Also try asking for dopamine agonist and stimulants after it. They can help
I know you’re just trying to help, but I think you should stop recommending that people should ask for stimulants. You haven’t even taken them yourself it’s not as simple as you think. A lot of doctors are already biased against stimulants and are very wary of prescribing them because they are already so well known for being addictive and widely abused. Pushing doctors for a stimulant script will come off as “drug seeking behavior” and it can be noted down on your medical records and make it hard for you to get medicines in general.
Vyvanse is the stimulant that is talked about more here, but it metabolizes into dextroamphetamine, which is the same thing as adderall. If it’s your first time taking stimulants it can be very intense, and there are so many negative side effects like tachycardia, high blood pressure, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and most importantly psychosis!! Not to mention that the come down can make you feel worse than when you started!
Even if you manage to get a prescription, in the United States at least, stimulants are controlled substances and legally you aren’t allowed to get more than 30 days worth of your prescription at a time. Brand name vyvanse is usually not covered by insurance, and costs around 10 dollars a pill. Generic vyvanse wasn’t allowed to be produced until 2023, and because of that it’s not much cheaper than brand name and without insurance you’re still looking at minimum 100 a month. If your insurance actually covers Vyvanse this isn’t an issue, but a lot of providers don’t, usually because they cover other stimulants and would prefer you take those.
More people take Adderall than Vyvanse, and it’s much cheaper with generics being on average 20 dollars for 30 pills. But there’s been a shortage since 2023 and it can be hard to even get your script filled, especially if you’re on a common dosage. And even though Adderall and Vyvanse are both dextroamphetamines, Adderall is also 25% levoamphetamine and people can be sensitive to that.
If people aren’t able to get a prescription for stimulants, they might turn to getting pills second hand or off a dealer. If you go that route you’re already running the risk of not knowing if your meds are 100% safe or not, but you’re also at a higher risk of all those negative side effects because you're more likely to have taken too high of a dose since you weren’t properly started on them by a doctor. And these stimulants can stay active in your system all day, or even longer.
Personally, Vyvanse does not help with my anhedonia. It helps with focus and only somewhat energy, but after time your body builds tolerance and it won’t make you feel amazing like it might have when you first started it. Like the drug will still motivate you, but it won’t make you want to deep clean the entire house twice. If you’re looking into stimulants because of the mood changes and intense focus from when you first start, and not the intended use of managing ADHD symptoms, you’re going to end up with an addiction. We have to remember that amphetamines aren’t a joke, meth used to be commonly prescribed for ADHD too, the real difference is just the average dose people take of the two. I just don’t think you should tell people to try stimulants as their first move, while not even telling them the risks or having experienced taking them yourself.
