10 ms·

What's amazing, to me, about Adderall is how much of a magic solution it is to some people who have real ADD (and not self-diagnosed similar symptoms). My girlf

What's amazing, to me, about Adderall is how much of a magic solution it is to some people who have real ADD (and not self-diagnosed similar symptoms). My girlfriend didn't get diagnosed until the age of 30 but clearly has ADD. I assumed she knew when we met each other, my therapist "diagnosed" her from my stories, and yet one day she asked me "Do you think I have ADD?" and I answered "I assumed you knew.". She then got diagnosed and started taking Adderall once a day on week days. It totally changed the way she's able to complete uninteresting work. She no longer works until 2-3am and is able to end her day while the sun is still up. Total game changer, and no negative side effects for her. I know many people abuse it, and maybe people suffer from side effects, but as a medication it truly has a reason to be prescribed (by doctors).

2four2 2y ago
Completely agreed. It was a miracle for me. I felt like I was significantly less irritating and could concentrate on normal tasks. It's important to talk about Adderall abuse, but at the same time, acknowledge its benefit for those who need it. It's such an embarrassing drug to admit to taking because it has so much stigma connected to it. I usually avoid talking about it because people's reactions can get very judgemental and uncomfortable.
- p1esk 2y ago
  I’ve never heard any stigma attached to adderall.
  - krispyfi 2y ago
    Adderall is a brand name of amphetamine / "speed". Enantiomers and purity notwithstanding, it's the same substance whether you acquire it from a pharmacy or a dealer, so any stigma applied to speed also applies to Adderall.
    - kerkeslager 2y ago
      There's a lot of things you said in this one post which just aren't true. 1. "Speed" refers to a variety of amphetamine salts, not just the four in Adderall. 2. "Enantiomers notwithstanding" is an absurd aside: one enantiomer, levoamphetamine, has significantly less euphoric effect and as such isn't sold as a street or party drug, except incidentally as an impurity. Which enantiomers you're receiving is extremely relevant in this group of chemicals. 3. "Smoking meth" and "taking Adderall" have very different social stigmas. I'm certainly not saying there's no social stigma around Adderall, but there's definitely a lot more social stigma against non-pharmaceutical amphetamines.
      - krispyfi 2y ago
        Haven't you ever seen "they're giving our kids speed!" posts on social media? Everything in your post is true, but stigma isn't based on reality. Stigma against speed and Adderall are both fruit of the same poisoned tree. Trying to offset Adderall stigma by drawing (a correct!) distinction from speed is just furthering the problem.
        kerkeslager 2y ago
        > Haven't you ever seen "they're giving our kids speed!" posts on social media? Yes, I have seen those posts. Have you seen the post you're responding to? I made it very clear that I'm aware there is some social stigma around Adderall. I'm saying there is a much more severe social stigma around illegally-obtained amphetamines.
      - pcthrowaway 2y ago
        Desoxyn (methamphetamine) has been used for ADHD treatment also. If I had to guess, it's somewhat less effective than other blends with a higher potential for addiction. I have flirted with the idea of trying to get (pure) meth on the black market as an ADHD treatment during times where I was having trouble getting Adderall. I would only use it for this if I also had access to testing and could determine purity, so I could dose appropriate. Fortunately I've never been that desperate and unmedicated that I needed to take this risk. I was also prescribed 3 different amphetamine blends over the last 26 years (Vyvanse, Adderall, and Dexedrine) as well as taken a 14-year break from all ADHD meds over the same period. I do somewhat wonder if the size of the black market for amphetamines is so large in countries which outright ban amphetamines for ADHD treatment is in part due to people with ADHD self medicating (Yaba in Thailand for example, which now appears to be on the path to decriminalization)
  - Solvency 2y ago
    you must exist in a very narrow sect of society.
    - p1esk 2y ago
      The sect of those who know what adderall is, is very narrow indeed.
cscurmudgeon 2y ago
The most interesting thing I learned is that it works only if you have ADHD. For normal folks, it gives the illusion of it being useful with lout objectively improving anything. If you don’t have ADHD and are using Adderall, you are hurting yourself and society.
- Xcelerate 2y ago
  > is that it works only if you have ADHD My understanding is that this is mostly a myth. Predictors of ADHD (and consider that a diagnosis can be highly inconsistent depending on the practitioner) don’t have a strong correlation with measures of productivity increase that compare treatment groups with/without Adderall.
  - cscurmudgeon 2y ago
    https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/adhd-adderall-ritalin-focus-work#:~:text=When%20given%20these%20medications%20in,don't%20have%20the%20disorder https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/adhd-adde.... https://www.verywellhealth.com/taking-adderall-ritalin-without-adhd-8546956 https://www.verywellhealth.com/taking-adderall-ritalin-witho...
- idlewords 2y ago
  That's an online meme unsupported by evidence.
  - nickburns 2y ago
    and an urban legend (did we use to call them?) before online memes were a thing.
    - cscurmudgeon 2y ago
      https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/adhd-adderall-ritalin-focus-work#:~:text=When%20given%20these%20medications%20in,don't%20have%20the%20disorder https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/adhd-adde.... https://www.verywellhealth.com/taking-adderall-ritalin-without-adhd-8546956 https://www.verywellhealth.com/taking-adderall-ritalin-witho... We no longer live in the 90s.
thomastjeffery 2y ago
Let your girlfriend know that she deserves treatment on weekends, too. ADHD doesn't take days off. Medication helps with much more than work and chores.
- nickburns 2y ago
  this is unsolicited, non-medical healthcare advice. yikes.
  - thomastjeffery 2y ago
    Well obviously they would have to talk to their psychiatrist, who would make the final decision. That is already legally guaranteed! I just wanted to share the context that it is very common for people to approach ADHD treatment from the perspective of work, and not life. I've talked to many people who have had to advocate for their own healthcare in this context, and greatly benefitted by doing so.
    - kerkeslager 2y ago
      > Well obviously they would have to talk to their psychiatrist, who would make the final decision. That is already legally guaranteed! Good thing psychologists are totally unmanipulable and nobody ever breaks laws. > I just wanted to share the context that it is very common for people to approach ADHD treatment from the perspective of work, and not life. Then perhaps you should have shared what you wanted to share instead of sharing an unqualified medical opinion.
- kerkeslager 2y ago
  As someone with ADHD who has been on stimulants... yes, ADHD doesn't take time off, but it's not that simple, and you should be more careful with making confident assertions about what other people should do with their health. Stimulants slowly stopped working for me at low-moderate doses, and at higher doses I started having bad anxiety from them. One potential solution to this was to take time off from stimulants at regular intervals (such as weekends) to reduce buildup of tolerance and stay at the lower dose while getting the effects when I needed them. I ended up not going that route (taking Strattera now) but it's something I've heard from a few people. I'll also add that ADHD symptoms aren't always experienced as all bad by everyone. Some people experience it as more creative, or adjacent to flow, and only want "treatment" when they need to buckle down and do more "boring" work. I'm not in that camp, but a friend of mine is.
SubiculumCode 2y ago
Same for me, but took me even longer. I got where I am because I would spend whatever time it took to complete it, even when that meant neglecting family or sleep. Now I can do the same quality and quantity of work and learning, without all those hours wasting my time waiting for stress of the deadline to finally kick in to push out the ADD and just do the damn work. I can't help but wonder what the opportunity coat was for all that time.
vwoolf 2y ago
Modafinil needs to be better represented.

2four2 2y ago

Completely agreed. It was a miracle for me. I felt like I was significantly less irritating and could concentrate on normal tasks. It's important to talk about Adderall abuse, but at the same time, acknowledge its benefit for those who need it. It's such an embarrassing drug to admit to taking because it has so much stigma connected to it. I usually avoid talking about it because people's reactions can get very judgemental and uncomfortable.

p1esk 2y ago
I’ve never heard any stigma attached to adderall.
- krispyfi 2y ago
  Adderall is a brand name of amphetamine / "speed". Enantiomers and purity notwithstanding, it's the same substance whether you acquire it from a pharmacy or a dealer, so any stigma applied to speed also applies to Adderall.
  - kerkeslager 2y ago
    There's a lot of things you said in this one post which just aren't true. 1. "Speed" refers to a variety of amphetamine salts, not just the four in Adderall. 2. "Enantiomers notwithstanding" is an absurd aside: one enantiomer, levoamphetamine, has significantly less euphoric effect and as such isn't sold as a street or party drug, except incidentally as an impurity. Which enantiomers you're receiving is extremely relevant in this group of chemicals. 3. "Smoking meth" and "taking Adderall" have very different social stigmas. I'm certainly not saying there's no social stigma around Adderall, but there's definitely a lot more social stigma against non-pharmaceutical amphetamines.
    - krispyfi 2y ago
      Haven't you ever seen "they're giving our kids speed!" posts on social media? Everything in your post is true, but stigma isn't based on reality. Stigma against speed and Adderall are both fruit of the same poisoned tree. Trying to offset Adderall stigma by drawing (a correct!) distinction from speed is just furthering the problem.
      - kerkeslager 2y ago
        > Haven't you ever seen "they're giving our kids speed!" posts on social media? Yes, I have seen those posts. Have you seen the post you're responding to? I made it very clear that I'm aware there is some social stigma around Adderall. I'm saying there is a much more severe social stigma around illegally-obtained amphetamines.
    - pcthrowaway 2y ago
      Desoxyn (methamphetamine) has been used for ADHD treatment also. If I had to guess, it's somewhat less effective than other blends with a higher potential for addiction. I have flirted with the idea of trying to get (pure) meth on the black market as an ADHD treatment during times where I was having trouble getting Adderall. I would only use it for this if I also had access to testing and could determine purity, so I could dose appropriate. Fortunately I've never been that desperate and unmedicated that I needed to take this risk. I was also prescribed 3 different amphetamine blends over the last 26 years (Vyvanse, Adderall, and Dexedrine) as well as taken a 14-year break from all ADHD meds over the same period. I do somewhat wonder if the size of the black market for amphetamines is so large in countries which outright ban amphetamines for ADHD treatment is in part due to people with ADHD self medicating (Yaba in Thailand for example, which now appears to be on the path to decriminalization)
- Solvency 2y ago
  you must exist in a very narrow sect of society.
  - p1esk 2y ago
    The sect of those who know what adderall is, is very narrow indeed.

cscurmudgeon 2y ago

The most interesting thing I learned is that it works only if you have ADHD. For normal folks, it gives the illusion of it being useful with lout objectively improving anything. If you don’t have ADHD and are using Adderall, you are hurting yourself and society.

Xcelerate 2y ago
> is that it works only if you have ADHD My understanding is that this is mostly a myth. Predictors of ADHD (and consider that a diagnosis can be highly inconsistent depending on the practitioner) don’t have a strong correlation with measures of productivity increase that compare treatment groups with/without Adderall.
- cscurmudgeon 2y ago
  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/adhd-adderall-ritalin-focus-work#:~:text=When%20given%20these%20medications%20in,don't%20have%20the%20disorder https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/adhd-adde.... https://www.verywellhealth.com/taking-adderall-ritalin-without-adhd-8546956 https://www.verywellhealth.com/taking-adderall-ritalin-witho...
idlewords 2y ago
That's an online meme unsupported by evidence.
- nickburns 2y ago
  and an urban legend (did we use to call them?) before online memes were a thing.
  - cscurmudgeon 2y ago
    https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/adhd-adderall-ritalin-focus-work#:~:text=When%20given%20these%20medications%20in,don't%20have%20the%20disorder https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/adhd-adde.... https://www.verywellhealth.com/taking-adderall-ritalin-without-adhd-8546956 https://www.verywellhealth.com/taking-adderall-ritalin-witho... We no longer live in the 90s.

thomastjeffery 2y ago

Let your girlfriend know that she deserves treatment on weekends, too. ADHD doesn't take days off. Medication helps with much more than work and chores.

nickburns 2y ago
this is unsolicited, non-medical healthcare advice. yikes.
- thomastjeffery 2y ago
  Well obviously they would have to talk to their psychiatrist, who would make the final decision. That is already legally guaranteed! I just wanted to share the context that it is very common for people to approach ADHD treatment from the perspective of work, and not life. I've talked to many people who have had to advocate for their own healthcare in this context, and greatly benefitted by doing so.
  - kerkeslager 2y ago
    > Well obviously they would have to talk to their psychiatrist, who would make the final decision. That is already legally guaranteed! Good thing psychologists are totally unmanipulable and nobody ever breaks laws. > I just wanted to share the context that it is very common for people to approach ADHD treatment from the perspective of work, and not life. Then perhaps you should have shared what you wanted to share instead of sharing an unqualified medical opinion.
kerkeslager 2y ago
As someone with ADHD who has been on stimulants... yes, ADHD doesn't take time off, but it's not that simple, and you should be more careful with making confident assertions about what other people should do with their health. Stimulants slowly stopped working for me at low-moderate doses, and at higher doses I started having bad anxiety from them. One potential solution to this was to take time off from stimulants at regular intervals (such as weekends) to reduce buildup of tolerance and stay at the lower dose while getting the effects when I needed them. I ended up not going that route (taking Strattera now) but it's something I've heard from a few people. I'll also add that ADHD symptoms aren't always experienced as all bad by everyone. Some people experience it as more creative, or adjacent to flow, and only want "treatment" when they need to buckle down and do more "boring" work. I'm not in that camp, but a friend of mine is.

SubiculumCode 2y ago

Same for me, but took me even longer. I got where I am because I would spend whatever time it took to complete it, even when that meant neglecting family or sleep. Now I can do the same quality and quantity of work and learning, without all those hours wasting my time waiting for stress of the deadline to finally kick in to push out the ADD and just do the damn work. I can't help but wonder what the opportunity coat was for all that time.

vwoolf 2y ago

Modafinil needs to be better represented.