Stimulants Avoiding Mind-Altering Effects

[Diabetic Person]

I wish I was still taking ADD meds for school. They are definitely cheating and give you a major edge even those for those who legitimately have ADD.

Although it is true, everyone works a little better/more productive (However you see it) on them, but I disagree in it giving people who have ADD a "major edge". I used to be able to work for hours, but over time I just can't sit still or focus without it.

As I said, before I even started taking the medication I had problems focusing (Meaning, it wasn't because my mind was used to a drug - I wasn't on one). Spending 4+ hours and not being able to memorize anything was too frustrating me. I had to watch everything around me, so I felt. Every noise, I had to look at it. While I was younger, I could avoid it, I didn't have that ability now.

My main point, anyways, is that you don't get smarter when on this pill. If your "stupid" before you take it, your going to be stupid while you take it. It just gives me the ability to actually focus like I had used to, so to speak. There's a reason why there are smart people NOT on Amphetamines. They don't need it. They can focus and are genuinely smart.

If anything, I see my and other ADD related people at a disadvantage. We have to take the medicine to get the focus that average people get.

I've been abusing dexamps and dex/methylphenidate (mostly dexamp) on and off for about a year now. When I do use them I go through about 40-100~ mg every day for a week and then stop for a month or so. Now I'm starting to experience the adverse effects. I crash so much harder even when I don't take a high dose and for a month after my last binge, I was extremely depressed.Will I be able to return to my old state with time?.

Don't quote me on this. I remember reading this online/talking to someone here about it a while ago at one point.

Basically, your brain needs to slowly get used to not being on the medications.

It's like this. You drink 10 diet cokes a day. Soon, you won't get that awake feeling from the caffeine. You drink more. Then you don't feel that. You then take caffeine pills to get that same effect you used to experience.
Suddenly, you decide you don't want to drink any more caffeine or coke. So, you quit cold turkey, so to speak. Your body needs to get used to that drop in caffeine it just had. This process takes a while, probably weeks depending on how much you took.

Amphetamines are about the same, but the process to get used not taking it takes much longer. I've heard it takes about 6 months or so for a minor dose to get exactly to how it was before? In your case, it may be years. And even then, since this is a mind altering drug, you still may not get all the way back to the same. The longer your off of it, the closer you are, though.

As I said, this is from where I read somewhere, and hence may be unreliable. Feel free to check with others, and if any others disagree, please state it. No need to tell me I'm wrong - I'll accept it if you can back it up. I'm just trying to give you some info.

The best rule is to never ever stay awake more than 24 hours at a time, i dont care if your brain is screaming "JUST ONE MORE PILL", you need to just tell it to shut the hell up and deal with the come down.

The second rule is to remember to eat, lack of food and sleep are the two most important contributing problems which lead to psychosis. Drinking water is of course also important.

Taking a chelated magnesium supplement (i use magnesium glycinate) will also help greatly in staving off the crazyness and slowing down your tolerance. Keep in mind that the shitty magnesium in multivitamins is near useless, you cant take magnesium oxide.

The shadow people arent real and definetly arent federal agents or the lizard men illuminati so keep your firearms locked away so you dont hurt yourself.

I'll agree with all of the above said in that quote. And the last part just made me laugh, so I had to include it X-D.

Avoid becoming psychologically dependent on it like people get on crack. I have seen what that produces in people. It's not pretty.

Take it only when necessary, try to keep your dose low. Don't start taking it multiple times in a day unless you absolutely have to (and even then, don't consume more than what you're prescribed, i.e. don't go over 60 to 90mg in a day at the very most).

Hello Captain Heroin, haven't seen you since the last time I was active in the forums =-D.

I tried to keep my dose really low, and the Doctor worked me up really slowly for a week-2 weeks to get my "correct" dose. I couldn't even feel Vyvanse until he got to 60mg, but at 40mg I couldn't feel it at all. So that's the lowest I can go - and I plan to never go any higher. If I can feel it now, then when I can't feel it, I know I need to take a HUGE break. I don't want to hurt myself. Same thing with the Adderall he has also prescribed.

I know that I can work without this medicine, but it's just horrible. I end up quitting usually because I get too distracted within just ten minutes. (Before Meds, and now is the same way). So I only take it when I do homework.

I try not to take it on weekends - I don't need it to function. So I think I'm good as far as addicted goes.

Thanks for your post!

Let me give you a rundown of my situation, as I think I am in an advanced stage of where the OP is currently.

I was prescribed 30mg Adderall XR three years ago when I was 24. I had graduated college a year before, and in the last couple years of college I took Adderall illegally for long study sessions (engineering courses tend to do that to you). I knew how much it helped in college, so I went to a doc once I was in the working world and he put me on the Add officially.

I have also had my doctor increase my dosage, but at what point do you stop increasing?

I've gotten to the point now that I feel I can't get anything done if I don't take a pill first. That part pretty much sucks. I don't always take Adderall on the weekends, because when I don't feel pressure to be productive, I really don't feel the necessity for the drug.

But when I take them everyday, obviously my tolerance skyrockets and the benefits are severely compromised in the process.

I feel like I'm spiraling into a potential psychological addiction, if I'm not already there. I don't feel totally addicted, though, because I can take weekends off and feel perfectly fine. Of course, I'll probably just watch TV or play computer for hours with no productivity, but that's what normal people do on weekends.

I don't want to relieve myself of accountability here, but my job and my desire to succeed have definitely influenced my decision to increase dosages and occasionally abuse during particularly pressing times. It's almost a catch-22 in that my career success could become my psychological failure.

I hope this complements the original post and helps to answer further questions. Thank you.

I tried to cut your post to the things I am only going to talk about here. I'm not an expert, obviously as I'm asking near the same question, but I know not to over-exceed the prescription. There's a reason why there is a limit. (This is similar to speed limits. They are determined by traffic/physics of the road to see how fast you can go while being safe and not flying off the road.)

I would talk to your doctor again about the breaks. I, myself, feel they are almost necessary so that I don't become dependent on these medications. I don't know enough about this to say "Yay or Nay", but perhaps talk to other doctor's opinions as well. One head it better than one, so they say.

I have almost no productivity when I am off of them, but this is how I was before I was even on meds. And that is also why my grades were lower (Failing, as mentioned in my first post). Now they are A's. My IQ has been shown to be high, but my ability to focus to finish things is horrible.

I love your Catch-22 reference. Literature could be seen as one of my hobbies. But, ANYWAYS. Besides digressing, I think that I feel the same way with what you had said - and it gets me frustrated. So I try to think of it different. Take things one at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself by thinking too much into the future (The irony, as this thread asks about future problems). But try to focus more on getting your next thing done. But also space it out so maybe you only have to take your meds every other day. And try to slowly decrease your use of meds till your as low as you can go. MY OPINIONS. Obviously, don't take them. Go to several doctors. They have a degree for a reason. (And I am going to my doctor about this in a week or so as well, just wanted extra opinions on my situation as well).

Thanks for the responses, they are much appreciated!

DP.

 

[motiv311]

The shadow people arent real and definetly arent federal agents or the lizard men illuminati so keep your firearms locked away so you dont hurt yourself.

haha! I used to walk around with my mountain cabin armed with various assault rifles; convinced there were lizard men hiding in the bushes staring at me! I knew it wasn't real at all, that my mind was being twisted by amphetamine psychosis. But ill be damned, it didn't stop me from arming my self and marching around like a f_ing soldier on guard

 

[daddict]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR4aQoezl-U

There is a lot of truth in this.

 

[Gormur]

Lupus has great advice, including adding magnesium glycinate to one's diet. Over the last few years, i've been taking 500mg-1g vitamin C at night - after primary effects of the amps have worn off. This is not only obviously healthy but basically kills any chance of psychosis later on in the night + helps one get to sleep much sooner

Melatonin is something i also take nightly

 

[grafittibob]

Dude do you ever sleep? Seriously.
Even if you went to sleep exactly after you didn't need your meds (11pm according to your post) If you wake up at 7 you are only getting 6 hours of sleep.
And I don't know about you but sleep can have a major impact on my motivation and energy levels (8 hours is my minimum)
Not only that but if you are on uppers all day you probably aren't eating that much either.
I would suggest lowering your dosage. That way you won't have as much of a comedown and doing things without your meds should be easier.
Also someone suggested piracetam. That shit will help for reals! Gives your energy and makes your mind more focused AND you can get it pretty damn cheap.