I have ADD (attention-deficit disorder) and I have used Adderall for about 3 years. Can I echo Alison's question and ask whether you have been prescribed it or whether you are using someone else's?
The reason you stay alert is because of the amphetamines. In a brain with ADD or ADHD, it actually has the opposite effect: It calms us down and focuses us. We can finish tasks and concentrate, and we are better at filtering out distractions.
If you have ADD or ADHD, then you are using Adderall under a doctor or psychiatrist's care. If you are getting the medicine through another channel, you may be harming yourself. Using Adderall just to stay alert WILL make you dependent on it. As you said, feel that you are less alert now on the days you do not take it.
Can I ask if you are male or female? I hadn't heard of using Adderall to help with a sex drive. Some do experience this, but others report a complete loss of libido on the drug. I'm interested in your experience.
You can tell that you are becoming addicted to something -- anything, really -- when you begin to feel that you can't live without it. Or when you start changing your behavior or your life in order to get and use more of it, for instance. (Conversely, ADD patients will often stay on the same dose of a stimulant for years, because it works on us differently than on a non-ADD patient).
After reading our responses, what do you think? Is this a prescription for you? Do you think you are becoming dependent on it?
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Hi, Anon,
I have ADD (attention-deficit disorder) and I have used Adderall for about 3 years. Can I echo Alison's question and ask whether you have been prescribed it or whether you are using someone else's?
The reason you stay alert is because of the amphetamines. In a brain with ADD or ADHD, it actually has the opposite effect: It calms us down and focuses us. We can finish tasks and concentrate, and we are better at filtering out distractions.
If you have ADD or ADHD, then you are using Adderall under a doctor or psychiatrist's care. If you are getting the medicine through another channel, you may be harming yourself. Using Adderall just to stay alert WILL make you dependent on it. As you said, feel that you are less alert now on the days you do not take it.
Can I ask if you are male or female? I hadn't heard of using Adderall to help with a sex drive. Some do experience this, but others report a complete loss of libido on the drug. I'm interested in your experience.
You can tell that you are becoming addicted to something -- anything, really -- when you begin to feel that you can't live without it. Or when you start changing your behavior or your life in order to get and use more of it, for instance. (Conversely, ADD patients will often stay on the same dose of a stimulant for years, because it works on us differently than on a non-ADD patient).
After reading our responses, what do you think? Is this a prescription for you? Do you think you are becoming dependent on it?
October 15, 2009 - 8:43amThis Comment
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