Not sure if this should be in GQ or IMHO, Mods, pass judgement at your leisure. Also not sure if this has already been posted as I can not search.
In the context of personal comfort levels and general outlook on life I am not a big fan of taking pills everyday for anything.
Long story short I am taking Adderall.
I know there was recently some question about the safety of Adderall, but that it was deemed safe by the FDA. I am not blindly going to believe that, but for now I will wait and see. Trying to research possible issues is virtually imposible due to the slanted data on both sides.
So, to the point. If you are taking Adderall, how is it treating you? Anyone have factual information, with cites for respectable research, about long term effects of Adderall? If you have PERSONAL (ie YOU are/were taking it and YOU had problems, not some coworker told you about a friend who took Adderall and Pop-Rocks and died) experience with problems stemming from long term use I would like to hear them as well.
My son has been taking meds similar to Adderall for 10 years, and is doing fine. If Adderall is helping you and you don’t have unwanted side effects, then my advice is not to be overly concerned about it, but you should talk with your doctor about your concerns.
My personal opinion is that it’s the same issue as with using any kind of medication, but for some reason, some people get into scare mode when it comes to ADHD. Don’t let it scare you, but be careful as you would with any kind of medication.
Adderall is literally an amphetamine. It’s safe, but all of the caveats that go with amphetamines go with Adderall too: they can mess up your sleep if you take them at night, they can make you paranoid, don’t up your dose without talking to the doc first, and don’t ever mix it with other stimulants; if you’re taking Adderall, don’t ever get experimental with coke, speed of any sort or dissociatives (DXM/PCP; Ketamine should be OK but probably won’t do much for you) in the same night because you’ll be driving down the road to overdose.
FWIW, Adderall XR made me feel terrible. Regular Adderall made me feel high, and it and its kin led me into a year of drug experimentation of all stripes and colors.
If you don’t like taking the pills, don’t. I too was “diagnosed” with ADD. I took pills every day of my life from second grade until the end of my first semester in college in 2004. I haven’t popped a one since. Last semester I took 18 units and got a 3.5. This semester is lookin’ to be the same. You don’t need drugs to succeed.