I'm curious, is Adderall really that "magical"?

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FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT OR WON'T READ: I AM CURIOUS IT DOES NOT MEAN I AM WANTING TO BUY IT, IT DOESN'T EVEN EXIST IN MY COUNTRY :) THANKS

I'm seeing it on the internet so much and I have to confess I often wonder if it really works as well as people say.. giving you energy and focus.. making you more productive.. (apparently, all of this if you take it while NOT needing to take it)

I am just really, really curious if it's a meme or a true thing. I also have to say I'm skeptical because caffeine is said to do that too, but it doesn't keep me awake, not even a little bit, in coffee or energy drinks, or make me more focused or productive - all it ever did was make my heart flutter, so I cut it out completely...

Replies

  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
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    If caffeine is enough to make your heart flutter, I suggest staying away from addy/rit/{miscellaneous other amphetamines}

    Trust me on this.
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
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    Adderall is supposed to make you super focused, I believe, whereas caffeine just makes you hyperactive. I have a few family members who have to take it for ADD among other things. But maybe it only works that way if you already need it to.

    My mom accidentally took my sister's once a long time ago, and she spastically cleaned the whole house and then went jogging.
  • ashamedbe
    ashamedbe Posts: 11
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    you totally misread my post assuming I want to use it, and you didn't answer the question. No points for you man :)
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    all i've heard is that it truly is magic--if you have severe ADD and need it. if you don't have ADD, your brain doesn't process the drug the same way and you don't get the same effect.

    for focus, try yerba mate. this legal tea herb contains compounds similar to caffeine and has been used traditionally in south america for a long time. mental focus, no 'jittery body-high'. i use it all the time; it beats the pants off coffee.
  • Cre8veLifeR
    Cre8veLifeR Posts: 1,062 Member
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    My mom accidentally took my sister's once a long time ago, and she spastically cleaned the whole house and then went jogging.

    Hilarious!! I live in a college community and the kids next to me were talking about it the other day and said that pills sell for $5-$10 a PIECE during midterms...so it must do something.

    Redbull works for me when I need to spastically clean my house and go for a jog.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    magical how? I here it's pretty good for treating ADD.
  • Crateria_
    Crateria_ Posts: 253 Member
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    I guess it's magical for those who need it.

    My boyfriend has severe ADD and it has helped him greatly. He's been able to focus and do more things now.
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
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    It's an amphetamine (so's Meth).
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
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    From what I have heard, taking medications to treat ADHD/ADD and your brain isn't lacking the same things a person with ADHD/ADD has, the medication should have the opposite effect (instead of calming, it would do the opposite).

    I don't know, though, because I would never take anything like that. My son has medications for ADHD and I am very strict as to where he takes the meds to. There are sketchy people around .. One person told me "Did you know I could get you $10 per pill!" ... imagine!!

    If you don't have it there and aren't wanting to take it, why are you asking?
  • Polarpaly05
    Polarpaly05 Posts: 74 Member
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    If you do not have the brain chemistry imbalance that it fixes... it does nothing. I've done it and had absolutely no effect on focus or brain clarity. In a normal person, it does give a bit of energy boost. But think of it as your body being awake and ready to go, but your brain is just normal. Which can be quite unpleasant if you're not accustomed to that feeling.

    Most people experience a placebo effect. They took a pill, so they think they're supposed to act/feel a certain way... thus they do.
  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
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    you totally misread my post assuming I want to use it, and you didn't answer the question. No points for you man :)
    Your post was pretty transparent, and strong edit btw.

    Okay, to answer your question:

    Addy isn't magical. it's just a stimulant. It's stronger than coffee, weaker than hard stimulants and (IMO) a bit weaker than ritalin.

    It helps with concentration but won't cure laziness. When I took it to help me study, it mostly just helped me marathon-play video games and goof off.

    It also lets you drink more than usually and can enhance the euphoric effect of alcohol. This is the main reason I did it. With this, I reiterate my earlier statement that if coffee makes your heart flutter, you shouldn't do it.
  • ashamedbe
    ashamedbe Posts: 11
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    If you don't have it there and aren't wanting to take it, why are you asking?

    @_@ *As I said in my post*, because everyone talks about it on the internet and I wanted feedback from people here who know about it on whether it's just a meme/joke thing to say or if it really has massive effects.. it's not like you only ever ask for a piece of information when it has immediate life application for yourself.. sometimes you want to learn / educate yourself / know...
  • ashamedbe
    ashamedbe Posts: 11
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    With this, I reiterate my earlier statement that if coffee makes your heart flutter, you shouldn't do it.

    For the last time I don't want to take it. Why do you assume that. Maybe you're projecting yourself onto me since from your post it seems that you took it without a medical condition to cure.. I am just curious and it's not like I can ask people around me because we don't have it. So I asked a predominantly American-user community I'm already a part of about it, to know.

    If people were only allowed to ask about stuff when they are immediately about to use the information on themselves, we'd not be able to learn about much at all... don't you ever ask stuff to know?

    also, I'm not a native english speaker but I think you called me a liar when you said transparent as in I typed that I didn't but really wanted to take it? Thanks for that, you're still wrong.
  • fast_eddie_72
    fast_eddie_72 Posts: 719 Member
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    I take 10Mg of IR Adderall twice a day. I was diagnosed with ADD as a kid. I didn't treat it for years. Actually, only started taking it in my 40s. I take a very small dose. So many years of dealing with it on my own, I developed a lot of coping skills that helped a lot. I built a successful career and a great life. But I have to say, things are easier with the Adderall.

    A low dose doesn't make you feel any different. It just makes it easier to get things done. Actually, it makes it easier to get started. That was always the hurdle. When I first started, I was taking 20Mg, and at that dose, there was an unnatural "calm" feeling. Sort of nice. Sort of creepy. But certainly not magic.

    Some people take mountains of the stuff. I can't say what that would be like. But a little bit is a little help for people who need it. I try to take very little. I figure I made it okay without it all those years. It's a tool. If I didn't have ADD, I wouldn't want it.

    I'm not sure if it's true, but I've been told that it doesn't do much for people who don't have ADD. Some report that it just makes them kinda nervous and jittery, which is exactly the opposite of what it does for me.

    (edit) BTW, I don't want to take Heroin, but I have wondered what it's like. No harm asking. People need to chill. Have an Adderall. lol