After taking down notes on myself for the past month or so, I've come to the conclusion that I have inconsistent motivation.

It affects me socially, physically, and in the work place.

Some days I'll be extremely motivated and talkative. I have no problem being a great conversationalist, and I have no problem being "the fun" guy in the group who makes things that much more enjoyable. People love me when I'm this type of person.

And then there are my bad days.. I'm unmotivated, I want to do nothing but sit and listen to what people are saying. My ability to have an intelligent conversation is decreased, hell I don't even have the motivation to have a good conversation.

I don't currently take medication.. just vitamins (E, C, Fish Oil).

BUT, I did try Adderall for a month or so. Adderall had me motivated every day. I couldn't stand to sit and do nothing. When I went out to bars and clubs at night, I was having so much fun with myself cause my mood was so great that I couldn't stop talking!

With that said, I really do not want to start taking a drug I will need for the rest of my life. I don't know exactly what it is in Adderall that raises my mood, but if I could find a vitamin or mineral that was similar, I'd take it in a heartbeat!

Do any of you have similiar symptoms as these or know of any natural supplements to help with motivation and mood?

I don't currently take medication.. just vitamins (E, C, Fish Oil). BUT, I did try Adderall for a month or so. Adderall had me motivated every day. I couldn't stand to sit and do nothing. When I went out to bars and clubs at night, I was having so much fun with myself cause my mood was so great that I couldn't stop talking!

With that said, I really do not want to start taking a drug I will need for the rest of my life. I don't know exactly what it is in Adderall that raises my mood, but if I could find a vitamin or mineral that was similar, I'd take it in a heartbeat! Do any of you have similiar symptoms as these or know of any natural supplements to help with motivation and mood?
Mad23handles,

Dr. Amen's book, "Curing ADD" mentions supplements fairly often. I found his book at Barnes and Noble. Plus it will give you a good idea of what parts of the brain are impaired and what a functional brain looks like (SPECT imaging). You also might want to visit his website amenclinics.com Good luck! PJ

BUT, I did try Adderall for a month or so. Adderall had me motivated every day. I couldn't stand to sit and do nothing. When I went out to bars and clubs at night, I was having so much fun with myself cause my mood was so great that I couldn't stop talking!

Adderall is a stimulant, that's essentially what it is supposed to do.

What do you feel is the difference between taking a natural supplement (vitamins/minerals) and a pharmaceutical like Adderall?

What I don't get is, if you had such a great response from Adderall, why are you so hesitant to continue taking it, considering that stimulant medication is the primary treatment for ADHD.

Adderall is a well known drug and amphetamines in general have been used and studied in long term trials for a VERY long time.
They show consisent results in helping those with motivation, concentration, and focus problems. It sounds like you are one of these people, and if Adderall worked positively for you, my advice would be to continue with it.

In the future, you may find that you dont need it as much (ex. I only take Adderall on an 'as needed' basis.) If Im just sitting around the house, with nothing productive to do, I dont take adderall. However, with school, at work, and in social situations, it helps me tremendously.
Getting a doctor, and finding a routine that works best for you would be a good start.

I am personally perfectly capable of remaining unmotivated on medications. I believe that's one of the challenges of living with ADHD. I can find motivation on meds but acting upon it is a choice for me, not a reality present simply because I swallowed a pill or capsule.

Just my 2C.

Thanks for the responses. I stopped taking adderall first of all, because I wasn't even prescribed the medication. I had a friend who I described my symptoms to. I took a low dosage one night and that night gave me my first insight on what my real personality could be.

I also didn't want a "temporary" cure to my motivational and social troubles. I feel that I could take adderall for 10 years, stop taking it, and feel the same way I did 10 years earlier.

Thereafter I went to a doctor who would not prescribe me adderall he said, "Due to the sexual side effects," although I told him I did not even notice any while I was using Adderall. He prescribed me on wellbutrin which worked negatively on me.

So if it's perfectly fine to take Adderall longterm, what could I possibly say to my doctor to help me out with it? I can't just say to him, oh well I used my friend's adderall for a month and I loved the effects. That's like saying I did cocaine and I loved it. Give me some more.

What would those of you suggest?

I would suggest first being properly diagnosed with ADHD, then seeking a doctor who is not totally stimulant-use-resistant (sadly, some docs are 100% against stimulant use, regardless of the scientific data proving how well it can work for people with ADHD).

Report the bad side effects of the Wellbutin to the doctor you have now. Possibly he will RX Strattera next, a non-stimulant that has been proven to be effective for many people with ADHD.

Thanks for the responses. I stopped taking adderall first of all, because I wasn't even prescribed the medication. I had a friend who I described my symptoms to. I took a low dosage one night and that night gave me my first insight on what my real personality could be.

I also didn't want a "temporary" cure to my motivational and social troubles. I feel that I could take adderall for 10 years, stop taking it, and feel the same way I did 10 years earlier.

Thereafter I went to a doctor who would not prescribe me adderall he said, "Due to the sexual side effects," although I told him I did not even notice any while I was using Adderall. He prescribed me on wellbutrin which worked negatively on me.

So if it's perfectly fine to take Adderall longterm, what could I possibly say to my doctor to help me out with it? I can't just say to him, oh well I used my friend's adderall for a month and I loved the effects. That's like saying I did cocaine and I loved it. Give me some more.

What would those of you suggest? You wont feel the same way in 10 years if you stop taking it. You'll feel a lot more tired because you're body is so used to that jumpstart. But you're correct in the sense that it's a "temporary fix", in the likes that you would essentially be the same person as soon as you stopped taking it. Or, in my opinion, you'd be worse off because you'd be using parts of your brain you maybe weren't so familiar with, and might behave somewhat erratic.

I think you have to get diagnosed as having ADD to get the adderall (like a pyschiatric test). Maybe not though (since your doctor didn't say you needed one and instead he made up a lame excuse).

Just call up random doctors and ask them if they can prescribe it for you because you're pretty sure you have ADD. Tell them you have seen it work friends who have ADD.

The doctor said he wouldn't prescribe because of sexual side effects? Thats retarded. There are a million better reasons to not prescribe it. I even feel more sexually stimulated while on the drug more often than not.

I also didn't want a "temporary" cure to my motivational and social troubles. I feel that I could take adderall for 10 years, stop taking it, and feel the same way I did 10 years earlier.
Obviously you are the expert and naturally there are others who want to seek alternative methods to managing ADD symptoms than the medication route.

However I should point out that for the ADD person, motivation and social troubles are symptoms in of themselves. I get the feeling that somehow you feel you're presonally to blame for your lack of motivation or poor social skills. If that's a correct assessment (and ignore me if it isn't) that's kind of like blaming a person with near vision for their poor eyesight.

Take me for instance, I have to take my poor motivation with a grain of salt. Yes the so called "laziness" can me a personal issue, but how do I know it's not because my medication isn't working? I'll tell you, when my meds are on track, I can clean the house and then some. Without it, moving from a chair to the kitchen seems like an effort.

Yes people with ADD need to re learn skills that previously they could not learn before. But the symptoms have to be properly assessed before we can start looking at our own behaviour as causes for our less than stellar behaviour.

Take me for instance, I have to take my poor motivation with a grain of salt. Yes the so called "laziness" can me a personal issue, but how do I know it's not because my medication isn't working? I'll tell you, when my meds are on track, I can clean the house and then some. Without it, moving from a chair to the kitchen seems like an effort.

can I ask, how long did it take for you to find the right meds for you? I was diagnosed w/ADD a couple of months ago, & so far, haven't been very successful w/finding a medication that helps. i've talked to other people who also say when they are on their meds they feel like they can think much clearer & get a lot more done. but, so far, I haven't been able to find anything to help w/my symptoms :(. i've tried focalin xr & provigil.

can I ask, how long did it take for you to find the right meds for you? I was diagnosed w/ADD a couple of months ago, & so far, haven't been very successful w/finding a medication that helps. i've talked to other people who also say when they are on their meds they feel like they can think much clearer & get a lot more done. but, so far, I haven't been able to find anything to help w/my symptoms :(. i've tried focalin xr & provigil.
I'm still trying to find the right meds P. Until the holidays, 70 mg of strattera and 25 mg of dex seemed to do the trick (I might be off on the dex by a bit). But when I forgot to take the meds, the motivation went down hill. Not quite as bad as before diganosis, but much lower than my normal level of productivity.

I'm not familar with either of the drugs you're on, but it might be time to do a review of drugs. I mean I noticed day 1 when I took Dex how much of a difference it made.

Oh and apparently dex and wellbrutrin work wonders, but I'm allergic to wellbrutrin.

But yes, if you have the right meds and the right dose than your motivation should always be pretty consistent. Yes there are some days that are more productive than others, but you'll see the difference right away.

I'm still trying to find the right meds P. Until the holidays, 70 mg of strattera and 25 mg of dex seemed to do the trick (I might be off on the dex by a bit). But when I forgot to take the meds, the motivation went down hill. Not quite as bad as before diganosis, but much lower than my normal level of productivity.

I'm not familar with either of the drugs you're on, but it might be time to do a review of drugs. I mean I noticed day 1 when I took Dex how much of a difference it made.

Oh and apparently dex and wellbrutrin work wonders, but I'm allergic to wellbrutrin.

But yes, if you have the right meds and the right dose than your motivation should always be pretty consistent. Yes there are some days that are more productive than others, but you'll see the difference right away.
thanks for the input :). yeah, I did the trial run of provigil last week, & have run out, so I need to call my dr to see what he wants to do. I am really hoping that I can find soemthing that sparks my brain & brings things into focus. I still feel completely scatterbrained about stuff. good luck w/your meds!