Does anyone take adderall????

KrisRNwannabe · Aug 17, 2004

well yesterday I was diagnoised with adult ADD. so today it is off to the pharmacy. my new doc also gave me a script for weight loss medication. but he said the adderall might do it own its own. I guess people lose lots of weight on adderall. well i will keep you posted on my progress so hopefully it will work for me...thanks to everyone that replied.

kris

nurse1day · Aug 17, 2004

I currently take Strattera for ADD but I was thinking of switching to something else. Straterra is really great but it is soooo expensive. Does anybody else who is in nursing school have any other techniques for school besides the meds that help with keep organized and studying? :)

cnelle101 · Aug 17, 2004

this reminds me of an episode I saw on MTV's True Life (I'm on adderall) Some part of it was about was about how some students take them to study for finals after partying late. But anyway what is and waht are some of the symptoms of ADD (I think I already know what ADHD is).

wannabemw · Aug 17, 2004

The best way to find out if u have ADD is to take the test on http://www.adultadd.com.

I personally went my doctor. I told him that I thought I had it, he ran down the ck list and I had 'em all!

My symptoms:

-chronically late, no matter how hard I try

-I put off things until the last min (i.e. papers, studying)

-I don't do well on tests and had a very difficult time organizing my thoughts (this is much improved w/adderall)

- I struggled and had 2 re-take at least 5 classes. And got medial grades.

-I had a hard time sitting in class w/out wanting to interject my thoughts (lect classes w/no interaction were heck for me)

-my temper was short: I could go off very easily, I am more pacient now, and don't always feel as if everyone needs my opinion. I now can listen 2 my daughter run her mouth and know that my imput isn't always the best thing!

-my housework was done, but was difficult for me to stay on one task (I have tried 4 yrs to be organized, for me moving into another house is a dream! Time to organize!)

-And lastly, I went from studying and being highly distracted to studying and focusing. I really enjoy studying much more now! It's still a struggle to get things done in a timely manner, but I am working on it!

Good Luck!

~MJ

wannabemw · Aug 17, 2004

That's something you'd have to talk to your doctor about. Stimulants may be good for what ails you but can cause a whole lot of damage outside their prescribed use.
Prescribed for ADD my son took it and got worse because he was really bipolar... adderal wasn't as bad as concerta but concerta gave him chest pains as well. With every body reacting differently this is something you really need to be extra careful and consulting your physician about. It isn't prescribed lightly, there's a reason they don't give refills on adderall.

My son is also Bipolar. He is bipolar w/ADHD. This is quite common. I was told by his dr. that he needs 2 b stable w/his bipolar b4 any ADHD meds can be effective. As I said b4, he's 18y now. Meds r more effective 4 his ADHD now that he is stable (I can see a difference). For more info on the try the "Bipolar Child" Book or website. Other conditions commonly are associated w/bipolar.

~MJ

Laurie888 · Aug 17, 2004

My son is also Bipolar. He is bipolar w/ADHD. This is quite common. I was told by his dr. that he needs 2 b stable w/his bipolar b4 any ADHD meds can be effective. As I said b4, he's 18y now. Meds r more effective 4 his ADHD now that he is stable (I can see a difference). For more info on the try the "Bipolar Child" Book or website. Other conditions commonly are associated w/bipolar.
~MJ

You're lucky your doctor knows enough to know he has to be stable first. The first doctor even after changing diagnosis still wanted to treat the symptoms of ADD and depression instead of getting him stable first. We arent' there yet, but closer.

My son definitely has some comorbid conditions, and tends to have paradoxical reactions to meds and is hard to treat. I do have the book and actively read the cabf website at least once a day! Lots of fun being a nursing student and single parent of an unstable bipolar child.... may some of that adderal would help ME get some studying done (something I might check with my doctor about myself when I find some time to breathe!)

wannabemw · Aug 18, 2004

LOL! I know what u r going through! It took us awhile to get our son diagnosed/stablized. We also had nearly the same situation occur. 1st @ 4yr he was diagnosed w/ODD, @ 7w/ADHD: meds = dexadrine, cylert, and a few others, in addition 2 fam counseling/individual couseling. 9yr found an ADD dr., then moved on to a psych, diagnosis: depression (he's such an unhappy child! DUHH!) meds= paxil, result= more frequent rages/manic episodes. New dr. (sorry, w/moving & insurance we changed often), new meds= ritalin (he was alwful, got a call from the school on that one!), continued 2 go down hill. Finally @ 11yrs, we told his dr. we thought he was serious mentally ill, and that he needed 2 b hospitalized. He did, w/in 24 hr our son had an episode, diagnosis: bipolar! Go figure...and at 7yr old the 1st dr said "he's not ADHD because he has his episodes so infrequently, perhaps he's bipolar? Oh, but he's too young 2 diagnosis! He has been on 2 diff meds now: the standard (I don't recall-it's anti-epileptic though, and now he is and has been stable for 4yrs on tegretol XR=Carbatrol. It was a long haul, but he's doing better. His impulsividy is still there, and he makes bad judgement calls, but overall, he's a decent kid that can hold a job for long periods of time. He's finishing w/his High School Diploma this yr through Adult ED: his ADHD made school very difficult.

~MJ

mitchsmom · Aug 18, 2004

Does it help your memory as far as studying if you are not ADD??

As an amphetamine, I think it would help most people with studying whether ADD or not (not that I'm recommending it by any means, just that it is a stimulant). I mean, if you did a study I bet that everyone's performance would go up... F's to C's, C's to A's, etc.

Are you old enough to remember when "speed" was in style? Movies featuring people taking speed in medical school, etc. in order to keep up? I guess we are sort of in that kind of phase again, I hear about people taking it for "off label" uses a lot. I have an acquaintance who says she used to sell hers to other kids in high school.

wannabemw · Aug 18, 2004

Personally Adderall has helped w/my memory, but only b/c I had problems w/staying on task. I do have a diagnosed LD prob w/memory, however that is more r/t my hx of epilepsy. That is why I had to ask my neurologist about this, and got him 2 diagnose me.

~MJ

Ftoll24 · Feb 1, 2011

As an amphetamine, I think it would help most people with studying whether ADD or not (not that I'm recommending it by any means, just that it is a stimulant). I mean, if you did a study I bet that everyone's performance would go up... F's to C's, C's to A's, etc.
Are you old enough to remember when "speed" was in style? Movies featuring people taking speed in medical school, etc. in order to keep up? I guess we are sort of in that kind of phase again, I hear about people taking it for "off label" uses a lot. I have an acquaintance who says she used to sell hers to other kids in high school.

When I was 25 (Im 33 now) I went through extensive testing and was diagnosed with ADHD. When I began taking adderall the side effects tended to outweigh the benefits. Sure, I could focus for long periods, but my understanding of the textbook info was often jumbled and unclear. Drink a red bull and study - you will focus, but your mind will be going so fast that you may not retain a whole lot.

My doc lowered my dose and as my body started to adjust adderall became a wonder drug. I graduated with honors and was inducted to Phi Beta Kappa. I started taking senior-level courses outside of my major just for the "fun of it." It changed me completely.

I don't believe in ADD or ADHD. I believe people get distracted because of mild depression, lack of interest, self-doubt, genetics, whatever. I think a stimulant sparks the mind, and if you have a good doctor who monitors your progress closely, anyone with "add symptoms" can benefit from this drug. This is a big reason why there is a stigma attached to adderall use. But when it comes to NURSING, I think most supervisors would prefer a nurse who is alert after 10 hours than a nurse who is falling asleep after 8 hours.

CuriousMe · Feb 2, 2011

When I was 25 (Im 33 now)
I don't believe in ADD or ADHD. I believe people get distracted because of mild depression, lack of interest, self-doubt, genetics, whatever. I think a stimulant sparks the mind, and if you have a good doctor who monitors your progress closely, anyone with "add symptoms" can benefit from this drug. This is a big reason why there is a stigma attached to adderall use. But when it comes to NURSING, I think most supervisors would prefer a nurse who is alert after 10 hours than a nurse who is falling asleep after 8 hours.

I've seen people say this before. It makes no sense to me....we're not talking about the Easter Bunny here. We're talking about a diagnosis. Are you saying that you don't believe that the folks who show the criteria listed in the DSM-IV have those criteria? Or do you not believe that folks who have those criteria should have it labelled and receive treatment?

Are there other diagnosis's that you don't believe in? Do you believe in clinical depression? Is this lack of belief limited to mental health diagnosis's, or do you have your doubts about things like congestive heart failure as well?