If you have ADD or ADHD and you start taking adderall at the age of 23, for 5+ years, what will happen if you decide to stop, after using adderall 90% of the year (at least) for 5+ years.

Will you feel EXACTLY how you did BEFORE you started taking adderall, after your body has re-adjusted to no adderall ? (i.e tapering down and then off adderall totally)

I figure it's going to take maybe 6 months for you to re-adjust totally, since it's 5+ years we're talking here

BUT, the question is, WILL you go back to exactly how you were before

Or will you be WORSE off? Will taking adderall mess up any kind of dopamine production, naturally? Because having ADD doesn't mean you lack it totally (in the frontal lobe), my understanding was you just dont have enough of it

so i mean would adderall have any affect on the number of dopamine transporters or anything? if you just never took any more adderall after 5 years and no add drugs?

Is adderall (or even dexedrine) truly a drug that simply increases the concentration of dopamine and that's it? I mean, that's how it sounds. I was under the impression that is all it does, so therefore, i can only assume that if i stopped after 5 years, i'd still be exactly how i was before..?

I'm asking becuase, some people CAN live without the drugs. i.e some people are only reminded of their ADD when they have work to do(lots), or work that requires lots of attention

other then that, they dont have any problems. So what if i only took it for 5 years ? as prescribed everyday, Even if you took drug holidays in between every so often to keep the effectiveness, if you took it for 5 years what happens to your brain in the long run

DOES IT EVEN WORK THAT LONG? I read so much about people getting tolerant -- so if that is the case, my second question would be if you took a drug holiday every 3-6 months (for 4 weeks), wouldn't that give you 0 tolerance all over again (which would be great)

because some people, if you're self employed, you may be able to mold your environments in such a way where you don't really need to take an add drug anymore. example: business owner hires employees, or delegating out certain tasks to other people, trusted people, etc.

so maybe somebody like that, won't feel like they need the drug forever. Just for 5 years, then after that, their life won't be so demanding any more, therefore they will be able to manage the ADD without drugs

i hope to be in that scenario, so thats why im asking.

http://www.pfizer.com/brain/etour6.html#addiction

Does that apply to Adderall too..? Or are they referring to 'illegal drugs'.. I mean, How could illegal drugs do everything http://www.pfizer.com/brain/etour6.html#addiction lists, but adderall won't?

Or will it?

"Drug Addiction is a brain disease. Modern imaging techniques reveal that drugs can change the brain and how it works. When people become addicted, having the drug becomes the most powerful need in their lives. They will do almost anything to keep taking the drug. But no one sets out to become addicted. Without you noticing, drugs change your brain."

so what if you use the drug for 5 years, isn't that going to change your brain? Or are you guys saying: Once you are off the drug long enough, your body and brain changes back to how it was before ????

http://www.pfizer.com/brain/etour5.html

"An important pleasure pathway in your brain involves the neurotransmitter Dopamine. Neurons containing dopamine relay pleasure signals along the neural pathways in the brain. Addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroin elevate levels of dopamine, causing a quick "high." But the brain adapts to these changes, and after a while you can't feel pleasure without the drugs."

Adderall elevates the levels of dopamine, does it not? In the frontal lobe region......... So, wouldn't taking adderall for 5 years result in: Brain adapting to the new levels of dopamine, and after awhile, you can't feel pleasure without adderall?

Or are you guys saying: The above will happen (even for adderall), but as long as you take regular drug holidays for long enough (to balance things out), for 5 years, then when you decide to quit after 5 years, you'll be ok or the same as before?

no replies? wow

Can taking adderall for the long term not change your brain? The way pfizer mentions 'drugs' do ?

I don't know the answer node, but I thought you deserved a reply.

I have seem numerous other posters on this forum claim that there is no evidence of long term problems with amphetamines used under medical supervision.

Of course, any drug that increases blood pressure and heart rate would seem to have some effect in the long run. I don't speak for everyone , but I think most of the people here are willing to loose a year of fog and anxiety to gain 20 to 60 of clarity and hope.


Lunar.....

I've been taking Adderall since 1999. When I was in school, I took it everyday. I have not developed a tolerance. My dose changed about 3-4 years ago, but that was due to entering the workforce from school, where I had lots of morning classes. I was previously on 20mgs in AM and 10mgs in PM, now I am at 20mgs AM, 20mgs PM.

I now only take Adderall on an as-needed basis, which is approximately 1-2 times per week, depending on work meetings. I have been doing this for about 2 years.
Perhaps because I don't take it on a regular basis is the reason I have not developed a tolerance, but I am not convinced of that.

When I'm not on Adderall I am the same as I always have been without meds.

I have not had any medical problems as a result of the med.

Courtney

I have taken adderal for several years. Right now I only take it when I think the day may require more attention because my insurance doesn't cover prescriptions adequately. Obviously I don't have a problem with addiction or I wouldn't be able to decide to just not take it like I did.

ALL things in your environment changes your brain including food, exercise, and thought patterns. All of which can have addictive behavior connected to it.

My brother replaced prozac with exercising, healthy eating and drinking (ex-mt. dew drinker) and stopping smoking. He hasn't needed it since.

I have been taking dexedrine since the age of 6 and I am 26 years old 18 of those years have been spent on dexedrine and my dose is at an all time low of 40 mg been at 90-105 mg per day at times and I tend to have a range of necessary levels but I tend to like to stop taking dexedrine frequently (once every 4-6 months) and end up excessively hyperactive like before. I am more on the hyper side so I guess when it is fast paced I do well. I am anti-stimulant in the extent of which there is a negligent parent involved who seem to seek a "mother's little helper" and ignore the needs of teaching the child to behave (40 mg was my starting dose at age 6 so the lazy parent is a factor in my case) My stepbrother is 12 and sits and stares at the wall all day long on 90 mg of Adderall no thanks to my mom. I just need to learn things that I lost as a result (behaving) and one day I will hopefully not need dexedrine to function. The point is that in the very select few cases that exist today versus the 'ritalin kid' days of the 1980's where the stereotype originated based on excessive defiant hyperactive ADHDer's which I still am to this day and basically the treatment was the zombie dose of ritalin or dexedrine and most parents I knew had the morning from hell getting meds into their kids. There was the 'ritalin line' at the nurses offices which 3/4 of us had our parents called in for refusing it. There seems to be a more progressive attitude towards the treatment as opposed to 'give it to them until puberty because they'll grow out of it.