Thoughts on Adderall?

[EntheogenTruthSeeker]

So, I have had ADHD/ADD my entire life, to the point where I was almost special ed for how slow I would test take, read, and follow directions. Been taking meds for this on and off since I was 15yo (22 now and still live at home like a bum). 
 

Anyways, I take it and for once I feel like my brain is functioning properly again (20mg instant release). 5 hours of intense focus. To me, this is WAY better than an enlightenment breakthrough because I seriously lack in this orange level of productivity and motivation. 
 

Coffee and Weed are good stabilizers when side effects kick in. 
 

Questions: 

•Okay to meditate on Adderall? My focus is such shit normally I get absolutely nowhere with my practice. 
 

•Anyone been able to Self Actualize or Transcend while using/ anyone’s experiences with it?

[Forestluv]

11 hours ago, EntheogenTruthSeeker said:

Anyways, I take it and for once I feel like my brain is functioning properly again (20mg instant release). 5 hours of intense focus. To me, this is WAY better than an enlightenment breakthrough because I seriously lack in this orange level of productivity and motivation. 

In one context, it feels like the brain is functioning properly while on the med. In another context, it is a PED. Both are true. To me, you seem tilted toward the experience of proper functioning and disregarding PED aspects - which can lead to dependency and various side effects. I would be more strategic with it's usage. For example, 20mg IR is a flood to the system and you say it gives you 5 hours of intense focus. Is five hours of intense focus "proper brain functioning"? Very few people can intensely focus for five hours. There are some major alterations in neuronal pathways occurring to turn on a switch of five hour intense focus. That five hour of focus is amphetamine-induced and is not "free". There is a cost to it. 

I have experience with adderall and ime, I would consider cutting the dose in half and try XR - which gives a slower release. Five hours of intense focus is not normal for a mind. People literally train their mind for years to achieve five hours of intense focus. 10mg of XR would likely bring you to what is actually normal - where you are able to focus yet it takes some effort. Learn how to focus with just a little boost. As well, I would recommend no more than 4-5 times per week to allow the brain to recover. Or perhaps only taking 5mg a few days per week. Or taking Modafinil, rather than adderall, a few days per week. 

I would also consider adding in coping mechanisms. 

Over-use of adderall will make the come-downs worse due to dependency. If a mind is on 20mg adderall each day and takes a few days off, the mind and body will be very scattered and lethargic. The person may think "Oh, it's may ADD". Yet much of that scatterdness and lethagy is due to adderall dependency. If a person took three months off, there would still be scatteredness, yet not as dramatic.

11 hours ago, EntheogenTruthSeeker said:

Coffee and Weed are good stabilizers when side effects kick in. 

The side effects of adderall go beyond things like having jitters - for example, alterations in dopamine signaling pathways, the endocrine system and the cardiovascular system. Taking coffee and weed is adding in another drug to mask the side effects of the first drug. It may be working now, yet you may be putting your health at risk in the long-term.

11 hours ago, EntheogenTruthSeeker said:

•Okay to meditate on Adderall? My focus is such shit normally I get absolutely nowhere with my practice. 

Yes, it's fine to meditate on Adderall - yet I would be careful with dependency.

I would also consider that ADD is also a gift - IF one can master it. Minds with ADD often jump around a lot. This can be a curse in certain contexts, yet it is a gift in other contexts. If you learn how to control the jumping around, you can use it to make inter-connections of dots in the bigger picture. Yellow level SD stuff. 

11 hours ago, EntheogenTruthSeeker said:

•Anyone been able to Self Actualize or Transcend while using/ anyone’s experiences with it?

I find it useful to increase focus, energy and productivity. Not much for Self Actualization / Transcendence. Something like Modafinil or psychedelics is better ime. 

 

[Heart of Space]

Firstly, you're not a bum for living at home at 22, that's relatively normal.  

I think our society is engineered to need a certain type of mind.  People who don't fit that mold in your case are prescribed Adderall.  

I don't want to tell you what to do because it seems you have genuine struggles in terms of being able to be functional.  But, understand what you are taking is an extremely potent substance.  You're young as well.  You're going to develop a very strong dependence which will only increase the longer you take it.  I'd recommend considering getting off of it and trying to see if you can live a functional life without it.  

I've seen people who are dependent on psychiatric medications like benzo's and adderall long term.  It usually doesn't end very well.  Not as in train wreck bad, although some succumb to addiction which can be a train wreck.  But most are just highly dependent on substances and have to continually upping their does and adding more medications over time.  

Lastly, I do not believe you can simply rely on Adderall for life even if it works right now.  Your brain will adapt to it and it will slowly lose its effect over time.  It may not be tomorrow, it may not even be a year from now, but it will happen eventually.  You'll be at square one again a decade from now, maybe worse and regretting that you never tried to live your life without it.  

Food for though, make an informed decision for yourself.  I hope this helped.  

[outlandish]

I really like what @Forestluv has to say on this matter.

And I want to chime in and second what @Heart of Space has to say about living at home at 22 being relatively normal. It's tragic that we have the idea in our society that an adult living at home with their parents is some kind of bum. In almost all of the world (Asia, Europe, South + Central America, Africa, South Asia) it's normal and expected for young adults to be living at home with their parents, for cultural and economic reasons. It wasn't until pretty recently that in the USA and other wealthy western nations that the possibility of moving out as a single young adult even became possible, and this was only due to unprecedented economic prosperity in the post-war era. Now, times have changed and it's again unrealistic to expect young singles to live alone.

[Michal__]

As long as you don't overdo it.

Why not.

I would ramp up the meditation to at least 1hr counting breaths daily & continue taking adderall. You might hopefully fix your adhd that way.

[Espaim]

Have you tried L-Theanine and Caffeine together?

Edited October 15, 2020 by Espaim

[kag101]

Are you taking Adderall under medical supervision?

[Ry4n]

As far as actual drugs go, I'd give phenylpiracetam a go since it's pretty potent as well but definitely safer and significantly less addicting than adderall. Something like adderall should always be the last resort. 

Defs look into adaptogens like L-theanine though since you can pretty much take them for as long as you want and don't have to worry about side effects.