i have this policy now. where if i have recieved less than 3 hours of sleep i DONT take my meds because if i do my ADD becomes worse, the bad side effects become unbearable and i cant sleep when i need to make it up. is this the same for everyone else? i figure i could get some input since a lot of add people are sleep deprived arent they?

i figure i could get some input since a lot of add people are sleep deprived arent they?
Sushix,
Where did you get this idea? :confused:

taking amphetamins without sleep will spin you out. Shinobi knows.

yes and do i ... i have trouble sleepng with or without my meds ,,, i was sayin though i had some hardddd work today ... bodies sore, hands stiff,, etc etc haha im wicked tired physically but mentally were runnin full bore .... i got home at 5pm with intentions to nap after checkin m email ..... its now 101am and im still on the computer,,, i cant put it away,, i cant sleep either tho ..ahh

yeah it just doesn't feel right when your body is all exhausted and you're about to give yourself energy in a pill. better to just take a small nap then get on with your day. it seems to me like you'd put a lot of stress on your body if you made it work like it was well-rested, when in reality it is completely exhausted

can anyone explain to my why the stims literally kill me when sleep deprived?

Sushix, I don't know the answer to your question, but I had a really bad reaction recently to taking a miniscule dose of Adderall (I was so dizzy, light-headed and nauseous that I had to leave work and, in fact, almost went to the ER). It was a really scary experience and I have stopped taking Adderall because of it.

Your post makes me believe the adverse reaction might have been related to taking a stimulant when sleep deprived, since I hadn't been sleeping well prior to the episode and had been taking a lot of Ambien to help me get to sleep.

Now I have gone cold turkey without Ambien, am trying to relax and exercise to help with sleep and won't start on a stimulant again until I feel I have my sleep issues under reasonable control.

yeah that's what i believe as well, if this is true i'm surprised psyches dont wwarn us about this

Sushix,
There is lots of information available about the effects of sleep deprivation, dehydration, poor nutrition and lack of exercise. Take care of yourself.

I think what Sushix is saying is that there doesn't seem to be any specific warnings not to take a stimulant if you are sleep deprived because you could have an extremely adverse reaction to the stimulant. Nobody warned me, and I haven't seen any warnings written up, although perhaps I haven't looked hard enough.

All I know is that I had an intensely bad reaction to an extremely low dose (2.5 mg) of Adderall while sleep deprived and that it seems like there could have been a connection because there is no other explanation I can think of.

I think what Sushix is saying is that there doesn't seem to be any specific warnings not to take a stimulant if you are sleep deprived because you could have an extremely adverse reaction to the stimulant. Nobody warned me, and I haven't seen any warnings written up, although perhaps I haven't looked hard enough.
Does alcohol affect you differently on an empty stomach and when you are sleep deprived? Are there any warning labels on booze?

I tend to view my medication as wasted if I spend it on a day where everything else is going sub-optimally. Hence I probably would not take it in your circumstances, had I less than whatever number of hours of sleep.

I would agree wholeheartedly. Taking meds when sleep deprived is a recipe for disaster in my experience. I feel like I lost at least one potential job to it, when I rambled, raved, and carried on in almost psychotic manner after combining 4 hours of sleep with some dex. Sure, I showed them I really cared about programming, but I know that came across as a bit... well, crazy.

It's very tempting because meds, typically, are stimulants and considered like "go pills". So there's a feeling that if you pop a few, you can overcome your sleep deprivation and keep going. Of course the prescribing information does say that the medication should never replace sleep, but it's tempting to try - especially since it can seem to "get you going".

Problem is when it gets on the bad end of things, it can cause thought disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought_disorder) and other problems. Both Amphetamine psychosis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphetamine_psychosis) (sometimes called stimulant psychosis; it's pretty general) and sleep deprivation can cause this condition, and the combination can be disastrous. Sure it can help you to keep going, but there's a price you pay.

In my experience, it's better to be groggy than to be a raving wreck. I'm just sad that it took me so long to realize it.

Sleep deprivation...yeah, I think I've been dealing with a little of that (in the last three months, anyway.) But I do take the meds.

In my case, the sleep deprivation is less of an "I can't sleep because I'm too hyped up" issue and more of a "OMG I have to work and/or do stupid stuff like go to Wal-Mart at 2 a.m. because I'm too worried about life situations at present" issue.

If it is truly just a waste to take them--and I'm not saying it isn't, because it very well could be--then I guess it's a darn good thing I have good insurance...:faint:

And Jimbo...well, I haven't gone psychotic. But hearing that might just scare me into going to bed at a reasonable hour now and again. :eek: My husband would very likely thank you if I end up actually doing so!