Home » Misc » Safe dosage of adderall

Safe dosage of adderall


Adderall Dosage Chart: Recommended Dosage for Adults

There are many different Adderall dosages, and taking too much can lead to risky side effects. Learn more about what Adderall is used for and how much is typically prescribed.

When looking at Adderall dosage, there are distinctions between extended-release and immediate-release options. The Adderall dosage instructions are different for the two.

Article at a Glance:

  • Adderall immediate-release works within 15-30 minutes and lasts 4-6 hours.
  • Adderall extended-release works within 30-60 minutes and lasts for 10-12 hours.
  • The adult Adderall immediate-release dosage is 5 mg to 40 mg per day, spread throughout the day.
  • Adderall extended-release is taken in one daily dose, usually not to exceed 40 mg per day.
  • It is very dangerous (and even potentially fatal) to use high dosages of Adderall to get high.

Adderall Dosage Guide/Chart

If you’re searching for an Adderall dosage chart, the following infographic provides a general overview of what an Adderall dosage might look like.

What Dosage Does Adderall Come In?

Adderall XR dosage begins at 5 mg. Then there are 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 25 mg, and 30 mg dosages.

The Adderall IR dosage options start at 5 mg and include 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, and 30 mg. There is more flexibility in immediate-release dosages, allowing doctors to start patients out on a minimal dose and increase it incrementally.

Doctors will usually start an Adderall dosage at the smallest amount that may potentially work and then gradually increase it. For ADHD, the immediate-release dosage for adults is between 5 mg to 40 mg a day. The dosage is divided throughout the day.

In regards to ADHD, doses of more than 40 mg a day are rarely more effective than lower amounts. For narcolepsy treatment, doctors may begin with 5 mg a day and then go up to 60 mg a day, with dosages given every four to six hours.

With Adderall XR, one dose is taken daily instead of in divided doses. A doctor may still recommend that the extended-release dosage not exceed 40 mg a day.

How Long Does Adderall & Adderall XR Work?

Adderall immediate-release (IR) starts working within 15 to 30 minutes and lasts for about 4 to 6 hours. Adderall extended-release (XR) can take about 30 to 60 minutes to start working, and it lasts for around 10 to 12 hours. Both IR and XR can lead to a crash as someone comes down from the effects of the drug, but XR tends to have less noticeable effects.

Avoiding an Adderall Dosage High

Trying to abuse Adderall to get high is very dangerous. At higher doses, it can be associated with sudden death. Determining how much Adderall would get someone high is almost impossible, as different people will have different reactions. Some people get high from Adderall by crushing and snorting it or dissolving and injecting it. These methods make the risks even greater.

It’s possible to experience a fatal dose when using Adderall to get high, so this should be avoided. People should never take Adderall without a prescription from their doctor. If they do have a prescription, it should only be used as directed.

If you or a loved one is struggling with Adderall misuse, The Recovery Village is here to help. We encourage you to learn more about treatment plans and programs that can work well for your situation.

Editor – Jonathan Strum

Jonathan Strum graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha with a Bachelor's in Communication in 2017 and has been writing professionally ever since. Read more

Medically Reviewed By – Dr. Conor Sheehy, PharmD, BCPS, CACP

Dr. Sheehy completed his BS in Molecular Biology at the University of Idaho and went on to complete his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) at the University of Washington in Seattle. Read more

RxList. “Adderall.” May 13, 2020. Accessed June 17, 2020.

Food and Drug Administration. “Adderall (CII).” March 2007. Accessed June 17, 2020.

Medical Disclaimer

The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.

Similarities, Uses, Mixing & Weight Loss Risks

There are many ways to compare Adderall vs. Vyvanse, and two important factors to compare are dosage and what mental health disorders they’re prescribed for as well as common reasons for abuse, including weight loss.

Article at a Glance:  

  • Adderall and Vyvanse are commonly prescribed to treat ADHD.  
  • The recommended Adderall dosage is 2.5 to 60 mg per day, while the dosage for Vyvanse is 30 mg daily. 
  • Both Adderall and Vyvanse can suppress the appetite but should not be used for weight loss.  
  • Adderall and Vyvanse should not generally be used together because of the increased risk of side effects.   
  • Both Adderall and Vyvance use can lead to abuse, addiction, and physical dependence.  

Common Uses for Adderall and Vyvanse

Adderall is a combination drug that includes levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine. It’s part of a class of drugs known as stimulants. Vyvanse, which has the generic name lisdexamfetamine, is also a stimulant of the central nervous system. Both are commonly prescribed to treat ADHD.

Less frequently, Adderall may be prescribed to treat narcolepsy and, in some cases, Vyvanse may be used as a medication to treat binge eating disorders. However, Vyvanse is supposed to be used as part of a full treatment plan that includes psychological and social elements.

Both Adderall and Vyvanse can contribute to abuse and addiction, as well as physical dependence. The side effects are very similar as well and include anxiety, insomnia, and decreased appetite.

If you or someone you know struggles with an eating disorder, treatment is available. For immediate assistance or help in evaluating your options, you can contact the National Eating Disorder Association by visiting them online or by calling (800) 931-2237.

Online Chat

Monday—Thursday 9 am—9 pm ET

Friday 9 am—5 pm ET

Call NEDA’s Eating Disorders Helpline

(800) 931-2237

Monday—Thursday 11 am—9 pm ET

Friday 11 am—5 pm ET

Translation services are available on the phone.

Text NEDA’s Eating Disorders Helpline

(800) 931-2237

Pilot hours: Monday—Thursday 3 pm—6 pm ET

There are many ways to compare Adderall and Vyvanse, and one important factor to compare is dosage.

Patients are usually prescribed to take Adderall once or twice a day. The recommended dosage can vary from 2.5 to 60 mg a day. Different prescribed doses are based on the age and individual needs of the patient.

Related Topic: Adderall Dosage Guide

The recommended beginning dose for treating ADHD in adults with Vyvanse is 30 mg. For pediatric patients, the starting dose is usually 20 to 30 mg taken once daily in the morning. The maximum dose of Vyvanse is 70 mg a day, and a doctor may increase the dose by 10 to 20 mg a day, at weekly intervals. For treating a binge eating disorder with Vyvanse, the recommended dose in adults is 50 to 70 mg a day.

Related Topic: Medications Used for Treating Binge Eating Disorder

Side Effects & Weight Loss Risks from Prolonged Adderall or Vyvanse Use

Using Adderall or Vyvanse for weight loss isn’t an approved use. It’s considered a possible side effect, although Vyvanse can be used to treat symptoms of binge eating disorder.

Amphetamines like Adderall can lead to weight loss. Vyvanse acts similarly to an amphetamine. These drugs release certain brain chemicals that can increase energy and suppress appetite. In some cases, they can also increase metabolism levels.

Both tend to have similar weight loss results, but with Adderall people may experience rebound hunger after the effects of the drug wear off. Regardless of whether you consider Adderall or Vyvanse for weight loss, they’re not healthy or sustainable options.

When the effects of either medicine wear off, so does the appetite suppression. Your body also quickly adjusts to the medicine’s effects, so you may no longer experience appetite suppression after a short period of taking them. This makes the weight loss effects both short-lived and unsustainable for most people. With either medication, your body usually adjusts to the effects, making them ineffective and impractical for a weight loss goal.

What’s more, when you’re withdrawing from amphetamines, the result is an increased appetite. If you use either of these drugs as a way to lose weight and you stop, you will have more problems controlling your appetite than you did before.

Are Adderall & Vyvanse Safe to Use Together?

Considering the similarities between the two, people may wonder if Adderall and Vyvanse can be taken together. The answer is usually no.  When you combine the two stimulants together, it increases your risk of side effects.

For example, you may have extreme changes in mood, intense anxiety, or severe insomnia. Combining multiple stimulants as such can affect your central nervous system and create problems like elevated blood pressure, high body temperature, and cardiovascular problems.

Finally, when people are coming down off Adderall or Vyvanse, it can cause them to feel depressed or have sudden shifts in mood. If you take them together, this can be worse.

Related Topic: First Aid for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors

Feelings of depression or anxiety can lead to suicidal thinking. If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts or tendencies, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Editor – Melissa Carmona

As the content manager at Advanced Recovery Systems, Melissa Carmona puts years of writing and editing experience to work helping people understand substance abuse, addiction and mental health disorders. Read more

Medically Reviewed By – Dr. Conor Sheehy, PharmD, BCPS, CACP

Dr. Sheehy completed his BS in Molecular Biology at the University of Idaho and went on to complete his Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) at the University of Washington in Seattle. Read more

  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Adderall.” April 2015. Accessed June 7, 2020.
  • U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Vyvanse.” January 2015. Accessed June 7, 2020.

Medical Disclaimer

The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers.

Adderall Generation

Have you ever been to Anfield? Until the age of 23, when I lived in London and finished my studies, I had not even heard of him. One afternoon, I received a notification that a package I had been looking forward to all day was stuck at customs and was now in a FedEx warehouse in Enfield, an inconspicuous London suburb. I immediately left the apartment and an hour later I was on the train bound for Enfield and looked out the window at the overcast sky. This package was sent from Los Angeles and contained my month's supply of Adderall. nine0003

Adderall is the trade name for a mixture of amphetamine salts. Its circulation in the UK is regulated much more strictly than in the US. In the US, where a year earlier I had become one of the millions of people who were prescribed stimulant treatment.

The trip to Enfield was far from the highest extreme I went to in my 10 years with Adderall. It used to be that I scoured someone else's first aid kit, delved into garbage cans, where I had previously thrown out pills in an attempt to quit, wrote essays for classmates in exchange for the coveted drug. Once, when I was living in New Hampshire, I didn't show up for work. Instead, I spent 3 hours driving one way to get to a clinic where my prescription had not yet expired. I have never been more resourceful than when I needed more Adderall. nine0003

Adderall is prescribed for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is a neurobehavioral condition that manifests itself in the form of inattention, hyperactivity and short temper. This disease has been included in the D.S.M. (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - US Nomenclature of Mental Disorders - approx. Newochem ) in 1987, and it was observed mainly among children. It is also called Attention Disorder Syndrome and has been diagnosed with increasing frequency over the past decades. Thus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 19In the 90s, approximately 3-5% of school-age children were attributed to this disease. By 2013, this figure had reached 11%. It continues to grow, and with it the number of prescribed stimulants. In the 1990s, about 600,000 children took them. Mostly it was Ritalin, which in many cases had to be taken several times a day. In 2013, 3.5 million children were already taking stimulants, and Ritalin was replaced by Adderall, officially launched in 1996 as a new, improved choice for ADD patients, a more effective drug that lasts longer. nine0003

The very name of Adderall reflects the hope of its creators to expand the customer base: as Alan Schwartz writes in his new book "A.D.H.D Nation" ("AdV Nation"), the phrase "A.D.D for all" served as the basis for it. When I entered college in 2000—four years after Adderall was released—5 million people had already been prescribed it; in 2005, the year before my graduation, that number almost reached 9 million. Then the total revenue from the sale of drugs for ADHD in the United States was more than $ 2 billion.

By the mid-2000s, the number of adults being prescribed the drug was growing the fastest. In 2012, according to QuintilesIMS, an information service that specializes in medical data, Adderall was prescribed to approximately 16 million people aged 20 to 39. Now Adderall is common on campuses, students take it with or without a doctor's prescription. Let not in the majority, but in many schools, a kind of "black market" for the sale of this drug has appeared. In fact, according to a 2012 study published in Brain and Behavior, non-prescribed stimulant use was the second most common form of illegal drug use in colleges in 2004. Only marijuana gained great popularity. nine0003

We know very little about what happens as a result of many years of using Adderall during and after college, together with all the experiences that make up adolescence. To date, there are virtually no studies illuminating the long-term effect on those who take this drug. So, we are, in a way, a walking experiment. We, who were about the same age in high school, were first introduced to Adderall at a time when the drug was literally everywhere, and then, years later, could not get rid of the addiction. The question is, will we ever be able to do it. We, who are barely holding out both physically and mentally, to the point where we can take a potent drug that we don’t need at all, and so on for many, many years. Sometimes I want to call us the Adderall generation. nine0003

It is now known that Adderall owes its appearance to chance. In the late 1920s, American chemist Gordon Alles, looking for a way to treat asthma, synthesized a substance related to adrenaline. It definitely helped soften the bronchi. Alles created beta-phenylisopropylamine, better known today as amphetamine. After the test injection, the scientist reported "feeling great" followed by "a rather sleepless night," as can be seen in Nicolas Rasmussen's book Picking Up Speed: The Many Lives of Amphetamine. K 19The 30th drug, Benzedrine, which was only a trade name for amphetamine, was used to elevate mood, energize and increase focus. During World War II, US Army soldiers were given Benzedrine, which was also called "energy pills." After the war, slightly modified and called Dexedrine, this drug was prescribed for depression. Many people, especially women, loved this drug for its appetite-suppressing side effects and took it to keep from gaining weight. There was even such a weight loss remedy as Obetrol. But at the beginning of 19In the 1970s, when about 10 million people were using amphetamine, the Food and Drug Administration came up with tough regulations, and the drug fell out of such widespread use. More than 20 years later, a pharmaceutical company manager named Roger Griggs decided to "resurrect" the almost forgotten Obetrol. After refining the formula, he named the drug Adderall and put it into production, directing it to millions of children and adolescents who were diagnosed with ADHD. The current version of the drug was released a few years later. Now the time for the drug to enter the bloodstream has been extended, and the possibility of dependence, according to the creators, has decreased, which means it was easier to “get off” from it. In theory. nine0003

I first tried Adderall in my second year at Brown University. I complained to my friend about my bitter fate: by the next day I had to write 5 pages about a book that I had just begun to read. "Would you like an Adderall pill?" she offered. “I can't stand him, he makes me want to stay up all night and instead turn the 'wheel' in the hall.”

Could you think of a more tempting description? My friend squeezed two blue pills out of the foil and handed them to me. An hour later, I was in the basement of the library, the Absolutely Quiet Room, and I was in a state of incomparable euphoria. The world no longer existed, there was only me, in love with a book. I read, and thoughts appeared out of nowhere and turned, it seemed, into an incredible treasure. When dawn broke, I sat hunched over in the unkempt living room of our dorm and wrote down my feverish judgments, hardly aware that the sky outside was turning pink. I was alone in my new secret world, and that very loneliness was part of the intoxication. I didn't need anyone or anything. nine0003

Again and again I returned to this feeling over the next two years whenever I found Adderall on campus, which happened often, but not enough. The Adderall watch became the most precious watch I've ever seen, far too valuable for a Perfectly Quiet Room, of course. Now I had to sit at the farthest table in the darkest and most neglected corner of the top level of the library, as far away from the noisy life on campus as possible. This life no longer interested me. Instead, the lonely hours that I spent thinking about, for example, Immanuel Kant's judgments about "high" acquired the greatest value. nine0003

It suited me. All that was "high," those days spent in unrestricted concentration as I absorbed the complex thoughts in the book before me. I understood everything, my mind was razor-sharp, I literally absorbed books, making them a part of me. More precisely, a part of the person for whom I took myself, that cold, undistracted personality. Of course, I preferred her much more than the lazy, “slowing down” real me, suffering from bouts of fatigue and a destructive passion for Swedish Fish gummies. nine0003

Adderall dismissed the question of willpower. Now I could study all night long, then run 10 miles, then casually flip through the weekly issue of the New Yorker, all without stopping, without pausing when I might wonder if I should chat with my friends or go to the movies. That was incredible. I lost weight, which was also very nice. Even though I lashed out at my friends, suddenly displaying a fury of a depth that I could not have imagined before. Once my neighbor went home for the weekend, forgetting to turn off the alarm. He squeaked for two days behind her closed door, and I completely lost control of myself, calling her with abuse in New York. I couldn't remember the last time I slept longer than five hours. What for? nine0003

In my last year of college, my workload only increased to almost unbearable limits. For the first time, I couldn't handle it. My playful aristocratic teacher of Russian history gave me a grade for the final semester test. One Friday night in mid-December, when our ideal New England campus was empty for the winter break, I was sitting alone in the Science Library, the only one that didn't close at night. I squinted through my notes on the Russian intelligentsia. And outside the window was a blizzard. Inside, fluorescent lights illuminated the basement room. I felt strange and carefree. It's been a particularly 'chemical' week, I haven't slept for at least a few hours in days, and to make up for that I've been taking more and more pills. I looked up from the notebook, and suddenly the room seemed to expand, giving the impression that I was not in it, but in some strange mirage. Panic seized me, I did not understand what was happening. I tried to breathe, to bring myself back to reality, but nothing worked for me. On shaky legs, I reached the phone and called my friend Dave in the room. “I had some trouble in the science library,” I said in a voice that didn’t belong to me. nine0003

An hour later I was in an ambulance taking me through a snowstorm to the nearest hospital. The volunteer paramedic was student Brown, whom I only met once or twice. He held my hand the whole way. "I'm dying?" I asked him over and over again. Dave and I were in the waiting room for 4 hours until I was taken behind a screen and a skeptical looking doctor came to see me. I was not used to the way he looked at me, as if I was crazy, maybe even incompetent. But then I felt better, I was no longer so sure of my imminent death. Lying down on the couch before the examination, I even joked: “I will lie down like an ancient Roman!” His face kept an uninterested expression. I described the drug I was taking. His diagnosis was Amphetamine Use Anxiety Disorder. It was my first panic attack, an unknown and rare reaction to an Adderall overdose. At the hospital, I left a container with blue pills, which I had diligently begged for before. I still remember him lying next to the examination table. nine0003

Author: Chad Wys. Original image taken from Getty's Open Content Program. "Portrait of Louise de Kerual, Countess of Portsmouth" by Peter Lely.

A few days later, I corrected my poor academic performance and went home to New York. My father knew about the hospital incident and I promised him that I would stop taking the drug. And I honestly tried. I spent those long winter breaks at the 42nd Street Public Library idly flipping through essays I hadn't had time to sort through while on amphetamines. What I didn't know at the time, and I couldn't have known, was that no one knew if Adderall improved thinking ability when not taken as prescribed by a doctor, or if it really was a nootropic. It took a few years before studies showed that the effects on the cognitive process were more than ambiguous. Martha Farah, a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, contributed a lot to this research. She studied the Adderall effect on many standardized tests that measure closure, memory, and creativity. Overall, in tests, they found little to no improvement as a result of Adderall. Ultimately, she says, "people who experience problems improve, those who are more productive may not, and even vice versa, their cognitive performance may deteriorate"

My pill-free period did not last long. I went back to my studies, got grades every day. But as final exams approached that spring, I reverted to the familiar pattern of moments of hard work alone followed by days when I was slowly "falling back." I could do nothing for hours, eating ice cream with spoons straight from the container, satisfying my desperate need for sugar, barely finding the strength to even get to the shower.

After graduating from college, it took me a year to make a decision that determined the next stage of my life for many years to come. For me it was a revelation. I could become independent from those ADHD children who sold their prescription pills at exorbitant prices. I could get my own recipe! This idea came to me when I was walking among the palm trees on the campus of the University of California. By then, I was living in Los Angeles and working as a tutor for high school students, many of whom were taking Adderall themselves. I also took summer courses in psychology and neuroscience in order to then go to graduate school. I decided that I wanted to be a psychologist, which I felt was much more realistic than my secret dream of being a writer. Infinitely more real. Like many people in their 20s, my decisions were made in a panic and rush, but they also depended, of course, on how many pills I had. nine0003

I was now surrounded—or surrounded myself—by people who had also fallen into Adderall's trap. Together with my two closest friends, we traveled all over Los Angeles with relentless, false energy, trusting each other like never before. Adderall maintained our friendship, and if one ran out of pills, the other would make up for it. Rolling around sun-drenched Los Angeles, immersed in a trance, I easily lost count and did not know how many pills I managed to take in a day. nine0003

As soon as it became clear to me that I could get my own prescription, I ran to the nearest campus computer and searched for "cognitive behavioral psychologist, Westwood, Los Angeles, California." By then I already knew enough about psychology to avoid psychologists who would spend weeks or even months discussing with me the treatment and why I was so sure of the need for drug treatment. No, I could not turn to them - I needed a specialist, a doctor who would focus on achieving results, and all this is 10 minutes from the University of California. The very next day, I was sitting exactly where I needed to be, in a featureless room with gray walls and black leather furniture. I told the young psychologist across from me about how I always had to develop some sort of compensation strategies to keep up with my studies, how difficult it was for me to focus on one thing, how I was best at jobs that meant multitasking, like being a waitress. Of course, none of this was true, I was a focused student and a terrible waitress. I learned all this by looking on the Internet for the symptoms of ADHD and the criteria by which it is diagnosed. These were the answers that were needed for any psychologist to pick up a pencil and write "Adderall, 20 mg, once daily" on a prescription slip. So I took advantage of them. nine0003

50 minutes later, I was standing on San Vicente Boulevard in the bright California sun with a recipe in my hand. This is the only doctor's prescription I received in less than an hour, I took it with me wherever I went, whether it was Los Angeles, London (where I used FedEx services), then New Haven, where I got it once a month at a treatment center in Yale, then again in New York, where the doctor I found through insurance prescribed this drug again and again without any problems, based only on my words that I had already been prescribed it before, that I have been taking it for years. nine0003

Any book on basic neuroscience explains how Adderall affects the brain and why addiction is so hard to break. For many years, most publications by scientists like Nora Volkov, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, have described addiction research that revolved around the neurotransmitter dopamine. Amphetamine stimulates the production of dopamine and norepinephrine, which rapidly spread through the synapses and increase the level of nervous system excitation, concentration, general tone and purposeful motivation. In fact, any experience that gives you a particularly pleasurable sensation, whether it's sex or eating chocolate cake, accompanies the release of dopamine. It is for this reason that dopamine is central to current models of addiction. As soon as a person begins to abuse, the brain, which strives to maintain homeostasis, tries to compensate for the excess of dopamine by blocking its own dopamine receptors. When there are fewer receptors involved, a person needs more and more of the active substance in order to achieve the desired level of euphoria. In addition, a reduction in the number of receptors can explain the withdrawal syndrome: after giving up a stimulant, a person is left to be content with the abilities of his own brain with a reinforcement system that works worse than usual. The question of whether the brain is able to recover after drug withdrawal remains open. nine0003

In 2008, three years after receiving my prescription, I found myself in a psychiatric office in New Haven, where I was completing my master's degree. Choking with sobs, I told them that my life no longer belonged to me. For a long time I convinced myself that by using Adderall I was in complete control of my fallible nature, but in reality it was quite the opposite: Adderall made my life unpredictable, raising black hurricanes over my horizon with absolutely no warning. And yet it was impossible to give up. The psychiatrist was probably a Serb, with a completely deadpan expression on his face. He calmly examined me and prescribed Wellbutrin, a mild, fast-acting antidepressant that was supposed to alleviate the withdrawal symptoms by making it less painful to quit Adderall. It sounded reassuring. But very soon I just took both drugs. nine0003

When I took Adderall, my life was a paradox. I believed that it was vital to me and at the same time I understood that it acts as a toxin, as a poison for art, love and life. In 2009, I signed a contract for a book on psychoanalysis and neuroscience, and a little later I took a one-day job as a reporter for a news site. I was required to continuously supply short, catchy details: to be lively and easily switch from one to another. The Adderall addiction was perfect for keeping up that kind of pace—and it was in stark contrast to what it takes to write a book slowly and thoughtfully. Week after week, slowness and thoughtfulness seemed more and more unattainable to me. It didn't go unnoticed to me how the internet made possible what happened at 19The 90s, when Adderall swept the market, and these two events, like a blueprint, affected the lives of Americans.

From time to time I tried to stop taking the drug. Each attempt started the same way. Step one: collect all the pills available to me, including those that are stashed in advance in kitchen drawers and closets with clothes. Spend a few hours arguing with yourself about whether to keep one "for emergencies." Break yourself with a sharp effort of will and flush the pills down the toilet. Step two: For a day or two, feel completely normal, as if I can actually handle it. Step three: to feel how time is piling on a gloomy heavy slab, when even the simplest daily actions require huge efforts, and the future is drawn into an endless series of duties that I have long been tired of doing. The work on the book stops. Panic comes. Then Adderall's inner voice suddenly takes over, forcing me to jump up from the table and get a new prescription—it's easy almost every time—or just borrow a few pills from a friend if need be. And the circle closes again. I was ashamed of these moments and kept them a secret. Few people knew the extent to which the drug actually defined my life. nine0003

Year after year, various experts in the field have told me that giving up Adderall is not that difficult. Failure will occur relatively quickly and painlessly. And I often imagined that those futile attempts at rejection were my most embarrassing failures in life. I have found some comfort in seeing my experience reflected in the large mass of individual voices coming from websites and forums dedicated to drug withdrawal. I will always remember one of these messages left by a certain mother on QuittingAdderall.com:

I started Adderall in October 2010. And my story is not particularly different from the rest. … First a honeymoon, then a cliff jump. It seems to me that I no longer remember who I was and what I felt when I spent even one minute without Adderall. I'm looking at pictures of who I was before taking the drug and I can't understand how I could ever be "happy" without it, because now I will be on the verge of a nervous breakdown if I even come close to not taking the drug for a whole day. Sometimes I cried in shame as I put my daughter to bed, because the time she spent that afternoon with her mother was not real. nine0010

“No one starts fighting addiction by saying, ‘I’m going to deal with my addiction,’” Jeanette Friedman, a social worker who works with drug addicts, told me when I met her in August in her Upper East Side office. “No one is going to be addicted. However, now taking something like Adderall is commonplace - the harm from taking such drugs seems to be insignificant, or the drug allows you to increase productivity. And in our culture, productivity is, one might say, the most important thing. Society puts a tremendous emphasis on not only being good at what you do, but constantly striving for more.” nine0003

Staying face to face with the patient, Friedman explains that what is at stake is his very ability to "become a complete person without a hint of continuous need for anything." Adderall exacerbates the usual addiction dynamics by being strongly associated with productivity, high achievement, and success. “It's very hard to accept the thought of quitting because it seems like you're losing your productive abilities,” she says. “Many recovering patients report that these abilities don't go anywhere. But the fear of losing them makes people keep using.” nine0003

I remember having similar fears at school and later at work, and you can feel them in those messages from Internet forums:

Now I feel even worse than when I had ADHD and got hooked on this thing. Right now, I don't feel like I'm capable of defending my Ph. D. I don't feel like I'm capable of doing my term paper, I've lost interest and enthusiasm for the things I used to love. Dear readers, tell me that this will pass.

Harris Stratiner, a psychologist and addiction specialist at the Caron Treatment Center in Manhattan, told me that every year he sees more people who are desperate to get off Adderall. By his count, to date he has had 50 patients ranging in age from 24 to 40 with a similar problem. For the most part, they are creative people who wanted to connect their lives with art. However, many chose other, safer paths, abandoning their dreams without even trying to fulfill them. nine0003

“Often they gave up in favor of practicality. Then they decided that they had missed their opportunity. And after taking Adderall, they began to enjoy life again and stopped constantly returning to the idea that they "sold out". Many people take this drug to hide their dissatisfaction with themselves, because it narrows their thoughts to the elementary living day after day, allows them not to think about their goals in life, ”explains the doctor.

“This creates both mental and physical dependence. This is a real drug, and getting rid of it is very difficult, ”admits Stratiner. Side effects reported by patients include nausea, chills, diarrhea, physical discomfort, pain, and even seizures. Sometimes his patients need hospitalization while getting rid of addiction. nine0003

Ultimately, I couldn't give up Adderall alone. I had a wonderful psychologist. I'm sure she saved my life. On the wall in her office hung only one painting - a reproduction of the work of Henri Matisse. As the course progressed, Matisse began to personify creativity. You start your journey in one place, painfully go to the unknown to something that can surprise you. We both agreed that Adderall was a twisted version of that journey. I was 30 when I finally got rid of the addiction. The realization of how much precious time I gave to this drug still scares me, even after 3 years. nine0003

In the first weeks after giving up Adderall, I was tormented by constant unbearable fatigue - I needed an effort to run even on tiny errands. And the gym was out of the question. I was tormented by craving for the drug. As soon as someone just said the word "Adderall" in my presence, I began to feverishly think of a way to get at least one pill. Or maybe two. I was frightened, horrified at the thought that something irreversible had happened to my brain, and it might turn out that I could not even write without my special pills. I had no idea that only after giving up amphetamines would my book finally become real. nine0003

Even in those first weeks of doubt, there was something good. Simple pleasures became available to me again. When talking with friends, I laughed more often and noticed that they did too. I spent many years of my life in a state of needless tension. I kept thinking about whether I should be somewhere else, whether I should work harder and achieve more. It was only in a state of deep depression that I was able to realize that this intrusive desire was caused by a chemical, and that it was this that kept me at a distance from my friends - and from myself too. nine0003

One of those first days without my drug, I walked slowly, scared. I had to walk just about anything to get to a meeting that was scheduled in mid-Manhattan. It was a delightful summer evening, the sun was setting. When I got to Bryant Park, I heard the music and wanted to watch. A rock band was playing on the stage. I staggered somewhere at the far edge of the crowd. The singer, muscular and bearded, held the microphone with both hands and put his soul into every word of his song. His voice was in the air of this summer night. Suddenly I realized that tears were rolling down my cheeks. I was embarrassed, but I couldn't stop. I felt like I had never heard music in all these years. nine0003

By Casey Schwartz, author of In the Mind Fields: Exploring the New Science of Neuropsychoanalysis. ("Into the Mind: Discovering the New Science of Neuropsychoanalysis").
Original: The New York Times Magazine.

Translated by: Nikita Pinchuk and Natasha Ochkova.
Edited by: Artyom Slobodchikov and Anna Nebolsina.

Adderall training: safe or not? - Product Information

Home >> Product Information >> Is it safe to exercise while taking Adderall? nine0104

Drug Information Workout Rx

Whether you exercise regularly or are just starting to add exercise to your daily routine, it is important to be mindful of all the prescriptions you take. Medications such as Adderall can change how you feel before, during, and after your workout. While most people find that Adderall improves their cognitive performance, some people note that training with Adderall can also affect physical performance. nine0003

RELATED TO: What is Adderall? | Get coupons Adderall


Adderall is a combination stimulant drug that is commonly used to improve focus, concentration, and alertness in people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It may also promote wakefulness in people diagnosed with a sleep disorder called narcolepsy. Adderall is available in either immediate or extended release capsules (Adderall XR). nine0003

RELATED: Adderall vs. Adderall XR

Is it safe to exercise while taking Adderall?

Usually yes. Adderall and exercise are safe, but it's best to record this workout before taking your daily dose. Adderall can increase your heart rate and breathing rate, so it may be preferable to take stimulant drugs after your workout rather than before. And be sure to talk to your doctor first. nine0003

Anyone taking Adderall should check with their provider to determine if it is safe to exercise while using the medication, says someone familiar with their history and activity level. Daphne Scott, MD, is a sports medicine specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, New York.



What side effects can Adderall cause during exercise?

Side effects may occur regardless of whether the person is exercising while taking Adderall. However, Adderall may have side effects that may interfere with someone's regular exercise regimen, such as:

  • High blood pressure
  • Increased heart rate
  • Palpitations
  • Dizziness
  • Confused breathing Adderall. These side effects may be more frequent with cardio exercises such as long distance running or swimming. There may be an increased risk of these side effects when Adderall is taken in combination with other stimulants (such as caffeine from coffee or supplements), or when Adderall is not taken as prescribed (several high doses at the same time). nine0003

    Call your doctor or get emergency care right away if you notice chest pain or difficulty breathing while exercising on Adderall.



    Can Adderall be used as a training aid?

    Some researchers believe that stimulant drugs such as Adderall may improve exercise performance. “Stimulants generally improve attention, concentration, and attention,” comments Steven Karcheski, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine. There may be some logic in terms of [how Adderall] affects speed, it can affect not only mental performance but also physical performance. nine0003

    In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of people using Adderall to improve their physical performance or support their weight loss goals. While Adderall may inadvertently promote physical performance and weight loss, it is important to note that no one should take Adderall without a doctor's prescription. It is illegal and dangerous to train on Adderall solely to improve physical performance.


    Abuse or misuse of Adderall may increase the risk of side effects that may affect recovery after exercise and lead to negative health effects. Adderall is not currently approved for use as a workout supplement or diet pill and is classified as a Schedule II Controlled Substance with a high risk of abuse and physical or psychological dependence. nine0003

    "If I meet someone who might want to take a drug without a prescription, I strongly advise against it given the potential harm of using a controlled substance without proper controls," explains Dr.

    Learn more