Adderall for addicts? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

StitchCarver · 06-28-2005, 06:08 PM

Hey peeps.

I'm baout to go into my shrink this week and talk about taking something for ADD. I have a serious concentration problem, and we;ve been talking about it in therapy. My shrink knows I've messed around with drugs and alcohol, I've been addicted to pot. I've never spent any time in rehab and have always manages to stop doing bad things on my own. Anyways, I have a feeling he'll want to put me on Stratera because of this. I have this preconceived notion that it won't work. I want to good stuff. I want adderall. I want something I can take five days a week, my workdays, concentrate on my work, then not take it on the weekends. I have this idea that Stratera is mild, and I won't get the same effects as Adderall. Anybody with any opinions on this. I'm stressing about it. I really want my concentration problem to go away.

Sylvia224 · 06-29-2005, 11:42 AM

To be honest with you, I’m not sure you have ADD. Far be it for me to question your doctor, but it doesn’t sound like you even need Adderall – ADHD is far more problematic than a "concentration problem" and that is why Adderall is a very strong drug. But maybe I just read too much into your message.
The thing about Strattera is that it is not a stimulant. It works for some people, but not for most that have tried it. If all you want is help for your concentration problem, why don’t you just give it a chance? It might solve the problem. If not, you can tell your doctor that you need something else.
I’ll be honest and I don’t mean to sound rude, but I think you’re drug seeking for more than a concentration problem. I have struggled with addiction myself for most of my life and am now on ritalin and it is a very difficult and slippery path to walk. I have been tempted to abuse the drug, but I have not done so because I know that I need it, it has given me back my life and I can’t risk a return to ADD.
Good luck, I hope you find something that helps.

StitchCarver · 06-29-2005, 12:04 PM

Thank you for the reply. As far as concentration problem. It's pretty much like I can't focus on a given task for more than a few minutes. And if I really try hard, I'll work on something for more than a few minutes, but I'll do the minumum. I'm very easily distracted, I'll sometimes have four or five things going on at once, rather than starting or finishing one thing at a time. I can feel my brain drifting off, and next thing I know, I'm searching the internet or something. Actually, I'm at work right now, I stopped what I was doing for one reason, went onto the internet for another, and now I'm typing here. My work suffers because I have the hardest time paying attention to detail.

You are right in questioning my intentions. I part of me is already thinking "could I abuse this drug" but there's another part of me that's so frustrated. Being from an addictive personality, how do you manage the Aderall?

malibubarbie999 · 06-29-2005, 12:06 PM

I have to agree w/ Sylvia on this. ADHD is way more than just a concentration problem. It's an illness that affects all aspects of a person's life... lack of concentration is only a tiny part of it. Also a lack of concentration could be caused by a ton of things... not just ADHD. Stuff like depression, anxiety, drug/alcohol abuse, etc can all lead to poor concentration. Also, asking for Adderall off the bat is not a good idea. Doctors are well aware that amphetamines have been abused as long as they've been on the market. Anyways, getting a precription for a stim would require a test/evaluation to see if you have ADHD in the first place. I mean you can't just stroll into the office, say you can't concentrate & expect to leave with the "good stuff." How do you know Adderall is the "good stuff" anyway? I take Adderall (40 mg/day) & I don't take it to get high or cuz it makes me feel good. It calms me & allows me to get things done. If a person w/o ADHD were to take Adderall they'd probably get a buzz. Is that what you're looking for? If you haven't tried Strattera, how can you knock it?

Don't mean to come off as harsh. Maybe I interprested your post wrong, but that's just the feeling I got... Hope everything works out.

malibubarbie999 · 06-29-2005, 12:21 PM

Oh one more thing I wanted to say. I can sympathize w/ you on the whole addiction thing (I didn't mean to come off as some stuffy b%%%%). I have also struggled w/ addiction (did a 90-day stint in rehab at 17 due to cocaine addiction). I learned that up to 75% of people w/ untreated ADHD end up abusing drugs/alcohol at some point in their lives. Anyway, my doctor put me on 3 different drugs before finally settling on Adderall (since it can be abused). But to be honest w/ you... Adderall has only benefitted me in this respect... I no longer crave drugs because for once in my life I feel adequate. All those years growing up I had been self-medicating. If you truly believe your problem is ADHD maybe you should be tested for it... Then worry about what med you'll get.