Comment by jrapdx3 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jrapdx3 | Hacker News Reader

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> "I mean, anyone benefits from Adderall whether you have ADHD or not."

What benefits of Adderall are you referring to?

Drugs like Adderall can have distinct adverse effects, like cardiac arrythmias, increased blood pressure, jitteriness, insomnia, anxiety. And drug misuse/dependence is a major problem with stimulant-class agents.

So for sure it's not true that everyone benefits from Adderall. Widely abused on college campuses, among non-ADHD students it has a small positive effect on academic performance and at higher doses is a distinct negative. OTOH for people with ADHD the right treatment (Adderall or alternative) can be greatly beneficial. (That is, ADHD treatment allows recipients to perform closer to their non-ADHD peers.)

Finding out if a person has ADHD requires evaluation by a qualified behavioral health clinician. Often it's not an easy diagnosis to make for even the best clinicians. Anyway I'd concur that diagnosis and treatment should not be attempted as a DIY project. Collaborating with a trustworthy practitioner is by far the best option.

I think you’re purposely pretending like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Adderall gives you euphoria, focus, and energy whether you have ADHD or not. For people without ADHD it’s kind of like a strong cup of coffee.

A strong cup of coffee (or anything above the low Vyvanse dose I usually take) actually makes me so jittery I concentrate even less. Though at least if you took too much Adderall IR, at least it'd wear off in 3-4 hours instead of 12.

> I think you’re purposely pretending like you don’t know what I’m talking about.

No I wasn't. Though I'm aware of the effects you mention in this comment. Adderall or any amphetamine, including methamphetamine acts similarly. But I do think "euphoria" and "focus" are kind of antithetical, so likely not happening at the same time.

However people with ADHD don't experience these things, not euphoria or energy anyway. "Focus" is more like decreased distraction or clarity of thought. With medications ADHD people typically are calmer, more "centered" and more appropriately motivated to get done what they need to.

Ironically the "stimulant" medications aren't stimulating to those with ADHD. IOW they don't feel anything in particular from the medications, it simply allows them to function more fluently. Of course if the dose is way too much, even ADHD folks will have side effects (usually jittery sensations, anxiety, interference with sleep, and other effects).

Naturally I can't recommend using prescription and DEA-controlled drugs without a good medical reason, but of course I'm sure you knew I'd say that. :)

> Drugs like Adderall can have distinct adverse effects, like cardiac arrythmias, increased blood pressure, jitteriness, insomnia, anxiety.

Because Adderall is (IMHO) suboptimal. Most of the physical effects come from the 25% levoamphetamine, a primarily physical stimulant.

Other ADHD drugs [1] are 100% dextroamphetamine, which exerts most of its effect in the brain, with minimal physical side effects. D-AMP doesn't increase my blood pressure, doesn't increase my RHR, doesn't cause insomnia nor jitters. It feels smoother than a cup of coffee.

1: then there's methylphenidate, which I've never tried and haven't studied as much.

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