Ok, so i go days without adderall because i dont think i need it at times. So when i take it again, i get the euphoria, which isnt all that bad, but when im feeling the effects, I do things i normally wouldn't-- like talk to people i normally wouldn't. I dont mean calling them on the phone, its when im at school (im a teacher) I will talk to my neighboring teachers and actually approach them when normally I am feared to talk to them and I sit in my classroom during lunch because i cant go into the lounge bc of my anti-social self (maybe social anxiety). I quit taking the paxil for that because i couldnt ejaculate and i missed that.
I even went up to the Board of Edu. to speak to the superintendent about a matter that i was avoiding because I am feared to talk to him.
Why is this? Why does freaking adderall take every ounce of inhibition away from me and make me feel i can do anything and talk to anyone. When im on it I actually get things done that ive been putting off like taking my car in to get fixed, go shopping, etc.

I have noticed this too. I have attributed to adderall somehow relieving my social anxiety. Others have talked about this too, so I know we are not alone.

^^^yea and i want to tell my doctor about it relieving my social-anxiety (seriously) 50 times better than paxil ever did, but im afraid he'll think im a drug addict for adderall. has anyone told thier docs this and what did they say?

I felt braver on stimulants too. (Hx of anxiety problems also.)

Adderall helps us with initiation and follow through. For me, I've always really wanted to do some things, but somehow managed to avoid it... (Most likely due to procrastination or what not.)

You've already wanted to talk to the superintendent and you've needed to take your car in. Now you can. :)

I have also experienced this. Here's my theory: basically the reason we become anti-social or afraid of approaching people, confronting them, is that our brains have trouble organizing our thoughts, i.e, coming to a decision.

Remember ADHD is seen by many people as a weakness in our brain's "executive function." What does an executive do? He executes, as in carries out tasks, implements them. But first, the brain has to reach a clear decision. And that's a challenge for a lot of adhd people apparently.

And remember, it's hard to decide to speak to someone in front of us if our brains are replaying ten things that happened earlier in the day.

when I'm happy I'm talkative, when I'm unhappy I'm not....
...beyond being able to focus better, the only other affect I get is an increase in
orgasmic intensity....and that, makes me want to have a couple, 10 a day.

I love the happy feeling I get when I take adderall, the first 20 minutes are awesome.

WTF? why doesnt this happen to me?

Seems like Adderall does this more than the other stimulants. Most ADD drugs seem to have this effect, maybe it's the increased dopamine?

These effects don't always last forever IME. I was talkative and felt more social for the first few weeks on dexamphetamine but after that these effects disappeared.

I think the increased confidence and mild euphoria (or major, if your on a bit too much) is due to its levoamphetamine (or amphetamine, or something, IDK) content which somehow relate to these sensations which obviously correspond with decreased inhibitions.
I used to buy the 'because I organize my thoughts better now I feel like I can talk to anyone' theory. However, since having been on other meds which can make me focus like the dickens but don't have any levoamphetamine in them I can feel that increased focus doesn't always equal the confidence I get from adderall.
It has easily been the most helpful thing for my social anxiety although its rebound effects make my already severe depression worse but to me depression is nothing compared to constant panic attacks.
There are plenty of people on here who could break this down to its chemical components. Hopefully one will come by because im not one of them. :)

SuzzanneX: Im jealous. :( Wish I had that effect. You'll make a happy man of most with that trait. I don't understand why dopamine agonists tend to have that effect on women but not on men. My drive tends to drop dramatically. While I don't think it is causal of my reduced sex drive on adderall, I find I just don't 'think' about it nearly as much. Then of course there is the "I was in the pool!" effect which I don't know whether or not has a direct effect on, ahem* sensitivity down there or the tendency to think about sex more or less frequently. Maybe it is the same kind of effect of finding you enjoy a comic strip more when you have a pen between your teeth (no pun intended) because you tend to feel the emotion naturally associated with that physical 'expression'?

^^^yea and i want to tell my doctor about it relieving my social-anxiety (seriously) 50 times better than paxil ever did, but im afraid he'll think im a drug addict for adderall. has anyone told thier docs this and what did they say?

That was the first thing I told him when I went into him to get prescribed Dextroamphetamine. Since he actually diagnosed me with Social Anxiety and knew of my ADHD he was all too happy to prescribe it.

^^^yea and i want to tell my doctor about it relieving my social-anxiety (seriously) 50 times better than paxil ever did, but im afraid he'll think im a drug addict for adderall. has anyone told thier docs this and what did they say?

Heh heh, well... when I told my first doc that same thing he shook his head, laughed condescendingly and told me that this was another example of the things I say not making any sense because adderall doesn't help anxiety, he diagnosed me psychotic-NOS largely because I wouldn't accept BS like "adderall doesn't help depression" and "your friends do not notice you acting different when on meds" among a lot of other BS that I wouldn't stomach. When I told him I noticed a decrease in effectiveness when I started getting generic adderall he told me he thought I was selling it because there is no perceivable difference between the two and that if I actually believed what I was saying that it is another example of my disconnectedness with reality.

For god-sakes though do tell your doctor everything about how a med is affecting you. If he is that much of a douche bag to think your a drug addict just because a med helps your anxiety than you obviously need a new doc. I have seen new docs since then, and have made a lot of forward progress instead of going backwards which is what will happen with an a-hole like that.

Right now I am about to go to a gathering of work friends and it makes me want to take more of my focalin because I know it will make me more comfortable being social. I have developed a terrible dependence on my focalin and this is partly why. I feel good, sure, but I am also more confident and articulate, more personable. It's gotten to the point where I will take more when I am not supposed to i.e., have already taken the day's prescribed dosage or it is too late in the day.

For god-sakes though do tell your doctor everything about how a med is affecting you. If he is that much of a douche bag to think your a drug addict just because a med helps your anxiety than you obviously need a new doc. I have seen new docs since then, and have made a lot of forward progress instead of going backwards which is what will happen with an a-hole like that.
you know what-- i think i might see a new doc. i think i will see another one secretly and talk to him and tell him everything i said on here. that way if he thinks im crazy i can still get adderall from my original doctor. I cant chance my doc now to drop me if i tell him the truth. thanks, i will talk to another doctor about this

I even went up to the Board of Edu. to speak to the superintendent about a matter that i was avoiding because I am feared to talk to him.
Why is this? Why does freaking adderall take every ounce of inhibition away from me and make me feel i can do anything and talk to anyone. When im on it I actually get things done that ive been putting off like taking my car in to get fixed, go shopping, etc.

Well my personal theory is that when I am unmedicated I think about - hmm okay think about talking to the superintendent - then I have to think about why and while I am thinking about why then I begin to hear all the different parts of my brain telling me why I shouldn't Then I begin to think about what I am going to do if he gets mad or I begin trying to decide if I should approach him/her in this way or that - invariably an argument among the voices inside my head ensues{yes I know my brain is arguing with it self - which is annoying = there is no escape:(}


By this time I have lost interest in seeing the superintendent or forgotten I was going to see him/her in the first place - Before I took medication I had constant bombardment of a million and one thoughts hitting my brain and some times those thought would collide and most of the time all these different thoughts would argue with each other and all the while the life out side of my head remains a mystery because I can't get the damn noise in my head to shut up long enough for me to be able to focus on things going on out side of my head -


I spent a lot of time feeling like a complete weird-o because some how I know other people do not have brains that argue with it self . . . . . so I have to try and act like mine isn't either but sense I really do not know what that is like I am unsure how to act like my brain actually shuts up . .. . because it never has. . .. . arggggg :mad:


When I take my ADD medication I can think about talking to the superintendent remind myself why I need to talk to him and tell all those other six million voices to STFU and they do!!!!!! :D What a wonderful feeling to be able to shut parts of my brain up The best part is I get to choose the parts that shut up!!!! :D:D:D

Euphoria ????? what else would one call being able to shut their brain up and enjoy the silence for the first time in their lives - ain't got squat to do with addiction unless being able to control ones own thoughts is now considered an addiction !!!!! {addicted to thinking clearly:confused:}

Being able to make all those doubting voices shut up so you can hear what is going on out side of your head probably helps the social anxiety - {IMHO}

Any way that would be my experience based theory.

Hope it helps :cool:

I have only been on Adderral XL 12 days and honestly do not remember feeling more normal and myself. The only thing I am worried about is not getting it anymore. I called my doctor's office today to try and get in this week to titrate my dosage, she told me I would probably need a higher dose when she started me on just 10mg. a day. The doctor was not there but I got *****ed at by her nurse for taking more than I was prescribed and that really got me p.o. I will run out if the doctor does not get me in before this weekend. Two or three work a helluva lot better for me than just one. With one the effects are gone in seven hours, tops.

you know what-- i think i might see a new doc. i think i will see another one secretly and talk to him and tell him everything i said on here. that way if he thinks im crazy i can still get adderall from my original doctor. I cant chance my doc now to drop me if i tell him the truth. thanks, i will talk to another doctor about this

Just make sure you don't start getting Adderall scripts from both doctors at the same time.

Doing that will put you on a 'doctor shopper' list and no doctors will want to prescribe you anything controlled.

WTF? why doesnt this happen to me?
Don't worry, you're not the only one it does not happen to. It does not happen to me.

Mead- Your description mirrors my personal feelings exactly with regards to how adderall helps.

Have you tried other ADD meds? Which ones? If you haven't, I think by trying different ADD meds you would discover that amphetamine confidence and motivation is not synonymous with increased focus. I thought for a long time and really wanted to continue to think that it was just the 'normal' amount of focus I adderall gave me that suddenly made me so much more socially outgoing. Nothing could make me believe it short of experiencing increased focus without the amphetamine boost. Theres nothing wrong with this little 'bonus' it just is relevant to the topic in terms of understanding scientifically why adderall has this effect.
Hopefully theta can come by and break it down chemically into specifics for us.

Can it be that the euphoria is making me more outgoing?
Its true that if you continually take your dose everyday you dont get the euphoria---Do you PERSONALLY still feel the outgoing(ness) and less inhibitions when you are used to your meds everyday and dont get the "rush"?

I have social anxiety and ADD its a terrible combo :(

Stimulants make me more social howver they make my anxietiy issues worse.

I take 20mg of celexa per day and that helps my anxiety hugely. Last time I ran out of celexa I chewed my fingernails to bits. I also started taking clonidine recently as well and it also helps the anxiety esp the physical effects like sweating/muscle tension. However I feel a bit spacy at times.

BobC

I have social anxiety and ADD its a terrible combo :(

Stimulants make me more social howver they make my anxietiy issues worse.

I take 20mg of celexa per day and that helps my anxiety hugely. Last time I ran out of celexa I chewed my fingernails to bits. I also started taking clonidine recently as well and it also helps the anxiety esp the physical effects like sweating/muscle tension. However I feel a bit spacy at times.

BobC

Thats EXACTLY my situation and stimulants weirdly help my social ability while at the same time making my anxiety worse in a way. Glad someone else can relate. When I tell docs 'it reduces my social anxiety but raises my anxiety about most everything else' they just look at me funny and ask 'so are you saying adderall raises your anxiety or lowers it?'

Can it be that the euphoria is making me more outgoing?

Yes, thats what I just suggested in my posts (euphoria=amphetamine boost/high).

Its true that if you continually take your dose everyday you dont get the euphoria

No, I don't think thats true at all nor has it been proven scientifically that I'm aware of.

---Do you PERSONALLY still feel the outgoing(ness) and less inhibitions when you are used to your meds everyday and dont get the "rush"?

I think the majority of the time people don't get used to their meds and suddenly not feel the outgoingness and less inhibitions (euphoria) anymore, they more likely simply get used to the feeling of increased outgoingness and less inhibitions. They don't recognize it as much because it is now a more common state of consciousness (if they consistently take adderall).

The 'rush' hits me every time I take adderall.

Building up tolerance to adderall could account for 'getting used to your meds' however I have never experienced this that I am aware of. I imagine it only occurs at higher dosages and/or is somehow related to an individuals unique brain chemistry.

I take 5mg IR adderall every 5 hours or so.

Yes, adderall DOES make you feel more confident and more social. I posted a thread in here where I completely stopped adderall because I was taking more and more due to tolerance buildup. The withdrawal effect is the worst feeling in the world. Pure Hell. I am off it for roughly 2 months and I can still say I am not completely 100% or should I say I don't feel 'normal' like how adderall would make me feel which is sociable/confident.

Adderall is dangerous IMO, next thing you know, BAM your addicted.

Wow. I'm shocked how different my own experiences were. I took Adderall and Concerta on and off for about four years. While my grades and focus improved, my social skills deteriorated rapidly. I've never felt social anxiety until I took Adderall. I'm usually the loudest, most outgoing person in a room. With ADHD pills, I was the complete opposite.

It's been two years since I've taken one, and I still shudder when I think about those pills.