I was diagnosed with ADD (inattentive) at 15, and never took my meds properly/consistantly. I also suffer from moodswings, depression, and social anxiety disorder. I was prescribed adderall a little over a year ago and used it sporadically, it helped for the time I was on it, but usually made things worse later. I'm 19 now, and this week was the first where i've taken adderall consistantly throughout the entire week. For the first few days it was 15mg twice a day, then raised it to 20mg twice a day.

The pros:

-I was able to feel a bit of continuity from one day to the next. (My mood/outlook on life used to change so frequently every day, it was really hard to sense any stability from one day to the next. This only made me feel more lost, which exacerbated my other symptoms.)

-I felt self-confident for the first time in my life, not afraid of social issues, was able to speak and interact well with people.

-I worried alot less, I didn't get into patterns of overthinking, and I didn't let my negative thoughts get any bearing on me. I was less hard on myself.

-I had a positive outlook on the day ahead of me, and on my life.

-I was motivated, and able to focus on reading and learning things I wanted to learn.

-My mood was stable and in control. I was happy.


The cons:

-The comedown is abysmal, the world around me seems to slow down. I become unfocused, unmotivated, confused, and irritable. I don't feel like I have a hold of myself. Everstything is sluggish. I art getting into patterns of overthinking and negative thoughts. My mood changes every other minute, inevitably resulting in depression. (This is very similar to how I feel without medication, but having it rush back in so quickly after hours of clarity makes it all the more difficult to deal with.)

-I hate feeling like I have to depend on a drug to get to 'normal'. (The other ways of looking at it are, a. compare ADD to poor vision and adderall to glasses; b. what i consider normal just doesnt work. However, I still feel bad about having to take 40mg of amphetamine a day to get to 'normal'.)

-It makes me feel full throughout the day, limiting how much and how often I eat.

-Headaches (on every comedown, and sometimes close to the end of the drug's effect), constipation, sexual dysfunction (this one really gets to me), and watery eyes.

-Very difficult getting to sleep, trouble going into deep sleep. I don't feel very rested when I wake up.



So, I'm not particularly sure what to do here. There is definitely a marked improvement, and for once in my life, I felt like I actually exist. But there are so many drawbacks, and the comedown feels like it negates all that I've achieved during the effect. Could anyone reccomend anything else? Other methods of treatment? Other drugs? Anything? I feel so lost.

You need reasurance from your doc.I felt alot better when mine took my hand and said,"dont worry,we know what the problem is now.We will find a solution and a dose or another med that will work for you.I wont give up and Ill do my best to take care of you."I know the lost feeling inside,you know what it feels like to be a productive human being.WELCOME TO THE WORLD.LOL!!!! Isnt it wonderful?It can also be gutwrenching sometimes when you feel it slipping away again.It will happen,and even if it takes some upped dosages or a completly diffrent med,at least you know you can feel that way and will again.Hang in there.

Hi Cephalic,
Just thought I'd say that I can completely relate to your current experience with Adderall.

The pros that you list are very familiar: more confidence, better social interaction, less worrying, more motivation and focus, and just plain happier.

As for the cons, I haven't had too much trouble with appetite or sleep, but I definitely recognize the comedowns you are experiencing. I sometimes get so hazy as it wears off that I am far less focused and far more groggy than I ever would have been had I never taken it. The fear of this feeling can make me shy away from taking it at all some days, and really try to gauge and plan where I will be when it wears off (needless to say, this can't always be planned and it can sometimes be the most inopportune times and places.)

I can also really relate to your questioning the need for a drug to feel "normal" (yes, I can even relate to the quotation marks around the word). For sometimes when the drug has worn off and I am back to the same old me, I think back on some of the interactions I have had while taking the Adderall and wonder how I could ever have been so outgoing, confident, and super-friendly to everyone. It sometimes almost makes me feel like a fraud. Like if those same people walked into the room right now I could not possibly summon the persona that interacted with them earlier. It can even border on a feeling of embarrassment.

So I don't have any advice for you at the moment, only commiseration. For now I'm gonna hang in there with it. There have so far been many occasions where it really has helped me feel a little more stable and I am just going to see what I can work out with the timing of the doses, etc.

I'm thinking about your eyeglasses comment and how before or after meds we are kind of like the person with the Coke-bottle glasses who has to feel around on the nightstand in the morning, but can then function pretty well with the glasses on as long as they don't go flying off sometime during the day. So I guess we're just waiting for the day that there's some kind of lasik for ADD, huh.

Meanwhile, I hope that you are able to settle on a workable solution. All the best.

hey, im 18, as of Patriot's Day.

just try to do everything you used to do, before you started the meds. Such as your diet, and make sure you keep yourself busy with something all day. By the end of the day you will be tired enough to fall right asleep. Just stand-fast.


I sorta know what i'm talking about, I experienced the same thing when I first started the meds. Just don't think about it too terribly much. I found listening to music when I can't think of anything I wanna do at the moment, acts as a very calming median.

Since you take Adderall twice a day, I'm assuming you're on the IR version? I've never been on it myself, but I've heard a lot of similar issues regarding the comedown from it.

Personally, I'm on the XR and I can BARELY notice when it wears off. I only get a little scatterbrained, like I can't think straight. I remember being on the short-acting methylphenidate (Ritalin) and the comedown was horrible. When I was on Ritalin LA (the long-acting version), it wasn't NEARLY as bad. I'm assuming it's similar with Adderall.

Maybe you might wish to try the XR version? Just a suggestion.