The thing is, when you have ADHD and you take stimulants you don't feel any sort of high or however it makes people with normally functioning dopamine receptors feel, you just feel normal.
Anyway, here's what Huxley's had to say:
> ... I have talked to pharmacologists about this matter, and a number of them say that it’s probably quite possible that it may be possible to, by pharmacological means, which will do no harm to the organism as a whole, to increase the span of attention, to increase the powers of concentration, perhaps to cut down on the necessity for sleep, and the various other things which may lead to a very considerable increase in general mental efficiency.
No high mentioned. Remarkably accurate to my experience.
"Upping the dose" of Adderall makes me sleepy. In fact, I take a little before going to bed if I'm feeling restless. Midnight coffee is a thing for me.
I don't have a problem with attention span (ADHD isn't about short attention spans, after all), and stimulants do nothing for that.
Power of concentration? That's where ADHD people excel when that hyperfocus locks in. That's the default, unmedicated. The problem is the lack of control over where that concentration goes.
As you can see, I've been concentrating well enough on writing long enough comments in this thread to exceed the attention span of some of the commentors who respond to them (including, sadly, the author of the article we're discussing, who, while being kind enough to join this discussion, has nevertheless glossed over the points I've made that others haven't missed).
What I should have been concentrating on is sorting out the stuff in the garage from our recent camping trip.
This is what Adderall helps with. It's starting to kick in, so I'll go and do the adulting things it makes far less painful to start doing .
Wouldn't call it an increase in mental efficiency by any measure, but insofar as my spouse is concerned, it gets me off the couch; and insofar as the to-do list is concerned, I'm more productive in ticking off the boxes.
But the items on that list are far from requiring leaps in mental effort. It's things like folding the laundry, or unpacking suitcases, paying bills, making calls to insurance, mopping the floor, doing the oil change, and so on.
In short, Adderall doesn't work like Mentats from Fallout 1/2¹.
But it greatly increases the number of action points I have for Doing Things, while I feel... normal.
That is the much more common experience, and the reason it's prescribed for ADHD.
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The main effect for me is a decrease in inexplicable mental barriers. Things that were hard suddenly aren't. Same brain, different output. I dunno man, I call that an increase in mental efficiency.
I love the action point metaphor. Much better than the spoons I've heard before.
How do you differentiate attention span and concentration?
One is supposed to feel good doing "normal" things. Completing tasks should feel good.
There can be many variables at play: maybe your dosage could be lowered, maybe Adderall isn't ideal for you, or maybe you're simply adjusting to the medication the first few times you take it, and it won't feel the way afterwards.
But most importantly: yes, you're absolutely going to feel like you've got a superpower the first time you take it. The euphoria you feel from being able to simply do things the way neurotypical people can just get up and do them is very much a part of the ADHD experience.
Also, neurotypical people don't do mundane things on Adderall. That's not what makes them feel particularly good. Because for them, doing things without friction and climbing the mental wall first is the normal experience.
They don't feel happiness experiencing it for the first time in their lives when they take Adderall. They've had that ability all along.
TL; DR: you feel that dopamine release from doing mundane things on Adderall because you have ADHD.