Stimulants Some questions/concerns about long term Adderall use. Thanks for the help Read more:

[Justlooking529]

Hey guys,
So I've recently been prescribed Adderall for ADD. I'm 25 and haven't been on any medications for my ADD since I was 15 or so, and have always been weary towards these things.
I 'get by' without it. I do enough to stay under the radar at work and get 'decent' grades at school, but I'm definitely capable of much more.

I obviously can't deny the benefits of Adderall, they're definitely there. My job is performance based and Adderall obviously makes me much more productive/motivated, thus incerasing my pay and recognition. It energizes me. With school, I can be much more focused on HW and assignments than before, increasing my overall grades. Plus, the occasional extra euphoric moods and energy is nice also.

Now that's all good and dandy, but my main concern is the long-term effects that using Adderall can cause. I mean, I've read so many horror stories online of people saying how Adderall ruined their life, how it stole their personality, ruined there confidence, destroyed their ability to function without it, stole their charisma, etc, that it has me scared. IMO, any one of those outcomes are not worth risking.

So I guess my questions are, is this common? If you remain at your prescribed dose(60mg/day) 4-5 days a week, what are the long-term risks? I absolutely do not plan on taking it forever, will I be a different person when I stop than I was beforehand?
Are there any of you guys who have successfully taken Adderall for 1-3 years or so, stopped, and had a good outcome? Can you please share?

Thanks for any incite / advice!

 

[piller97]

Hey, I read your post and thought it might be beneficial to share my experiences.


I was first prescribed Adderall to treat ADHD when I was 11, this came after a series of unsuccessful attempts of treatment with other ADHD drugs(though i never tried ritalin).

This means that I've now been taking Adderall for more than 5 years and well....im still the same person, but I believe only due to some careful monitoring.
Very early on after I started taking it, I realized that if I was to take my prescribed dose more than 3 consecutive days, it began to have very little/no effect.
I then started cutting it back........I realized that if i was to take my Adderall for 2 days, then the next 3 days go without taking it, that its effects would be just as, if not stronger than the first two doses.

Thats how I spent the first 3 years, and it went pretty well, but I had begun noticing that it wasn't working as well as it once had....
This caused me to start taking it only when necessary, no more than once or twice a week.
I also just recently have started taking tolerance breaks every 2 months or so, going at least 2 weeks with no dose.
I've been doing this to diminish tolerance as well as to provide myself some assurance that I'm not addicted(something I've always been scared shitless of).

During heavier work times(exams, midterms, etc.) I will occasionally dose daily(as prescribed) but will use escalating dosages as to not loose effectiveness(max dose<100mg XR), keep in mind that I never let this last more than 3 days and I always make sure I take a break after one of these "binges" though, just to give myself recovery time.

In essence, the key is moderation, balancing effectiveness with sustainability. I believe(and it is my experience) that as long as you don't develop dependence and utilize moderation that there are no long term side effects.

I wish you all the best with whatever decision you do decide to go with!
If theres anything else that you want to know, just ask.
-p

 

[Justlooking529]

Hey,
Thanks for the post Piller97.
It's refreshing to hear a positive story, and it kind of confirms what I've already been thinking. I figured that most of these 'horror stories' came from people who severely abused the drug, taking far higher than prescribed doses and very frequently. I've found similar results as you in terms of it's effectiveness, and moderation is definitely key here. I never take it on days off, and try to only take it 3-4 days a week. I'm sure that tolerance breaks would be helpful in the future as I can already see how quickly it builds up.
It's weird, I seem to get mixed effects. Like say on day one I take it and have a positive effect and a good day. Then day two I'll take the same dose, but I'll just feel very scattered and disconnected from my surroundings all day. Then day three, same dose, positive effect again. Very weird...
Thanks again for the post!

 

[tweex]

Check out the amphetamine neurotoxicity and harm reduction threads, and "protecting the brain and body on amphetamines" over in NaPD. There is a lot of good info there.

To quickly sum up, therapeutic adderall usage likely won't cause major adverse effects in the long run, but you should definitely take active measures to counteract its (mild) neurotoxic effects.

 

[Justlooking529]

Check out the amphetamine neurotoxicity and harm reduction threads, and "protecting the brain and body on amphetamines" over in NaPD. There is a lot of good info there.

To quickly sum up, therapeutic adderall usage likely won't cause major adverse effects in the long run, but you should definitely take active measures to counteract its (mild) neurotoxic effects.

Thanks man, I will definitely check those out!

 

[stray cat]

short answer: you'll be fine. ignore all these over-cautious responses. yes, over a very long term, then therapeutic amphetamine can be slightly neurotoxic. i've been prescribed rit and then add since i was 13 (i'm now 34), and while i've prob fucked myself up from longterm drug use, i def don't think i could rightly blame the add meds. (maybe the almost daily mdma and acid for years and what not? i dont know, certainly not the adderall...)