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Comment by syntheticnature | Hacker News Reader

One of the weird aspects about Ritalin/Adderall/etc. treatment for attention deficit disorders is the repeated reports of folks who "faked" ADD to obtain the pills only discover they had actual ADD, and apparently they don't experience the high that those without get from such stimulants.

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> apparently they don't experience the high that those without get from such stimulants.

Isn't part of it due to dosage? From what I understand, medical doses are lower than recreational doses, sometimes by a factor of 5-10.

> apparently they don't experience the high that those without get from such stimulants

Anyone aware of literature confirming or explaining this phenomenon?

This is commonly called the 'Paradoxical Reaction' and is pretty well documented, not just for stimulants. Antihistamines, for example, may cause drowsiness in neurotypicals but increased agitation & activity in ADHD. Per my ADHD sister, she's supposed to inform her anesthesiologist of this prior to any surgeries because there's similar complications with some anesthesia.

> don't experience the high that those without get from such stimulants

This is an urban legend doctors used to tell parents to get them ok with the idea of their kids taking stimulants. Amphetamines are “go pills”; they make you more productive in low doses and get you high in high doses whether you have ADHD or not.

That's my experience as an adult with ADHD and an Adderall prescription. I've never taken more than my prescribed dose so I don't get "high", but I do get the sense that I might if I took quite a bit more.

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