greater measured change when using higher doses of Adderall, which will cause it to react to it more vigorously to its presence. Not only that, but the effects of higher doses of Adderall probably also have an exponentially greater risk to your body due to the greater changes your body is required to make to re-establish equilibrium.
This conjecture would support that long term side effects do not follow a linear path (long term effects / milligram dose of adderall), and instead follows an exponential line.
I'm done with that idea now, it's too unfounded. I also had a good time conjecturing.
However, in the same way that you don't form a callous over 1 night, you wont suffer any long term effects from using 1 pill. It is the prolonged exposure of the compounds in your brain that cause the long term effects (stating the obvious), and I hypothesize that long term effects DEFINITELY EXIST, as evidence purely suggests.
The REAL QUESTION is whether or not medically prescribed dosages cause long term effects.
Although this is debatable, I believe undividedly that Adderall will have long term effects even at small doses.
It seems an impossibility that a prolonged exposure to anything will not have your body responding to it in some way.
Think about a callous and how a callous forms. If a stuck rubs on you every day for years, a callous will form on the spot, a rough thick callous at that. In the same way, if a feather rubs on you every day for years, a callous will form on the spot, but it probably won't be so rough.
In any case, if the effects are good, the long term side effects are probably going to be bad. Your brain will probably become lethargic, especially in the field of dopamine production, and you will probably have lower net levels of dopamine release, and probably in fewer bursts. This is probably reversible to a certain degree, but I'm not certain to what extent.
In any case, don't forget that:
1)You are a human being evolved over millions of years and that your brain is a fine-tuned mechanism with countless factors that come into play.
2)You might have been born with a chemical imbalance, and that you are making up for this imbalance by digesting a drug. The drug solves the problem temporarily, not permanently.
2)The drug might have variable long term effects on your body.
So, the best way to play the Adderall card in order to avoid long term effects is to:
1)Not use it every day, take breaks on weekends/when you don't need it.
2)Try to lower your dosages if they are high
3)Exercise for dopamine
I am speaking from my experience of taking adderall for 1.3 years.
First of all, this drug is very addictive.
Secondly, it is a better alternative to street drugs due to its purity.
Thirdly, swallowing a pill is very much more healthy for you than insufflating it or having it absorb through membranes.
So, if you "abuse" Adderall, you are in a far less leaky boat than if you "abuse" cocaine or meth or whatever else there is.
In my eyes, long term use implies using the drug at least (300 out of 365 days per year) for a number of years.
MY MAJOR IDEA IS:
If you recieve 5X long term effects from using 5mg of adderall a day over 10 years, you will not recieve 60X long term effects from using 60mg of adderall over Y years. Instead, if you use 60mg of adderall a day over 10 years, you will probably recieve 240X or another exponentially increased amount of long term effects.
Why? From my knowledge of neurons, the molecule lodges into place at a receptor site in your brain, where it will stay for a while, until enough of these adderall molecules break the membrane potential causing the release of dopamine. I'm pretty sure if one adderall molecule binds to a receptor site, you will not recieve 1 dopamine in exchange. Whatever the number is, many hundreds or thousands of maybe more of these adderall molecules have to bind to a receptor site in order to "activate" the membrane.
So, there definitely are ratios at work of molecules of adderall to output. Say, it might take 100 adderall molecules to actually break membrane potential.
With this in mind, 5mgs of adderall might only cause a small percentage of the membranes in your brain to fire, whereas 60mg will cause a very large percentage of the membranes to fire.
Remember, this is all my conjecture and is not backed by any evidence. Haha.
Your brain will react very much strongly to a 60mg dose than a 5mg dose, because the effects are far more molecularly widespread and concentrated. Also, your body is monitoring about 5 million other neurotransmitters, and reacting to them as well. So, a small dose of adderall will have cause a very small change to the levels of certain other neurotransmitters, and a very small change to the levels of those neurotransmitters will have even smaller effects on the levels of other neurotransmitters. Therefore, a larger dose of adderall will have a large effect on related neurotransmitters and their related ends. Therefore, your body will be sensing an exponentially greater measured change when using higher doses of Adderall, which will cause it to react to it more vigorously to its presence. Not only that, but the effects of higher doses of Adderall probably also have an exponentially greater risk to your body due to the greater changes your body is required to make to re-establish equilibrium.
This conjecture would support that long term side effects do not follow a linear path (long term effects / milligram dose of adderall), and instead follows an exponential line.
I'm done with that idea now, it's too unfounded. I also had a good time conjecturing.
However, in the same way that you don't form a callous over 1 night, you wont suffer any long term effects from using 1 pill. It is the prolonged exposure of the compounds in your brain that cause the long term effects (stating the obvious), and I hypothesize that long term effects DEFINITELY EXIST, as evidence purely suggests.
The REAL QUESTION is whether or not medically prescribed dosages cause long term effects.
Although this is debatable, I believe undividedly that Adderall will have long term effects even at small doses.
It seems an impossibility that a prolonged exposure to anything will not have your body responding to it in some way.
Think about a callous and how a callous forms. If a stuck rubs on you every day for years, a callous will form on the spot, a rough thick callous at that. In the same way, if a feather rubs on you every day for years, a callous will form on the spot, but it probably won't be so rough.
In any case, if the effects are good, the long term side effects are probably going to be bad. Your brain will probably become lethargic, especially in the field of dopamine production, and you will probably have lower net levels of dopamine release, and probably in fewer bursts. This is probably reversible to a certain degree, but I'm not certain to what extent.
In any case, don't forget that:
1)You are a human being evolved over millions of years and that your brain is a fine-tuned mechanism with countless factors that come into play.
2)You might have been born with a chemical imbalance, and that you are making up for this imbalance by digesting a drug. The drug solves the problem temporarily, not permanently.
2)The drug might have variable long term effects on your body.
So, the best way to play the Adderall card in order to avoid long term effects is to:
1)Not use it every day, take breaks on weekends/when you don't need it.
2)Try to lower your dosages if they are high
3)Exercise for dopamine
IT is additictive,brain damageing, distorts thinking, acting, and well being. My son has taken adderall since he was in 9th grade he is now 23. He is so addicted to it he cannot function with out it . If he runs out of his "drug" he becomes unable to get out of bed. He will sleep for days he will not eat except to barely stay alive. When he gets his perscription refilled he is all happy again and is out of bed. for awhile anyways. IT has changed his thinking his brain function. He is so addicted to it . He does not want to talk to the doctor that prescribes them of fear that , If he knew what the drug was doing to him he would not prescribe them anymore. The way I see it he is no different than a herion addict. but legal. He cannot live with out the drug. he cannot function at all . He will sleep until he can refil his adderall. Do doctors not know what they are doing to our kids. Do they care. The drug companies do not care. they are making a killling out of adderall. And so are we. If anyone has any ideas to get my child off the drug somthing proven please help. I know you cannot make your child go to rehab. unless they are willing. Please call if you have any real info. ask for Kathy. 304 516 3339 : ? o.O
I totally agree that when I dont take it I feel totally foggy. I kinda feel like I'm mentally disabled or something. Its really weird. I hear that you only feel sleepy for about 6 months after you stop taking it and then you get back to normal again. When you said you abused it for 4 years what does that mean? How much is "abused?" I think I might be up to the point of "abuse." I have started to take it when Im extra sleepy at work, even when Ive had my normal morning dose already. I have been on it for 4 years now and I am taking more and more each year. I hate it!! Its like my tolerance to it is so high now. I am up to 35 sometimes 45 mg a day. I started at 10 mg a day the first year. Is that too much? Do you think I'm abusing it? I have the numbness in my legs, arms and hands too. Its crazy! But I CANT SHAKE IT!! I hate being to addicted to something. But I feel like I cant function without it.
Ok. I've been on Adderall since 2002 and before that I was on Dexedrine. Basically, I've been on amphetamines DAILY since 1998 as treatment for ADD.
I NEVER thought anything about taking Adderall until I was hospitalized following my first suicide attempt. While at UCLA, the doctors kept my usual prescribed drug routine (Adderall and Zoloft) the same... at first. But they checked vitals 3xs a day and my HR was always over 100 BPM. On one particular occasion, I was interrupted while working on a jigsaw puzzle to check my vitals. My heart rate while calmly sitting and doing something that relaxes me was 148 BPM. To put that into perspective: normal heart rates are b/t 60-100. Maybe 110-120 if you are out-of-shape when you exercise.
Everyone freaked out and came up to me with water and juice to try and slow my heart rate. They immediately took me off of Adderall after that.
But after being released, I was put back on Adderall, by the psychiatrist I was seeing. Afterall, there's no evidence to prove Adderall has any negative effects, right?
After suicide attempt #2, I met a chemist while at UCLA. I told him I took Adderall and he flipped out telling me that I'm cutting my life short by 20-30 years by taking it even as prescribed.
I've been searching for years trying to find some research about the long-term side-effects of Adderall, but I haven't found anything. And by anything, I mean THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO PUBLISHED RESEARCH STUDIES AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET REGARDING LONG-TERM ADDERALL USAGE!!
I know this stupid drug is causing irreparable damage to my heart and to others. I just want someone else to do something about it, as irresponsible as that sounds. Who really wants to start a massive lawsuit against a major drug company? Who has the money for that? If anyone wants to sponsor me, let me know!
I NEVER thought anything about taking Adderall until I was hospitalized following my first suicide attempt. While at UCLA, the doctors kept my usual prescribed drug routine (Adderall and Zoloft) the same... at first. But they checked vitals 3xs a day and my HR was always over 100 BPM. On one particular occasion, I was interrupted while working on a jigsaw puzzle to check my vitals. My heart rate while calmly sitting and doing something that relaxes me was 148 BPM. To put that into perspective: normal heart rates are b/t 60-100. Maybe 110-120 if you are out-of-shape when you exercise.
Everyone freaked out and came up to me with water and juice to try and slow my heart rate. They immediately took me off of Adderall after that.
But after being released, I was put back on Adderall, by the psychiatrist I was seeing. Afterall, there's no evidence to prove Adderall has any negative effects, right?
After suicide attempt #2, I met a chemist while at UCLA. I told him I took Adderall and he flipped out telling me that I'm cutting my life short by 20-30 years by taking it even as prescribed.
I've been searching for years trying to find some research about the long-term side-effects of Adderall, but I haven't found anything. And by anything, I mean THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO PUBLISHED RESEARCH STUDIES AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET REGARDING LONG-TERM ADDERALL USAGE!!
I know this stupid drug is causing irreparable damage to my heart and to others. I just want someone else to do something about it, as irresponsible as that sounds. Who really wants to start a massive lawsuit against a major drug company? Who has the money for that? If anyone wants to sponsor me, let me know!
I've been on Adderall for about 5 years, with a couple breaks of 3-4 months in between. I've never taken over the prescribed dose, and I take a drug free holiday once every two weekends. On the whole, my experience has been positive. When I do take a break I find that I don't accomplish much for the first week or so. Then it's a slow rise back to productivity over a month or so, but never reaching the level I could while on adderall.
After I'm done with med school/residency I'm considering whether to quit completely. From the studies I've seen, amphetamine is not significantly harmful over the long term IF taken only at prescribed doses. But if you can make it without drugs, why take them?
After I'm done with med school/residency I'm considering whether to quit completely. From the studies I've seen, amphetamine is not significantly harmful over the long term IF taken only at prescribed doses. But if you can make it without drugs, why take them?
HOW COME EVERYONE WHO POSTS A REPLY HAS A SUPER LONG RESPONSE WHEN WE ALL HAVE ADD! I CANNOT READ THROUGH ALL OF THIS!
Lauren Wow thank God for people who care to answer you. I agree with you, adderall is very addictive, When I come off my joints hurt for about a week, I sum it up to arthritis myself. You are a very intelligient young lady, I'm only 33 and have battled with some form of addictive behavior my whole life. I have a presciption for adderall but I abuse it, I feel like I gotta keep going.... then it's gone and I crash. Starts over the next month, vicious cylce. I'm getting someone I trust to put one a day out for me and lock them up. Sounds ridiculous but I'm looking at these sites to educate myself. Lauren you have taken the first step, you know you need help, so do I.
Personally, I have been taking between 30 to 50 (30 XR + 0-20 regular) mg of adderall per day for almost 10 years. I just turned 24 in August.
I actually had a much longer response with many directly aimed responses, but I've decided to go with something shorter.
Here's my deal and how I see things. Adderall was suggested for me as a child, but my parents refused. In high school I still hated homework so they put me on it. On it I still hated homework so I still didn't do it. I still did fine in school, despite still not being interested in it, and doing almost no work compared to my peers. I then got into a competitive university where I studied chemical engineering. Still on Adderall, still hated homework, still wouldnt do said homework. I graduated and got a job doing something I love at a well known company using my degree. I still take adderall.
I am a very laid back person, and I do not have an "addictive personality." I have experienced the physical withdrawal symptoms when I dont take it, but I choose not to take it whenever possible. I do not have anything against donating a pill to a friend here or there if it will make doing something they have/want to do possible/easier. I am not a doctor, but I have devoted a significant portion of my academic career to studying neuroscience and psychopharmacology so that I could have significantly more than just an anecdotal, "it makes me not sleepy," understanding of the drug I have been using for about 40% of my life.
Basically, a lot of what I have read here regarding long term use of adderall have been attempts at vilifying it which is simply not fair to people who seek to use adderall as a therapy and is not fair to those who are looking for an answer to the thread's original question. The truth is that, when used as intended, the risks associated with long term adderall usage are minimal. This includes being honest with yourself when initially determining if adderall is a proper treatment for you and, if it is, watching out for the documented warning signs that may indicate that it is, in fact, not right for you or that your dosage may need to be adjusted.
It is your responsibility to either use the drug as intended or, if you do plan to deviate from whatever dosage/schedule was directed to you by your doctor, understand the increased risk and possible consequences for doing otherwise. Adderall is not a toy, it is a tool, and its safe usage requires that you treat it as such. No offense to previous posters, but if you have any sort of preexisting emotional condition, or begin to feel like you may be developing one, it is important that you heed all documented warnings and stop use and seek help from a doctor as soon as you can. I would honestly give someone a bottle of scotch to deal with depression before letting them get anywhere near adderall.
Basically all I mean to say is that if you are worried that your heart is going to explode after 20 years of taking adderall responsibly, don't. On the other hand, if you are worried about not being able to control yourself then maybe you should seek alternative solutions to your problems. About a week ago i cut my hand trying to open a beer bottle with a screwdriver, and two days ago I slept for 16 hours in a single night because I needed to catch up on sleep.
I actually had a much longer response with many directly aimed responses, but I've decided to go with something shorter.
Here's my deal and how I see things. Adderall was suggested for me as a child, but my parents refused. In high school I still hated homework so they put me on it. On it I still hated homework so I still didn't do it. I still did fine in school, despite still not being interested in it, and doing almost no work compared to my peers. I then got into a competitive university where I studied chemical engineering. Still on Adderall, still hated homework, still wouldnt do said homework. I graduated and got a job doing something I love at a well known company using my degree. I still take adderall.
I am a very laid back person, and I do not have an "addictive personality." I have experienced the physical withdrawal symptoms when I dont take it, but I choose not to take it whenever possible. I do not have anything against donating a pill to a friend here or there if it will make doing something they have/want to do possible/easier. I am not a doctor, but I have devoted a significant portion of my academic career to studying neuroscience and psychopharmacology so that I could have significantly more than just an anecdotal, "it makes me not sleepy," understanding of the drug I have been using for about 40% of my life.
Basically, a lot of what I have read here regarding long term use of adderall have been attempts at vilifying it which is simply not fair to people who seek to use adderall as a therapy and is not fair to those who are looking for an answer to the thread's original question. The truth is that, when used as intended, the risks associated with long term adderall usage are minimal. This includes being honest with yourself when initially determining if adderall is a proper treatment for you and, if it is, watching out for the documented warning signs that may indicate that it is, in fact, not right for you or that your dosage may need to be adjusted.
It is your responsibility to either use the drug as intended or, if you do plan to deviate from whatever dosage/schedule was directed to you by your doctor, understand the increased risk and possible consequences for doing otherwise. Adderall is not a toy, it is a tool, and its safe usage requires that you treat it as such. No offense to previous posters, but if you have any sort of preexisting emotional condition, or begin to feel like you may be developing one, it is important that you heed all documented warnings and stop use and seek help from a doctor as soon as you can. I would honestly give someone a bottle of scotch to deal with depression before letting them get anywhere near adderall.
Basically all I mean to say is that if you are worried that your heart is going to explode after 20 years of taking adderall responsibly, don't. On the other hand, if you are worried about not being able to control yourself then maybe you should seek alternative solutions to your problems. About a week ago i cut my hand trying to open a beer bottle with a screwdriver, and two days ago I slept for 16 hours in a single night because I needed to catch up on sleep.
anonymous wrote:
hi i read what u wrpote and i was in a way releived. i didnt think anyone else was going through thgis. 8 nyears been on it. i'm 29. i had a good life untill adderall/. i was told i'd loose weight. it lead to much worse addictions of meth and opiates.email me
shylah
To Lauren -
Have you tried a lower dose of Adderal (XR) supplemented with something for depression/anxiety? I take Adderal XR in the morning (only 5mg, ive only been "offcially" diagnosed with ADD for about a month), and Wellbutrin XL 300mg in the early afternoon. I find the combo great. It took me a few months to really get used to Wellbutrin (I had really nasty dizziness and sweating...which is gone(I've been on it 10 months now), but I still am more "snappish"...but it was and is worth it).I have GAD(Generalised Anxiety Disorder), I know how you feel that you have all these worries and fears, which are compounded by the insecurities ADD brings, and the fact that you need a pill to be "normal". I hear ya girl, and all I have to say, is there ARE SOLUTIONS FOR EVERYONE. You must be patient and openminded.
For my anxiety, (which began as panic attacks and agoraphobia) I have tried lorazepam(which I keep around and will take if I am having one of those SUPER bad days...like a couple times a year, or once a month to calm the physical side effects like shaking, crying, heartbeat acceleration etc). I have also been given Syriquil(cant spell that right, it made me angry and sleep for days), and two other anti depressents,all which had side effects that were wacked out!....SOme gave me nasty vivid nightmares,took away sexual desires, make me more irritable, and begin to gain weight.
Eventually i got to a point where I am feeling much better. The Wellbutrin worked for a while on its own, but since I have been taking the adderal, my anxiety levels have dropped even more, and now I dont feel like such a failure in school. I finished a University degree in politics without being diagnosed with either disease...it wasn't easy, but I got it done. Now instead of feeling lazy and disorganised, I have begun to indentify areas which I HAD NO CLUE were caused by ADD (like how I always lose track of time while getting dressed!).
Also, talk to a professional counsellor who specialises in ADD, or life management systems...Taking control without medication allows the medication to work better at a lower dose.
And honey, you are 19, you are just beginning to realise your own strengths and potential, and to know what works for you, so just listen to YOU and YOUR body, you are right, you know it best.
I went in and pushed for tests; I went into my doctor with research that showed the better drug options for me....he wasn't interested inlistening to me at all. In fact, he diagnosed me with anxiety and gave me pills first thing, wouldnt even refer me anywhere...didnt think of testing for other things...you gotta stick up for youself where doctors are concerned.They are smart, educated people,but they ARENT YOU. Trust yourself...and make sureyou talk to your bf, friends, family about it. tell them, i feel BLANK because of my ADD; get them books and information and tell them to look it up if they care about you.
I am in a double time law program right now....I have been in major car accidents, have large financial debts, and still pushing through this garbage. It makes you YOU.
ANd besides....people with ADD are far more intersting than others...you have alot of unique things...
AND ADD gives you creativity, the ability to multitask better, the ability to hyperfocus on things (which is kick ass when you learn to harness it!) and it means life will never be boring!!!!
Have you tried a lower dose of Adderal (XR) supplemented with something for depression/anxiety? I take Adderal XR in the morning (only 5mg, ive only been "offcially" diagnosed with ADD for about a month), and Wellbutrin XL 300mg in the early afternoon. I find the combo great. It took me a few months to really get used to Wellbutrin (I had really nasty dizziness and sweating...which is gone(I've been on it 10 months now), but I still am more "snappish"...but it was and is worth it).I have GAD(Generalised Anxiety Disorder), I know how you feel that you have all these worries and fears, which are compounded by the insecurities ADD brings, and the fact that you need a pill to be "normal". I hear ya girl, and all I have to say, is there ARE SOLUTIONS FOR EVERYONE. You must be patient and openminded.
For my anxiety, (which began as panic attacks and agoraphobia) I have tried lorazepam(which I keep around and will take if I am having one of those SUPER bad days...like a couple times a year, or once a month to calm the physical side effects like shaking, crying, heartbeat acceleration etc). I have also been given Syriquil(cant spell that right, it made me angry and sleep for days), and two other anti depressents,all which had side effects that were wacked out!....SOme gave me nasty vivid nightmares,took away sexual desires, make me more irritable, and begin to gain weight.
Eventually i got to a point where I am feeling much better. The Wellbutrin worked for a while on its own, but since I have been taking the adderal, my anxiety levels have dropped even more, and now I dont feel like such a failure in school. I finished a University degree in politics without being diagnosed with either disease...it wasn't easy, but I got it done. Now instead of feeling lazy and disorganised, I have begun to indentify areas which I HAD NO CLUE were caused by ADD (like how I always lose track of time while getting dressed!).
Also, talk to a professional counsellor who specialises in ADD, or life management systems...Taking control without medication allows the medication to work better at a lower dose.
And honey, you are 19, you are just beginning to realise your own strengths and potential, and to know what works for you, so just listen to YOU and YOUR body, you are right, you know it best.
I went in and pushed for tests; I went into my doctor with research that showed the better drug options for me....he wasn't interested inlistening to me at all. In fact, he diagnosed me with anxiety and gave me pills first thing, wouldnt even refer me anywhere...didnt think of testing for other things...you gotta stick up for youself where doctors are concerned.They are smart, educated people,but they ARENT YOU. Trust yourself...and make sureyou talk to your bf, friends, family about it. tell them, i feel BLANK because of my ADD; get them books and information and tell them to look it up if they care about you.
I am in a double time law program right now....I have been in major car accidents, have large financial debts, and still pushing through this garbage. It makes you YOU.
ANd besides....people with ADD are far more intersting than others...you have alot of unique things...
AND ADD gives you creativity, the ability to multitask better, the ability to hyperfocus on things (which is kick ass when you learn to harness it!) and it means life will never be boring!!!!
13 years for me, In good health (just hiked 1200 miles). I have always been worried about the lack of long term usage information, But i guess us long-termers are the guinea pigs. I just know that I want to shake it in the next couple years, I have a funny feeling that 10 or so more years of this won't be tolerated by my body.
Hi, I'm a college sophomore and have been on different ADD medications (mainly Adderall) for 15 years.
Like someone else posted, I went through two years of addiction and abuse in high school before I stopped taking it altogether.
Once I started college, I knew that I needed the medication and talked to my doctor. He put me on Vyvanse instead, and I have been taking that for almost two years without any problems or any of the addictive behaviors. I don't take it daily, only when I really think that I need it (long lectures, tests, studying for finals, papers). Normal classes, I have learned to deal with on my own because I don't want to be on the medication every day, with my history and all.
The advice that I give parents whose children are on the medications: KEEP the meds in your own bathroom and give it to them daily. ESPECIALLY if they are high school aged. These kids know how to abuse this drug, and it is being sold and given away by other kids at schools all the time. At one point, I was taking triple my dosage at a time. It's very easy to get hooked on. If the meds are taken as directed, they shouldn't experience any major side effects. If they do, their dosage is probably too high.
The only long time effect that I believe has been caused by having taken this as long as I have, is that I clinch my teeth very hard almost all the time without realizing it. Amphetamines cause teeth clinching and grinding as it's a sign of tension. I believe that after years of being on this everyday, I now clinch out of habit without realizing it.
Although this isn't necessarily anything serious, I haven't experienced dental problems from it or anything.
I definitely know how much these meds have helped me with my ADD, as long as it's taken properly, it's absolutely a great thing.
Like someone else posted, I went through two years of addiction and abuse in high school before I stopped taking it altogether.
Once I started college, I knew that I needed the medication and talked to my doctor. He put me on Vyvanse instead, and I have been taking that for almost two years without any problems or any of the addictive behaviors. I don't take it daily, only when I really think that I need it (long lectures, tests, studying for finals, papers). Normal classes, I have learned to deal with on my own because I don't want to be on the medication every day, with my history and all.
The advice that I give parents whose children are on the medications: KEEP the meds in your own bathroom and give it to them daily. ESPECIALLY if they are high school aged. These kids know how to abuse this drug, and it is being sold and given away by other kids at schools all the time. At one point, I was taking triple my dosage at a time. It's very easy to get hooked on. If the meds are taken as directed, they shouldn't experience any major side effects. If they do, their dosage is probably too high.
The only long time effect that I believe has been caused by having taken this as long as I have, is that I clinch my teeth very hard almost all the time without realizing it. Amphetamines cause teeth clinching and grinding as it's a sign of tension. I believe that after years of being on this everyday, I now clinch out of habit without realizing it.
Although this isn't necessarily anything serious, I haven't experienced dental problems from it or anything.
I definitely know how much these meds have helped me with my ADD, as long as it's taken properly, it's absolutely a great thing.
To every long time user:
I always look but never answer. I have had ADHD since i was little. I have always learned how to control it until about 10 yrs. when i was in a serious car accident while i was on a volleyball scholarship in North Carolina. The accident shifted my brain plates by millimeters but the very little shift threw me off apparently i went from a 3.8 student to a 1.2 student. I was tested and giving adderall to help. And wow did it.
10 years later i am still taking it and upping my doses every now and then. I do a lot of figidity things. i pull my hair out in the back of head and don't know i do it. I bite the inside of my mouth to the point it bleeds then i stop because i know i do that then. I tried to get off and take Straterra but that made me very violent and mad a lot so i stopped. I am now 31 and married and want to have children. my doctor says its safe for the baby but come on... basically its prescribed speed and I feel that its not safe for a baby. When i dont take it i am not motivated or cant remember a thing, i hate that i start a ton of projects and dont finish it. It just be nice if i knew there where people out there that was feeling what i was feeling. Know what i am going through. Non of friends or family does and say just stop if you want to be a Mom just stop. Stop pulling your hair out stop stop stop. I am a strong person and feel that if i ever became pregnant i will but i am afraid of what i will go through. I want to stop pulling my hair out but i really don't know i am doing this. i want to go to sleep with out taking a sleeping pill.
Is there anyone out there there that is going through same thing.. taking it this long... I also don't know if this is a side effect but i get these uncontrollable emotions and cry over everything.. but that just might be my estrogen. Oh and i have been on the shot for 5 years and havent had a period for 5 years. so that's why i ask if anyone gets these uncontrollable emotions... or experiencing anything that i do. i just feel so alone when it comes to adderall.
thanks
Alone with Adderall
I always look but never answer. I have had ADHD since i was little. I have always learned how to control it until about 10 yrs. when i was in a serious car accident while i was on a volleyball scholarship in North Carolina. The accident shifted my brain plates by millimeters but the very little shift threw me off apparently i went from a 3.8 student to a 1.2 student. I was tested and giving adderall to help. And wow did it.
10 years later i am still taking it and upping my doses every now and then. I do a lot of figidity things. i pull my hair out in the back of head and don't know i do it. I bite the inside of my mouth to the point it bleeds then i stop because i know i do that then. I tried to get off and take Straterra but that made me very violent and mad a lot so i stopped. I am now 31 and married and want to have children. my doctor says its safe for the baby but come on... basically its prescribed speed and I feel that its not safe for a baby. When i dont take it i am not motivated or cant remember a thing, i hate that i start a ton of projects and dont finish it. It just be nice if i knew there where people out there that was feeling what i was feeling. Know what i am going through. Non of friends or family does and say just stop if you want to be a Mom just stop. Stop pulling your hair out stop stop stop. I am a strong person and feel that if i ever became pregnant i will but i am afraid of what i will go through. I want to stop pulling my hair out but i really don't know i am doing this. i want to go to sleep with out taking a sleeping pill.
Is there anyone out there there that is going through same thing.. taking it this long... I also don't know if this is a side effect but i get these uncontrollable emotions and cry over everything.. but that just might be my estrogen. Oh and i have been on the shot for 5 years and havent had a period for 5 years. so that's why i ask if anyone gets these uncontrollable emotions... or experiencing anything that i do. i just feel so alone when it comes to adderall.
thanks
Alone with Adderall