No, because Adderall messes with my creativity. I was doing a math major in college, and whenever I took adderall (legally prescribed) before doing a p-set, I always came up with a long and unelegant solution to a problem. It seemed to motivate me to work very hard, but not to work smart. No idea if this was just something I had in my head or there is some neurochemical basis for it.
Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
201–210 of 223 posts
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#202I like the pills instead of all caffeine because I end up with bad jitters if I have too much caffeine in a day.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#203I've been taking vyvanse(before that adderall) for the past 10 years. I wouldn't have been able to graduate from highschool without it, I can barely function at my job(devops) without it. I haven't noticed any long term affects, it definitely works though. It's scheduled so it's not easy to get but it definitely works compared to some of the more hit or miss OTC nootropics. I'm willing to answer any questions if anyo…
I just started adderall for add-inattentive. So far I don't notice a pronounced effect. I've tried Modafinil in the past and 10mg of Adderall 2X daily doesn't really compare. From what I understand, the effect should be something like putting on glasses when you have myopia. What was your experience with Adderall and why did you switch? Vyvanse is an all-day dose, right? Did it affect your sleep?
Yes and no. I'm myopic and have been since I was a small child I was also diagnosed with ADHD a year ago at age 35 and have been medicated for the last year.
Without glasses I'm basically blind. I can put them on and see, take them off and I'm back. I have control.
Without my medication if I go into a crowded room I am listening to a dozen conversations at once, giving each speaker the same amount of attention even though they are speaking at the same time and not to me. With my medication (40mg Vyvanse) I can go into a crowded room and hold a coherent conversation with someone and ignore the other conversations around me for the most part. I hear them but I can essentially choose to give most of my attention to whom I want.
Without the drugs I slip into hyper focus on things like a good book or a video game, completely losing track of time and actually not noticing when someone comes up and talks to me or interrupts me. This was really bad when I was a teenager and I'd read 700-800 pages when I should have been sleeping but I would have no idea how much time had passed. This still happens with the medication but it's easier to break away. With the medication I have more control over what I'm focused on but it's just a drug, if you are focused on the wrong thing it doesn't care. That being said it's not like people without ADHD describe where they lock into cleaning their house when they meant to be working. More willpower and impulse control are things I'd say I have when medicated.
I have more control but not complete control. I can't turn it off until it runs its course unlike the glasses that I can take off any time I want. With glasses it's simple, I can see or I can't. With the drug it's not simple at all. Things are better but it's not a silver bullet and the wrong drug or the wrong dosage can have no effect or a negative effect.
I took ritalin initially but it just made me angry, sweaty and made my heart race with the bonus of terrible crashes in the early evening and no impact on the actual ADHD issues. With Adderall I needed to be working on what I wanted to before I took it because it kicked in fast and hard, it was effective to an extent but it wasn't great. With Vyvanse I'm taking a similar drug but it's uptake is slower and the comedown is slower I can ease into my work day, I tend to be more able to easily pick and choose which things I focus on and I'm much less impulsive. None of the issues are gone but like the glasses for my myopia the fog is lifted a bit with the effect of the amphetamines. Before I took them I just assumed I wasn't as bright as everyone thought and that I need to work ten times harder to produce the same output. Since I've been medicated I feel normal for the most part and it's allowed me to have a more normal work life balance as I don't constantly feel like I'm behind or that I can't get things done. This is largely because I'm more effective when I am working where as before I was distracted but didn't really realize it or explained it away as multitasking.
> Vyvanse is an all-day dose, right? Did it affect your sleep?
It is an all day dose, 12-16 hours depending on the literature but I find it lasted about 6 on my first dosage and I get about 8 with 40mg. I can probably go up to 50mg but I'm happy with where I'm at. I don't feel a big difference when I'm on the drug like I did initially but I'm still better able to handle the day and my tasks than I am without it. Normalcy was what I was really looking for. I don't take it on the weekends which has helped a bit with tolerance and taking a 10 day break over the Christmas holiday really showed me how much tolerance was becoming an issue for me. An alternative to a bigger dose if it doesn't last all day is to get an instant release secondary drug for the second half/end of the day. That way you can control when you take it and have a reasonable expectation of when it will wear off.
As far as sleep goes if you don't take it too late in the day you are probably fine unless you have sleep problems to begin with, which of course are common for ADHD affected people. I am lucky in that my sleep issues were essentially conquered when I was between the ages of 8-10 since I could never sleep and my mother helped me figure out techniques to do so. Combinations of breathing, clearing my head, picturing myself descending into darkness etc. The only times I have trouble sleeping now are when I'm stressed, stay up too late, or stay up too late and try to sleep when I still have an obsession with a problem or task as I'm then unable to stop thinking about it. Ending my work day earlier helps prevent that.
The worst side effects for me are physical. I have to put on deodorant in the middle of the day and god forbid I forget to put on any at all. Dry mouth was absolutely awful until I started to build up a tolerance, now it's not a huge issue. A few other minor things but nothing that I would stop using them over.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#204I've been taking vyvanse(before that adderall) for the past 10 years. I wouldn't have been able to graduate from highschool without it, I can barely function at my job(devops) without it. I haven't noticed any long term affects, it definitely works though. It's scheduled so it's not easy to get but it definitely works compared to some of the more hit or miss OTC nootropics. I'm willing to answer any questions if anyo…
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#205Would like to do another course at some stage. Mind was massively productive and I fleshed out several ideas over the period. Also got rid of the "mind fog" that starts to creep in from around 30 years old onwards.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#206I've been taking ~50mg modafinil 5 times a week for years. Last batch I bought was 2 years ago on the grey market (an online indian pharmacy) in 200mg pills form (so I divide them in 4 for a daily dose). I don't take any on weekends or on holiday, and sometimes I take 100mg if I'm going for a long car journey or something else that requires complete attention... The effects are very subtle but noticeable: more alertn…
Have you tried not taking it in a while? I found that modafinil sped my mind up too fast to figure anything out. And I was taking even half what you are taking. Just 25mg.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#207Not a nootropic per say but I've noticed a huge difference since focusing on my general health; 1) 7-8 hours sleep per night. 2) 1 hour of exercise per day (some days cardio, other days weights(focus on compounds; squat, deadlift, bench press, shoulder press, pullups, rows)) (for people thinking "I'm too busy to spend an hour of my day exercising". I think the productivity increase of clearing your head doing this ex…
Why no frozen meals?
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#208I've been taking vyvanse(before that adderall) for the past 10 years. I wouldn't have been able to graduate from highschool without it, I can barely function at my job(devops) without it. I haven't noticed any long term affects, it definitely works though. It's scheduled so it's not easy to get but it definitely works compared to some of the more hit or miss OTC nootropics. I'm willing to answer any questions if anyo…
You sure your high does not come from clearing out your withdrawal effects? To elaborate, smokers seem to be anxious before they get nicotine, but to what I understand the relief itself does not really come from nicotine, but because your brain is not used to not have it on hand.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#209I've been taking vyvanse(before that adderall) for the past 10 years. I wouldn't have been able to graduate from highschool without it, I can barely function at my job(devops) without it. I haven't noticed any long term affects, it definitely works though. It's scheduled so it's not easy to get but it definitely works compared to some of the more hit or miss OTC nootropics. I'm willing to answer any questions if anyo…
Why'd you switch from adderall to vyvanse? I've been thinking about going to see a doc about getting back on something like that for a while now. I've... not been so well since I stopped. (fellow SE Michigander here)
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#210I've been taking vyvanse(before that adderall) for the past 10 years. I wouldn't have been able to graduate from highschool without it, I can barely function at my job(devops) without it. I haven't noticed any long term affects, it definitely works though. It's scheduled so it's not easy to get but it definitely works compared to some of the more hit or miss OTC nootropics. I'm willing to answer any questions if anyo…
As a fellow devop, I say that you shouldn't need drugs to do your job. IF you have to stay that late all every day, its time to rip it all out and start again... to quote from drugs.com: "Lisdexamfetamine is a drug of abuse and may be habit-forming." But that said, you've heard these all before. To new users; Long term use usually requires higher doses, the longer you're on them the worse the withdrawl symptoms. The…
Also I've been taking these drugs for almost my entire life so I think I'm a better judge of what I need to do my job than you.