Adderall and addiction

I started taking adderall xr 20 mg about 6 mo. ago. I am 31 and was 185 lbs @5'11". It definitely raises my focus and I get more done at work. I lost 20lbs. and when I went to the gym to work out last week I could barly bench 135 when I used to work out with 190 or more. This tells me it is very tough on the body. My friends think I look like I am on crack. As far as the addiction thing goes it is true. If I try to take a day of I simply cannot function. It is not a insatiable craving when you don't have it. It just puts you in a major fog. For example, if you drink coffee or cola and you skip a day and are a little off you can still get by fine. If you skip a day of(or try to skip) adderall xr it is litteraly 20x worse! I plan on tappering off for good soon. I will find a better way to deal with my add. My main reason for posting this is to say: DO NOT GIVE THIS DRUG TO GROWING CHILDREN. I believe It will definitly do permanent harm.

I am 43 yr old African American male recently diagnosed with Adult ADHD. I have been taking Adderall for about 2 months now, I have not experienced any of the side effects most people talk about with the exceptiong of the weight loss. I have lost approx 15 lbs since I began the medication. I started out with 1 10mg in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. I noticed a change (as well as others around me) in the first few weeks. I do not eat as much as I used to, but I am still always hungry (can't explain), but eat very heartily when I do eat. Like another respondent, I am very leery about taking the drug because of what I have heard about the addiction possiblities. I intentionally did not refill my prescription (one week) to see how I would do and I thank God (literally) I was relieved to know that I did not craaavve the stuff. Although I did once again start to lose focus and the ability to finish tasks. I started taking it again today, I will keep everyone posted as to how I am doing.

My prayer is that they will find out more about this disorder so that we do not have to rely strictly on meds. I am looking for a doctor who is not just interested in filling out a prescription and getting paid large sums of money for a fifteen visit, so I have begun looking into Cognitive Behaviorial Therapy, and natural alternatives as well. If anyone knows anything about these, please post.

I've been on Adderall for years, and I haven't had any problems with addiction. I've never taken it regularly though, but I've still experienced the euphoria, the dry mouth, the suppressed appetite, the hightened sense of awareness, on and on. My doctor has given me a new medication for bipolar, but told me to remain on Adderall (not caring that I may not even have ADHD, as with bipolar it is often a symptom that is misdiagnosed as ADHD) to counteract the drowsiness associated with the particular med. I have to take it every day now and I hate it. I don't feel that I should be taking it just to counteract a side effect of the other medication. Next, I'll be taking something else to counteract the dry mouth, etc. that comes with adderall.
**AND PLEASE, PEOPLE. DON'T GIVE THIS DRUG TO YOUNG CHILDREN. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?**