Adderall

[JoJo437]

Dear Sir/Madam:
I am 39 years old and three months ago I was diagnosed with ADHD, a disorder that has caused extreme problems for me since childhood and throughout my adult life, which began with my expulsion from kindergarten. I was prescribed a drug called Adderall (30 m.g. RX) after the 10 m.g. and 20 m.g. doses proved completely ineffective. I currently take 1 (one) 30 m.g.RX pill in the morning and it has, quite frankly, changed my life in so many positive ways that I cannot convey the differences to you in words. For the first time I can actually sit down and concentrate on a task without having to get up every five minutes to perform a chorus of jumping-jacks. My problem is this; the pill I currently take begins to lose it's effectiveness around 12 or 1 p.m, as I rise every morning at 6 a.m to begin my day. I am an attorney who works some 14-16 hours per-day, every minute of which requires a great deal of concentration and focus to detail. I don't want to become a drug addict but I need a subsequest dosage (30 m.g.) around noon or 1 p.m. to carry me until that 7 or 8 o'clock whistle, in order for this medication to perform any meaningful role in my treatment. Would that be taking too much Adderall?, or is it justified due to my obviously uncharacteristically severe case of ADHD-(I mean I was really, really hyperactive as both a child and as an adult.) Can one person have an uncharacteristically low level of dopamine production in the brain even for someone with ADHD? Are there any documented cases where an ADHD affected person has required a 2 or 3 (30 m.g.) pill every day in order to bring their disorder under control?

[Sandman2]

   Sounds like he deserved to be discharged.  What kind of a doc was he?

[gabbygal68]

well I have been reading all of these posts and its amazing about the high doses   I recently had to find a different dr because Mine was discharged from his practice...    he has been giving me 40mg 3x per day...  and I have severe jaw clenching and now I am trying to work with my new dr on lowering the dose...   so currently i am taking 30mg at 7am,   20mg at 11am and  10mg at 3pm   it has my focus so screwed up....   I sometimes find I am in car driving and dont even realize I went right by the roads I need.   It *****    Damn Dr for putting me on this crap so high like that...  

[Sandman2]

   Hey, welcome to the site!   I don't know where you dug up these old posts, but they were really interesting to read.  They must have come up just before I started posting here.   I like your explanation of what it does to people without ADHD/ADD.   It is a good way to put down what is happening.  Probably the only thing you left out is that it can be horribly addicting.
    I have seem posts on this site where people got the prescription from docs and from their reaction to the drug, was fairly sure that they were misdiagnosed.  It is a problem and seems to happen more with adults than with kids.  Of course, the new guidelines out for kids should help that problem even more.  
   Anyway, interesting post!

[Wickedninja]

Hello? Listen, you all need to chill.  Adderall is a dopamine agonist.  It helps with the process of releasing dopamine by neurons in your brain.  Specifically, the dopaminergic or (reward) pathway.  Ok, in easy to understand terms, by taking adderall you raise the pleasurable effects of accomplishing your goals.  If you let your goal become getting a pill of Adderall, you end up all psyched-out like genuine203, Because that's a meaning-less life. Sorry genuine203, it's not the adderall, it's you, yes, I understand what you're feeling, and adderall does change you, but I can't go into full detail about that...  You must use the drug to create goals (addictions) and then feel the rush of the reward, which is enhanced by elevated levels of dopamine.  Now, listen closely, each time you accomplish your goal and get the reward, your brain strengthens the connection on a neural level.  Like if we sliced my brain apart, we'd see neurons growing towards each other to create a new connection, the more I stimulate that connection (by doing an activity I see as my goal)  the stronger the neurons grow and spread and connect in many areas of the brain, your neurons function better, by releasing more dopamine and becoming more sensitive or capable of receiving it.  Now on a real world level, you start creating habits, which creates growth and progress, dreams, interests, drive, the ability to make friends by sharing interests... Etc... Etc...and you're actually making something of yourself, someone to be proud of... And ya, you will gradually decrease your dose as you become active and you've restarted all kinds of chemical processes in your brain. start small, sleep when you need, and grow forward.  And honestly, it's just adderall... ; )
To those who never tried it, avoid it, unless you must it for have ADD or ADHD, cuz you'll risk throwing yourself out of balance, have nasty side effects, possibly die

[JoJo437]

PS: The extreme hyperactivity manifested itself as inability to sit still for more than 10-15 minutes, ringing of hands, constant motion, and a complete scatter brain unable to focus on one task for more than 30 minutes, to name a few.

[JoJo437]

I thank you for your most considerate suggestions on alternative forms of dealing with this disorder. I will certainly try some, if not all, of your suggestions in my approach. You may also be interested to know that this very afternoon I made arrangements to begin cognitive therapy and will discuss with my therapist the possibility of manageing this disorder without the use of any drugs at all, although I fear that this may not be possible in my particular case entirely, I can certainly minimize the use as much as possible.

Oh by the way, In Re your question regarding law school. Law, on the doctorate level, is not taught the same way that undergraduate or more conventional disciplines are taught. In law school they use a teaching technique called the "Socratic Method" to teach students how to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. It derives it's name from "Socrates" who had one of our greatest and most critical problem solving minds, historically.

Although I found that the more base level courses such as contracts, torts, property, civil and criminal procedure very difficult to manage with this disorder, you must understand that law school motivates a student to achieve at the risk of constant elimination. Let me try to explain: Everyone has heard the story of the first year student, who while sitting in his seat on the first day of class, is instructed by the professor to look to his left, and then to his right, only then to be informed that after the first year of study that one of those people would be eliminated due to academic underachievment. This story is not an urban legend, it's absolutely true in law school.

Law students are graded on whats called a curve, which means, in order for one person to pass, another must fail. You cannot have a curve with someone on the top, unless there is someone on the bottom, otherwise, there is no curve! GET IT! We are not graded on how well we understand the information or subject matter, we are graded on how much better one student can do against another.

I was able to control the ADHD under these conditions, quite frankly, because I was scared to death. Let me put it to you this way as you are a person who also has ADHD: Do you think that you would suffer the symptoms of your ADHD while going over a cliff in a car, or while being chased by a lion? In severe stress situations, the symptoms become somewhat secondary to survival.

Finally, I saught treatment after I quit drinking almost three years ago. Apparently I was abusing alcohol in lieu of any legitimate means of controling the hyperactivity.

Listen, I lived with ADHD for 39 years and If I have to, I'll live with it again. Maybe the Adderall can last just long enough to get me through cognitive therapy and then I can use that to manage this sucker!