Mental Health Has anyone developed ADHD from amphetamine use?

[CrimpJiggler]

I started taking ADHD meds a few years ago to counteract lethargy/drowsiness and low motivation I had (which are probably symptoms of depression) and I was taking pretty high doses (usually between 30-70mg) and now that I've quit, I seem to have ADHD. Its this inner restlessness which makes it torturous to focus on anything, and it can be more or less relieved by keeping active. ADHD meds (ritalin, dexedrine etc.) induce the polar opposite effect, they make me very relaxed and content with sitting still and focussing on a task. Some people believe that ADHD is just an imaginary diagnosis invented by psychiatrists to get people on drugs, but I'm pretty sure its a real condition caused by a deficiency of dopamine (and possibly other neurotransmitters like norepinephrine) because I've experienced the transition from not having it, to having a bad case of it.

 

[neversickanymore]

I think you are right on as far as what you think has happened.. I would just give the brain the time it needs to return back into the correct balance. I feel the best way to get the brain to stabilize again is buy leaving it entirely alone and giving it time. I would also try and set a strict sleep schedule and try and go to bed and get up on a strict regimented time every morning and night. I would take a Phenylalanine supplement intermittently for a while.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylalanine. I would start or continue an exercise regiment that included aerobic exercise, until runners high was reached, at the minimum three, but optimally five days a week. http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/3142.html.. Endorphins, for one, hormone-like compounds that regulate mood, pleasure, and pain. That same burst of activity also elevates the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels. These brain chemicals affect focus and attention, which are in short supply in those with ADHD. “When you increase dopamine levels, you increase the attention system’s ability to be regular and consistent, which has many good effects,” explains Ratey, like reducing the craving for new stimuli and increasing alertness. Best of luck.. I think you will be back in no time.

 

[pofacedhoe]

yeah if you take too much amphetamine it will have a rebound of all the things it makes you better at.

this called withdrawl

 

[FnX]

Using amphetamines for a prolonged time can certainly induce rebound-effects that are the opposite of what amphetamines do to you, it should get better with time. With ADHD things you have to rule out first are improper diet (some of us are really sensitive to the things we eat!), lifestyle and what other drugs you use before a proper doctor can make a diagnosis. I've been told by numerous doctors that you really need to abstain from drugs like cannabis for many months before it's reasonable to suspect that the cause of ADHD symptoms could be related to neurological problems, the problem is that especially in the US, many doctors don't really care and are happy to diagnose you and prescribe you drugs even before ruling out all the other factors like mentioned above ($$$ for them). Another problems is, often if the doctors income depends on the patients happiness, they will gladly say whatever the patient wants to hear and prescribe whatever the patient wants as long as there's at least some sort of medical plausibility for that, no matter how far-fetched it may seem. Calm, relaxed and content sitting still focusing on a task. I think the way you described amphetamines is the general way they affect pretty much anyone, as long as the dosage is reasonable. Of course there are some exceptions though.

In a way, I think amphetamines are way over-prescribed but also under-prescribed, it really depends on for example where you live. I believe these medications should be freely available to anyone who feels that they need them, but I also believe that doctors are throwing around the illness/disorder card way too often and getting people hooked on prescription amphetamines creating a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy.

Just my two cents, I'm no doctor though, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[CrimpJiggler]

Thanks for the info. Exercise actually upregulates dopamine receptors so thats definitely something that one should do while recovering from amphetamine use. I recently read some very interesting things about acupuncture and dopamine. Supposedly, acupuncture of particular points protects dopamine neurons from MPTP neurotoxicity in mice, and normalises dopamine levels in animal Parkinsons disease models. According to this article:
http://voices.yahoo.com/permanent-acupuncture-parkinsons-disease-2328889.html?cat=5

As related in The Discovery of the Forever Needle in 1999, Dr. Ulrich Werth a neurologist and acupuncturist accidentally discovered that a needle left under the skin of the earlobe at the trigeminusneuralgia point (#16 on an acupuncture ear chart) can end chronic pain in just one session. It seemed to be caused by a small nodule less than 1 cm in size in the ear lobe which turned out to be an ear acupuncture needle that had slipped under the skin and remained.

This discovery ultimately created a new treatment for Parkinson's disease. The permanent ear implant.

and

Patients appear to have a better prognosis from Ear Acupuncture coupled with limited pharmaecopia than with medication alone. The tiny titanium implants stimulate the brain to create natural messenger substances that lead to more natural dopamine production. Eventually this should cause the regeneration of damaged brain cells.

Permanent Ear Implant Therapy stimulates the patient's natural dopamine production and allows for a reduction in L-Dopa medications. One reason is that the synthetics are distributed throughout the brain and do not target the specific dopamine receptors. A study of patients using this treatment for 10 years showed that the accupuncture implant patients used only 15% of the L-dopa medications which non-implant patients take.

As for substances to facilitate the upregulation and resensitisation of dopamine receptors, uridine and forskolin are supposed to be good for that. I believe NMDA antagonists upregulate dopamine receptors too.

 

[pasha]

Were you "relaxed and content" before taking ADHD medications?

People always find themselves asking this question on various medications. Case in point would be benzodiazepines: "Was I this anxious before taking the benzodiazepines and either remained the same or became progressively worst, or has this anxiety developed from using them?" An answer could be that the anxiety is rebound anxiety which has resulted from using them. Another answer could be that the intense anxiety relief can result in a very bold differentiation between a state of anxiety and a state of calamity. This differentiation can help an understanding of the condition surface.

To your question, you could either be noticing your non-adhd states which is underlining an important question, or your receptors are becoming desensitized the more you take stimulants, in turn worsening you adhd.

Adhd medications are over-prescribed, usually though (but not always) the people who respond to them in the way which you have tend to have the disorder. Adhd can be identified using an fmri scan, so it's not imaginary.

It's a life choice you have to make, do you want to be on a mixture of medications which adjust your biological 'faults' in an attempt to design the 'perfect human being'. Or do you live with you biological 'faults', and accept that perfection is relative.