Adderall

Intro:

To be completely honest, I am still in the process of determining the full effects of adderall on the body during the process of pulling an all-nighter, being that I have not completed the full cycle yet. It is now 7:25 pm on the day following said all-nighter, and I will probably be up late again tonight doing homework. If any major changes occur in my behavior/thought process/bodily function, they will be added as they occur.

Log:

11:30 pm: Yep, it looks like it's going to be another all-nighter. My suitemate has offered me adderall (from his own prescription) to aid me in staying awake through the night doing homework. I will hold out as long as possible, but may well take him up on his offer.

12:30 am: Drank two strong, black cups of coffee. That should hold me for a while.

3:00 am: Drank two more cups of coffee, with a little sugar added. Hopefully this will keep me for a while, at least.

4:00 am: Took one adderall pill (30 mg, I believe). Hopefully I can stay awake until this kicks in.

4:40 am: The adderall just kicked in. Although my body is still tired, my mind is working at breakneck speed. This is a very strange feeling. Back to work.

7:30 am: Finished homework. Still cruising mentally while crashing physically. This could get very strange.

9:00 am-10:30 am: Managed to stay focused in class, although I had to rest my head on my hand. My body really wants me to lie down.

1:00 pm-3:30 pm: Took a nap, after realizing that I would be staying up quite late again tonight. Woke up feeling dead. Apparently I have completely come off the adderall.

4:00 pm: Took another 30 mg adderall. Realized I hadn't eaten yet today and grabbed an order of green beans from the cafeteria before going to english class.

4:30 pm: The adderall kicked in soon after I sat down in class, giving me a terrible case of the jitters. My classmates gave me very strange looks.

7:45 pm (current time): After dinner, I came back and wrote this node. I am now preparing to do more homework, then I plan to try to get a few hours sleep before class at 9:00 am tomorrow. If any further changes occur, they will be noted.

12-4-00

Adderall is amphetamine. It causes wakefullness and enhanced concentration, and is used to treat ADD and more generally, fatigue. Like many drugs, it was originally developed by the U.S. Air Force for pilots.

I take adderall. The psychiatrist thinks I have a sleep disorder, but really I just have bad work habits and an immense courseload and barely sleep. In addition to waking me up in the morning and keeping me awake through class, it helps me concentrate on the work I have to do. Put another way: the first time I took the SATs I wasn't using adderall, the second time I was. In between I studied only a very slight amount. My score went up 70 points.

That is, adderall is a performance drug.

UPDATE: I no longer take adderall myself, but have discovered that it makes wonderful currency in terms of being traded for pot to kids who like to crush it and snort it. (Give your kids drugs and they will learn how to deal.)

In my experience, the effects of Adderall, and probably most psychoactive medications, depends on the person. I know people who do well by it. My personal experience is that it has no effect on my ability to pay attention. For many years, I had been taking Ritalin. At some point I noticed that I became depressed about five hours after taking a dose. After mentioning this to the psychiatrist who was prescribing my meds, I was put on Adderall. The depression went away, but so did the effect on my attention span. I went back to Ritalin soon after, with a nearly full bottle of Adderall gracing my medicine cabinet.

Like many other people with ADD, I grew out of the dependence on the drug. IMHO the main purpose of these substances is to provide a temporary crutch which a person can use to adapt to the disorder. Once I left the University and entered a job that I found enjoyable, I realized that even the Ritalin was doing more harm than good and have since been amphetamine-free.