ADD/ADHD and Drug Abuse

[Craqueline]

I can relate

Hi everyone - i'm a new BL member - been 'lurking' through some posts the past few days - has helped me feel not so alone.
I can definitely relate to the ADD to drugs issue. Along with ADD, I've suffered depression and low self esteem for most of my teenage and all of my adult life.
Low self esteem and depression led me to drug abuse in my early teenage years, then hard drug addiction in my young adult life (crack addiction, then the big old heroin addiction). I have been off crack since I was 22, and off heroin since 23 (I'm 25 now). But I still drink too much. And dable with party drugs. But mostly just booze.
My ADD medication, Adderall, is becoming hard for me to regulate and take properly. I used to be able to take it normally, once , in the morning, as prescribed..and it did wonders for me while in college. But during my last semester of college I started feeling lost and depressed.. I was disillusioned and lost interest in what I had set out studying.. I didnt know what i wanted to do after i finished college and that made me feel worthless.. I started taking more than my prescribed dose of Adderall during the day.. silly addict behaviour.. and this lead me to craving alcohol terribly in order to calm myself.
So i fell into a trap of Adderall and beer addiction that is controlling more of my life than I'd like to admit.
Now i'm frightened that I ruined the medication that was helping me so much.. ive turned it into another addiciton

 

[kmatrixg]

What would you need to believe that there is proof? I can believe it. I have seen it spread through my family (i.e. from parent to child).

However, everyone diagnosed as ADD/ADHD might not actually be ADD/ADHD; there are mis-diagnoses very frequently in psychology/psychiatry.

I meant it more along the lines of a medical diagnosis, even though I'm nearly positive I have it, it hasn't been said professionally... yet.

As far as the 100 question test the first question should be, do you feel like you can do this without skipping a question? Or how about not tapping? or wiggling your foot while you're at it...

BTW, anyone else have a worry stone? I keep it in my pocket for when I get fidgety so I can focus on something if I need to pay attention.

 

[kmatrixg]

Hi everyone - i'm a new BL member - been 'lurking' through some posts the past few days - has helped me feel not so alone.
I can definitely relate to the ADD to drugs issue. Along with ADD, I've suffered depression and low self esteem for most of my teenage and all of my adult life.
Low self esteem and depression led me to drug abuse in my early teenage years, then hard drug addiction in my young adult life (crack addiction, then the big old heroin addiction). I have been off crack since I was 22, and off heroin since 23 (I'm 25 now). But I still drink too much. And dable with party drugs. But mostly just booze.
My ADD medication, Adderall, is becoming hard for me to regulate and take properly. I used to be able to take it normally, once , in the morning, as prescribed..and it did wonders for me while in college. But during my last semester of college I started feeling lost and depressed.. I was disillusioned and lost interest in what I had set out studying.. I didnt know what i wanted to do after i finished college and that made me feel worthless.. I started taking more than my prescribed dose of Adderall during the day.. silly addict behaviour.. and this lead me to craving alcohol terribly in order to calm myself.
So i fell into a trap of Adderall and beer addiction that is controlling more of my life than I'd like to admit.
Now i'm frightened that I ruined the medication that was helping me so much.. ive turned it into another addiciton

Did you ever have a period of abstinence from partying after you quit H? The lifestyle of no inhibition and care free attitude leads to relapse and reoccurring behavior more times than not.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I tests (basic basic ones) are like 100 questions "Do you have trouble sitting still" (lol) - well the first one that really should be of note is just that "do you know of any family member who has ADD/ADHD" - I'm in a mess with my docs, i have ADD don't care to abuse the drugs , same with my anxiety , but my doc has called it quits on all meds since my last lil dip to detox. Congrats my copay on the street isn't that bad clown .....

btw CH - dude I was asking help for w/his addiction - he's about 30 minutes on south side of boston from me and is living with some random dude ... nice n sketchy huh, what can you do man. I hope the best for him but he loves to go up uP UP and away.

He is living with someone so he can get a drug supply? I assume merely living with him is not all he has to do for it?

"Up up and away" is definitely how some people feel on ADHD meds, so I can understand why he is in the situation he is, that's just kind of sad IMO.

It's sad you aren't getting help with ADHD/anxiety at the moment TAoW, just focus on moving out of state if possible. State records with medical treatment end at the state line.

 

[theartofwar]

word - i feel i've done enough movin for a year bro haha. I will work on it in time.

 

[LoveHateLove]

Hey guys, fellow ADDer/self-medicator here. I have the inattentive type (which I assume is the one which most commonly goes undiagnosed). To make a long story short, this disorder has (up until now) completely fucked my life.

Relationships, education, life direction, personal growth; all of these were essentially flushed down the toilet thanks to a disorder I didn't know I had. Now, I'm by no means trying to dodge responsibility for my personal choices. I've made countless errors throughout my life and I certainly harbour my share of regret.

Nine months ago, at the age of 23, I was finally diagnosed. I'm currently prescribed Adderall XR 20mg BID. I was shocked at the way my life started to turn around. I was taking care of shit, treating people better, and I actually started to gain some relatively normal social skills. It's also led me to deal with my drug issues (gotta love the irony of daily amphetamine treatment leading one to a life of sobriety lol).

I was a borderline alcoholic for nearly ten years. Since Adderall, I've been drunk only 3 times (nine months). That is simply incredible for me. When I was a booze hound, 9 months would probably mean getting smashed approximately 120-150 times. I've also gone from a chronic marijuana user to just smoking when the opportunity presents itself (still love my pot ).

Ok, that became unintentionally long winded lol. So I am currently trying to kick benzos. Part of the reason I got hooked so hard on benzos was due to dealing with the nasty crash from the stimulants. This leads me to my question. Do you feel that this disorder can be adequately treated (in the long term) using the medications which are available to us? I would love to hear honest opinion's from people who've been dealing with this ADD bullshit for longer than I.

Thanks guys.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Hey guys, fellow ADDer/self-medicator here. I have the inattentive type (which I assume is the one which most commonly goes undiagnosed). To make a long story short, this disorder has (up until now) completely fucked my life.

Definitely! When people are strictly hyperactive, they get labeled all sorts of things because they are problematic when they are shoved in a classroom with maybe one adult and mostly a whole bunch of other children their age.

I'm mostly inattentive, and I went to college before realizing myself, and THEN getting diagnosed, as ADHD. I have hyperactivity at very infrequent times which I tend to control very well; my inattentive issues are much worse.

I felt the same about it completely messing up my life - except now I feel like my life is still great, I just have to work on things.

Relationships, education, life direction, personal growth; all of these were essentially flushed down the toilet thanks to a disorder I didn't know I had. Now, I'm by no means trying to dodge responsibility for my personal choices. I've made countless errors throughout my life and I certainly harbour my share of regret.

Nine months ago, at the age of 23, I was finally diagnosed. I'm currently prescribed Adderall XR 20mg BID. I was shocked at the way my life started to turn around. I was taking care of shit, treating people better, and I actually started to gain some relatively normal social skills. It's also led me to deal with my drug issues (gotta love the irony of daily amphetamine treatment leading one to a life of sobriety lol).

I was a borderline alcoholic for nearly ten years. Since Adderall, I've been drunk only 3 times (nine months). That is simply incredible for me. When I was a booze hound, 9 months would probably mean getting smashed approximately 120-150 times. I've also gone from a chronic marijuana user to just smoking when the opportunity presents itself (still love my pot ).

Ok, that became unintentionally long winded lol. So I am currently trying to kick benzos. Part of the reason I got hooked so hard on benzos was due to dealing with the nasty crash from the stimulants. This leads me to my question. Do you feel that this disorder can be adequately treated (in the long term) using the medications which are available to us? I would love to hear honest opinion's from people who've been dealing with this ADD bullshit for longer than I.

Thanks guys.

I do believe your question in bold is true.

Have you tried dexedrine? They make an XR formulation of it too as well as an IR formulation. I find almost no anxiety when coming off of this mediation. I may be very briefly depressed when I go without it after taking large doses (only during "crunch times" do I take my prescribed dosage or more) - but it is just that, very brief, and I come out of feeling down very quickly.

I have never had a particularly nasty crash from Dexedrine. Adderall - yes, very much so, I won't take it again because it has never helped me in the same way Dexedrine has (Adderall makes me more hyperactive, Dexedrine does not to the same degree).

I don't have to take benzos very frequently. When I do (i.e. trauma) I'm never around them, so I never really get to take them when I need to. I sometimes take a benzodiazepine - temazepam - for insomnia. It works well for me though.

Overall; yes, I think medications help a lot. It's not just medicine though - basically when I started on Adderall IR - I was still not doing well in life.

I tried Dexedrine XR - still not doing well in life. I moved up to Dexedrine IR - and everything is going well for me now.

The main difference is that whatever isn't going well in my life, I know I can change it now. This wasn't the way I felt before I started medication, and I was not doing very well mentally when I started on the medicine and I'm doing much better now.

I would strongly advise to switch to Adderall IR, or possibly Dexedrine XR or IR, as I found Adderall XR to have *the worst* crash profile, and I would even prefer coming off of methamphetamine to Adderall XR (I think comparisons like this just go to show how different we all are; one of my close friends - someone else who comes to TDS - says they prefer Adderall XR the most! and they have tried all the other stimulants I mentioned in this paragraph).

There are a ton of other things we can do to work on having ADHD:

* proper diet, balanced meals
* plenty of water, vitamins, minerals, etc.
* a good night's sleep, good sleep hygiene
* exercise at an acceptable rate; only 1 in 3 adults (possibly less than that) gets enough exercise
* avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine

Lastly...

* take breaks from amphetamines

I can't stress this last one enough. When I take a day or less off, I feel a ton better during this period - and during the time I go back on the medication. Sometimes I'll take 1 tablet one day and none the next, sometimes I'll go from 4 to 6 tablets in a day to none the next; in either scenario, as long as I have followed the other great examples of feeling great by eating, sleeping, and exercising (I never use alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine) - then I'll feel great.

I almost find that the way I am a day after the use of dextroamphetamine is the most ideal - and this state does not come easily for me, meaning if I take a week off d-amphetamine, only the first day would feel so good, possibly the first 2-3 days.

Eventually I return to the way I used to be, very inattentive, at times hyperactive, and definitely hypersomnia/insomnia interchanging on a near daily basis.

Before I even tried ADHD meds, I went on sleep meds. I had to use them more regularly than I do now. Now that I have ADHD meds, I will only use temazepam once in a month or less often. I can't believe how little I want to use drugs now. I never have cravings for heroin (and I used to use it daily for months on end during my addiction to it), I never feel like getting messed up on benzodiazepines (even if I could use midazolam, temazepam, alprazolam, which are all fairly rewarding - I just do not care to use them), I don't care to use other amphetamine-type drugs while on d-amp since it is a great medication as is and I trust I know how it will effect me on a consistent basis to the point where I wouldn't want to screw up my tolerance to it, and while I use cannabis medicinally, I smoke it a lot less frequently than what I once did.

I still have the drive to have highly infrequent psychedelic experiences for the sake of having a spiritually deep experience, but I don't have the drive to "get high" anymore off of other drugs. I still use cannabis, d-amp, buprenorphine medicinally but I don't use them JUST to get high. If I feel great, I am typically not going to use drugs.

This is the entire point of ADHD medication for me, living a very functional life while also not having any drug cravings.

 

[LoveHateLove]

Definitely! When people are strictly hyperactive, they get labeled all sorts of things because they are problematic when they are shoved in a classroom with maybe one adult and mostly a whole bunch of other children their age.

I'm mostly inattentive, and I went to college before realizing myself, and THEN getting diagnosed, as ADHD. I have hyperactivity at very infrequent times which I tend to control very well; my inattentive issues are much worse.

I felt the same about it completely messing up my life - except now I feel like my life is still great, I just have to work on things.


I do believe your question in bold is true.

Have you tried dexedrine? They make an XR formulation of it too as well as an IR formulation. I find almost no anxiety when coming off of this mediation. I may be very briefly depressed when I go without it after taking large doses (only during "crunch times" do I take my prescribed dosage or more) - but it is just that, very brief, and I come out of feeling down very quickly.

I have never had a particularly nasty crash from Dexedrine. Adderall - yes, very much so, I won't take it again because it has never helped me in the same way Dexedrine has (Adderall makes me more hyperactive, Dexedrine does not to the same degree).

I don't have to take benzos very frequently. When I do (i.e. trauma) I'm never around them, so I never really get to take them when I need to. I sometimes take a benzodiazepine - temazepam - for insomnia. It works well for me though.

Overall; yes, I think medications help a lot. It's not just medicine though - basically when I started on Adderall IR - I was still not doing well in life.

I tried Dexedrine XR - still not doing well in life. I moved up to Dexedrine IR - and everything is going well for me now.

The main difference is that whatever isn't going well in my life, I know I can change it now. This wasn't the way I felt before I started medication, and I was not doing very well mentally when I started on the medicine and I'm doing much better now.

I would strongly advise to switch to Adderall IR, or possibly Dexedrine XR or IR, as I found Adderall XR to have *the worst* crash profile, and I would even prefer coming off of methamphetamine to Adderall XR (I think comparisons like this just go to show how different we all are; one of my close friends - someone else who comes to TDS - says they prefer Adderall XR the most! and they have tried all the other stimulants I mentioned in this paragraph).

There are a ton of other things we can do to work on having ADHD:

* proper diet, balanced meals
* plenty of water, vitamins, minerals, etc.
* a good night's sleep, good sleep hygiene
* exercise at an acceptable rate; only 1 in 3 adults (possibly less than that) gets enough exercise
* avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine

Lastly...

* take breaks from amphetamines

I can't stress this last one enough. When I take a day or less off, I feel a ton better during this period - and during the time I go back on the medication. Sometimes I'll take 1 tablet one day and none the next, sometimes I'll go from 4 to 6 tablets in a day to none the next; in either scenario, as long as I have followed the other great examples of feeling great by eating, sleeping, and exercising (I never use alcohol, caffeine, or nicotine) - then I'll feel great.

I almost find that the way I am a day after the use of dextroamphetamine is the most ideal - and this state does not come easily for me, meaning if I take a week off d-amphetamine, only the first day would feel so good, possibly the first 2-3 days.

Eventually I return to the way I used to be, very inattentive, at times hyperactive, and definitely hypersomnia/insomnia interchanging on a near daily basis.

Before I even tried ADHD meds, I went on sleep meds. I had to use them more regularly than I do now. Now that I have ADHD meds, I will only use temazepam once in a month or less often. I can't believe how little I want to use drugs now. I never have cravings for heroin (and I used to use it daily for months on end during my addiction to it), I never feel like getting messed up on benzodiazepines (even if I could use midazolam, temazepam, alprazolam, which are all fairly rewarding - I just do not care to use them), I don't care to use other amphetamine-type drugs while on d-amp since it is a great medication as is and I trust I know how it will effect me on a consistent basis to the point where I wouldn't want to screw up my tolerance to it, and while I use cannabis medicinally, I smoke it a lot less frequently than what I once did.

I still have the drive to have highly infrequent psychedelic experiences for the sake of having a spiritually deep experience, but I don't have the drive to "get high" anymore off of other drugs. I still use cannabis, d-amp, buprenorphine medicinally but I don't use them JUST to get high. If I feel great, I am typically not going to use drugs.

This is the entire point of ADHD medication for me, living a very functional life while also not having any drug cravings.

Thanks for the quick (and extensive) response. I completely relate to the part I bolded at the end. It's like my drug cravings now come from a deep desire for adventure and exploration (as opposed to escape).

I have had the chance to give Dexedrine a decent trial, thanks to a friend who was willing to trade lol. It is definitely a cleaner feeling drug overall, and I did find the crash to be noticeably less intense.

Unfortunately, it did also have it's downside's. I found it to be distinctly less motivating than Adderall. My ADD is 100% devoid of hyperactivity, and I feel that the l-amp in Adderall (and it's greater affinity for NE) give's me a kick in the ass I really need.

That being said, getting off Valium is my number one priority. In two months when I'm back from Europe, I'll be switching to Dex and I'll give it a much longer trial. And btw, I take breaks from amp. At least one day each week, and usually a full week every month and a half.

You've made the switch before...what do you think, from 40mg Adderall to 30ishmg Dex?

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Thanks for the quick (and extensive) response. I completely relate to the part I bolded at the end. It's like my drug cravings now come from a deep desire for adventure and exploration (as opposed to escape).

I have had the chance to give Dexedrine a decent trial, thanks to a friend who was willing to trade lol. It is definitely a cleaner feeling drug overall, and I did find the crash to be noticeably less intense.

Unfortunately, it did also have it's downside's. I found it to be distinctly less motivating than Adderall. My ADD is 100% devoid of hyperactivity, and I feel that the l-amp in Adderall (and it's greater affinity for NE) give's me a kick in the ass I really need.

That being said, getting off Valium is my number one priority. In two months when I'm back from Europe, I'll be switching to Dex and I'll give it a much longer trial. And btw, I take breaks from amp. At least one day each week, and usually a full week every month and a half.

You've made the switch before...what do you think, from 40mg Adderall to 30ishmg Dex?

I know what you mean - it is possible Adderall works better for you.

Did you ever try taking both? I'm not sure how well this works to be honest.

Getting off of valium is a great first priority!

You are talking about 40mg of Adderall XR correct? If you take Dexedrine IR, I would equate about 20mg to 40mg of Adderall XR. You could take two 20mg Adderall XR's or about 2x 10mg dexedrine IR's, or maybe 3-4 of the 5mg dexedrine IR's.

I never took more than 20mg of Adderall IR in a day before and got any actual relief out of it so I never made it a point to go back above that dosage. Adderall XR also wouldn't work on me at all. I would take Adderall XR for longer than just "once in a blue moon", and the second dose would do *nothing* for me, no "feeling good", no stimulation, no more motivation than I had previously, almost no difference, as if I could go to sleep, or eat normally, etc. - I feel like it was released so slowly it gave me no "kick" that dexedrine IR gives me.

When I take dexedrine IR, I can take it, feel the effects, and then go a whole 10 hours or so without taking more. Sometimes I take it and I take more 4 hours into the experience, and then another 3 to 4 hours into the next one (what is "prescribed") - but by the 2nd or 3rd one I'm normally good to go by the rest of the day so I wouldn't continue taking it.

With Dexedrine XR, I would say that I also never got "great" effects from this one, but I would say 30mg of Dexedrine XR (two 15mg XR's or three 10mg XR's) would equate 40mg Adderall XR.

With Dexedrine XR you can take your dose in one large dose, or split it up. I like to split it up, so Dexedrine XR just did not work for me. I would take it an hour before school, and would still be tired by the time class was already going on for at least an hour.

Taking breaks and getting off of valium is definitely a great plan to have! If you stick to it, you'll definitely notice everything being more manageable.

Diet and exercise can also be crucial though - while on dexedrine IR, if I take one dose, then a second one, I may not feel the 2nd one fully until I eat and have some minerals/vitamins and some water as well, then I'll feel the medicine kick in, even if it was 3 or 4 hours after I took it.

For this reason, I like to start eating, then take my medication, finish most of the meal, then after I have eaten a full meal it will kick in. This way it won't have to digest after a lot of food, but also the small amount of food helps reduce the stomach nausea/upset that can happen with any amphetamine based medication.

If you find it difficult to eat on amphetamine; I would remember to stock fruits and dairy - these are so easy to eat by comparing it to bread - I just cannot eat bread while on amphetamine. Sliced bread, pancakes, hot dog buns or hamburger buns, impossible to eat. Very difficult at best. I normally have no problem eating these while sober.

On amphetamine, your body breaks down sugar way quicker (this was proven with a type of fly; they would give short-living flies methamphetamine, and compared how much sugar they got - higher sugar intake - delayed death) so it's believed that having a slightly higher sugar intake diet wise, is OK while on amphetamine. I burn through anything I eat, I have yet to start gaining weight on this medication.

At first I was the same weight for so long, then I noticed I had to punch a new hole in my belt (my pants start slacking without a belt), and now I'm at a point where I might have to punch *another* hole. I'm already at a healthy point in my life where I really don't need to lose weight, so I'm hoping I'll get to a good rate of eating/taking medication, and things will even out.

 

[LoveHateLove]

I know what you mean - it is possible Adderall works better for you.

Did you ever try taking both? I'm not sure how well this works to be honest.

Getting off of valium is a great first priority!

You are talking about 40mg of Adderall XR correct? If you take Dexedrine IR, I would equate about 20mg to 40mg of Adderall XR. You could take two 20mg Adderall XR's or about 2x 10mg dexedrine IR's, or maybe 3-4 of the 5mg dexedrine IR's.

I never took more than 20mg of Adderall IR in a day before and got any actual relief out of it so I never made it a point to go back above that dosage. Adderall XR also wouldn't work on me at all. I would take Adderall XR for longer than just "once in a blue moon", and the second dose would do *nothing* for me, no "feeling good", no stimulation, no more motivation than I had previously, almost no difference, as if I could go to sleep, or eat normally, etc. - I feel like it was released so slowly it gave me no "kick" that dexedrine IR gives me.

When I take dexedrine IR, I can take it, feel the effects, and then go a whole 10 hours or so without taking more. Sometimes I take it and I take more 4 hours into the experience, and then another 3 to 4 hours into the next one (what is "prescribed") - but by the 2nd or 3rd one I'm normally good to go by the rest of the day so I wouldn't continue taking it.

With Dexedrine XR, I would say that I also never got "great" effects from this one, but I would say 30mg of Dexedrine XR (two 15mg XR's or three 10mg XR's) would equate 40mg Adderall XR.

With Dexedrine XR you can take your dose in one large dose, or split it up. I like to split it up, so Dexedrine XR just did not work for me. I would take it an hour before school, and would still be tired by the time class was already going on for at least an hour.

Taking breaks and getting off of valium is definitely a great plan to have! If you stick to it, you'll definitely notice everything being more manageable.

Diet and exercise can also be crucial though - while on dexedrine IR, if I take one dose, then a second one, I may not feel the 2nd one fully until I eat and have some minerals/vitamins and some water as well, then I'll feel the medicine kick in, even if it was 3 or 4 hours after I took it.

For this reason, I like to start eating, then take my medication, finish most of the meal, then after I have eaten a full meal it will kick in. This way it won't have to digest after a lot of food, but also the small amount of food helps reduce the stomach nausea/upset that can happen with any amphetamine based medication.

If you find it difficult to eat on amphetamine; I would remember to stock fruits and dairy - these are so easy to eat by comparing it to bread - I just cannot eat bread while on amphetamine. Sliced bread, pancakes, hot dog buns or hamburger buns, impossible to eat. Very difficult at best. I normally have no problem eating these while sober.

On amphetamine, your body breaks down sugar way quicker (this was proven with a type of fly; they would give short-living flies methamphetamine, and compared how much sugar they got - higher sugar intake - delayed death) so it's believed that having a slightly higher sugar intake diet wise, is OK while on amphetamine. I burn through anything I eat, I have yet to start gaining weight on this medication.

At first I was the same weight for so long, then I noticed I had to punch a new hole in my belt (my pants start slacking without a belt), and now I'm at a point where I might have to punch *another* hole. I'm already at a healthy point in my life where I really don't need to lose weight, so I'm hoping I'll get to a good rate of eating/taking medication, and things will even out.

Thanks a lot man, I appreciate it. Even though I have a decent grasp on pharmacology, it's a great help to get advice from someone who's been around the block.

I'm most definitely leaning towards the IR Dexedrine, 4-5 x 5mg's per day should do me fine. I'm not a fan of XR type med's, unfortunately in Canada Adderall is only available as such. Dex is available in IR and "spansule" form. XR drugs piss me off so much. I would much rather be in control of how much medication I need for a given day/situation, rather than be locked into 8 hours of stimulation.

Thanks again Captain H.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Thanks a lot man, I appreciate it. Even though I have a decent grasp on pharmacology, it's a great help to get advice from someone who's been around the block.

I'm most definitely leaning towards the IR Dexedrine, 4-5 x 5mg's per day should do me fine. I'm not a fan of XR type med's, unfortunately in Canada Adderall is only available as such. Dex is available in IR and "spansule" form. XR drugs piss me off so much. I would much rather be in control of how much medication I need for a given day/situation, rather than be locked into 8 hours of stimulation.

Thanks again Captain H.

Oh yeah I'm definitely the same way! I'm sorry to hear you all don't have Adderall IR, it may work the best for you of all of them. *shrugs*

Everyone is unique though, so take a decent amount of time with each one and see what you think. I typically try to keep it to 10mg to 20mg of IR dexedrine, as this range is best for "most days with some breaks" usage.

Most XR/slow release medications were total hell for me.

The worst was taking NSAID's to reduce inflammation; these were sedating (acetic acid derivatives) - and one was an IR tablet, the other a slow release tablet.

The latter kept me asleep for half a day + at a time.

 

[RobbyG]

Just got back on my a.d.d meds for the first time in a year & a half. Went from
Vyvanse 40mg to adderall 20mg ir. Vyvanse made me very very irratable, got in fist fights at school constantly because of it, love hate.

Haven't taken adderall in so long, forgot what it's like.

What do you guys prefer? I don't have anxiety or depression, I've heard this makes a difference when it comes to people preference.

 

[theartofwar]

Just got back on my a.d.d meds for the first time in a year & a half. Went from
Vyvanse 40mg to adderall 20mg ir. Vyvanse made me very very irratable, got in fist fights at school constantly because of it, love hate.

Haven't taken adderall in so long, forgot what it's like.

What do you guys prefer? I don't have anxiety or depression, I've heard this makes a difference when it comes to people preference.

adderall is the piss of amphetamine combos for any sense - school / work - rec. levo-amp is fucking pure horse shit.

I despise the shit, d - amp all the way. Oh and btw being stimulated and wanting o fight / being edgy etc - it happens man. I have manic episodes and tend to end up in a holding cell, but i rarely take my dexies either cuz it has similar affects on me.

 

[RobbyG]

adderall is the piss of amphetamine combos for any sense - school / work - rec. levo-amp is fucking pure horse shit.

I despise the shit, d - amp all the way. Oh and btw being stimulated and wanting o fight / being edgy etc - it happens man. I have manic episodes and tend to end up in a holding cell, but i rarely take my dexies either cuz it has similar affects on me.

The few times I have taken adderall I remember I liked it more than vyvanse because it wasn't as long. Fuck being stimulated all day. 4 hours is all I need

 

[Captain.Heroin]

The few times I have taken adderall I remember I liked it more than vyvanse because it wasn't as long. Fuck being stimulated all day. 4 hours is all I need

Some people find one thing works better over the other - if Adderall IR works well for you then that's excellent.

 

[Codeine808]

Right on, me too, dude!

I am ADD too..Tests and all the shit...that is why i take adderall SR 40MG too,
and other codeine drugs and SSRI's to help cover the pain of feeling stupid sometimes..Any one else feel slow or dumb like me?
l8r

I'm starting this thread because of a phenomenon that I think would be important to address in this forum, especially in TDS.

I am pretty sure I have ADD and am getting tested for it. The fundamental idea behind it is that it is inherited and that you're born with it. Because of this, people with ADD/ADHD often have concurrent mental problems which may lead them to drug abuse.

My question to you: As someone with ADD/ADHD, did you begin drug abuse as a means to self medicate?

I am almost convinced I began using heroin to make my life more interesting, and in general to make everything more interesting. People with ADD/ADHD can only easily pay attention to things that interest them, a reason why my general education is boring/fairly uncompleted compared to my major studies which are mostly completed.

While I was using heroin, everything was interesting, and I could get motivated easily for 8 continuous hours. I'm glad I quit using heroin however, but this has left me without medication for ADD/ADHD, and now I need testing to get medication.

I am interested to hear why you may or may not think you all began using drugs (any of them, uppers, downers, psychedelics, or dissociatives) as a means to self medicate for ADD/ADHD symptoms. If not please go into detail about why you began using, if you would like.

If you don't have ADD/ADHD you can answer too if you know people in your life who have ADD/ADHD and who used drugs to self medicate before getting legitimate medication, or a diagnosis. You can also chime in if you don't have ADD/ADHD, but let's keep this positive. ADD/ADHD is a real disorder, it is not something that goes away easily without medication. There are alternatives other than medication, but most people (like myself) are unable to afford them.

I'll start. I began using heroin to cope with my poor self esteem and lack of social life. I also had the best school semester I have had to date while on heroin, this is easily explained by the fact while on heroin everything is interesting, I had 0% care about having low self esteem (heroin makes you feel like a god among men), and I had a lot of friends as people love heroin (this is not a reason to start using it - please don't - I am still recovering about one and a half years later ).

After a year of heroin use I realized I had to quit, and I've been clean for 16 and 3/4 months thus far.

 

[SkagKush]

hyper attention plays a huge role in drug use and eventually addiction......so "Jimmy" cant pay attention in school but loves smoking pot and the occasional line of blow on weekends....but instead of studying school, he studies drugs because he is almost obsessed with learning everything there is to know......this turns into alot more experimentation, and eventually a DOC with an addiction........

how often does this happen.......

 

[Captain.Heroin]

hyper attention plays a huge role in drug use and eventually addiction......so "Jimmy" cant pay attention in school but loves smoking pot and the occasional line of blow on weekends....but instead of studying school, he studies drugs because he is almost obsessed with learning everything there is to know......this turns into alot more experimentation, and eventually a DOC with an addiction........

how often does this happen.......

Learning everything there is to know about drugs was part of my formal education, so I'm not sure how often that happens SK. Do you think you could clarify what you're trying to say?

I am ADD too..Tests and all the shit...that is why i take adderall SR 40MG too,
and other codeine drugs and SSRI's to help cover the pain of feeling stupid sometimes..Any one else feel slow or dumb like me?
l8r

There are many people who struggle with feeling this way. Do you still feel this way while on your medications?

 

[theartofwar]

I'm going to honestly go back , explain i lost my scripts from quite few trips to detox - except im going to say shit how i always do and not waste time on bullshit, 5 minutes in a room with thingso n the wall im talking up a storm.... I'll get my scripts back w new insurance. The difference is really horridly drastic - when I take a good level dose of the right med copmared to anythng close to off with the others, it's just side affects and hell.

I'll go once a week and he take my tinkle tunes , i got nada to hide, and if i did it would kittens

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I'm going to honestly go back , explain i lost my scripts from quite few trips to detox - except im going to say shit how i always do and not waste time on bullshit, 5 minutes in a room with thingso n the wall im talking up a storm.... I'll get my scripts back w new insurance. The difference is really horridly drastic - when I take a good level dose of the right med copmared to anythng close to off with the others, it's just side affects and hell.

I'll go once a week and he take my tinkle tunes , i got nada to hide, and if i did it would kittens

I am glad you are considering getting back on ADD/ADHD medication. It has improved my life a lot, considering what I was like before them, hahaha.