Posted by Katebloomer on July 28, 2008, at 19:22:01
In reply to Re: Concerta vs Adderall XR » broly, posted by sorta on January 23, 2006, at 14:15:21
I have been on Adderall for about a year, and sure, it made me feel great. Yes, I did get more done. And yes, I am definitely addicted. But... maybe I'd rather be addicted and effective, than not addictive and ineffective. After over a week off, and feeling totally sluggish and lethargic and depressed, I decided that I wanted to go back on it but -- and this is important -- I WOULD BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL NOT TO HAVE TO RAISE MY DOSE. The problem with adderall is that it has this wonderful, euphoric effect, and as far as I can tell, none of the other stimulants provide. OF COURSE this effect will wear off! OF COURSE it will be tempting to raise your dosage to keep that effect. And then you won't be able to function without it. If you don't raise your dosage, you won't have to do without it, so DON'T RAISE YOUR DOSAGE! I'm not sure adderall is a great drug precisely because it can have such a great feeling, which you will want to chase. All this is leading up to my belief that it is a good idea to steer clear of adderall and try things like concerta -- which doesn't have the same rush -- first. Don't look for the rush from the drug, because hello! that's why drugs get people in trouble. THE DRUG WILL NOT SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM. I don't know what will, but you have to keep looking until you find some way to shape your life so it supports you, rather than works against you. Make sure you don't get isolated, have good music on hand, keep your refrigerator stocked with foods that will fuel you and prevent you from crashing, get educated about alternative therapies -- drugs get all the attention because they have MASSIVE corporate money behind them. Do you want to mindlessly buy what they're selling, even if it will get you addicted? I'm not saying don't use stimulant drugs, just be aware, and don't expect them to change your life. If they could do that, and we didn't have to do anything else, our world would look very different (and I, personally, would be thrilled!) Unfortunately, that's not how it works.
poster:Katebloomer
thread:442235
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080727/msgs/842678.html