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Me and ADHD

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Re: Me and ADHD

#411

Post by Baeocystin »

samatman wrote: post #366
xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #93

A lot of comments here are warning about the addictive properties of stimulant medications. For folks without ADHD, you should know that stimulants, like Ritalin and Adderall, do not usually cause the same response as in non-ADHD people. I've spoken with many people on stimulants, and none of them enjoy taking the medication, beyond what it has done to improve their lives. Furthermore, most ADHD people develop tolera…

Real talk: the difference between medicinal and recreational use of amphetamines is about 70 to 95mg. Take 5-30 mg of Dexedrine, you'll be focused, a bit euphoric, maybe some jaw tension and anorexia. You'll get a lot done. Mild crash? It's a risk. Smoke a point of meth and you'll be taking apart your toaster in no time. That's 100mg for those of you who grew up on the right side of the tracks. I'm diagnosed ADHD, by…

Scott Alexander recently wrote about the effects of different amphetamines, which are something he has long clinical experience with in his practice. It is well-worth the read for the curious (the history of how Adderall came to be was a genuine surprise), and it echoes much of what samatman said.

https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/know-your-amphetamines

Re: Me and ADHD

#412

Post by afarviral »

jkaplowitz wrote: post #327
beaugunderson wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have ADHD and am well-read on the subject. The passage I posted applies to both people with and without ADHD. This is another passage from the same paper: > As it remains unclear whether stimulant medication has the same effect on healthy individuals as for those with ADHD, it is possible that many reported effects of prescription stimulants in healthy individuals may stem from placebo effects. If you have a citati…

The passage you cited in the comment I am currently replying to doesn't say there is no difference. It says that it isn't clear either way. So right now we just have anecdotes until someone cites a study making an assertion either way. Here's my anecdote which runs quite opposite yours: As another person with ADHD who has been prescribed a low dose of Adderall XR in the past, it's always been an unpleasant experience…

Sounds like you just hadnt pushed past the physical side-effects and in to euphoric terratory...not suggesting you try. Just that I know non-adhd people who find stimulant side-effects unpleasant enough to conclude that they dont enjoy them.

Re: Me and ADHD

#413

Post by afarviral »

rubicon33 wrote: post #292
null000 wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Counter-anecdote: I was diagnosed sixish months ago, prescribed medication about 3 months ago. The meds don't have the same high of alcohol or weed, but there's definitely an occasional deep sense of calm and wellness - one that's hard not to want, being my chronically depressed self. Definitely enough to set off my "never abuse this, it will end badly" mental alarm Otherwise though, it checks all the usual boxes - w…

> occasional deep sense of calm and wellness I've always assumed that this is the "right" response? When people talk about stimulant medication and ADHD, the reactions tend to fall into two categories: Hypes you up, stimulates you, makes you talk fast and move fast, etc... Or calms you down, soothes you, allows you to think clearly, methodically, etc.... I bring this up because it's concerning to me that the "right"…

I think film and TV are partly responsible for this idea. From experience/observation euphoria (sense of wellbeing) is the primary effect of stimulants, not acting hyper. The rest are just a soup of possible effects that vary wildly.

Re: Me and ADHD

#414

Post by bootstrapping »

sizzle wrote: post #380
bootstrapping wrote: post #342

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Take regular breaks from the medication As others have said, this is definitely something you must discuss with your personal brain care specialist first. What others have not suggested, and again this is something I have been able to arrange in conjunction with my shrink, is medication switching. Since each has slightly different benefits, I use a different medication on a workday than at the weekend or holiday/so…

Since this may benefit others suffering from adhd, can you tell us the class of meds so at can discuss the combo with our specialists? I've never heard of switching meds this sounds beneficial to me, thanks.

They are both CNS stimulants, but one is believed to be primarily a NDRI and the other a slow-release prodrug for a TAAR1 agonist. I have somewhat dissimilar responses to each, and the variation in utility is sufficiently well correlated to the varying needs of work vs life, that I can allocate one to workdays, and the other to the weekend and holidays, and find myself maximising the benefits.

What's more, holidays from either (inadvertent or otherwise) have not provoke the catastrophic withdrawal sometimes described, for me it's more of a reversion to type.

And at the risk of labouring the point, this all comes with a whopping YMMV notice. In particular, I am not reliant on self-assessment; I am privileged enough to have access to both psychiatric and familial help that is willing, able, and qualified, to provide external observation.

Re: Me and ADHD

#415

Post by afarviral »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #197
rustybelt wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you sure this isn't just due to habituation? I was diagnosed ADHD in gradeschool and definitely experienced some euphoric side effects when starting on both Ritalin and Adderall. They quickly subsided after a few days/weeks on the medications but my ADHD brain still reacted that way at first. I tried taking Adderall again as an adult for a few months (after a decade being off the drug) and had a similar experienc…

Habituation is definitely part of it. Many prescribers will also start patients on very low doses and titration up to minimize the distraction of the euphoric effects. Unfortunately, many mew ADHD patients mistake the initial euphoric effects for the medication “working” and get frustrated when the effects go away. They start chasing bigger prescriptions, shopping around for prescribers willing to give higher doses,…

I agree that seeking the lowest effective dose is ideal, but you cant get addicted to something you dont take constantly, so taking it for specific purposes and having constant breaks from it ensures you're not in the addiction cycle. Taking it daily is exactly how you'd end up requiring a higher dose. I dont think our hearts should be pumping 120bpm all the time either lol. An interesting experment would be measuring your BPM carefully on and off the meds. For me it was what got me to cut down and eventually get off them and use other management strategies. Im glad I had them, really helped me build a life where I dont need them at all.

Re: Me and ADHD

#416

Post by hda111 »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #93

A lot of comments here are warning about the addictive properties of stimulant medications. For folks without ADHD, you should know that stimulants, like Ritalin and Adderall, do not usually cause the same response as in non-ADHD people. I've spoken with many people on stimulants, and none of them enjoy taking the medication, beyond what it has done to improve their lives. Furthermore, most ADHD people develop tolera…

ADHD medications can have severe side effects like psychosis. I would also recommend to avoid them if possible. I myself don’t have ADHD but I know several psychosis cases from people diagnosed with ADHD. It makes a lot of sense that this medication is hard to get in most countries.

Re: Me and ADHD

#417

Post by barraclough »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #207
throwaway713 wrote: post #2

> Minimizing menial tasks. Menial tasks really suck. I know everyone must hate doing these, but to put it into perspective, I would rather do 20 hours of really really hard work on a tough project than do 5 hours of menial tasks Interesting. I have ADHD (inattentive subtype) and am quite the opposite. My apartment is never cleaner than when I have an extremely important, open-ended project with multiple stakeholders…

The pop-science definition of ADHD has started to stray very far from the science. There’s a growing tendency for newly diagnosed ADHD patients to try to explain all of their mental habits and preferences through the lens of ADHD. Some times they have helpful feedback for other people with similar habits, but other times they just paint ADHD with an overly broad brush. They often have unrealistically lofty ideals of…

I've have created a Hacker News account specifically for the purpose of agreeing with you. Your post really nails it.

I follow some ADHD accounts on Twitter, and to parody a little:

"A dog with floppy ears barked at me. It think this is a typical ADHD trait - dogs with floppy ears never bark at neurotypicals."

Re: Me and ADHD

#418

Post by hda111 »

sizzle wrote: post #245
username90 wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got diagnosed as an adult and it was life changing for me, has been on them for 5 years. Here are some tips: 1. Never take stimulants to have fun, just take them to do tasks to progress your life. ADHD doesn't prevent you from having fun, and having fun with stimulants is what makes them addictive. 2. Take regular breaks from the medication. You wont get much done the first day or two after, so don't plan on doing…

Taking breaks simply isn't possible for many, like the withdrawals translates to sleeping 16 hours a day and not having an iota of energy to do everyday activities. It is a vicious cycle the deeper you get into taking stims and feeling normal baseline response by finding your therapeutic dose, why would you want to feel acute withdrawal symptoms and get nothing done on med 'vacation days'?

Best would be not to use medication in the first place. It can have severe side effects. Better would be learning how to solve the problems on your own like controlling thoughts with meditation.

Re: Me and ADHD

#419

Post by penguin_booze »

OK, glad I'm not alone in this: I completely shut off when asked to do things in which I find no interest. This especially becomes a problem during interviews. If the problem isn't appealing, that's it!

Re: Me and ADHD

#420

Post by 542354234235 »

hda111 wrote: post #418
sizzle wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Taking breaks simply isn't possible for many, like the withdrawals translates to sleeping 16 hours a day and not having an iota of energy to do everyday activities. It is a vicious cycle the deeper you get into taking stims and feeling normal baseline response by finding your therapeutic dose, why would you want to feel acute withdrawal symptoms and get nothing done on med 'vacation days'?

Best would be not to use medication in the first place. It can have severe side effects. Better would be learning how to solve the problems on your own like controlling thoughts with meditation.

I mean, yes. People aren’t taking them for fun. That is the point, that due to problems regulating our executive functions, we can’t properly manage our symptoms on our own.
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