Does Adderall relieve your anxiety?

[Five]

I haven't heard of this being a use or a side effect of Adderall . . .

The biggest effect I see from Adderall is it relieves my anxiety. I'm not talking about the worried, ruminating kind of anxiety. My type of anxiety comes from trying to get the kids around in the morning, making sure errands are run, etc. When I take Adderall, I feel relaxed and at ease. I realize now I have not relaxed in a long time. The change in my mood starts about 30 minutes after taking the Adderall.

Anyway, just wondering if anyone else feels this way too.

Five

[Sandy4957]

Absolutely!

[jenny111]

I believe that not to go with medication but with meditation. There is always a side effect of each and every medicines. That can leads towards other diseases too. Watch http://www.rvita.com. Know about alternative therapies. Its really effective for chronic diseases.

[TierraBella]

Yes most definitely. I've tried so many anxiety meds...nothing really worked that well. I was on Celexa for a few months before starting Adderall, and I was amazed at the anti-anxiety effect...

My thoughts are the enemy

[Mincan]

Originally Posted by TierraBella

My thoughts are the enemy

[nikkiana]

I know it relieves mine... I wouldn't say it's a side effect of the medicine exactly.... It's more that the anxiety I have tends to be very directly related to my ADHD issues... If I can't get things done because I'm constantly being distracted or I'm not sure I'm doing something the right way, I get surges of anxiety... Being on Adderall (or really any sort of ADHD med) treats the root of the issue... the ADHD... where the anxiety is really stemming from.... which is also why if you're undiagnosed ADHD and you're put on anti-anxiety meds, they generally don't do much... The root issue isn't being dealt with.

[KurtG85]

Ya, it helps my mental anxiety/social anxiety... I think, but my obsessiveness over trying to be socially pleasant/desirable, although I'm a lot more able to be so most of the time on the med, is raised significantly as well. It proabably makes me LESS able to focus on a lot of tasks because it makes me almost more socially anxious in a sense. However, because social anxiety is my biggest emotional torture I pretty much worship adderall because it helps me be 1,000 times more socially competent even though it might make me functionally less competent. Ya, its weird, really wish I could figure it out .

[amg7613]

I am much less anxious due to Adderall!!!! I don't think I've ever been this calm! There are other side effects I've had, but the calming one is so great...

[Five]

Thanks for your answers! I had never heard anyone else mention this effect and wondered if I was the only one.

[thehighlndr]

I got a question...does anyone else feel their anxiety kick in when the Adderall wears off?

I just got up to 40mg today on Adderall XR and split my dosage to 20mg and then another 20mg 2-hours later. I must admit that I felt the reduction in anxiety or the feeling of calmness when the Adderall was working (I have not been taking anything for anxiety lately or had issues with it AFAIK)

So my question is do many people feel a tightening in the chest type feeling of tension and anxiety kicking in when their Adderall wears off, or is it just an early side effect that goes away after being on it longer...I did not have any problems today when the drug was still working. (about 8-hours for each XR dose)

The previous doses (10mg, 20mg, 30mg per day)...did not seem to affect my ADHD that much or deliver the feeling of calm I first felt today. I know we can't be on it all the time or we'd never sleep...just trying to figure this out.

[ToneTone]

hey Five,
I think you HAVE heard people talk about the calming effect of adderall of other stimulants. When they talk about being able to focus, to concentrate, to not procrastinate, to make decisions, to resist bad impulses--I think they're talking about what you're talking about.

When people talk about being confident, being assertive, decisive, I think they're talking about what you're talking about.

It's just not everyone calls the brain confusion "anxiety." For example, I typically use the term "depression" and almost never use the term "anxiety."

But I think the people for whom adderall works experience pretty much a lot of what you're experiending. At least that's the way I have read their comments.

[KurtG85]

Originally Posted by thehighlndr

I got a question...does anyone else feel their anxiety kick in when the Adderall wears off?

I just got up to 40mg today on Adderall XR and split my dosage to 20mg and then another 20mg 2-hours later. I must admit that I felt the reduction in anxiety or the feeling of calmness when the Adderall was working (I have not been taking anything for anxiety lately or had issues with it AFAIK)

So my question is do many people feel a tightening in the chest type feeling of tension and anxiety kicking in when their Adderall wears off, or is it just an early side effect that goes away after being on it longer...I did not have any problems today when the drug was still working. (about 8-hours for each XR dose)

The previous doses (10mg, 20mg, 30mg per day)...did not seem to affect my ADHD that much or deliver the feeling of calm I first felt today. I know we can't be on it all the time or we'd never sleep...just trying to figure this out.

Well ya, if it helps your anxiety/depression while on it, then your symptoms are going to return when it wears off. Being an amphetamine which agonizes a ton of dopamine and norepinephrene and other chemicals, there is also going to be a come down or crash period when its wearing or worn off. During this period there is even greater anxiety and depression than when you are on nothing at all. Think coffee, energy pills, massive candy binge... etc. This is why its not usually considered an intelligent first choice for trying to help peoples' depression and anxiety issues. For me however, it unfortunately has been the most helpful for my depression. It probably makes my anxiety worse but it gets rid of alot of my panic attacks and ocd symptoms.

The higher the dosage, the more severe the crash (for most people). During the comedown I am very irritable and im only on 5mg. I cant imagine what it would be like at 20mg or higher.

A VERY good point was made by the poster who mentioned that anxiety and depression are hard words to define and hence often hold very different meanings for different people. I have struggled with this for a long time in trying to convey how im doing to doctors or other people in general.

[thehighlndr]

Originally Posted by KurtG85

Well ya, if it helps your anxiety/depression while on it, then your symptoms are going to return when it wears off. Being an amphetamine which agonizes a ton of dopamine and norepinephrene and other chemicals, there is also going to be a come down or crash period when its wearing or worn off. During this period there is even greater anxiety and depression than when you are on nothing at all.

Makes sense...I guess from what I have also read...I have to give it 3-days to 1-week to stabilize my body to the dosage effects and also consider staggering the dose different.

My problem is mostly ADHD, with some moderate depression too, but not really Anxiety/Tension as far as I know.

[TierraBella]

Originally Posted by thehighlndr

I got a question...does anyone else feel their anxiety kick in when the Adderall wears off?

I just got up to 40mg today on Adderall XR and split my dosage to 20mg and then another 20mg 2-hours later. I must admit that I felt the reduction in anxiety or the feeling of calmness when the Adderall was working (I have not been taking anything for anxiety lately or had issues with it AFAIK)

So my question is do many people feel a tightening in the chest type feeling of tension and anxiety kicking in when their Adderall wears off, or is it just an early side effect that goes away after being on it longer...I did not have any problems today when the drug was still working. (about 8-hours for each XR dose)

The previous doses (10mg, 20mg, 30mg per day)...did not seem to affect my ADHD that much or deliver the feeling of calm I first felt today. I know we can't be on it all the time or we'd never sleep...just trying to figure this out.

I had some chest tightness at first, but it seems to have subsided now that my body has adjusted to the med.

[bliss22]

Actually, it does.

I usually have a mild level of anxiety... It's like an underlying nervousness that surfaces whenever I have somewhere to go, something to do, or someone to meet (so basically all the time ). I'm naturally a little bit volatile and uneasy... but Adderall usually makes me feel more calm and poised... It makes me feel more comfortable with myself, and more confident in my ability to do things.
So, yeah... I would say that it does relieve my anxiety.


(Notice how I said "usually." ...It hasn't been working so well lately. But usually, it does.)

I believe that not to go with medication but with meditation. There is always a side effect of each and every medicines. That can leads towards other diseases too. Watch http://www.rvita.com. Know about alternative therapies. Its really effective for chronic diseases.

^That's really good advice, too.