the medication for ADHD?
seriously, i was on this stuff for six months, took two weeks off with a really brutal withdrawal period, and i started taking it again today because I do in fact need it and I really couldn't take withdrawal hell anymore, and I'm all tripped out on it. basically, methamphetamines are not supposed to be speed when you have ADHD....but this time around after the withdrawal period, it sure is acting like speed. argh. sorry about the breathless nature of the post, it's pretty indicative of how I'm feeling right now.
just wondered if anyone else has experienced this or is taking the medication in general.
There was an article in the Wall street journal today about possible safety issues with Adderal. I guess Canada is trying to ban it, and they are calling on the FDA to do so too.
I noticed it b/c my boss is taking it. You have to have a subscription to see it online, but most public libraries have a subscription to WSJ.
i have ADD and after taking dexedrine (an amphetamine) for YEARS at the same dosage, around the time i turned 15 i started getting all spaced out on it like you mentioned above.
try cutting the dosage in half - it should help. If it's a tablet then just cut it in half, if it's a capsule separate the parts and dump out half the pill (save what you dump!). Be sure to mention this to your doctor when you see him/her...
if that doesn't work then definitely talk to your doctor, i can't tolerate any kind of stimulants anymore after that started happening... even a cup of coffee will do that to me :?
I took adderall my junior and senior year of high school and my freshman year of college, I only stopped taking it when I got pregnant spring semester of college. I didn't experience any withdrawl from it, and never did any time I took a break from it. How I would describe what it felt like when I took it - it seemed like things slowed down some, things seemed quieter, and I always felt like my eyes were open wider. My handwriting also improved and I took much better notes. I could listen to my teachers and professors without getting antsy or whatnot. It never made me feel jumpy or racing. I had a friend who took it to get a rise and she always said it made her feel really jumpy, etc. If you're having withdrawl problems and trippy feelings when you take it, you may want to talk to your doctor about it.
A side note - I don't feel like I need it now. Since I can't take it while pregnant/nursing, I've worked out other ways to deal with the symptoms that got the meds prescribed in the first place and I've gotten pretty good at overcoming things that used to challenge me. It's been kind of empowering for me.
I am 15 years old,
I have been on Adderall since I was 6.
9 years of Adderall, 9 years of ADHD
Believe me mama, I have been trough it all
Actually, I am off it right now, I don't know if it's because I am breast feeding Emma or what but i got off it when I got pregnanat.
Before that, Adderall worked SOOO well for me. But when I turned 13 I started getting really spacey when I was on it, nothing would getr me excited, I wouldnt have a sense of humor and NO appitite at all.
I can't really tell you anything except let you know that I have been on Adderall for the majority of my life. Or if you ever need help dealing with the ADHD and/or the ADD pm me.
Defenately call ur doctor, they can help get you on the right brand of anphetamine salts or other types of anphetamine that may be right for you, other brands such as Riddilin etc. or the dosage may need to be adjusted.
thanks for the replies, and commiseration, y'all.
emily, i took yer advice and it helped a lot: i'm on the 30mg capsule and split it open and took half of the medicine, instead of a full dose. i'm increasing steadily back up to a full dose now; i think my tolerance for it was erased during the withdrawal period, as the dosage is fairly high.
I've read about the health risks of adderall, but I had no idea canada was trying to ban it. really the only bad side effect for me is that a common side effect is anorexia, and the medicine tends to aggravate the eating disorder I already have.
hmmm. do you have any more information? I actually did a google search, but maybe i'm not using the right keywords, cause I'm not turning up anything about a ban in the works.
thanks again, ladies.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/1593.html
try this link for an article on canada/adderall
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050211.wxhhyper11/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/
thanks, i looked at both of those.
what's odd to me is, that it seems the ban revolves around the fact that less than 20 people that had pre-existing heart conditions died after taking adderall, a stimulant.
but on the other hand, there's not a peep regarding wellbutrin/zyban, which quite often causes seizures that lead to death in people that follow the medicine's directions to the letter and have no pre-existing conditions.
a student at my university just died from the normal ingestion of wellbutrin.
it actually makes me wonder if something else is going on, to be honest.
theriverpiedra-actually, today we were just discussing vioxx/celebrex (there is only one small difference in the compounds of each active ingredient for the two drugs) in my organic chemistry lab lecture... vioxx was taken off the market (and celebrex may be soon) due to patients having heart problems. mostly, though, it's due to there being a preexisting condition where taking the drug (especially in very large doses that aren't even recommended by the manufacturer of the drug) makes it worse or triggers the problem...but of course you know these things.
i think that taking drugs off the market because of the misuse of some is only hurting those who it helps. it's unfortunate that taking certain rx drugs can cause problems in some people but there isn't a way to figure out each person's individual body chemistry to know what will and won't work. each person takes a risk when downing that pill, you know? :\ hard situation.
anyway, sorry for the tangent. :)
adderall is very addictive. in school we would buy it from people and then snort it, just so we could get messed up, then after that, i would want it all of the time. i realized that it prolly wasnt worth gettin too addicted ova, and gettin into worse shit, but it is very addictive.
i was thinking about taken wellbutrin for anxity/smoking... should i be rethingk that?
erinn-
wellbutrin makes me really, really nervous because of the seizure risk associated with it. my mother refuses to prescribe it, as does my psychiatrist. I have been a student at two different universities now when another student at each college died after taking Wellbutrin as prescribed (i.e, no alcohol or marijuana was supposedly found in their systems after autopsy, though I can't verify that, obviously, as I wouldn't have access to their records.
Whether or not an argument could be presented on the validity of statistics in general, here's some information regarding wellbutrin and seizure risk:
from www.drumlib.com, a health review site:
the risk of seizures -- especially if one takes high doses of the immediate release formula. The seizure frequency is about 0.4% (4/1000 patients) at doses of 300 to 450 mg a day. At doses between 450 mg and 600 mg a day, the seizure frequency is almost TENFOLD higher!!! The seizure frequency with the extended-release formulation is about 0.1% at doses of up to 300 mg a day, but it rises to about 0.4% at 400 mg a day (1-BK, 2).
from www.antidepressantsfacts.com:
Bupropion is known for its seizure risk, the manufacturer maintaining the risk to be at .4% (4/1000) for the Wellbutrin immediate release (IR) formulation and .1% (1/1000) for the Zyban/Wellbutrin SR formulation. In regards Glaxo's warnings of seizure risk, they neglect to inform patients that seizures can pose a very grave risk for those who experience them. Seizures have been illustrated to cause death in and of themselves, as well as death by drowning and by asphyxiation. Reports of car accidents, serious burns, brain damage and fractures due to falls have been reported in connection with seizure activity, specifically in connection with bupropion. Continuing seizure activity has yet to be explored, once one has had the misfortune of having experienced an episode that is drug induced.
and then there's the other risks: hallucinations, et cetera.
for example, my ex had a psychotic break from reality when on Wellbutrin, where he hallucinated that I was working for Satan himself and organized a well-thought out plan to have me killed to protect humanity. seriously. I'm not fucking kidding. he had to be committed and once he switched medications, he was all right.
It might be worth it to consider another drug for your anxiety, though I know some people on this site probably have had good luck with Wellbutrin, and I know people that have done well on it too. Those seizure statistics are just too high for me.
and good luck with quitting smoking! I'm trying to do it too.