Stimulants Adderall as a pain killer?

[matchpoint88]

Hey guys,

I'm a young stock trader who never thought I would take any kind of stimulant until I got into an accident (fight lol) in China Three years ago. The skirmish left me with some damaged cranial nerves that are firing off pain signals 24/7. I was having an off day a year ago and tried an adderall and have been hooked since. My doc and me are really close, and he basically gives me all the addy I need and all the benzos I need to come down at night to sleep on them. (yes i'm hooked on both)

My question is, how can adderall act as such a great pain reliever? I've had surgery, used opiates, acetaminophen, NSAIDS, etc. however adderall is the only drug that brings "short-term complete" relief.

Also i've noticed that a year ago 10 mg XR twice a day would be enough for me to be flying high for quite a bit, now i'm finding that 30mg-40mg a day is starting to greatly lose its' initial kick that I fell in love with. I know tolerance is an issue, however being a healthy male who runs marathons, what is the highest level of mgs in a day one should go?

Thanks,
Mj

 

[hydrochron]

Adderal does not function as a pain killer so your question is essentialy, for lack of a better word bull shit. What do you consider "short term complete relief"?

 

[suessmayr]

You know that if you get caught with aderall at a marathon-type event you'll be disqualified, and rightly so.

 

[sekio]

Norepinephrine reuptake inhibition is probably the answer. Try something like Tramadol or maybe get Strattera prescribed so you don't fucking abuse it.

 

[CitioKid]

Adderal does not function as a pain killer so your question is essentialy, for lack of a better word bull shit. What do you consider "short term complete relief"?

How can a question be bull shit? How can you discount the experience of someone else? You don't know who he is. He could by anybody. He could be your mom.

I bet the euphoria the adderall provides you is simply helping you take your mind off the pain. Anything that makes you feel good should act as some sort of painkiller, I imagine.

 

[matchpoint88]

Thanks for the responses

Yes, you are right these substances are illegal at competitive marathon events, so I cycle off them during the training stages.

I appreciate all the replies, even the "bull shit" one. In response to that amps in general release heavy quantities of dopamine along with norepinephrine that build up temporarily in the synapse of our nerves which create the "euphoric" effect.

The poster who mentioned that it might take my mind off the pain makes an awesome point, several other activities mimic the effect of adderall without the euphoria of course.

There are plenty of drugs for nerve pain I could try, Gabapentin (nuerotin), Lamicatal, etc. but the side effects aren't worth it as my job requires me to be up at strange hours as the world stock markets open and close. I was just wondering if anyone else noticed an effect other than euphoria from adderall, for reference I have never abused adderall. I am prescribed 40mg a day, however only average
20mg xr a day.

Trust me I would prefer to be drug free so I wouldnt have to worry about sporting laws.

 

[Alice_D]

I take nuerotin for nerve damage related pain and have no side effects at all. Everyone is different, I know it can cause a slight drowsiness but I believe that is only on very high doses.

And I also take adderal for adhd. I have found when I don't have my normal opiates adderal does seem to help. But I believe if it just me taking my mind off the pain, plus the dopamine and other feel good neurotransmitters.

 

[matchpoint88]

Thanks

Thanks Alice,

If you don't mind, how long did it take neurotin to kick in and also how effective do you find it for the nerve pain?

Thanks Mj!

 

[Silenced]

Err... Adderall, or any stimulant really makes my pain a lot more prominent.
I have to make up for it with pain killers if I decided to take any stims.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

matchpoint88, in regards to the neurontin, I recommend checking out this thread, there is a lot of great information about neurontin and its use for nerve pain, among other things:

http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/showthread.php?t=455090

Any pain relief you're getting from Adderall is a result of the euphoria its producing taking your mind off the pain. For some people, amphetamines make pain worse (I'm one of them) or can even cause pain (back pain is common when coming off amphetamines) but if they work for you then they work for you.

As far as dosing goes, the safest bet is to take the lowest dose that works for you. If 10mg works, there isn't any need to take 20mg unless you want more recreational effects. However, with increased dose comes increased side effects, as I'm sure you're aware.

I'm thinking some of the pain relief actually may be coming from the benzos you're using in combination with the Adderall.

There isn't really a "dose ceiling" with Adderall, but 30-40mg is a respectable dose. The shitty thing about amphetamine tolerance is once it's up there it takes a long time to go back down.

I recommend talking to your doctor about other pain management options.

 

[AnyCouponWorks]

interesting - i like someone above also know that adderall exacerbates almost all aches/pains that i have, and additionally it has CAUSED most of them.

been on it a year, prescribed 25 mg/day but take usually double that and skip days. in this year i have developed joint cracking, muscle tension unresponsive to massage and NSAIDS, and general all over body discomforts that go away if i take a week or more off the amps.

in general id say amps have made me FEEL physically about 10 years older, however i cannot deny that on a good day where im busy and loaded on the adderall, i can totally ignore most anything my body is feeling to carry on with my tasks. when i lay at the ending of the day in bed, im like, omg - my body hurts, and i realize that it did all day.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

That's how it can be for me as well, I'm sure the sitting and reading/sitting and refreshing bluelight/doing other tasks in the same position for a while on amphetamines makes the pain worse...or causes the pain, I'm just so focused on whatever I'm doing to realize the pain is there.

However, combining amphetamines with benzos changes things. Combining opiates with amphetamines fixes things. But that's another thread altogether

 

[matchpoint88]

Good Point

Neighborhood you make a good point about the benzos potentially playing a role in the pain relief. I take valium for insomnia/chronic stress. I have noticed that if i'm relaxed, take 30mgs of valium in a single swallow and go out with some friends to see a movie all of the pain disappears. However my normal dose of 10mg every few hours doesn't really do anything, it kind of reminds me of water just bland.

Most likely however both drugs are probably just distracting me through their own mechanisms allowing me to forget the pain for a little while, as you guys have said.

My GP who RX's me addys and valium live 500 miles away because I just relocated, and he just calls my script into the pharmacy or when I get to see him, he writes me RX's for 3 months out, so I can't really run to him for a check up.

Seeing how I am in a new big city with tons of doctors, do any of you guys have any advice on how to figure out a way to locate a doctor that specializes in psych/nuero?

Thanks!

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

Do a Google search for doctors in your area, if you're in a city now there will be tons and tons of results, other people writing reviews on the doctors in question, etc.

Most likely the reason your scripted dose of Valium is no longer doing the trick is you've developed a tolerance to that original 10mg, just like you have with the Adderall.

The good thing is you've acquired those drugs legally and you'll be able to show the next doctor you see the prescriptions and explain the situation to him without worrying about him labeling you as an addict.

 

[Pegasus]

Cycling on/ off of benzos isn't really feasible, IMO. Amphetamines probably won't be fun to try to live without in the first place... but now add to that benzo dependence and I think you're pretty much stuck taking your meds... (until you can taper off the benzos, at least)

 

[soulo]

adderall/Pain killer

Hey this goes out to matchpoint. I have been taking adderall on and off for years and now i have been taking it regularly for its proper purpose. I am an active person and i have lower back pain everyday unless i do yoga often. Recently i havent been on my regular daily scheduel of stretching/yoga. Im no doctor by any means but i have noticed that my back doesnt hurt as bad as it did a few weeks ago. I dont know what else it could be other then the adderall. Like someone else said in there post, its bullshit! Any or every drug can effect someone differently to the next. Im not 100% on this but i dont doubt it and also tells me that its only hiding the pain so i will get back on my scheduel and with that said, anyone that wants to truely feel good, do yoga! It will help you mentally and physically.

 

[motiv311]

adderall will kill pain in a different sort of way..... probably end up leaving you with more pain issues in the long run though.

 

[matchpoint88]

Yoga

Thanks Soulo,

I am also a very active yogi. I find yoga is a great way to bring your awareness away from the pain and onto your breath, thus making you feel remarkably better. However regrettably 30 mins after I leave the studio the pain comes roaring back. I am a workout junkie, because it is the one thing other than pills that can completely knock out pain. Regrettably, for me at least, the results don't last as long as i'd like. I agree though, that yoga is a way to increased health and happiness. For reference I run around 25 miles a week on a light week, and weight train 3-4 times on top of that, and then do yoga 3-4 times in the studio as well.

Not to go on a tangent, but I have a BMI under 22, eat extremely healthy, and am a tri-althete. Yet for some reason my body is in chronic pain, perhaps "stress." It just bugs the heck out of me when I see my friends that are extremely out-of-shape/overweight, whom I love nonetheless, indulge themselves in cupcakes and beer all day and have 0 health problems.

I know the world isn't fair, my job has required me to travel to 27 countries in the past 3 years, but there has to be something more to this. Every doctor says I am "organically" fine, as in they can't find something wrong. Can stress/depression really manifest into such intense chronic pain?

Thanks,
Mj

 

[RedRum OG]

meth heads just speed through their pain. so this is basically the same idea. it distracts you from the pain doesnt cure it like dopiates

 

[morphonorconic]

That is interesting, but not entirely peculiar. Amphetamine is known to synergize with Opioid medications, consequently increasing their analgesic value. I've never found any evidence that would support Amphetamine having its own mechanism which would reduce or eliminate pain.

Could be something that correlates to dopamine, but I really don't know. Honestly, it's likely that you are distracted, and you believe that the Adderall relieves your pain, so therefore it does. Placebo is a powerful phenomenon.