Has anyone been on Adderall consistently for a long time (like years)? How old are you? What ages were you taking it?

And do you think it has affected you cognitively (positively or negatively)?

I read somewhere that the long use of stimulants such as Adderall shrinks the frontal cortex of your brain (therefore making you more "stupid"), which scares me.

I've seen PET pictures of ADD kid's brains who have taken adderall for several years and they more closely resemble the brains of non ADD kids than ADD kids who didn't take medication. Dr. Dodson showed the slides at the Orlando ADDA convention.

One of the super moderators Meadd823 has taken stimulent medication for 10 years and says she is still doing great -- perhaps she'll pop in and tell you more about it herself.

I have been on stimulants for years since I was a young child, it would be safe to say 18 years out of 27 and it hasn't done me any harm.

Been on meds, mostly Adderall, off and on since about '96.

I've been off meds for 5 years (and back on just now at 20). I started when I was 7 I believe, so I was on them for about 8 years.

I can safely say I'm still intelligent. Obviously I can't assert that I am as intelligent as I would have been without meds, but...

I'm not aware of amphetamine causing neural changes. The brain might adapt itself to amphetamine use by down regulating some areas of the brain and up-regulating others, but in general I think it's safe to say they don't make you 'dumber'.

Took Ritalin from Kindergarden through Freshman year of highschool (unsure on year count). Absolutely hated it but I was told there was no other option because my M.D. Refused to put me on the IR version of Adderall stating it was too addictive. From 9th grade until my current ripe age of 21 I've been on Adderall XR (works great). So that's probably what atleast 6 if not 7 years? Has it affected me positively or negatively? Positive all the way ..... I see other adults my age and older who tell me they refuse to take their meds that it makes them dependant on a pill and they have to be the most socially outcast people i've ever met, most of them anyway. I dont think you should take it EVERY day but that's my personal opinion (I mean why take it if you end up sitting at home watching TV / cleaning house all day?).

Interesting thread. I didn't know about the cerebral cortex shrinking. Trust me, I can't afford to get any "stupider" :D

Anyway, these posts are helpful and comforting! Thanks

I can't intelligently comment on the long term use of stimulants based on specific research but what I can offer is this..

I have been on Adderall for 6+ years and have noticed no ill effects thus far. I can also say that at any point I have brought up trying new ADD meds with my doctor he had very specific reasons why he would be reluctant..

And I only post this in regard to the long term stimulant effect question, not as a pro or con of any new meds.. He simply stated that he is more comfortable sticking with Adderall for now because it has been in use for so long and there have been no real definitive studies that would indicate that its long term usage would be particularly harmful and so far it is one of the more "safe" drugs on the market.. He said that due to the relatively newness of recent ADD meds he would not be as confident about saying as much..

This is not to mean that he in anyway said he would discourage new meds, he was simply responding to my concerns about taking the adderall long term and my question as to whether another med might be less consequential long term..

Over a decade for me, though initially I was on Dexedrine. Initially my dose was 20mg/day, now up to 60mg/day. Just yesterday I started Strattera, mostly because I decided to stop Adderall for a couple of months. Not for any particular reason, I wanted to try Strattera and thought that it would be good to go w/o Adderall for a while. I'm tapering it down over a few days to avoid the drowsyness that I get for a day or two after I stop Adderall.