Will Adderall effect my meditation journey?

[IAmAtomical]

I'm a young man who is very ADD and I have a trouble in getting myself motivated and to start things. Adderall looks like a good short term solution, and I view meditation and discipline as a good long term solution. Would it be a good idea to use Adderall in the beginning to get myself disciplined, and then eventually be so progressed in meditation that I don't need it anymore?

[Nahm]

27 minutes ago, IAmAtomical said:

I have a trouble

Can you elaborate on that?

Referencing this might be very helpful in expressing that trouble. 

[IAmAtomical]

48 minutes ago, Nahm said:

Can you elaborate on that?

Referencing this might be very helpful in expressing that trouble. 

You only partially quoted me. If I had something more specific I need to elaborate I could have something to work with.

[Nahm]

@IAmAtomical

When you experience what you call that ‘trouble’, which emotion does it most feel like?

[The Lucid Dreamer]

ADD is a real struggle my friend, and I too suffer from it, so I’m not going to tell you you should just not take any medication for it.  I have been prescribed Adderall before and it certainly helped at first but it eventually started to mess me up and I started have anxiety issues from it.  Constant rapid heart beat, frequent heart palpitations, panic attacks.  This was very very unusual for me as I had never suffered from anxiety before using it.  Personally, I would not use it again. If I were to have to be prescribed another stimulant, I would take Modafinil instead, as it is far less jittery and does not raise the heart beat so much. It more just gives the focus apart from the jittery euphoria you get from adderall.  But psychiatrists have other non-stimulant medications that can raise dopamine in the brain and they are effective.  I would honestly try those first, and then go to stimulants if they don’t seem to work for you.  On top of medication, you should also start to retrain your mind to focus on one thing at a time.  

[IAmAtomical]

2 hours ago, The Lucid Dreamer said:

ADD is a real struggle my friend, and I too suffer from it, so I’m not going to tell you you should just not take any medication for it.  I have been prescribed Adderall before and it certainly helped at first but it eventually started to mess me up and I started have anxiety issues from it.  Constant rapid heart beat, frequent heart palpitations, panic attacks.  This was very very unusual for me as I had never suffered from anxiety before using it.  Personally, I would not use it again. If I were to have to be prescribed another stimulant, I would take Modafinil instead, as it is far less jittery and does not raise the heart beat so much. It more just gives the focus apart from the jittery euphoria you get from adderall.  But psychiatrists have other non-stimulant medications that can raise dopamine in the brain and they are effective.  I would honestly try those first, and then go to stimulants if they don’t seem to work for you.  On top of medication, you should also start to retrain your mind to focus on one thing at a time.  

Thank you for this. I had once taken adderall myself too, I noticed an anxiety after it, but this pretty much links the two together, I guess I will not be taking it then. 

[IAmAtomical]

2 hours ago, Nahm said:

@IAmAtomical

When you experience what you call that ‘trouble’, which emotion does it most feel like?

It's like a rush in my stomach area, with increased heart rate, increased irritability, and I get fidgety and depressed. This happens whenever I try to discipline.

[DIDego]

@IAmAtomical

My perspective on this is, when not able focus for ages, suddenly able reflect and think stuff thru.
Also heavy shit starts clear and a whole lot of rough stuff brings anxiety, after that the medecine can brings some benefits into able focus enough to learn/reprogramming/handle stuff for later be able use coping mechanismes/strategy/sense how to live in an stressful life with an not stressful mind.

And also dopamine list the average person has to maintain focus can be long, and detox that list and use an substitue until detox/self control/master over brains dopamine negoiation happens, can be for example add/adhd medecin.

Edited January 2, 2022 by DIDego

[Nahm]

@IAmAtomical

When you try to discipline, who or what are you disciplining? 

[Michal__]

7 hours ago, Nahm said:

@IAmAtomical

When you try to discipline, who or what are you disciplining? 

"Who" "is discipling" "who".

Edit: nice, this is my 666th post!

Edited January 3, 2022 by Michal__

[Flyboy]

My perspective is that meditation is not about controlling the mind (e.g. Adderall), but about learning to be present and equanimous with what IS, whatever that may be.  So even a fatigued, distracted, wandering mind is still a perfectly valid subject for meditative work.  Stimulant drugs "speed up the river" if you will, and will enhance the challenge of actually paying attention to the flow.  It can be done and I've heard of people reaching various stages of enlightenment while using ADD drugs, but I strongly recommend you don't fall into the trap of thinking meditation is something you "do".  Meditation is the undoing of doing.  It's realizing that doing and not doing are the same thing.  The drugs won't help you with that.

[pfletcha]

Just please stick to your prescribed dose if you do . You don't want to take an amount where everything is fascinating and effortless...with that said, I've found that a small amt of amphetamine can certainly improve the quality of my meditation, so your call!

[IAmAtomical]

6 hours ago, Nahm said:

@IAmAtomical

When you try to discipline, who or what are you disciplining? 

It could come down to anything. I haven't been able to just focus on any one thing without getting those feelings I've mentioned above, and then stopping doing it. Like I would learn programming for maybe a day or two and then get really bored and not be able to do it the next day due to this feeling. I've recently only been able to meditate and do stretches consistently.

[Michal__]

52 minutes ago, IAmAtomical said:

It could come down to anything. I haven't been able to just focus on any one thing without getting those feelings I've mentioned above, and then stopping doing it. Like I would learn programming for maybe a day or two and then get really bored and not be able to do it the next day due to this feeling. I've recently only been able to meditate and do stretches consistently.

This guy has some good tips:

https://youtu.be/j1WTP4Q7KGE

 

 

[Nahm]

7 hours ago, IAmAtomical said:

It could come down to anything. I haven't been able to just focus on any one thing without getting those feelings I've mentioned above, and then stopping doing it. Like I would learn programming for maybe a day or two and then get really bored and not be able to do it the next day due to this feeling. I've recently only been able to meditate and do stretches consistently.

I would explore, talk about, and express that feeling to release it. Then inspiration, clarity and focus will be naturally experienced. A medication could help with focus by essentially suppressing emotion, and the rumination that is experienced from suppressing emotion, and meditation will help with relaxation and allowing and suppression to come up & out. I’d take the path of least resistance, being mindful all roads lead to expression.

In short, there isn’t any disciplining of anyone actually, and there isn’t progress per se from meditation such that it ‘fixes’ someone or something. The way these options are framed seems like avoidance of feeling, while feeling more is what’s most desired, which is why expression & understanding what you’re experiencing / seeing through ignorance & confusion, is most ideal.