Adderall and adhd

Adderall has worked wonders for me. I was prescribed about a year and a half ago to 10mgs twice a day. When I first started using it, I thought it was great, but like others I hated the side effects. Through trial and error, I have found ways to mostly cut out the side effects. To avoid stomach aches, I never take it on an empty stomach. I always eat a good meal before I take it. I do eat slightly less than before I was prescribed, but I take a good multivitamin to make up for that. I only lost a little bit of weight, just less than 10 pounds. Another way to get rid of the stomach aches is to take a few puffs of some you know what. I rarely get headaches from adderall, but when I do I just take a few ibuprofen and its gone right away. Before I was prescribed, I had tried 20, 30, and 40 mgs of adderall and that was hell. Coming down made me want to kill myself. I feel bad that have severe enough ADD or ADHD to require that much. Overall, I think you have to look at individuals instead of just saying adderall in general is a terrible and addictive drug. Before I was prescribed, I didn't think I had the motivation or will power to make it through school. A year and a half later, my gpa has raised dramatically (2.2 to a 3.0) and I'm in the process of finding what grad schools I want to apply to.

I am 58, and attention deficit has always been a part of my life. I am the space cadet type, ADD but not ADHD. I discovered it had a name when I was 45. Adderall is something I take to keep myself on track and actually get things done. Before Adderall I self medicated with lots of sugar, caffeine and occasionally pseudofed when I needed to focus. What I wanted to add to this discussion is this: those with ADD have a different response to stimulants than those without it. When I was in college, some of us scored some funny white powder ( yes, the Real Thing (grin)) to try out. I found everyone else running around talking nonstop, eating like crazy and prancing around the room. I was filled with an immense inner calm, and finally went outside for some peace and quiet. It was the first time I felt clear headed and connected to the flow of time around me. The good news was I was a student, without a job or money, and with ADD, so I never got around to repeating the experiment or I could easily have become addicted to the stuff. The moral here is to remember different folks have different responses to the same drugs. My personal opinion is that if stimulants make you feel agitated, you probably don't have ADD. If you drink 6 cups of coffee and four colas then sleep like a baby, you might consider getting checked out.

Hi,
I just turned 25 years old, and was diagnosed with ADHD as well as anxiety after taking an EEG about three years ago. Before that time, I had been suffering from depression, anxiety, and I couldn't control my ridiculous cravings for sugar and carbs. I know that this sounds weird to people who do not have ADD or ADHD, but for those of us who do, these symptoms might not seem so odd. I had been in counseling and seeing Psychiatrists from age 15 on. Finally, I developed a terrible eating disorder due to not being properly medicated. Some deal with their issues differently than others, but I needed to feel in control of something in my life. As it was, I was completely unorganized, unable to focus on any one thing, unable to study and recall information, tired, unmotivated, and eventually Bulimic/Anorexic. Once I was forced to go to an in-patient clinic for a month and a half, I learned from numerous tests and great specialized doctors, I was finally able to start living again. At age 22 my doctor, at the time prescribed Adderall XR and Xanax XR and three years later, I am still taking both medications. I admit, sometimes I don't want to take it, because I like to feel my emotions and be in the moment of life, but I know without it, I am a wreck and completely out of control again. I let things go, become a total hermit, sink into my own pool of sorrows, and am not anything resembling my old self. Just one problem though, I am a singer and find that when I take my Adderall, I am so dry that my range is cut short- very short, and the tone of my voice is dull. I sing for a living, so this is a major concern. I also find that I don't seem to have the same emotion when I am singing. I can handle the emotional thing, but you can't hide not hitting the notes! What can I do? Is there anything to counteract this side affect? I asked my doctor and she said lemon drops- well, if you are lucky enough to find lemon drops- that's great, but they definitely don't do the trick. I drink nothing but water all day and still- I just can't stay hydrated! What am I going to do? If anyone has any advice or is experiencing the same problems, please drop me a line. Thanks so much for reading and take care!

im 14 and take 50 mg of adderal a day for ADHD and Bipolar, and i am unsure of it. I weight 96 lbs.... and i am almost 5 1/2 feet tall... so i am very underweight... and i do notice that when i take it, after it kicks in i seem more aditated, and cranky, and i obvleisuly dont eat.. and my mouth is always dry. i am just unsure about the whole crankyness change after i take it... does anyone else seem more agitated when they take this meds and it kicks in.../ plz reply. thanks

My 9-yr-old daughter was just prescribed Adderall for a one-month trial period. The first day was incredible. She was such a joy to be around. It was like I had my little girl back. She has been so trying for so long that I was just ecstatic. Although she did suffer from a bellyache throughout the day, which I hope will subside. The next day was not as wonderful. She was still a little hyperactive but her concentration was still improved and she was on her best behavior all day. The third day was almost as good as the first day, but that night she came into our room saying she heard voices whispering. When I asked her what they were saying she couldn't tell me what was said but was very scared. I have been distraught ever since. Is this indicating she does not have ADHD or is it a side effect from the medication?

Please help, as I don't want her to continue on this medication if her mental stability will be sacrificed.

I'm on 240 mg a day and its no fun at all. I've built up a big tolerance to it, so much that even at this high of a dosage, I could fall asleep in no time at all. I've been at this dose fir like 4 years now. The good thing is that I have lost a lot of weight and managed to keep it off - going from a juniors size 11 to a 3 is the best thing thats happened though. Probably the only good thing. Otherwise, its made me different in many ways. I get to feeling that I just want to be left alone a lot so I can do my own thing, whatever that may be cause it varies. Some days I have a lot of energy, get lots done (cleaning, errands, some exercise classes, stuff like that), and other days I just feel like doing nothing. Mood swings are not uncommon for me, but I have always been that way I guess. Oh well, I guess if it works for you, take it. Its worked for me, but its about time I start to think about getting off of it as its effectiveness has run its course, at least I think it has. And I don't want to try anything else, its simply time to quit the ADD drug scene entirely. But like I said, if it works for you, then go for it. Just watch out cause it can build up on you fast like it did me, and you don't want to be taking as much as I do. (Its prescribed that way for me, BTW. I don't use it illegally).

I am not prescribed adderall and I don't even have ADHD or ADD. I am a 20 year old college student, and I heard on a Dateline show on TV about students abusing Adderall and other ADD medicine's while they are in college. I will take a 20 or 30mg Adderall and then it will keep me awake and alert so that I can stay up all night studying. It is a great way for me to be able to stay up and study, write papers, and then not have to sleep and be able to go to work and school the next day. The first time I took the Adderall was about a week ago, and I have taken it almost everynight since. I have probably slept 30 hours in the last 7 days. It is a stimulate and acts like speed if you don't have ADD, but it will calm children down who do have ADD. I just think that it is a great way for college students to concentrate on their school work and be able to stay up all night! Oh, the only down side that I've had for taking Adderall is that I will start to hallucinate and see bugs crawling on my arms or hands, but I'm not sure if this is a side effect of the Adderall or is just a side effect of having no sleep.

I'm sorry so many of you have bad experiences with Adderall. My side effects went away in about two weeks.

The amphetamines in Adderall have been used for 70 years, so if they were that dangerous, they would not be around today and one of the top 10 most prescribed pediatric drugs in America.

To Spoiled Rotten,
Apparently you can't read all that well or don't know how to do research, maybe you should have been on Adderall as a kid. RITALIN, CONCERTA, FOCALIN, DAYTRANA are all Methylphenidate, which IS NOT AN AMPHETAMINE.

Be a Big BOY/GIRL and do your own research about these drugs. Real research, not a side-effects website where people who know nothing about the drugs themselves hear something from someone, who knows someone's sisters friend who ABUSED their medication.

ALL DRUGS can be bad. You can die of an aspirin overdose. It's how they are used. Adderall and Ritalin are "very safe" when used properly" (Driven To Distraction).

I'm sure 99 percent of you don't even know what ADDICTION really is. This is a huge health problem in America. Yes, the addictions, but MORE so the ignorance and stereotypes of people with them.

African American 47,
You DON'T just get addicted to a drug. You can BE DEPENDENT on a drug, and not an addict. Cancer patients take very large amounts of NARCOTIC pain killers and THEY ARE DEPENDENT on them. For pain relief and physical dependence. They DON'T crave the drugs though.

So with SPOILED rotten's philosophy, the 20,000,000 people on Adderall or Ritalin (NOT AN AMPHETAMINE, similar, but not the same thing) who's quality of life has been improved 100 fold just like mine. I would have benefited GREATLY from medication but did not get diagnosed until 3 months ago at the age of 24.

Medication IS NOT for everyone, as "it doesn't work very well for about 80% of people who take it." (Driven To Distraction, Dr Edward Hallowell).

IF anyone has questions about ADD read "Driven To Distraction". The Author(s) both have ADD themselves and are psychiatrists.

Too many people with ADD refuse medication because they think "oh no, I will get addicted", which is 99 percent of the time not the case for ADD. They miss out on at least an option that could help them immensely.

I am so irritated with the ignorance and lack of knowledge from people who bad mouth things they know really nothing about. It didn't work for me so I am going to demonize the drugs and spread lies that they turn kids into zombies and cause them to shoot up schools..........C'mon, you're how old? I'm probably 1/2 your age and I have twice the common sense.
I'm not saying your a bad parent Spoiled, but your NAME IS Spoiled....you seem to be on a high and mighty chair, and you seemingly have a very self centered mind. Doesn't work for you then it must be the work of the devil.

Learn how to do research, form educated opinions, maybe read a book. Use your rights as a patient to see a different doctor if you don't agree with one. Do something productive.

My son 12 yrs took 30 mg yesterday and he said it felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest and his chest was shaking rapidly. Later that night we had a disagreement about how the pin pong table gets put together. It turned into a full blown anger rage to the point where he went into e sezier. I was so scared and so was he. This morning he doesn't even remember anything about last night. I call ed the doc and he stopped the meds and they now want him to try concerta 30 mg. I hope this drug does not have the same reaction. I waited 7 years to start him on meds for his ADHD. I hope I am making the right decision.

Well I have been taking Adderall now for 4 months. The first 2 weeks I was hyperfocused to the point that I could barely pull myself away from the office to go home. I was irritable and once went so long without eating or drinking anything that I got seriously light headed and thought I was going down. I still get the dry mouth, I have lost 25 lbs. over the last 4 months and am now extremely prone to severe sunburn. Or so I was until I developed the tan that I have now, and I think the Adderall is hiding the fact that I am seriously in need of sleep. I have never been much of a sleeper, I usually go to sleep around midnight or later, sometimes as late as 2AM and my alarm goes off at 5:15. However it catches up with me about every 4 months and I am exhausted by the time dinner is over and I have to go to sleep right away. After that 10 to 12 hours of sleep I am good again with the little sleep for months. However today and last night I found myself getting extremely angry for no reason. My wife and I just had our second child 4 weeks ago so my sleep has been even less than usual. One night I went to sleep at 1:30AM, got up at 3:30 to feed the baby, went back to sleep at 4:15 and got up at 5:15 to go to work. I think I am ready for one of those body shut downs but the Adderall is keeping me from realizing it. I sat at my desk this morning with my fist clenched, gnashing my teeth with tears streaming down my face and nothing had happened to cause it at all. I am not sure about the Adderall yet. So far I have really liked the increased focus at work and I am now going back to College which I have effectively put off now for 5 years. So it seems to really have helped my focus and motivation. I am EXTREMELY ADHD by the way. Whenever I used to have trouble falling asleep I would pound a Mountain Dew and sleep like a baby. Caffeine has always had a calming effect on me, so I assume the Adderall works in a similar manner. I am going to try and force myself to sleep early tonight and see if the unexplained anger subsides. I will post with my results.

Our doctor started two of my children (one diagnosed ADHD the other ADD) on Adderall after watching both of them struggle at school for a couple of years. The older one was held back for lack of attentiveness and disorganization (diagnosed ADD). He was 14 at the time. My younger son was 9 and was not only inattentive but terribly disruptive at school.

Upon taking Adderall the younger son calmed down noticeably (20mg of Adderall XR). It was absolutely amazing. The teacher noticed immediately that this restless boy who would ask the same question over and over without listening to the answer was suddenly attentive and well-mannered. The side-effects are concerning however. This child is naturally thin and not a terribly good eater. His eating diminished and I took to forcing him to drink an Ensure every day. He also was not sleeping as well. I noticed that the side-effects passed after the first couple of weeks. I refrain from giving him the Adderall on weekends and days off, as I am worried about addiction and long-term addiction. He has now gone all summer without any - but there are days that his ADHD is especially frustrating (for everyone around him - and him too. I will see his face fall when he has annoyed someone and he gets barked at for bothering others) and I wonder if I should have continued so as not to shock his system again when school starts in the fall.

The older child takes the Adderall very rarely now. When he knows he will have a big test at school or feels "out of it" he will take one...but seems to have learned to deal with the ADD problem a bit better naturally. He is not a straight A student - even though I know he has the potential to be one. I feel that for him it is optional and at present, he dislikes the feeling he has on it - so chooses not to take it.

I can only hope that the decisions that we've made are the right ones. I have read a lot of posts here about not giving this to children. We have tried other methods, but nothing else seems to work. One person here mentioned focusing for 10 minutes a day on something and giving the child more attention. Sounds like a good plan, but in action nearly impossible. This child's attention span is almost non-existant at times. He cannot focus on the activity at hand and interupts constantly. He will ask a question and when I respond he will ask the same question over and over. I can tell him something 10 times and it doesn't seem to "sink in" to his brain. When he takes the Adderall he is focused and attentive and I will only need to tell him something once in order for him to understand.

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?**

READ THIS!!! 5 YEARS OF ADDERALL ----I dont really know why I am doing this, because I am not really sure how often this website even gets looked at - but the danger of adderall is something that needs to be talked about.. I am a female, and am going to be a senior in college this year, and have taken adderall for 5 years. I take 30 mg a day, and throughout those 5 years I have gone about 3 weeks TOTAL of not taking the drug. In the beginning I thought adderall was the best thing in the world. I was diagnosed with ADHD - but it wasnt that severe, I was always a very energetic kid and was always happy and healthy. I did fairly well in school, but the doctor thought adderall would help me more. When I took adderall for the first time, all of my senses were hightened, everything was SOOO wonderful - so much easier, focusing in class, doing homework - adderall, really, is just a pill that gives you motivation and makes you feel like you could accomplish ANYTHING - sounds great right? Well 5 years later, I have realized now that I am so screwed. I have tried cutting back, but I cant.. I am SO dependant on it, and CAN NOT function whatsoever without it. I cant even get out of bed, or hold my arm in the air without taking it.. I am so weak, I feel like my normal self(without adderall) is like a vegitable. I feel like I have no desire to do ANYTHING, i just want to lay in bed all day and sleep. But when I take it in the morning, my heart POUNDS in my chest, my mouth is so dry, i get headaches, and my eyes feel like they are fuzzy - but i still cant stop taking it. I am 100% addicted, and I hate it. I am trying my hardest to cut down because eventually I want this to be out of my system.. Adderal replaces your brains natural ability to motivate, it replaces all the natural ways that your brain works to produce happiness, it trains your brain to work ONLY when the drug is present - and the longer you take the drug, the less of a chance your brain has to ever function normally by itself..Anyway, the point is - if you or your child is thinking about taking adderall - really evaluate their degree of ADD or ADHD, because if it is not too bad then DONT TAKE IT - its not worth it!!.. OR if your child REALLLLY does need it, make sure they take it only when it is important - for school, and not on the weekends - make sure it doesnt become a routine thing where he/she takes it eveyday.. ok, thats it...

For those of you mothers that think that "drugging" your children is wrong, I wish to God that my parents would have when I was a child. They thought the same as you and I suffered because of it. They were both school teachers and didn't want to admit that their child had a problem. I have been diagnosed wt ADHD and now take medication. I only wish I could have stopped the heartache I experienced throughout my childhood. Spending those "10" extra minutes a day didn't work for me. I remember many nights when I sat down to do my homework and I just cried. My only memories of school were those of me throwing my books across the room, tired from looking at a wall for hours, clueless. I suffered and there was simply no reason. For this, I never forgave my parents. Later on, my mom told me that she had the choice to put me on medicine and she didn't think that I needed it. Now she admits she was wrong. Don't be selfish Mothers.............

My 6 year old son has just started Adderall and I think it does stop him from sleeping but he has been on three different meds already and none of them seem to work, but so far this one has. But I will be honest if this one donsen't keep on working I am stopping the med thing all together. He has ADHD.