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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sar on March 30, 2001, at 21:30:04
Hey all,
Several years ago a friend of mine got a prescription for Adderall. Well we're college students and he started selling his extras for 3-5 bucks a pop and I heard such good things about it (like for writing a research paper the night before it's due) that I bought some and ended up really liking it! I was like a studying machine on it! I took it a little more often last semester, probably a total of 10-15 pills (can't remember how many mgs they were...30?) and now i worry that maybe (along w/ severe depression) they've contributed to a loss of cognition. I do not have ADD or ADHD.And a sidenote--this friend of mine who has the prescription is completely hooked on this stuff and his personality has really changed. I don't like this change at all! He takes much more than the dr prescribed and seems really spacey and jittery and kinda twitchy now.
Are our brains fried??????????????
irie,
sar
Posted by kazoo on March 30, 2001, at 22:46:41
In reply to ahmmm...adderall abuse, posted by sar on March 30, 2001, at 21:30:04
> Are our brains fried??????????????
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Didn't you use PAM?kazoo
Posted by loumama on March 31, 2001, at 0:05:38
In reply to Re: ahmmm...adderall abuse » sar, posted by kazoo on March 30, 2001, at 22:46:41
> > Are our brains fried??????????????
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Didn't you use PAM?
>
> kazoo
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> I DON'T THINK JOKING ABOUT SOMEBODIES ADDICTION IS VERY POLITE. IT IS VERY EASY TO BECOME ADDICTED TO THE EFFECTS ADDERALL HAS ON YOU. I DOUBLED MY DOSE 3 WEEKS AFTER THE DR. PRESCRIBED THEM TO ME, AND GOT A ALMOST SPACEY FEELING. I UNDERSTOOD THIS MYSELF AND WENT BACK TO MY REGULAR 20 MG. IN THE MORNING DOSE. ADDERALL HAS HELPED ME WITH ALOT OF THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT TAKE FOR GRANTED, LIKE STAYING FOCUSED AND REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL. NOT ONLY IN MY WORK, BUT IN WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING AND HOW PEOPLE ARE FEELING. THE ONLY THING I CAN REALLY SAY ABOUT ADDERALL IS THAT IT SEEMS TO HAVE BROUGHT ME OUT OF MYSELF. (IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE TO ANYONE ON ADDERALL). BY THE WAY I AM A 37 YEAR OLD MOM OF THREE, AND ILL TELL YOU I AM GLAD I MADE THAT ONE VISIT TO MY DRS. IT HAS CHANGED ALOT OF THINGS IN MY LIFE, BUT ONE THING I LEARNED IS THAT IT IS REALLY EASY TO TAKE MORE IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WANT TO, BUT I REALIZED THE DRUG DID ME SO MUCH GOOD, THAT ILL ONLY FALL BACK EVEN FURTHER IN MY OLD WAYS THAT IT IS NOT WORTH IT! IF I WAS YOU I WOULD GET MY FRIEND ASIDE AND THE TWO OF YOU MAYBE HELP EACH OTHER THROUGH GETTING OFF THIS, IT WONT GET BETTER. GOOD LUCK!
Posted by ItsJustMe on March 31, 2001, at 0:37:10
In reply to ahmmm...adderall abuse, posted by sar on March 30, 2001, at 21:30:04
How does he "take much more than the dr prescribed"??
> Hey all,
>
> Several years ago a friend of mine got a prescription for Adderall. Well we're college students and he started selling his extras for 3-5 bucks a pop and I heard such good things about it (like for writing a research paper the night before it's due) that I bought some and ended up really liking it! I was like a studying machine on it! I took it a little more often last semester, probably a total of 10-15 pills (can't remember how many mgs they were...30?) and now i worry that maybe (along w/ severe depression) they've contributed to a loss of cognition. I do not have ADD or ADHD.
>
> And a sidenote--this friend of mine who has the prescription is completely hooked on this stuff and his personality has really changed. I don't like this change at all! He takes much more than the dr prescribed and seems really spacey and jittery and kinda twitchy now.
>
> Are our brains fried??????????????
>
> irie,
> sar
Posted by MarkG on March 31, 2001, at 0:41:59
In reply to Re: ahmmm...adderall abuse » kazoo, posted by loumama on March 31, 2001, at 0:05:38
Loumama,
I agree about the kidding about addiction. No laughing matter. I'm wanting to know a little more about your Adderall experience. Have you been dx with ADHD? If so, what type (Combined, inattentive). Have you been taking Adderall very long? At what dosage schedule? I too seriously struggle with concentration and focus difficulties, whether it is just trying to organize and get work done or just trying to converse with someone. Very frustrating. It always has been. I have just recently considered the possibility of ADHD after years of fighting an uphill battle with depression. Inattentiveness seems to be at the core, though. Sorry so long- if you could provide any info about your experience I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks! MarkG
>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > I DON'T THINK JOKING ABOUT SOMEBODIES ADDICTION IS VERY POLITE. IT IS VERY EASY TO BECOME ADDICTED TO THE EFFECTS ADDERALL HAS ON YOU. I DOUBLED MY DOSE 3 WEEKS AFTER THE DR. PRESCRIBED THEM TO ME, AND GOT A ALMOST SPACEY FEELING. I UNDERSTOOD THIS MYSELF AND WENT BACK TO MY REGULAR 20 MG. IN THE MORNING DOSE. ADDERALL HAS HELPED ME WITH ALOT OF THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT TAKE FOR GRANTED, LIKE STAYING FOCUSED AND REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL. NOT ONLY IN MY WORK, BUT IN WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING AND HOW PEOPLE ARE FEELING. THE ONLY THING I CAN REALLY SAY ABOUT ADDERALL IS THAT IT SEEMS TO HAVE BROUGHT ME OUT OF MYSELF. (IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE TO ANYONE ON ADDERALL). BY THE WAY I AM A 37 YEAR OLD MOM OF THREE, AND ILL TELL YOU I AM GLAD I MADE THAT ONE VISIT TO MY DRS. IT HAS CHANGED ALOT OF THINGS IN MY LIFE, BUT ONE THING I LEARNED IS THAT IT IS REALLY EASY TO TAKE MORE IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WANT TO, BUT I REALIZED THE DRUG DID ME SO MUCH GOOD, THAT ILL ONLY FALL BACK EVEN FURTHER IN MY OLD WAYS THAT IT IS NOT WORTH IT! IF I WAS YOU I WOULD GET MY FRIEND ASIDE AND THE TWO OF YOU MAYBE HELP EACH OTHER THROUGH GETTING OFF THIS, IT WONT GET BETTER. GOOD LUCK!
Posted by KarenB on April 1, 2001, at 0:24:24
In reply to Re: ahmmm...adderall abuse » loumama, posted by MarkG on March 31, 2001, at 0:41:59
Hi.
Just a sidenote: Inability to concentrate, inattentiveness and depression can also be symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. Sounds like it's probably real ADD in loumama, but Mark, be sure you find someone who really knows both disorders and what they are talking about. These disorders often mimic each other.
I was diagnosed for YEARS with depression and couldn't figure why antidepressants either left me completely immobile or amped out. Then, I was diagnosed ADD, inattentive type and put on Adderall. Within a few months I was in a rapid-cycle-mixed-state from hell. Then, thank God, I saw a real mood disorder specialist who determined that I may very well be both... but let's bail the ADs and go on a mood stabilizer, get stabilized and see what happens with the concentration problem. Well, I still had the concentration problems for a while but the closer I get to true stabilization, the less problem I have with focus. I can sit down and read a book for the first time in as long as I can remember.
I am going to drop my low-dose Adderall very soon and see what happens. My feeling is that I may not need it anymore. I am on Trileptal and Lamictal.
Karen
Posted by MarkG on April 1, 2001, at 1:38:30
In reply to Re: adderall/inattentiveness/ADD » MarkG, posted by KarenB on April 1, 2001, at 0:24:24
Hi Karen,Thanks for your response. I agree that there are many disorders that really overlap in some way or another. Like you mentioned, ADHD sxs often co-occur with depression- and sometimes depression can occur with mania or hypomania. In my case, so far I know that I haven't had any of the major sxs of bipolar yet- irritability, "high-moods", or ups-and downs. It looks like research these days is moving more toward attempting to discover what treatments help what symptoms instead of what treatments help what disorders. That seems to me to be more the key- b/c of the overlap of sxs in different criteria for disorders.
I'm hoping that the addition of a stimulant may be beneficial- for the first couple of weeks on Parnate I experienced the well-known initial response to it's minor aphetamine qualities. I had the ability to really focus, do work, and like Loumama's case have the feeling of being outside of my own head for a change. But that feeling wore off. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for answers. If the stimulant route doesn't work, my guess is that a mood-stabilizer may be the next things to try.
Best of luck to you-Mark
> Hi.
>
> Just a sidenote: Inability to concentrate, inattentiveness and depression can also be symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. Sounds like it's probably real ADD in loumama, but Mark, be sure you find someone who really knows both disorders and what they are talking about. These disorders often mimic each other.
>
> I was diagnosed for YEARS with depression and couldn't figure why antidepressants either left me completely immobile or amped out. Then, I was diagnosed ADD, inattentive type and put on Adderall. Within a few months I was in a rapid-cycle-mixed-state from hell. Then, thank God, I saw a real mood disorder specialist who determined that I may very well be both... but let's bail the ADs and go on a mood stabilizer, get stabilized and see what happens with the concentration problem. Well, I still had the concentration problems for a while but the closer I get to true stabilization, the less problem I have with focus. I can sit down and read a book for the first time in as long as I can remember.
>
> I am going to drop my low-dose Adderall very soon and see what happens. My feeling is that I may not need it anymore. I am on Trileptal and Lamictal.
>
> Karen
Posted by sar on April 2, 2001, at 3:38:44
In reply to Re: ahmmm...adderall abuse, posted by ItsJustMe on March 31, 2001, at 0:37:10
> How does he "take much more than the dr prescribed"??
>
:) I don't know the particulars, but smartypants pillpoppers have their ways to get plenty of what they want (and a good amount to sell).I'm not sure that my original post was very clear, so lemme straighten it out a little...I do not have ADD or ADHD and have no reason to believe that I do, nor am I addicted to Adderall or even taking it anymore. I'm just wondering if the 15 or so doses I took last semester may have harmed me permanently in anyway. I don't want to be paranoid about it, i'm just curious if anyone's got some scienec/mediacl knowledge on it...my friend is in Turkey right now but when he gets back to the U.S. I'm going to tell him I'm concerned.
I see people on that drug and don't like it, it frightens me. If it works for you then it's all good, I just wish we knew about longterm residual effects.
Thanks again,
sar
This is the end of the thread.
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