Adderall's effect on ADD versus non-ADD

desperate1 · 08-10-2007, 11:56 AM

Hi again! I have another question for any Adderall users out there or those with a knowledge of the effect of stimulants on ADD.
I've read a lot about how Adderall will "speed up" a non-ADD person but sort of serve as a way to "calm down" someone with ADD. (Is this true? Excuse my ignorance. I've gotten my info from the web...we all know how reliable that can be sometimes, lol).

So I was prescribed Adderall as a "non-ADD" patient to use for fatigue and cognitive issues. But Adderall doesn't give me any type of energy or wired feeling, even at a dose of 45 mg (as my doctor has increased me) and even though by taking my pulse I find that my heart rate is increased since going on it.

Now, I've never been diagnosed with ADD and it's never even been discussed. All my life I got decent grades (for fear of the wrath of my mother if I didn't). My brother was hyper and got Cs and Ds. Everyone assumed he had ADD, though he was never tested or treated. I, on the other hand, had a serious daydreaming issue and never paid attention. Getting good grades was harder for me because I didn't pay attention in class and then had to learn all the stuff later on on my own. Even then I wasn't really learning, more like memorizing as much as I could to pass a test, etc, and not really retaining the information. I do not retain information very well, and I think it's because I do not read anything closely enough or listen to things long enough to truly process it. I tune things out a lot, and sometimes find my mind wondering as though I have no control, even when I want to pay attention. For instance, I'll turn on the news channel in my car just before the traffic comes on because I really want to hear the traffic report, and before I know it it's 15 minutes later and I not only missed the traffic report but I couldn't tell you what's been on the radio for the last 15 minutes. I hate how that happens!

Lately, and I've chalked this up to my severe brain fog, I can't pay attention long enough to read something even as short as a magazine article, or even some of the posts on these boards. (Sorry! I try, I really do!). Even today, taking my pulse, I got distracted halfway through counting and have to start over. (That was before I took my Adderall.)

Is it possible I have a form of undiagnosed ADD and that is why Adderall, instead of working to improve my severe fatigue, is actually making me still tired but giving me some marginal improvement in concentration? If that's the case I'll still need to address the severe fatigue, but at least this would make sense.

Any thoughts?

addprogrammer · 08-10-2007, 08:26 PM

Desparate1,

I wish there were a quick fix for all of us but there isn't. Once you go above 40mg of Adderall the long term risks increase significantly. Best advise is talk to your shrink about the problems you experience and follow his/her directives. Perhaps mixing a lower dose of Adderall with Provigil will work for you. But I'm the blind leading the blind. Talk to your pdoc.

The notion that Adderall has a unique effect on ADHDers is nonsense. Some people respond differently than others. Whether ADHD is irrelevant.

One thing that we have in common is mental disorders SUCK.

Bob

rheanna · 08-11-2007, 01:12 AM

desperate1,

I cannot speak about Adderall as I have no experience with it. You sound exactly like me, and I have been diagnosed with ADD. May I suggest that you get a copy of Daniel G. Amen's book: "Healing ADD: the Breakthrough Program that Allows you to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD". I fit perfectly the description of what he calls Type 2 - inattentive ADD. You may find that the description fits you too.

And you may want to get evaluated for an official diagnosis. Some people find that having a label helps them to cope with feeling mysteriously "out of step" with the rest of the world. Some people do fine without a label.

ADDProgrammer is right. All the drugs react differently on different people, even those with similar diagnoses. Just because you haven't been diagnosed as having ADD doesn't mean that an ADD drug can't help. And by the same token, people with symptoms similar to yours may find that Adderall doesn't work at all for them, and they may even find that they can't take any of the drugs to help them.

I hope others can give you more information about Adderall. You might find that looking up the word Adderall in the "search this Board" feature at the top of this Board might help you to find more information.

--Rheanna

Jenn4508 · 08-11-2007, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Hi again! I have another question for any Adderall users out there or those with a knowledge of the effect of stimulants on ADD.
I've read a lot about how Adderall will "speed up" a non-ADD person but sort of serve as a way to "calm down" someone with ADD. (Is this true? Excuse my ignorance. I've gotten my info from the web...we all know how reliable that can be sometimes, lol).

This is true. My son is ADD and it calms down the brain for him. I take it for the energy and it does help with that. The psychologist that tested my son explained the drug to me how you say it above. The problem is if you do have ADD/ADHD it may be that you have not found the way you actually learn which is a big step. Some people are visual learners whereas others are audio learners. So that is something to think about.... Rheanna had a great idea in seeking an official diagnoses if you think this is a possibility.

Speak with your doc and explain your situation and see what advise they have and go from there.

Keep us posted and Good Luck

desperate1 · 08-11-2007, 01:57 PM

Thanks so much guys, this helps!
I used to very much a "hands on" learner. Because I was innattention or prone to lapsing into daydreams, I had to actually do things step by step in order to learn them, and that gave me the best shot at retaining info. With my recent cognitive troubles (attributed first to possible MS and now to fibro/cfs) even that doesn't work. Like I said, I made A grades in school (even an A+ in algebra, and I am terrible at math), and everyone's expectatoins of me were really high. Hence I've always felt like a giant fraud.

Adderall was given to me for fatigue, but in the back of my cloudy mind I hoped it might help with this too. It's only been 6 weeks, so I'll see how it goes.

Jenn4508, I want to ask something about your experience with Adderall, but I don't want to take up space on the ADD board to do so. I'm posting a message to you on the fibro board

Bob, I've read lots of your posts here and you always have such informative, helpful, and best of all rational and unbiased things to offer! (When it comes to adderall, I find that unbiased advice is not as easy to come by! It's a controversial and highly charged topic for many people, I've found.) And Rheanna your advice is great and will be taken. Thanks again for the responses, and anyone else with ideas or thoughts on this, I'd love to hear them!