Adderall makes me happy..that's a"bad" thing? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

hunter2 · 05-15-2009, 10:33 PM

Before Adderall I was always negative, and my mood was constantly bad...I just had a terrible outlook on life and I gave up on myself. I also had a binge eating disorder since childhood. When I was prescribed Adderall this changed. I began to feel positive and happier for once in my life. My binge eating disorder has decreased incredibly- which is a miracle for me given the fact I was once near suicide due my eating disorder. Even certain problems I used to CONSTANTLY dwell on before seem somewhat insignificant to me. My only complaint is when I come down from Adderall - I feel even more depressed than before I took it. This makes me dread the night time because I know I will start feeling bad. I really wish the effects would last all day because I hate the major drop in my mood when I come off it.

I don't want to come off wrong and have people think that I am happy all the time and have no problems. Adderall doesn't cure every problem in life and it isn't some quick fix. But I actually like the person I am when I'm on medication. Some people assume it is a "bad thing" because Adderall gives some folks false happiness. Yet these same people are pro antidepressants which are also technically "false" mind altering drugs. I don't understand how when I say a stimulant makes me feel better, I am looked at suspiciously like it is a bad thing. Yet a person can feel better on antidepressants and it is considered ok and safe. I was on Prozac before and it didn't work for me. My cousin experienced awful side effects from antidepressants and even off of them she has head zap pains, and 60 extra pounds on her!

I am not addicted to or abusing Adderall, I am actually taking less than the average person on it. One thing that did somewhat bother me though, was last month I had to go 4 days without taking it. When this happened I felt awful. I was moody, depressed, negative, and I started binge eating again (due to emotions, not lack of food). So I guess in a way I feel like if I don't take it every day- my day will just be terrible. It causes a domino affect when I stopped taking it and instantly all of my symptoms came back full force. I don't like this but it's no different than a person depending upon an antidepressant everyday.

So do you guys think that being happier on Adderall is a bad thing? I don't mean abnormally happy, I just mean I don't feel bad constantly anymore. My mood isn't the only reason why I am taking it by the way.

addprogrammer · 05-16-2009, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunter2

So do you guys think that being happier on Adderall is a bad thing? I don't mean abnormally happy, I just mean I don't feel bad constantly anymore. My mood isn't the only reason why I am taking it by the way.

A bad thing? Are you kidding? It's how we are suppose to feel. It comes from feeling in control of our thoughts and emotions hence lives. Yeah, I have some bad feel-crappy days too. I work through them rather than being paralyzed by them so I don't feel bad constantly either.

Of course, there are some folk who love being miserable. That's the type that feel it's a bad thing. They have this "rule" that feeling good is bad and if you feel good must be because you are "wreaked" because that's the only way they ever felt good.

Funny thing, just thought of it. I feel good. Haven't taken my Adderall yet. How can that be?

Bob

CharBerry · 05-16-2009, 04:18 PM

I can understand where you're coming from. I hate the feeling of when I get low on meds or even worse.....running out for couple of days. This is the part that makes me feel "guilty" for feeling good on meds. Maybe that is a part of what you're worrying about. Other than that, I think you should tell yourself that it's an illness like any other and you need meds to control it. I'm bad about thinking that meds are going to make me feel good every single day even if I'm really sick, which we know is not the case.

So glad you've found something that helps you so feel good!

CharBerry

hunter2 · 05-16-2009, 09:51 PM

Ok good I'm glad I'm not alone in this.

There have been many times where Ive said Adderall has uplifted my mood and people always turn that into a negative thing. They say that it's not "supposed to" be used for that. But given the fact adhd can cause emotional problems, I saw nothing wrong with that.

psukid13 · 05-18-2009, 09:06 PM

I wouldn't think too much into it. The ADD meds make you become the "real" you. I noticed that I use to be VERY introverted prior to being diagnosed with ADD and after I started taking Ritalin, I have been more extroverted and I love it. People I use to work with noticed the change. I am more social and friendier.