I received my prescription for Adderall from the second psychiatrist that I saw. The first psychiatrist believed I only had GAD and prescribed me Celexa which only worsened my boredom. I forced the guy to give me Zoloft which has been great along with the Adderall.

Now I'm just worrying that the benefits that I'm getting from this drug are the same benefits that people get when they do illegal drugs. I'm not new to paranoia, but would like to know how to tell if the Adderall is helping me in an "ADD way" or a "drug way".

When I take 20mgs of Adderall, I barely feel it start working and now since I been on it for several days, I barely feel it wear off. I'm more talkative, less social anxiety, able to focus better, less boredom prone, follow through with projects and tasks, energy to clean and organize, pay bills, increased memory, better sense of well-being, increase in vigilence, etc.

I've never felt euphoria from the stuff. Just a little burning sensation down the back of my neck. Your expert opinions are appreciated.

Well, that doesn't sound like the effects of say, abuse of cocaine or crystal meth to me. In fact, based on what you have stated here, it sounds like the drug is working perfectly for you! What exactly is causing you to question it's effects?

When I take 20mgs of Adderall, I barely feel it start working and now since I been on it for several days, I barely feel it wear off

I don't feel my Adderall at all. I haven't felt my adderall in years

I don't feel different when it begins to work When it wears off the only way I know is by the trail of half finished crap that suddenly springs up behind me. Other people notice my medication wears off before I do because I don't feel any different but my function decreases.

After a person take a medication long enough, no matter what that medication is the "feeling" goes away because the body becomes accustom to the chemical changes that occur.


The following analogy explains what I mean.


The first time a man shaves he gets this "feeling" on his face - The second time he shaves he feels the same thing but not as intense. After two months of shaving every day the man won't feel any thing even though the razor continues to remove the facial hair.

Using Adderall to treat my ADD is much like a man using a razor to shave his face. After a time the feeling goes away even though shaving with a razor still removes the facial hair. Shaving isn't about feeling it is about hair removal.

Taking adderall isn't about feeling either - it is about being able to have more control over what you focus on and what you don't. Medication is only a part of over all ADD treatment -

Adderall allows me to focus long enough to use systems / strategies to compensate for my weakness -

Using ADD medications are about

able to focus better,

nothing more nothing less. The rest is up to you.







.........

when you don't take meds can you focus and pay attention or are you literally in your own world. Dont sit there and overanalyze it, I don't know I take my adhd meds to focus and fit in with society, sure sometimes you have to dose higher and things of that nature but without the meds I cannot pay attention like normal people and I would not have been able to go to college and get my grad degree on top of that. Focus on other things besides this.

i have a similar (thought process) problem

i have been so indoctrinated and programmed into hearing "amphetamine" and thinking "Drugs, abuse, addict, death, wrong, illegal, trouble," etc... that i myself am hesitant everytime i take my medication. its quite self-defeating.

now to counter this thinking, i tell myself the following:
1) I am under a dr's care and diagnosis, and though I ingest the pills, its his responsibility to make sure that Im supposed to be doing so, and if im not, hes supposed to stop me
2) my focus, mood, and work is greatly improved on the meds(/"drugs?") and since my productivity and general well being is better, and im not abusing (or going over my prescribed dosing) or harmin myself through the use, then thats the objective
3)drs that have termed diseases such as depression, schizophrenia, and other mental/mood/psychiatric disorders have also discovered something they term AD/HD. these meds were discovered as a treatment for certain aspects of these conditions. its the addicts and abusers of any substance that turn it into a recreational drug and not therapeutic

SO...its tough to lose the stigma, especially if u are past your teens and you just start takin amphetamine, but if you follow those three points, i think you might feel better about takin the meds. like i said, i nearly hesitate each time and say im not taking it, but when i actually dont and im sittin around the house just starin at a tv, i realize i could be doin something better if i considered the opinion of a professional doctor...

Just because your medication has benefits for you doesn't mean you're a drug addict! The meds are supposed to benefit you, that's why you're taking them. It's not supposed to get you high, and from your post, it definitely doesn't sound like you're experiencing euphoria or a high. What you're experiencing is good control of your ADD symptoms. That just means the medication is working the way it's supposed to.

Sounds like everything is going well for you with the help of adderall.
I too had second takes when I started my dexedrine, but in the end it really gets me to do things that need to be done on time.
Drug addicts abuse drugs to get high and not accomplish much, since they'll always chasing that high.
You get organized and do what you need to get done with meds, which doesn't sound like a drug addict.

fellas-

Just a quick reminder , alot of times adults will start to think of things like this because we are so bored with our lives. It's tough, but I suggest that we all read more when this happens ( on something not pertaining to adhd or normally of our interest) that way we will completely shift thoughts and it will no longer bother you mentally.

Now I'm just worrying that the benefits that I'm getting from this drug are the same benefits that people get when they do illegal drugs. I'm not new to paranoia, but would like to know how to tell if the Adderall is helping me in an "ADD way" or a "drug way".



This is pretty simple. Adderall IS a drug. There's no way around that fact. And the help you get from it is due to it helping you by doing what these kinds of drugs do - altering your brain chemistry.

Years before I even considered the fact that I might have ADD, I self-medicated with "illegal" drugs, including meth. I got basically the same benefit I do from Adderall, only the Adderall isn't as strong, obviously. The same things were happening inside my head - more focus, energy, clarity, and no fogginess.

Drugs are drugs, whether they are prescribed or not. Street drugs can help many medical conditions. Prescription drugs can be used to get high. There's not nearly so huge a divide between these things as people like to pretend, and you certainly should not start to feel guilty or weirded out just because your particular medical condition requires a controlled substance to treat it.

As long as you're taking it as prescribed, the chances of developing a problem truly are minimal.

Thanks everybody. The past couple of days have been the best days I've had since childhood, in terms of mental health. The negative factors are still around me, but I'm stronger and more confident. It's now obvious to me that existing should not hurt. My Uncle died of alcoholism due to ignorance of his disorder. My aunt and father are both obese, not to mention sex/drug addictions that run in my family. I feel pretty blessed that I found an appropriate way to medicate my disorder. I can only hope this lasts forever.