this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2026
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ADHD

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Hi all I need a sanity check.

Diagnosed ADD as a kid, struggled to pay attention and care in school, was on concerta for a decade. Parents would up my dose if my grades went down and expected me to grow out of ADD once I turned 18.

That didn't happen and my life fell apart and I vowed to never take medication again because I saw it as a conspiracy to sell pills and get people messed up in the head.

After 15 years of emotional dysregulation and crippling anxiety I spoke to a dr and tried an extended release amphetamine yesterday.

My whole world changed. No emotional noise, no background feeling of "I'm a bad person and I don't know why", social anxiety is gone (was able to respond to all my messages and even make a phone call AND talk to a cashier!!!). Was able to do tasks I left behind because the anxiety to start was too bad.

I feel like I can do anything I set my mind to now. My self confidence is up. I don't dread things. I woke up calm. My mind used to be a firehose of thoughts and emotions all at max level. Now it's calm and orderly and logical.

This seems too good to be true. I didn't even know existence could be like this. Is this normal? Is it the honeymoon phase? Is it just because I'm taking an amphetamine? I'm beside myself and life feels like I've got all the cheat codes now. It seems too good to be true.

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[–] AddLemmus@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It is my understanding that part of the effect, especially the medically desired effect, does not build (much) of a tolerance. The part that feels like a recreational drug does, but it'll still regulate noradrenaline in the prefrontal cortex all the same with the starting dose.

These are hard to exactly tell apart, though; it's a blurry line.

[–] ephrin@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I’m just a tall guy who weighs 200+ lbs. I started at 5mg and built up from there. I guess it wasn’t tolerance so much as adjusting to the dose?

[–] AddLemmus@lemmy.ml 5 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I had a similar experience with Lisdexamphetamine: Started at a ridiculously low dose to make sure I can take it, which surprisingly already had a significant effect for a few hours! Then I worked up to the normal dose over the span 9 - 12 months.

Especially during that time, it felt "too good to be legal", like you can constantly be on a fantastic recreational drug AND get shit done!

My view of separating "desired medical benefit" and "recreational drug euphoria" is certainly very simplified, and the "recreational" effect also boosts productivity. And it is hard to tell which is which. Maybe I have not even found the perfect medication for myself yet, but it sure is life-changing already.

[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 5 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Ya I'm on the same medication. It feels illegal. It almost feels recreational. I only have ever had psilocybin mushrooms and cannabis before but I'd describe the pill as having a similar head sensation to an edible but more tight and clean if that makes any sense. If cannabis is a fuzzy headband, this pill is like a swim cap.

[–] AddLemmus@lemmy.ml 3 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Fantastic - just like me, then. I used 5 mg to check for intolerance, then stayed around 10 - 15 mg for quite a while.

Initially, the "high" effect was dominant, so it was super easy to get on tasks and finish them, but I still did it in a "silly" or "demented" way, for lack of a better word. As I built tolerance and increased the dose, it started to fix that as well, but the "high" became less and less.

1 1/2 years in now experimenting between 50 mg and 70 mg, it is still fantastic. But I might start experimenting with alternatives. Who knows if the first drug tried is really the best for me?

[–] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 hours ago

That's neat! I get what you mean haha. The first couple hours once it kicks in I do feel high haha. Still on focus though.