Hello, first off I just started taking adderall 2 days ago. I know there TONS of places on the web where people post side effects and their thoughts/experiences of adderall but I really do need to know somthing that is specific to me, if anyone cares to read on and help me out I would be very thankful.

anyway onto my problem as I said I been on adderall for 2 days, Im 21, just found out I had ADHD all my life, and in US army stationed in Germany. And man it felt great Ive been trying to become a flight warrant officer for a long time but Ive always been too lazy to study and now I could and close to finishing my packet. I can talk now to higher ranking people generals, sergeant majors, etc. And all the dumb *** army bull **** that you have to do in the army that could drive you insane because of it lack of not making sense didnt even phase me. Like working late for no reason. So Ive been extremely happy it seemed it solved all th problems with my life when I thought of my self as a lazy piece of ****. However, after reading peoples comments and experiences on other sites I got really scared on what alot people said about this drug, some and alot said they grew distant with their families, but for me I talk to my dad for the first time in 3 years and others say they have angry issues because of it when me its not really angry its just I speak my mind now instead of hinting what I mean. Addiction... Sudden death, All kinds of crazy ****. Now Im not sure if I want to take it anymore because almost all of the blogs I read said they felt like it was a miracle there first couple days on it then it went away. So my question is, is this just a temporary fix? The stuff I read people make it seem its a horrible drug saying how it caused more problem., the only problems I had was dry mouth and not being able to sleep.. And well this is kinda embarrassing but dick looks pretty sad. I used to get horny for no reason and just wanted to sex all the time. And it was a problem but now it seems I dont even want it. Im worried it might permanently damage my sex drive. But I also heard it making people even more sexually active...

Im very sorry for this long post I know there properly isnt many people that care to read and comment, but if someone could help me or give me some guidance is adderall really that bad over time? If so should I bother taking it?

Thanks to anyone who bothers to read it and help me

It's not about all those other posters..it's about you. How do YOU feel while on meds? What improvements do you see? How many changes for the good, since being on meds? Everyone is different.

Yes.. people can and do have problems with Adderall. But a lot don't. The best thing to do, is keep a journal.. write down the good.. anything bad you notice. The time you take your meds.. everything you can think of.

Make sure to get regular check-up's (which I'm sure are often, as you're in the military), and have bloodwork done periodically to check to see if Adderall is building up on your internal organs.

Diet and excercise, of course also play a major part of your treatment plan. Also take your journal with you to dr's appointments. The doctor can get a better picture of how meds are working for you.

Last but not least.. read through the entire section for Adderall here in the forum. You can see what is working for everyone..or not working. There are also suggestions to help you, as well.

Good luck!

Mary's right, it's different for everyone. I've been on Adderall for a few months, I've had no problems with it. If you are having probs sleeping, my want to work with your doctor and change your later dose to slightly earlier, but give yourself a chance to adjust first, a week or two at least, then see what things are like.


And as for reading on the internet...well, c'mon. Do you really need to be told how alarmist and convincing people out there can be?

Glad your here. This is a good forum, with good people.

Peace.

Hey thanks alot. Yea sorry just I never really had to take anything before. So its new to me. Thanks again.

I will say this, GET ENOUGH SLEEP, at least 8 hours a night, or the meds will not perform to there true potential. You will have ups and downs for a while. The beginning for me was a nightmare, depression, exhaustion, anger , irritable But i found my right dose, realized the sleep factor and its been great since. Took a few month to adjust but doing pretty well now. And if you drink with it, keep it to a few, and you will still notice that its a bit rougher the next day, MED

you mentioned that you are aiming to be a flight warrant officer, now being in the Air Force I'm not 100% on all things army. But if its a flying duty you wont be able to take meds on top of that you have to be med free for a year. believe me i know all about it, I fly on AWACS and was just recently diagnosed with ADD and had my flight status pulled and put on DNIF and am now awating my disqualification paperwork to go through. its looking like ill be administratively seperated due to me not being able to perform my current duties. military and ADD is not fun stuff

I think that a lot of the people who say it worked great the first couple days and then went away weren't referring to the intended effects of Adderall, but rather to the sort of high, buzzy feeling it can cause at first. Many people find that feeling to be pleasant, but it's not meant to feel that way long term - it's more of a side effect.

I've been on it a couple of months and the "high" has indeed faded, but it still helps with exactly what it's supposed to - focus, concentration, etc. I still have more energy than I would otherwise. It decreases the anxiety I feel when faced with having to do tedious tasks. It stops me from getting a mental logjam, where I get so overhwelmed by the thought of having to do several things - even just like take off my coat, let the dogs out, start dinner, can bring me to a screeching halt.

What you should monitor is whether or not it's improving to a sufficient level the problems ADD was causing you in the first place, and then measuring that benefit against the side effects. As for addiction, that's unlikely unless you make a habit of taking more than is prescribed and for the wrong reasons. (Feeling high as opposed to needing it to function. If it's the former - don't do it, and if it's the latter, tell your doctor and he may be willing to up your dosage.)

As for death, my psych (who was my prescribing doc) said that that's very rare, and that usually when it happens (outside of massive, blatant abuse) it's because the person had an undiagnosed heart condition and that in those cases sometimes even a very tiny dose can put them over the edge. He did offer to do a battery of heart tests if I wanted just to make me feel better, but as I had no family history and had used stronger (street) drugs in the past, I felt it wasn't necessary. If they did a thorough physical when you entered the service, and you have no family history of heart problems, I woudn't worry too much about this.

Ermmm...as to the sexual drive issue, as you have found out, different people are affected in different ways. I'm the opposite, my sex drive has gone up. But you know what? It's kind of distracting. If I were you, I'd be thankful for a vacation from bodily urges, see what happens over the next few weeks, and then if it hasn't evened out, bring it up with your doctor. A med adjustment may be in order, or I suppose possibly he may prescribe something to else to counteract this effect if it becomes truly problematic. I don't have a solid basis for saying this, but I don't believe that you need to worry about this effect being permanent (meaning something that would continue well after you stopped the drug).