[Bucephalus355]

I am going to come out here strongly in favor of medication.

All of the natural stuff you've been trying, the meditation, the emotional stuff, it's good and I appreciate it, but it just doesn't work significantly.

As a society we have lots of "medication guilt" I've noticed. I don't know where this comes from, but it would be interesting to have a sociologist explore.

Western Society is a very cognitively demanding society. It places lots of strain on our brain and mental capacities. The idea that most people can do very well using their limited cognitive resources is to me as unrealistic as the idea that most people can just fight "regular diseases" using their body and no vaccines, antibiotics, or other treatments.

I see a lot of guilt too around "being dependent" on medicine. I've never gotten this either. We're incredibly dependent on food. We take it everyday. Personality changes dramatically as well. That to me is an argument that while interesting and having good points, doesn't really help anyone at the end of the day.

Medication does have bad parts. A good example would be people increasing dosage of a medicine when in reality they need to get their diet in order. Also, as I write below, you'll probably get a non-effective / bad medicine your first go around since you have to find the right one and work at it.

So what approaches helped me? - Anticonvulsant medication. This medicine is an alternative to typical antidepressants. I've seen very little written about it, but seizure reducing medicines have been showing some very positive results in treating depression. This is very good for nervousness and social anxiety as well. - All-cash psychiatrist. Find a psychiatrist in your city who doesn't take insurance. I really believe in insurance, but in this case, those who don't take it will be the best. You are looking at $400ish for the first appointment. - Better diet. The book "How Not To Die" is very simply written. Ugh so many medicine people have elaborate programs and actually make their books hard to understand so you have to buy more materials. Dr. Greger is very good. Yeah I realize 15 other people are saying something different but just trust me on this.

[corporateslave2]

Have you tried ADD medication? It is legalized speed, all of it. Try taking that for ten years and see how your health and life ends up. Come back and reread this post.

Antipsychotics stop schizophrenics from going psychotic by shutting down dopamine receptors, essentially lobotomizing the brain. Patients are brain dead after 15 to 20 years of taking those.

Opiod addiction doesnt need much introduction.

Adderall/Ritalin/Concerta/Dexedrine are all cocaine analogs that force the brain to overuse dopamine. Results in long term structure of neurons that irreversible. The evidence of this is ampheatmine tolerance that does not reverse (the brain is forever fried/changed).

The jist of the matter is that what goes up must come down, there is no free lunch with drugs. The brain adjusts and down/upregualtes receptors.

[Powerofmene]

While it may be "legalized speed" Adderall for someone with ADHD causes the opposite affect of someone who takes it without ADHD. Adderall allows us to focus, it does not speed us up as it does a recreational user.

Bottom line, medication is simply a tool just as a wheelchair is a tool for someone who cannot walk. That being said, medication is not the end all do all for those of us with ADD or ADHD, we have to develop other coping mechanisms to assist us especially in periods of high stress or high activity around us (such as in noisy environments, or crowds where there is constant movement, etc).

[true_religion]

I have taken adderall consistently for the past 13 years. I began as an adult. As for my health, I am in better shape today than when I first begun despite now being well past middle age. As for tolerance, I will take a maximum of 15mg per day, which is the same limit I was first prescribed to. My daily regime still holds at 5mg, with holidays.

[Powerofmene]

I have taken Adderall now for 20 years and although my prescription has increased over the years, it is still well under the maximum daily allowable dosage.

It is important to understand that ADD/ADHD also affects sleep quality/quantity which in turn affects daytime sleepiness which further impairs focus/concentrate. In many ways ADD/ADHD medications are a viscous cycle so if someone can find alternative methods (to medications) for managing their ADD they are more fortunate than those of us who cannot. I, for one, see my prescription as a tool I use (not abuse) to be as productive and focused as I can be. Both I and my job deserve nothing less than my best.

[corporateslave2]

Nice, is it still effective for you at that dosage (compared to when you first started)?

Mind if I ask, have you ever taken above the prescribed dosage?

[Powerofmene]

I was at one time diagnosed with narcolepsy and was taking 20 mg Adderall tabs to get out of bed and 30 mgs Adderall XR 2x a day w/ 200 mg Provigil 2 x a day. Initially, I did not sleep for 2 days and on average only slept 3-4 hours after that. I finally saw a neurologist who specializes in sleep issues said my previous dr had me totally jacked up and dialed it back tremendously. Now, a 10 mg tab in morning and 1 XR a few hours later along w 200 mg of Provigil is my sweet spot for productivity and allows me to get 6 hrs of sleep a night. Six hours seems to be my optimal number of hours of sleep in order to think clear etc.

I can tell you when you are taking as much as they had me on initially, you tend to focus on the minutiae around you rather than the issues at hand. Over use of a drug like Adderall is not advisable. I would never intentionally over use my meds. I can tell you when I had to come off of the tons my first dr had me on in order to do a sleep study it was excruciating. My head hurt so bad I thought I was having a stroke. It was the worst 5 days of my life and I never want to repeat that experience. Don't overtake these meds and it is good to take med breaks when you can in order for them to be as effective as possible. However, I will tell you during med breaks you will be super tired but it is worth it in the long run.

[true_religion]

It's still effective for me. The heavy euphoric effects of it only lasted about 3 months in the beginning, and it'd take the maximum dosage prescribed to get even a semblance of that now.

I've never taken above the maximum prescribed. Though everyone is different, and you'd have to work things out with your doctor.

For me, the maximum prescribed is a high water mark, which shouldn't be needed daily but is available if absolutely necessary (e.g. I'm having a very bad day, and have something time critical to do).

The advise I have is to take the lowest effective dose, daily, and titrate downwards if it is less effective until you aren't taking it anymore for a while.

That's what's needed if you plan to take the medication for decades.