Posted by Xevious on July 25, 2002, at 0:11:40
In reply to 3Beers Effect-Question for you on Dexedrine, posted by winter on July 23, 2002, at 19:39:11
I'll tackle a few more questions while we all wait for 3beers...
First, for a fairly simplified explanation of the more technical stuff: Many organic molecules come in two "flavors" called optical isomers, or enantiomers. Although the atomic arrangement of both enantiomers is identical (same chemical formula), the three-dimensional structural arrangement of one enantiomer mirrors that of the other. Because enantiomers rotate polarized light, they are also called "optical isomers;" the enantiomer that rotates polarized light to the right is called "dextrorotary" or "d," the enantiomer that rotates polarized light to the left is called "levorotary" or "l".
Why is this important? Well, if you have your GREs coming up soon, then you know the answer to that question! ;) But seriously, the really important concept here for us is that enzymes, which are the building blocks of our metabolism, are so selective that they usually can only use one of the two optical isomers. This is why, for example, 5-hydroxytryptophan suppliments usually are purified to contain only the levorotary (5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan) enantiomer - the dextrorotary enantiomer cannot be metabolised and is therefore ineffective.
With the psychostimulants, the situation is a bit more complicated - the dextrorotary enantiomer is said to have more of a central nervous system (CNS) stimulating effect, whereas the levorotary enantiomer is said to have more of a peripheral nervous system (PNS) stimulating effect.
*Dextro*amphetamine (Dexedrine) and the newer form of methylphenidate (Ritalin) called Focalin, which is exclusively d-methylphenidate, contain only d enantiomers. (Focalin is designed to (hopefully) eliminate many of the side-effects of plain old ritalin, which is a mixture of equal parts d and l enantiomers.) Clear as mud?
Okay. So Dexedrine and Focalin are exclusively d, Ritalin and Concerta (which are the same stuff, only concerta comes in very high-tech time-release packaging) are a mixture of d and l, and Adderall is equal parts dextroamphetamine saccharate, dextroamphetamine sulfate, amphetamine aspartate, and amphetamine sulfate, which means that it is approximately 75% d and 25% l.
Please note that Adderall DOES NOT contain any methylphenidate (Ritalin), as has been mentioned here several times before. Also note that my previous comment about the CNS/PNS stimulation effects of d and l isomers is very subjective and not, to my knowledge, a scientifically proven fact. As you pointed out, each individual's chemistry is different. Adderall tends to be preferred by the majority of ADHD folks, though my subjective opinion is that non-hyperactive folks like myself are underrepresented in such studies.
I've tried Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine now, and Adderall is my favorite of the lot. I also suffer from hypersomnia and chronic sleepiness, and am anxious (well, only on Dexedrine!) ;) to give Provigil a try. Here's my qualitative experiences with the pstims:
Ritalin: almost no positive effects, caused "amping up," mild anxiety and general feelings of ickyness. The speed with which it hit and left my system made me feel like I had gone a round or two in the ring with a heavyweight champion.
Adderall: great effects on everything but wakefulness and hypersomnia, so it helped my ADD but I was still falling asleep in class! Side effects were mild anxiety, elevated heart rate and blood pressure.
Dexedrine: didn't touch the hypersomnia at all, but felt much better than Adderall, except for the really nasty side effects, which included TMJ-type symptoms (jaw tension, misalignment, and discomfort), feeling completely "washed out" at the end of the day, and once again, a lot of hard-to-explain general ickyness.
Provigil is a CNS stimulant that promotes wakefulness and is currently FDA approved for the treatment of narcolepsy, but several studies (look at www.biopsychiatry.org or search medline, publist or infotrieve) have shown it to have an excellent effect on ADD, as some of the members here will attest. Because its primary action is on wakefulness, I'm trying it next. Studies (again, check same sources - sorry, I don't have real references) have shown that Provigil + Dexedrine can coexist without additional toxicity, but I haven't found a similar study on Provigil + Adderall.
Good luck! I hope I've answered some of your questions without overwhelming you with too much babble! ;)
-Xevious
poster:Xevious
thread:113464
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020718/msgs/113617.html