I wanted to share my experience with Adderall. I've been taking it for about 2 months now. Some backstory.
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was about 12. I never had an issue focusing in school. I never had any challenges completing my school work and would always complete it before everyone else. I would then get bored and fidget. It got to the point where it was a distraction to others and was brought to my parents' attention. I was then diagnosed with ADHD. I was never given any formal treatment, instead placed in a Gifted program with more intensive work.
I have been running my own businesses and consulting pretty much since I graduated high school. I am now 25. Things were going pretty good, except for one thing, deadlines. I struggled actually focusing and completing work. It got to the point where I could be working in my office for 12 hours straight and not actually get anything done.
The other major part of it is how it affects my relationships, especially with my SO. We can be holding a conversation and I can completely zone out for minutes at a time and not have any clue what she said because I was in my own head thinking. It is stressful because it gives the impression that I don't care what she is saying, but in reality I have limited to no control over it. This is common from others I speak with who have ADHD.
I have tried every management system in the book. None of it helped. I eventually tried Modafinil (I see a few people mentioned it here). I ultimately stopped taking it because I didn't like how it made me feel (restlessness and appetite loss) and I didn't get immense boosts to concentration.
I eventually decided that I may want to try Adderall. My doctor was suggesting that I may want to try something for over a year, but I resisted. In my mind Adderall was prescription meth and would "rot my brain". I would be come addicted and it would ruin my life.
But things just kept getting worse. My business keeps growing, and so are my responsibilities and deadlines, but I was really struggling to keep up. Finally, I decided to open my mind to taking something like Adderall.
After discussing it with my Doctor he alleviated most of my concerns. Ritalin and subsequently Adderall have been prescribed for almost 70 years and he has been prescribing them for decades without seeing "brain rot", withdraw, or anything like that long-term. After more research and discussing it with colleagues I decided to take it. Here are my thoughts and observations 2 months in.
* It's not addictive. I take it 1-2x a day when working, and not on weekends. I skipped 5 days of doses over Christmas without feeling the need to take it.
* Tolerance. You will get a euphoric effect the first 1-2x you take it, then you don't anymore. You still get the concentration benefits and that doesn't wear off over time - according to my doctor. I don't feel the need to increase dosages.
* It has a propensity for abuse. Basically people taking it to stay up for days at a time to study for exams... I can see where people would have the urge to do so, though I do not.
* It helps me concentrate. While it's not a magic solution to all of my problems, it makes it easier for me to be able to work and continue working for a long period of time. My productivity the past to months have been more than I ever have in the past 5 years.
* It lowers your appetite. I feel like I perpetually ate 30 minutes ago. I need to consciously decide to eat, which I do.
* It gives me dry mouth. This is annoying, no matter how much I drink.
* It can affect sleep. To counteract this I take mine when I first wake up, then at 12pm I take either a full dose, half dose, or nothing depending on my day.
TLDR: It has helped me improve the quality of my life with no real negative effects. If Adderall continues to do so, I will continue to take it.