Do you take ritalin or adderall? Why?

Nope. Not even if I wanted to since I don't know how to get any

I know for a fact that I don't, I got the diagnosis at age 25 and went from drop-out candidate to straight A's.

Same boat as you, I take vyvanse. I was on concerta but it made me angry all the time plus you really can't mix it with alcohol or mdma

no, self descipline is enough and I do not want to destroy my brain in the long term
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4026746/
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16808729

>ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4026746/
yeah for kids such as yourself i'm sure it's better to stay away

>in the healthy developing brain
your brain (mostly prefrontal cortex) develops until late 20s, so either fuck off grandpa or kys brainlet

If you read my post you'd see I was diagnosed at 25, but don't let that stop you from spouting those hot opinions

are you fucking retarded or what?
do you realize you're on an ANONYMOUS imageboard?
do you even know what anonymous means? it means no two posts can be linked to the same person (unless you're a tripfag of course), especially when there is no context between them
kys nigger

really sorry for unrealistically expecting you'd bother to consider the context before arguing.

dexedrine
ive been on stims since 6 somebody kill me

People who started taking ADHD meds as an adult, do you feel like you missed out on important brain development or do you feel it was a net positive you let your brain develop 'naturally', even with shit the thought patterns?
It doesn't do shit. Unless you have problems staying awake there's literally no reason, and even for wakefulness for some reason modafinil makes me feel tired as fuck at the 6, 7, 8 hour mark, even if I've had a good night's sleep. I only feel tired when I take modafinil.
If you're going down that route I'd recommend sticking with ritalin. 10mg IR is enough to help me function as a human being. I haven't been diagnosed with ADHD (I'm too scared of also having them suggest an autism diagnosis as well) so I "self-medicate".
>Concerta gives me psychosis
>so I just trip on it instead
You need to be really careful about these drugs. My first experience I was depressed and I abused street amphetamine for a month. They really do work as a medication though, but likely not if you don't have the right disorder. Ritalin specifically reduces my absolute dysfunction to where I can actually read, organize. Something that 2 years of abstention from anything, even caffeine and sugar, and years of therapy couldn't do. I just wish I had a prescription so I didn't have to reserve it for studying - I could free up enough time to be able to socialize for the first time in years.
I'm in a similar situation. I'm 22 and dropped out of college twice. I did well for my final exams in high school, but even then I couldn't function and was spending literally 10 hours a day trying to study and getting frustrated to the point of breaking things, which might sound like childish or personality disorder-like, or just incredibly autistic, but it's torture trying to make my mind just hops onto things that are easier to think about.

The fear-mongering about ADHD meds is bullshit. I've read countless of these and there's no consensus, but the majority of the medical field isn't against medicating ADHD. I'm not going to source this, but I remember a study that looked at ritalin and adderall and how it effected overall intelligence for people treated across different age ranges. The consensus seems to be it might do harm to medicate a child (below 12ish) but there are huge positives to medicating late adolescents. And it's really good to talk about 'self discipline', but to people with legit ADHD that can be equivalent to telling a paraplegic to walk right, or an unmedicated schizophrenic to be more level-headed. You might think it's easy for someone with ADHD to dismiss all their problems as a disorder, and accuse them of abusing their meds by taking them at the correct dosage, but it's a lot easier for some faggot to pretend we're all individuals with perfect free will, that people with ADHD are just assholes bad habits.

looking at it now, the first study is the one I was referring to. From memory I remember they concluded that modafinil likely has a net negative effect on the developing brain.

Read the study. They conclude that MPH and I think amph have a net positive on the developing brain, just not when the intervention is ridiculously early

I usually take 10mg IR ritalin and I get 2 hours of maximum focus and another 2 hours max if I force myself to avoid distractions, after that the effect wanes a lot.

About Modafinil, I take it when I'm sleeping poorly and I need energy to function and coffee won't help me. It won't turn me into a focus machine, but I will feel completely awake and ready to eat the world, so forcing myself to be productive actually will result in me succesfuly completing tasks.

I only take them to be productive and study efficiently. I don't tend to take more than two doses of 10mg Ritalin per day because the second one isn't really useful, it's like this "superpower" has cooldown time. More than three times per week also seem to have diminishing effects.

Modafinil is more consistent but it obviously has a stronger effect if you are rested. If I'm really tired it only helps me to function as a normal human being. Anyways it's truly awesome to get the most of a day thanks to it, but after 15-16 hours the crash is inevitable.

I don't combine them due to safety reasons, it's either ritalin, modafinil or nothing. I always tend to take caffeine with them tho.

strongly urge you to get the diagnosis, I dragged my feet too and I regret waiting.

>I'm too scared of also having them suggest an autism diagnosis as well
M8 thats nothing to be scared of. Doctors are literally just trying to throw conditions at you and see if they stick so putting out the idea that you have Aspergers is not surprising. Doesn't mean that you are literally autistic.

I'm prescribed methylphenidate, but modafinil seems to work better because one of my biggest problems is always being tired. Mod lets me feel good about the work I'm doing. Methylphenidate helps block out stimuli and it makes me more gregarious but it doesn't help with tiredness.

And nicotine, because I'm a degenerate.

...

I’m trying to get a diagnosis for legitamate reasons. I’m going on for lab work this weekend. Any tips to get the doctor to refrain from sending me to the psych ? Not made of money and I’ve researched methods to migitate the symptoms of ADHD since early adult hood, so I don’t think it would be very helpful.
This is a new doctor as I haven’t been to a doctor in 10 years or so

I Should mention I’m in my mid twenties so not total youngster who’s just been cut loose looking to score some speed. They’re drug testing me.

I have autism but was also prescribed concerta.
Didn't do jack shit for my productivity or drive, it just made me extremely quiet*. Used it for a few years before stopping.
According to my parents I was too hyperactive, but if I tell that to other people they just look at me in disbelief.

*This may also be related to me developing psychosis/schizophrenia but I was quieter on concerta.

This.
I thought that was a meme, but they seem serious.

I went to a new doctor at about your age and received a prescription within 10 minutes of speaking to him. Here are some of the things I did; your mileage may vary depending on the personality of your doctor, obviously:

>Outright admitted that I had used the substance without a prescription in the past
I would only advise doing this if you have some interpersonal skills. This can either convey determined honesty, openness and a genuine desire for self-improvement, or that you're going to abuse it.
>Explained my symptoms and how I, having exhaustively researched the subject on my own, believed they could be improved by the substance
>Without protest or hesitation, accepted his suggestion to start out on a very low dose, even though i knew it wouldn't be enough.
This is common sense, but don't come off as a junkie desperate for a fix.

If you're European I wouldn't admit to using any drug in the past if you're looking for the ADHD meds that work. They're liable to refuse you any medication you could potentially abuse. I don't have any experience, but this is what I've been told.

People who've tried amphetamines

REALLY LIKE THEM. But they can't give you a great reason why. Only that they fall short without.

REALLY MAKES YOU THINK

>Outright admitted that I had used the substance without a prescription in the past
This is always a trap question.

I was diagnosed with adhd and given 10mg adderal perscription as needed. Can't take it because I'm already suffering from insomnia. They gave me temazepam and later diazepam but I only take that before presentations or on the first day of classes because that is a limited prescription.

I do take it to study the day before an exam. I get the same amount of work done, Im just not aggrivated when Im finished. Idk why, but I can sit down and do homework, practice problems and read, but without medication, I end up being really irritable and just a general dickhead afterwards.

I tell my doc it's been helping my productivity but in reality it's really not, I just find the temporarily dulled self-loathing to be a pleasing quality.

>Adderall XR
doesn't amphetamine last 8 hours? Why is an extended release version necessary? I remember amph giving me insomnia up to 48 hours after taking it

I use Vyvanse which is Lisdexamfetamine. I use it to help me pay attention, and sometimes keep me awake when I get only a few hours of sleep before classes.

I like it because lasts significantly longer than Adderall, at around 14 hours. Also; because it needs to be metabolized to become active, it cannot be abused.

ADHD literally isn't real. yall are drug addicts

shut up nigger

i can't i'm on adderall

I’m sorry friend, people who treat their ADHD are drug addicts but drug addicts don’t all have ADHD.

I take dexies but only after I've finished working and want to start having a good time.

>itt: drug addicts and people with no self-discipline

because I'm addicted and my body is telling me that it is more important than oxygen

Fuck yeah I'm a drug addict. I can't handle a day without three cups of coffee.

But as far as adhd goes, I take drugs. Am I addicted? No. I've taken weekends off and after the initial come down it's fine. The thing is this drug makes me have better conversations, read and articulate my thoughts, know where all my stuff is (like keys) and I am a better driver thanks to it. Whether or not adhd is real, this drug I take directly improves my quality of life.
You need to stop being such a shitty troll. Not the "eep oh no a troll I fell for it shit!" But you need to actually get a rise out of me. You're really bad at big a shit disturber

I was taking Adderall to study math on my own for a few months, but today I found out I have supraventricular tachycardia, so who knows how things will go from here.

Watch drinking too much coffee it will burn out your adrenal glands. You sound like a classic drug abuser lol. Feels good man.

Temazepam and diazepam.... Just to exist. Sweet jesus

This. I'm always tired. Modafinil doesn't make me smarter it just makes me more alert and productive.

no
because i have anxiety and feel like i'm going to die anytime i was on it

I was starting to get really lethargic and depressed, so my doctor said I could either try adderall or anti-depressants. Glad I went with adderall because I'm much more focused and have the energy to do the things I loved doing. Since I was doing the things I loved again, I no longer felt depressed.

Now when switching doctors though I just say I was prescribed it for ADD because if I say it was for depression, they'll try to put me on anti-depressants.

Coke because I live in a third world country and it's cheaper (around 5 USD a gram) and easier to get.

How does it feel to be on Adderall and Ritalin I have heard they give you focus, but its easy to get focused on something irrelevant easily as well. Like a double edge sword.

I only ever was able to take Ritalin out of curiosity. got some from my friend with ADHD, and, damn.

I could work for hours. I was focused. talking to people suddenly became 100% easier. I felt... more sober than ever. more confident.

then the high fades, and I'd just fucking crash each time. I'd find myself sleeping for 3/4 of the day. my heart would beat so goddamn fast after. my appetite would wake up after eating nothing while tweaked on the stuff, and I could devour half a cow.

but fuckin hell man. it was really important to me that my inner voices finally shut the fuck up for the first time in my life. I really prefer Ritalin to weed since it actually lets me move around and be productive, but I'm not exactly sure how I can convince doctors I have ADHD when I'm not convinced I have it either

Thanks for your insight.

sup Veeky Forums, I'm 22, recently diagnosed with ADHD. I've been prescribed dextroamphetamine and being able to study for longer than three minutes without hitting the mental exhaustion wall is amazing. But I've never developed an actual method of studying. You guys have any tips to share or things that work for you?

Make a list of what you want to study, how much and in what order, every day or so. You can use the reminders or notes app if you have an iPhone.

I've figured out the time management side of it, but it's the actual act of studying that's foreign. I'm writing out notes, but it seems like I'm writing out notes for the sake of writing out notes and it's not actually helping me learn.

I think finishing exercises and checking your answers is a lot more productive than writing notes. I'd wait until a couple days before a quiz or test before starting on the notes.

I like to watch videos or read the textbook about whatever it is I'm trying to learn, make an effort to understand the material/connect with old information, then write it down and think about it as I write it, and only write down things I understand, not moving on until I do. Then I do the exercises for the unit just so the brain gets used to working with the information towards a goal, works for me.

Thanks guys, you've definitely given me something to think about. I'm doing an undergrad in biomedical science, essentially the Australian premed degree. I think it's more about understanding and memorising the content than being able to implement it, at least until post-grad. It's a rather large change from electronics engineering without the medication, so I appreciate the help.

How easy is it to get a script for this stuff? I have a pretty good relationship with my psych although we've only met a couple of times. He knows I have had issues with concentration and attributes it to my Bipolar disorder. There is pretty much no way in I could get a script unless I see another doctor right?

>There is pretty much no way in I could get a script unless I see another doctor right?
Maybe, if he's a dick. I've got BD too and I'm on Lamictal to keep it under control, which isn't contraindicated with amphetamine. Tell him that your mood is completely stable but you still get distracted too easily and it's impacting your ability to work. If that's not enough, like I said, he's probably just a prick.

Alright I was going to give it a try. The good thing is that my mood has actually been really stable for well over a month now and he knows that so that should make things easier. Thanks.

i think he's probs going to be pretty wary about amphs sending you into a manic state mon frere

ITT: a bunch of poor fucking bastards that don't know about Huperzine-A, or why it's guaranteed to work.

Try Google. Try erowids. Try buying it on eBay and finding out that the perfect drug for focus and long/short term recall is cheap as shit. You don't even need a choline supplement if you just eat some goddamn eggs.

It's been ten years, for me. Gave a pill to a tired coworker last night, and she pepped right up and calmed right down.

Try it, don't, I don't get anything for posting this shit. Look it up: Huperzine-A

This was my main concern. I was thinking that I'd probably need to see a doctor who doesn't know I am bipolar. I've taken Adderall on and off my meds. On my new meds I don't become manic. Off of them I do. But I obviously can't tell him that.

Joe Rogan pls go

>but I am le wisecrack, quietly reeeeee
must've been the eggs bit?

I just can't count how many times I've seen anons trading shitposts about amphetamines without knowing there's a ridiculously cheap and far more comfortable alternative

>I was thinking that I'd probably need to see a doctor who doesn't know I am bipolar.
I wouldn't recommend that. Mania should definitely be taken care of before ADHD, or you might fry your brain. It would look pretty suspicious to wait until after you get Adderall to admit you need mood stabilizers too.

Just curious - which meds are you on? And is it BD-I or BD-II?

>until after you get Adderall to admit you need mood stabilizers too
I would I assume that I would be seeing two doctors simultaneously. But I am not desperate enough to do that anyway. If my doctor doesn't seem on board then I'll probably just stick to buying it.

>Just curious - which meds are you on? And is it BD-I or BD-II?

BDI, and I am on abilify and lithium. (Just in case, I am aware that lithium can cause cognitive impairment but mine was present before I was put on either of these drugs).

Probably the dopamine reuptake inhibitor mechanism of methylphenidate is less dangerous for the brain than the way Adderall works. Anyway, it seems that Adderalls effect is stronger than Methylphenidates, but maybe the health costs make it not worth in the long term.

Used both, take neither actively. Too expensive, no legitimate condition for a script, and even if I had a legitimate condition, it wouldn't be worth jumping through the hoops for Aus' 10mg Ritalin IR.
Best methylphenidate formulation by my experience.
Stop.
Started at 17, was using drugs since an earlier age very infrequently. These drugs tend to cloud thought slightly (much less than say, alcohol), however they push you towards more productive habits; your behaviour on stims has a positive impact, and the drugs offset that a tiny bit.
You're correct; these drugs act on existing brain formation, they don't influence, at all, mechanisms for neurogenesis. Behaviour does though, which is why you might see people use these compounds sparingly to get a leg up, and do so successfully, and is why you might see smaller children suffer in the long term.
You should look into nicotine patches, and amphetamine compounds. They'll round off your regime more healthily.
I take 10mg of methamphetamine 2-3 times a week. I really like it. The easiest way I can describe it, is that it lowers the barriers of motivation to engage in a specific task, and focus on it. For me, that keeps me from being negative towards myself, and allows me to reflect a little more while doing tedious things. The increased awareness decreases my anxiety, and I function more effectively.
8 hours isn't the typical waking day.
It could not matter less if ADHD is real, if you get something out of being a 'drug addict', then you get something out of it. To not engage in net positive behaviour out of some predisposition seems generically stupid and unscientific.
I'm not an addict by the medical definition of the word, but I'm psychologically dependent. However, I have these drugs, so these '''points''' couldn't matter less. No negative impacts are experienced because of those things.

2/2
You summate it pretty well; approach has the biggest bearing on results. Kick a dog, pet a dog, doesn't get the same reaction, but yes, sure, in both cases you did touch the dog.
The comparisons in logistics of drug use made by those ignorant of the topic is the primary cause for most of the conflicting information around. I usually explain these things through alcohol comparison for efficacy - a few drinks is great and loosens things up in a gathering, a few more is for a fun night doing whatever, a few more and we see some major issues arise. How often you drink, why you drink - these hold the greatest bearing on the outcome of your drinking.
I would avoid ADs as you are, they're generally much more harmful t

than stimulants, even the harsh ones like amphetamine.
Consider alternatives, cocaine is short-lived and will harm your nose.
Lowers motivational barrier to entry for tasks. Relative difference between tasks is the same however, and excitement can dissuade you from work.
Look at lecture slides, take notes.
Readings, take notes.
Attend lecture, take more notes.
Compile all notes concisely each week to an easily-revised document, go over using spaced repetition techniques.
Depends where you live.
Trashy noot, incredibly unreliable, very anecdotal. Cholinergic substances don't really show too much effect. Nicotine works though.

t. long term psychopharmacology enthusiast, 7.0 (U.S. eq. 4.0) GPA university student that works 30-35 hours on average in a given week, with a bad habit of hitting enter when he's not ready to post.

It's surprisingly easy to get stimulants in Australia, though they may just be because I was honest and a fairly straightforward adhd diagnosis, along with a loose doctor. 22 year old uni student with a beard and piercings so I'm the demographic to be suspicious of, GP sent me to a psychologist who recommended me to be referred on to a psychiatrist. I was given dextroamphetamine on the first psychiatrist appointment. Bulk billed, too.

Forgot to mention that it was much, much simpler than I expected, and I'm confident that I could coach any idiot through faking it. With your knowledge and an honest face, you'd have no problem.

Just prescribed 30mg vyvanse today, giving it a try. I have been taking 10mg dextroamphetamine IR two or three times a day, spaced by about 4-6 hours depending on how I'm feeling. I know the conversion rate is about one third of lisdexamphetamine is dexamphetamine, but my doc said that it will have a net stronger effect than the IR I've been taking due to the release mechanism. I was just wondering how you guys found it compared to instant release?

bump