What ADHD meds have the most (positive) effect on procrastination/motivation?

Which have the most negative effect?

All in people's opinions, of course. Anecdotal evidence welcome. :)

Thats going to be on an individual basis. The meds arent sold for EFFECT as much as AFFECT. In other words, they arent speed, and everyone will have a different reaction.

Heed this friendly warning however; taking ADHD meds when you do not have the condition, or have other mood conditions can send you off into a place you dont want to go. Take these only under the watchful care of a medical Dr who knows ADHD.

chaz

Thats going to be on an individual basis. The meds arent sold for EFFECT as much as AFFECT. In other words, they arent speed, and everyone will have a different reaction.

Heed this friendly warning however; taking ADHD meds when you do not have the condition, or have other mood conditions can send you off into a place you dont want to go. Take these only under the watchful care of a medical Dr who knows ADHD.

chaz

Thanks for your friendly warning, but just to be clear, all meds have effects, whether they are the intended therapeutic effect or the unintended side-effects.

My question was regarding the nature of these effects on procrastination/motivation. Some meds may have a net effect of boosting motivation, some a negative effect, while others may generally have no or little effect at all.

I was interested in finding out about people's experiences and thoughts about this.

You might want to re-word your question then. The meds arent created to make you motivated, jittery, or whatever. They are created to allow you to focus. I am all too convinced that there are a great many adults using adderall as speed. The bottom line is what a med may do to one person for motivation, it doesnt for the next person.

You might want to re-word your question then. The meds arent created to make you motivated, jittery, or whatever. They are created to allow you to focus. I am all too convinced that there are a great many adults using adderall as speed. The bottom line is what a med may do to one person for motivation, it doesnt for the next person.

From what I've heard from other people, it seems that even if you do get the motivation, it'll wear off after a few days, months, maybe years.

For me, I've never had that motivation boost, which is fine by me. The thing is, with most people, they WANT to do something, but they CAN'T bring themselves to do it for some unknown reason. Relying on the medication for the motivation COULD make you overly dependent on it.

Thus far, if I want to do something, I can actually get things done. Like, if I want to go return a library book, I will ACTUALLY return the library book (as opposed to my former self where I'd somehow decide maybe I can do it later and then end up with a $20 fine.) I want to do my homework, so I CAN and DO do my homework. I want to read a book/clean my guinea pig's cage/back up my HD and I DO do those things.

On the other hand, I don't like my job. I don't want to do my job. I don't DO my job (unless my boss is breathing down my neck and I feel like "oh crap maybe I should".)

Meds just help you do what you want to do. It's not a magical motivational pill.

That's just my personal experience. I'm on Dexedrine btw. What I like best about it is that I don't feel like I'm on drugs. I'm still me. I just have some more follow through.

I can say, as someone diagnosed with ADHD-PI/SCT, that initiation is just as much, or more of a problem than focus. Initiation is probably often used interchangeably with "motivation". My p-doc said that most inattentive ADHDers tend to have a much harder time than normal getting up (even with adequate sleep), getting to work, and being productive in the morning hours. So basically, I can say that I need a medication with energizing/motivating properties. In my case, the energizing/motivating properties of the med (Vyvanse in my case) assists me in completing tasks that I otherwise would have problems starting- and even if I could start them, I'd very quickly lose focus.

It's unfortunate that that the 'speed stigma' is so prevalent, even within the ADHD community. The main reason that I (and probably many other diagnosed ADHDers) have concerns about taking stimulants, even if the meds are helping as intended, is because of the mindset that "stimulants are only supposed to help you focus". I talked to my doctor at length about this and after taking to my doc and doing a bit of research, realized that an ADHD diagnosis involves more than just "focus". On the inattentive end of the spectrum, initiation and executive function are just as much, or more of a problem than the ability to focus. Stimulants help me and many others in those areas. For inattentive ADHDers that experience the brain fog and lack of motivation, not to mention low energy that go along with it- a medication that has a sedating/calming affect certainly wouldn't be the answer. Been there, done that, and it actually makes things worse.

While I don't disagree with anything said on this thread, there is a difference between someone without ADHD popping stimulants to party or pull an all-nighter versus someone with ADHD (and problems with initiation, focus, executive function, procrastination, etc.) having them prescribed to help them in those areas.

If I'm not mistaken, don't most stimulants have an energizing (for lack of a better term) effect on inattentives and a more calming effect on hyperactives? I'm actually curious about that one.

Actually, for the benefit all those who might read more into the question than is really there, it's really not about whether how people might use/abuse their meds, or why they are prescribed, or what is a therapeutic effect and what is a side-effect. It's simply a question about the effect different adhd meds may (or may not) have on motivation/procrastination, based on people experiences. I'm not looking for the double-blind study and statistical power of the results here -- just some first hand impressions.

I know this an adhd forum, but let's try to focus here!

Adderall works well for increasing motivation. The only problem is that some people have negative effects like anxiety, nervous energy, grinding teeth more so than the other stimulants. For some people it works really well and they get NO negative effects.

Ritalin works well for increasing motivation. This is a good option IMO if you can't handle the amphetamine based drugs, or if they have too many negative effects.

Dexamphetamine can increase motivation although I haven't noticed a huge improvement while I've been on this med. I find it allows me to become motivated if I choose to be. If I procrastinate I can usually turn myself onto task more quickly than usual. I find personally that Dex. makes me a bit sleepy, some people don't like this effect..it doesn't happen to everyone though.

Atomoxetine (Strattera) is another option if you're looking for improved motivation. This drug is non-stimulant and is a good option if you can't tolerate the stimulants. It seems this one works for some and not for others. It can have harsh side effects for the first weeks but also can improve motivation fairly dramatically. The only problem is this seems to be short lived - many users of this med. report the motivation effects decreasing over time.

Most of this info is stuff my psychiatrist has told me as well as personal experience and also from books, papers etc.

I'm not the patient, my dd is. However, my observation, and hers, is that the meds with both the left and right molecules seem more "stimulating". My understanding is that the left (levo) molecule typically acts more on the peripheral nervous system, which gives people more of a physical effect. So Focalin, Dex and Vyvanse, which are only the right (dextro) molecules wouldn't have as much physical effect/physical side effects. I was on a thread a couple months ago on the Adderall section where a couple people commented that Adderall gave them more of a "kick in the pants." That was my daughter's experience. She's currently on Vyvanse 70 mg and isn't as productive as when she was on Adderall 40 mg XR ( of course, some of that may be because V 70 is roughly equivalent to Adderall XR 30 mg)

To answer the original question, Adderall is probably the most "motivating", but some physical side effects come along with that. Vyvanse w/ a 5mg (lowest possible dose) pm Adderall IR booster works best for me. Vyvanse doesn't give you the proverbial "kick in the pants". To best describe it, it's a happy medium, it gives you the ability to CHOOSE to be motivated, but doesn't MAKE you motivated. The best of both worlds. Without the physical side effects and rebound of Adderall.

Interestingly enough, I've tried every 'natural' supplement out there that's supposed to help with energy/focus, etc. (and wasted tons of $$ in the process). I was officially diagnosed with ADHD-PI/SCT years ago but didn't give in and start taking stimulant meds until last year. Believe it or not, many of the natural supplements & energy drinks I've tried literally made me feel like I was "on drugs" so to speak, and shot my anxiety levels through the roof. Vyvanse feels more 'natural' than many of the energy/focus supplements out there.