Why do stimulants relax me?

[DADHD]

I always figured that stimulants were just that, stimulants. Caffeine gets me wired and going. My ritalin chills me out and relaxes me in a similar way opiates do. I don't feel wired, or sped up. I just feel relaxed, yet motivated. Sort of a contradiction there. I always related relaxed to chilled out I guess, while I related energy from something like caffeine to motivation. Yet with the ritalin I am relaxed but have motivation and drive. Does this make sense? Why is that?

[amiegrace]

Dopamine. The ADD brain does not have enough of it floating around, and smooths everything out. Ritalin helps the ADD brain get what it actually needs to feel normal.

[marie-johanne]

How it works for me? It brings into focus what makes the most sense. Helps me tune out the extraneous info that would otherwise distract me.

I think straighter...I walk straighter. I'm not a 'hyper' unless you consider the occasional racing thoughts that sometimes lead to my blurting. Gotta say what i'm thinking before I forget. KWIM?

[spaceyKP]

ADHD stimulants increase the dopamine and noreprinephrine in your brain. Caffeine effects your energy in a metabolic way, like increasing metabolic rate. I read that caffeine can boost the effects of dopamine and noreprinephrine but the article didn't say that it actually increases the dopamine or noreprinephrine. I ways actually thinking about this the other day as I chugged down about 5 or 6 cans worth of coke zero. lol

[marie-johanne]

Hey...heart rate when Ritalin kicks in runs about 112, for me. Anyone else? Some days better, some days worse. Is Adderall easier on the ole ticker?

[DADHD]

I sometimes take caffeine in late morning to help me out when it is too early for my next dose. I usually only do this when I get up too early and take my first dose at like 6am

[spaceyKP]

Even with stimulants I need caffeine to make it through the day. lol

When I was on Ritalin my heart rate and blood pressure were higher. I take Vyvanse now and have no problems. My doctor said it just varies among people. Some stimulants affect some people but not others, and one person may do fine on one stimulant but have bad side effects on another.

When I read user reviews on Vyvanse, I noticed a trend that if people had problems with Ritalin, Concerta, or Adderall they didn't have as many problems with Vyvanse, and vice versa. But since it was reviews for Vyvanse, there really wasn't much about the differences people experienced between Ritalin, Adderall, and concerta.

[Amtram]

I've heard it put in a very simplistic way, and I don't know if it's scientifically valid, but it sounds like a possibility. . .

The ADD brain is constantly seeking stimulation. Even if you're not physically hyperactive, your brain is very, very busy. When you take a stimulant, it takes over that job and gives the brain a chance to slow down for a bit.

Might explain, too, why sometimes stimulants will make us sleepy. Too much stimulation, and the brain has nothing to do!

Again, could be just woo, but it's pretty clear that NTs are stimulated by stimulants, and ADDers are calmed by them. YMMV, but I had one skeptical psychiatrist convinced that I wasn't faking my ADD when I came back calm and relaxed after he'd reluctantly prescribed me Adderall.

[DADHD]

I always found that odd. I've heard that it acts like this for add people, but I don't know if I believed it. When I got prescribed Ritalin I thought it was going to speed me up and keep me awake all night. My first dose I felt really relaxed and my second dose I fell asleep. This medicine has changed my life. Now that my mind has slowed down and now that I have ambition and drive, I have gotten so much accomplished. I have also sorted out most of my disorganized life.

[fracturedstory]

Something odd happened to me a few days ago. I wrote about it in the Women's section so I'll leave out that key word which usually makes males run when I tell them.

I had my usual dose of ritalin but because I felt it wearing off in town I decided to have a coffee, which almost put me to sleep. In fact I hadn't felt that relaxed in weeks. It was like I had two beers or something.

My medication usually gives me more energy cause I'm inattentive but I think because I had a bit too much dopamine and noreprinephrine in my brain that the coffee tried to bring it down so I got really sleepy.

So, I guess stimulants try to normalise our brains or something. I really should look that up.

[Marspider]

Ritalin takes away that running around like a headless chicken feeling. I hate most forms of caffeine so can't say much about the effects except for tea which i've been finding can make me quite sleepy especially in the mornings.
It used to perk me up, but now I drink a nice hot cup of tea and 15 minutes, I want to pass out. Though I must say there are very few hours in the day when I do feel alert.

[The_Robin_Hood]

I was also wondering this..

I have just started medication and can't believe how calm I feel!! It's the strangest feeling, I don't think I've ever been this calm or relaxed.

[Koilo1]

Lol! Yes, this is so true.

I find it amazing that people can take medication for ADHD and feel like it gives them more energy or stimulates them. For me, they make me more relaxed and able to deal with things calmly and rationally.

Life is weird like that.

OTOH, think of it like this. Our ADHD brains are operating differently fundamentally than most people's to some degree. So it only makes sense that we handle things like that differently too maybe! =)

[Fortune]

I've not taken any prescription drugs intended for ADD, but I've often found caffeine relaxes me. Ephedra left me stimulated, but able to focus more easily on one thing at a time.

[Jked]

Originally Posted by Fortune

I've not taken any prescription drugs intended for ADD, but I've often found caffeine relaxes me. Ephedra left me stimulated, but able to focus more easily on one thing at a time.

The Ephedra/Coffee/Cigarette's combo is the only thing that allowed me to get ANYTHING done when I was in college. It was a really bad way to go about things, but it was all I knew and I was grasping at straws. I was always amazed why I craved stimulants so much and they never seemed to do anything but focus me.