Posted by katalina on September 6, 2003, at 20:01:57
In reply to Adderall; Urgent Question Pertaining to ADDHi,, posted by Jordan Rivers on September 6, 2003, at 17:13:19
Jordan,
I have taken Adderall XR (also IR previously) for the past two years and am prescribed 50 mgs. per day, although I only take 30 in the a.m. I believe I have ADD (inattentive, hypoactive type) and my dr. on my own diagnosis had no problem on me putting myself on an Adderall/klonopin program which has basically pulled me out of the bowels of existence into a productive, self motivated stay at home mother to two toddlers. On the outside I don't appear to have ADD, but I've always had struggles with certain things, mostly lack of patience, impulsiveness, very hard time doing anything dreadfully boring (grocery shopping, mundane activities of daily living, etc.).
Anyhow, I digress. My unauthorized answer to your question regarding whether Adderall would be effective (noticeable symptoms) to an "average" person is most definitely. Tons of kids/people sell prescription stimulants (amphetamines and ritalin, etc.) to non-ADD people, especially those looking to study intensely for hours, keep working, stay awake, etc. The euphoric effect probably can't be measured quanitatively or qualitatively amongst people, but I am willing to bet from the majority of users, that they do feel some sort of stimulated effect from adderall. (I also have first hand experience in letting a friend try one and feeling higher than a kite because they are not ADD. I am productive and alert during the day, but am able to sleep at night, I've given low doses to "regular" people and they were wired for 48 hours. I think the opposite may stand true as far as normal people not being affected by stimulants.
ANYWAY, you said it had been years since you took amphetamines in the Service. Do you know what kind of doses you were taking and exactly what kind and for how long? I can't imagine that if it's been years since you've used amphetamines that they are useless to you know, especially if you had a good result. I don't know if you're on any other meds, or if you're having an atypical responce to the general anesth. wearing off, which could prevent the Adderall from kicking in, but I would venture to guess that 50 mgs. of Adderall should make you feel something, if not "high" than definitely irritable.
Hope that helped somewhat. I'm interested in hearing other's responses. I don't know if you could be dopamine depleted, or if there's some way of testing for that. I would imagine that you would be extremely depressed and unproductive prior to the surgery if you were in fact dopamine deficient. Someone please correct me if I'm making false assumptions, I'm only speculating based on experiences of my own and those of others I've known personally.
Also, I don't think people "acquire" ADD later in life. I think sometimes atypical cases (in my case, female, overachiever somewhat in school until rebelliousness kicked in, being constantly bored and feeling misundersood, foot in mouth syndrome, etc.) are overlooked in diagnosing ADD. If you're not hyperactive, many don't realize ADD has several subtypes (6, I belive according to Dr. Amen). Do a search for Daniel Amen and read his descriptions of the different types of ADD if you're interested. It seems unlikely to me that you suspect you do have ADD, but maybe something in his web site will hit home with you??
Good luck and keep us apprised of your progress. You might want to keep a diary that outlines your moods and energy levels several times a day to see if you're feeling better.
Just a thought. Sorry for rambling . . .
Katie
Hi, I sure hope this gets posted, as I have spent hours getting registered and trying to send a message. I recently was given a perscription for 15 ADDERALL to help energize me after a surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia left me in a weakened state and it was necessary to get me up and walking.The perscribed dosage was 10mg. in the morning. I had never heard of "ADDERALL" and was told it was a strong stimulate, and they would give me only 15 because it was very addictive. I thought, yeah right, your talking to a 56 year old ex-Hippy/Marine who tried all the speed from Bennies to Preludin to crank in my earlier years.I took the initial dosage and felt absolutely nothing. The next morning I increased to 20mg., once againwith no effect. On day four I took 50mg. and felt no stimulation whatsoever.Upon returning home I looked up the medication and was surprised to find out it was composed of four Amphetamine Salts; essentially being Dexedrine and Benzedrine along with two other Amphetamine Salts.As I said, being 56 years old I had experienced both of these drugs recreationaly as well as in the Marine Corps to stay awake (and alive) on "Hot" patrols in Vietnam. I knew what it felt like to get a good speed high and I was surprised when I realized I had felt nothing from the ADDERALL.I knew Amphetamines were no longer perscribed for weight control etc. but I had no idea they are currently being perscribed almost exclusively for "ADD"; primarily in children but also adults, where they had a reverse effect, that of calming. This, of course, started me thinking about why I did not feel any stimulant effects from 50mg. of ADDERALL? I'm hoping it is not because I am "ADD" and the medication acted as it did because it was doing it's job. Can a person acquire onset of "ADD" later in life? Is ADDERALL formulated to keep the stimulate effect down on non-ADD people? I have other reasons to think I may have this condition but I won't go into that now. Please, someone respond, even if it is just to tell me I got this posted correctly. Thank you.
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> Jordan Rivers
poster:katalina
thread:257656
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030902/msgs/257686.html