Stimulants Just started Adderall - any advice?

[Shankar96]

Hi friends,
So I was diagnosed with ADHD-Pi in July and after giving Adderall a try, decided against taking it. Well this was a bad decision. Now almost half-way through the semester I am doing awful and in general just accomplishing anything is extremely difficult, even things that I want to do.


So I decided on my day off to give it a go again. I forget why I chose to take 40mg, but I did. When I first tried it back in July or August I took 5mg. In short, it made me sleepy, but it made me feel slightly more normal. I noticed my thoughts not going off as much as usual. Not a strong effect, but a subtle one.


Anyways, so I took 40mg, and it was perfection. I felt like my "normal" personality had finally returned. It felt like I was a kid again, and that I could accomplish anything. (It felt quite similar to MDMA actually.) I mowed the lawn, cleaned the bathroom, and did a bunch of other things that I was putting off for ages. I nearly started crying I was so happy to have finally rediscovered my "self."


I found myself also much more empathetic towards others, it was much easier to relate, have conversations, look people in the eye, start conversations, etc. That day I had the best shift at work I have ever had. I work in a restaurant, and I didn't have to look at the tickets more than once to memorize what was on them. I didn't forget to check the oven. I had a great time talking to my co-workers and the best part is - when I was finished with work, I hardly even wanted to leave.


That night I had a hard time getting to sleep as you can imagine and a pretty bad crash. At that point I decided it would probably be best to find the lowest dose that can sustain that motivation, energy, and focus I was able to achieve.


So the next day I took 5mg, felt subtle effects but nothing noticeable. 5mg more, slight bodily effects and still no focus/motivation. 15mg I felt mild improvement in ability to focus, pleasant bodily effects.


But what I did not feel was happy or motivated. Sure I could focus but I was absolutely miserable. I had no desire to talk to my family, everything and everyone was somewhat irritating. I had to pay close attention to how I was feeling as to not overreact to what someone said. I figured that 10mg more would be helpful, so before work I dosed 10mg more. Well that shift, I could not focus at all. My memory was shot, I forgot to check the oven multiple times, had to check tickets, messed up on an order. I felt much more stimulated however, I was a tad shaky, very alert, but just not feeling like myself.


Why could this be? Does this mean I need to up my dosage even higher? Or did I screw it up by giving myself a tolerance from the first dose? Did I drain my brain of any and all dopamine? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Raysu]

I don't think one dose would screw your tolerance up. I only took it once in a while but was bad on meth and what you're describing at the 40mg sounds like any time I got high. Do you have a doctor overseeing your dosing? They can adjust better and if it's an old script it's a bitch when it runs out. You need to be at a dose that works for you every day and only a good doctor can help you with that.

 

[morphine-dreams]

One thing I can tell you is finding your "sweet spot" is going to be a bitch, as you can already see. Tolerance isn't the only factor, absorption is a huge one, and that can vary pretty dramatically based on factors like the ph of your stomach, what you ate, etc. I'm 6+ months into it and what I've come to realize is that no one dose ever feels exactly the same. Sometimes I'll get more stimulation, sometimes more euphoria, sometimes I get a shitty mood... all from the same dose. Sometimes 15mg is enough, sometimes I need to redose. It's just the nature of the beast I guess. The key is finding a dose range that works without producing intolerable side effects. For me, it's 15-30mg. Higher doses are definitely more euphoric and felt more effective at first, but I think I just felt that way because I was high. Lower doses make me more legitimately productive. High doses are nice for when I need to do more intensive work though, like cleaning the house. That's another thing, you'll probably find that you need different dosages for certain activities. Honestly, when you have ADHD, paradoxical effects at therapeutic doses are pretty much to be expected. It doesn't mean that dose doesn't work, it's just not that pleasant, but it's not actually ineffective at that dose. I like to dose a little higher though, which is why I do 15mg as opposed to 10. I know 10mg works though because it makes me organize like a tweaker lol. Also, get some L-theanine. It's a miracle for the comedowns. And your tolerance won't get screwed up long term from one dose. I don't take adderall daily, which helps with tolerance (I have none right now), but I've definitely developed a tolerance after, for example, smoking crack. It goes away within a week or two in my experience, as long as you go back to normal dosing and/or take a t break. I've taken like 100mg adderall at most and even that didn't affect my tolerance much, if at all.

 

[RemyT53]

Took Adderall and Ritalin for 4 years, my advice is to get off the stuff. It seriously isn't worth the massive pain in the ass it becomes after taking it for an extended period of time.

 

[Speed King]

OP, also use the search engine to find the same basic question answered.

Keep your dose as low as needed. Take regular (regular as in every few weeks, or even sooner) breaks and eat multivitamins, exercise and rest. You will get used to the effects shortly. Go read a book. Think positively and be happy for the new things you notice.

Being sensitive (to a point), is a good thing.

 

[CruelBri]

i have been on adderall and vivanse / stratera / concerta / ritalin my whole life. find you sweet spot, I always was taking 30 mg a day and i didnt like the effect *Quiet, no appetite, no social fun, i was able to concentrate but was very agitated... once i went to 15 mg a day after about 3-5 days it really was the perfect dose. i can still eat while still allowing me to focus. keep your dose low is all i can say IMHO. I also do not take it on saturdays and sundays. and i really dont feel any negative side effects, but if i dont take it during the work week i do feel a little drained of energy for about 2-3 days and then i feel back to normal. just try and take as low of a dose as possible, early in the morning.