Yeah. I take Adderall xr because I've had ADD all my life. Its true. I started taking it when I was 15 or something.. it HELPED my life [btw, I am now 19].. I think everyone's "problems" while taking "Adderall" is not the Medication's doing, it's the Person who is taking it. If you were not prescribed this drug or if you have no signs of ADD or ADHD or don't feel like the medication is for you, then please, be SMART and don't f**king take it. You know it's right for you if you've taken it for 4 years and it's BETTERED your life and Not slowly destroyed everything about it. A LOT OF YOU PEOPLE ARE IGNORANT, all you guys sound pretty uneducated and inexperienced, and you guys seem unable to look outside of the goddamn box.. except for Valentino.. he's cool.

I agree, i am 27 years old and have been on Adderall since 1994! I have ADD and adderall has helped. However, i will admit that i am dependent on it, i bite my finger nails and smoke both cigs and tree daily. I am concerned with the long term effects b/c the its a fairly new drug. I have also had many friends take the drug and are not ADD, they love the effect. A few of them are now taking adderall and need it! ADD

I came to this forum because my significant other was finally diagnosed with ADD a little over a year ago. He started taking generic amphetimine salts and at first he seemed so much happier. Now after 18 years together I have lost the man I feel in love with. He is so very different. He likes his meds and feels they help. I see that they help but at his family's expense. When i speak to him about it he says he is only doing what the dr. prescribes. I feel that after reading the posts that I will never get him back again.

I started taking adderall once in a while earlier this semester to help pull all-nighters at my roommate's (who's prescribed) suggestion. For about the past month or so I've been taking it almost every day with a few weekend days off. My problem is this:

It's very easy for me to access adderall; my roommate is prescribed and somehow managed to get double the dosage she needs per month. However, she doesn't know that I take it all the time; as far as she's concerned she has only given it to me a handful of times. As a result I can't talk to her about my concerns as I don't want to admit to taking them from her.

I have a very addictive personality in the first place; I've suffered from disordered eating and over-exercising for nearly the past 4 years. This is another reason why adderall is so appealing to me: I love the weight loss factor and I thrive on the feeling of control I receive from not eating. I'm also a dancer and in the past month I feel that my interest as well as performance in technique classes has increased significantly. My academic classes also seem far more interesting and I seem to be doing dar better in them as a result of the addy.

I recognize that this is a problem and I've read about the negative side effects, all of which I exhibit (dry mouth, dehydration, sweating, shaking, hard and fast heartbeat, nail biting, acne), and I understand logically that I can't continue to do what I'm doing. However, psychologically, it's very difficult for me to imagine going back to making it through the day (at least the weekday) without adderall. Reading this, I know that it's bad, but I also know that when it comes down to it I love life on adderall and know that this will outweigh all the negative factors. How can I fight this addiction??

*CAUTION TO THOSE STARTING ADDERALL*
I've been using adderall LEGALLY for 8 full years now and i wish i could go back to the first doctor who prescribed it to me and slap him.
Im writing this article at 4am right now because i cant sleep after taking adderall 30MG XR this morning.
I've been prescribed adderall in relativly high doses since my freshman year of highschool because I was doing poorly in school and diagnosed with ADD. For the first 3 years it proved extremely succesful in my academic career, I ended up graduating at the top of my class and I am currently enrolled in a well known university that i will not mention for privacy reasons.
After three years of taking it the negative effects began to manifest and they have been gettinig worse ever since:
1) i started to develop extreme social anxiety, not even wanting to leave my house
beacuse i was afraid to have to interact with people
2) When im on it I become extremely irritable and any conversation im having with someone seems pointless and I just count the seconds until its over and I can go sit and watch TV or do something alone.
3) I cant sleep without sleeping pills
4) ive gone through so many relationships that i've lost count, all of which ended because i was constantly *FORCED TO DECIDE between taking my adderall that day or being able to socialize without being paranoid and ive unfortunatly always ended up sticking with adderall because of pressure from my family and peers to do well in school*
5) i developed extreme physical tension, clenching my jaws and constantly twirling my hair to the point where i would tear it out without noticing.
6) I lost almost all interest in Sex
7) my anxiety has gotten to the point where i can only go to a social gathering (such as a party) when Ive had a good amount of alcohol to calm my nerves (and that only works some of the time.
My grades have dropped so low that I have been on academic probation for an entire semester mainly because i am so anxious that i cant go to class or ask the teacher for help.


Ive had to constantly increase my dose every couple of months because I have developed a tolerance for it and every doctor is always supportive of increasing this medication because of its 'legal' status.

The worst part about this drug is that doctors do not recognize it as a harmful substance for people with ADD.

The worst part about all of this is that i have been to 9 different doctors regarding my problems with adderall and every single doctor has recommended something else and then switched me back on to adderall when my ability to concentrate on school work began to slide.

I recently wrote a 20 page research paper on the addictive potential of adderall (i'm majoring in psychiatry) and it's been the only "A" ive gotten in college so far.

I am so hopelessly dependant on this drug, i cant even get out of bed in the morning without it.

Has anyone been able to kick this drug after multiple years of use??? I NEED HELP PLEASE!!!!!

Thank you, Valentino for responding to the prior postings. I wouldn't have been so kind, however.

I am a mother who is just trying to find out if other people are noticing their child having a hard time coming off their daily adderall pill, and instead come to find a bunch of drug abusers sharing comments on the best ways to maximize their trip and the pitfalls of mixing their illegal drug with alcohol, etc. Believe me, I am no saint and when I was younger did a lot of stupid things...including drug use. But at least I had enough common sense and decency to not enable someone else or encourage someone else to abuse. I'm sorry but I'm not crying for the people who are using the drug recreationally or to further their career or education. I am not heartless, but you are taking a serious prescription with definate side effects. The person I feel most sad for is the 13 year old. This is a person who needs help and it is wonderful he has found an interest and a talent for computers, but how sad his family are not the one's encouraging him. Thank God for a teacher who cares for him, but there is something better out there for him. I at least appreciate the people who tell you their story of how their addiction began. Gotta tell ya...it is a sad world we live in and I am a parent who is trying to prevent my son from going down the same road many of you went - and he is 6 years old. Thanks for the support, little community! Way to go to provide helpful, meaningful information. Best of luck to all of you.

I think Adderall is being overblown a little in this topic.

When taking Adderall, you have to apply the same rule to it that you apply to anything youre putting in your body. Moderation and Responsibility.

Dont overdose, and dont be on it 24/7. If youre just using regular doses for school, work, whatever, you should be fine.

I give personal accounts but incriminating yourself on the internet is not really a good idea :p.

All I'll say is, dont abuse it. Thats all there is to it. I have to admit it does start to feel like a crutch after awhile, but if youre taking regular doses just for work or school, its not that bad for you, if bad at all. Oh, and a tip, FORCE YOURSELF TO EAT. Even if you want to lose weight, force yourself to eat. When you lose weight on this stuff, it does not feel good. You feel extremely weak. Another tip, *cough*some people*cough* prefer to split the pill in half (Im talking about the little orange regular release pills, sam probably applies to the XR capsules though). You get less of the initial euphoria feeling, but you still get a decent mood lift. This should take a little of the edge off the drug (especially the first hour), but you'll still feel just as productive and attentive. Take half before work/school, and the other half during lunch. Worked perfect for "someone". Just dont get into the habit of taking it to go out at night after work, like "someone" did. Youll become sleep deprived and wont even realize it until your brain is so tired you start hallucinating. This is the only bad experience "someone" has had with Adderall, and thats because he was abusing it. On top of the hallucinations, he experienced Formication. Dunno if that was from the adderall or maybe the lack of sleep or lack of eating(nutrients), or a combination if it all, but I can tell you it is NOT pleasant at all. First time "someone" has ever experienced anything like that, and he can describe it as one of the worst feelings he has ever felt in his life.

If you dont know what it is, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formication . This is why I wouldnt abuse it. I do not wish that feeling upon anyone. "someone" didnt even take that much adderall that day, he had taken 1 in ther morning and one at night. Which is why I think it had a lot to do with being sleep deprived and not eating enough, which were also due to the adderall (he had been taking it everyday for the past week or so).

Reading these posts makes me feel like 10mgs of short-term Adderall isn't much but that's all i needed, if not more than enough, to feel the way others describe while they're on it. As others say, In the beginning, when you feel you have control, it's a great drug. I felt like a better person in every way. The weight loss was another perk. I felt like it improved everything...and it begins to make you afraid of dealing with the way you "really" are. Basically what I'm trying to say is...people who take this medicine begin to give the medication too much credit towards who they are.

I stopped taking it two weeks ago. In the beginning I had panic attacks (esp. while driving), increased social anxiety, thoughts about dying, and felt disconnected mentally in so many way it was scary. After at least a week I felt so much more normal, and wondered why I made such a big deal out of it. I feel proud to say I'm not addicted or taking adderall anymore, and no longer feel like I'm going to have a heart attack..or that my personality is a false reality. I don't have anymore energy crashes, in fact I feel I have more energy. YOU just have to overcome the period where you could relapse. I'm way happier, and I have not gained any weight yet but you just have to control your diet more. The adderall also caused me to chain smoke and now that I have stopped taking it, I only smoke 3 cigarettes a day at the most.

Adderall is just a temporary fix that really destroys your body. I took it for six years...it was hard to stop but I started to feel like it was a do or die decision...I had to make the choice. Now I can be proud of everything I do without thinking it's in result to adderall. I feel like I have so much hate for the medication, I could write a book on it. I did ween off of it by cutting me pills in to quarters and I think it helped. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.

I also want to say that I had always been completely responsible on it, never took more than I was supposed to, and never increased my dosage even when my doctor suggested it. This did not stop me from developing a hate towards the medication, and knowing how bad it effects your mind, body, and life. People should stop creating excuses to be on a drug. Psychiatrist are devious as hell. I understand some people need to be on meds but adderall will make anyone feel better, that doesn't mean it's "working" or you "need" it.