ADHD Medication

Today I want to post about the ADHD medication I have taken and the effects that they have had on me. For any male readers out there, I will be sharing the sexual side effects I have encountered as well. I will give my opinions on the drugs I have taken and tell you which ones I prefer and which ones I absolutely despise.

The most common form of ADHD medication is a stimulant. You normally hear in the news about Ritalin or Adderall. Some of the other prescribed stimulants are Focalin, Vyvance, Concerta, and Dexedrine. I have taken all of these medications except Concerta and it has been over a decade since I have used Ritalin and Dexedrine. The one stimulant that I find to be most helpful is Adderall.

The other medication is an ADD/ADHD specific medication is Strattera, and I absolutely hate that medication. Doctors tend to like to prescribe this medication since it lacks the ability to be abused recreationally like the other ADHD medications. 

I will admit the reason why I have tried all these medications is that over time they stop working effectively. Apparently my body builds up a resistance to the medication and it is necessary for me to switch to a different one. (I can not afford 800$+ a month outta pocket)

Adderall

The one medication I find to help me the most. I find that the time release works the best since I do not like the constant up and down feeling that you can get between each dosing if you take the non-time released form of this medication. I personally take Adderall XR 30mg tablets. I take 2 of them in the morning then the third in the afternoon. This dosing is what works best for me. Adderall effects my ability to focus to a higher degree then any of the other medications, doesn't make me more irritable or angry.  My executive functioning capability is greatly increased and I am able to make schedules/plans and carry them out much more efficiently then if I wasn't medicated. The side effects that I have from it are a lack of appetite (which I dont always complain about), occasionally the inability to sleep (only if I take my second dose too late in the day), and how it makes me need to go #2 as soon as it kicks in. I can tell exactly when it kicks in and out so there is never any sort of guessing if it is still in my system or not.

Sexually this drug has not had any lasting effects on me. It does kill my sex drive while I am on it and becoming aroused while on it is very difficult. However, the second the Adderall is out of my system I have no problem performing, 

I have never gotten drunk while under the effects of Adderall but I have had a drink or two while it was still in my system. For me drinking while Adderall is still in my system only compounds the drunk feeling. As an example, when I have a drink while Adderall is in my system I wont drive a car since my head is spinning. One drink feels like 3 or 4 to me. I do not recommend drinking with it.

Focalin

Focalin is the other psycostimulant I use when my insurance company refuses to fill my Adderall prescription (which is a whole different and irritating topic). This medication I only take 30mg XR in the morning and a 20mg XR in the afternoon.  It has the same effects as the Adderall but not as strong. The major reason I do not like taking this medication is that it makes my stomach hurt and can occasionally make me vomit.

Vyvance and Dexedrine

I was taking 70mg of Vyvance a day when I stopped taking it. It made me exceedingly anti-social and also made me very irritable. I would get mad at people for minor annoyances. I remember how I became irate talking to my grandmother on the phone one day since she was breaking up (bad service - not her fault) and pretty much called her every name in the book since she couldn't realize she had bad service.

Sex on this drug, like Adderall is extremely difficult but once out of your system has no mal-sexual side effects.

Strattera

I took this medication for 3 months before I refused to take it any more. Unlike the other ADHD medications, Strattera takes two weeks to a month to actually start having any sort of effect on you and the same amount of time to leave your system after you stop taking the medication. This is the reason it can not be abused in recreational settings. It doesn't effect dopamine like the other but instead targets norepinephrine which is a different hormone in the brain that effects ADHD. 

I do not feel this drugs benefits (which I couldn't tell) outweighed the slew of bad side effects that I had. First off this drug makes you extremely drowsy. A week after starting Strattera I was walking up my stairs towards the kitchen to get ready to cook dinner when I decided that I was tired and took a nap halfway up the stairs. Who takes naps on stairs when you have a bedroom less then 20 feet away or a couch 10 feet away. That is plainly ridiculous. I was told by my Psychiatrist (I switched soon after stopping this medication) that this will only last a few weeks and it will go away. It never did.

Sexually this drug is a nightmare. I don't know about you guys, but I enjoy having sex. I like knowing that I can perform sexually. I like knowing that I will be able to please my partner as well as having the satisfaction of finishing. With Adderall or the other drugs I at least know that once it is out of my system it is game time but with Strattera, no time is game time. It should be sold as a form of male birth control because you will be too embarrassed to even try having sex while this drug is in your system. Besides having a decreased libido, you will never be able to get fully erect and if you do manage to have sex you will leak. By leaking, I mean your semen will slowly come out over the period of your sexual encounter and you will never have that "finishing" feeling. Sometimes I would even leak while I wasn't aroused making wet spots in my boxers.

I know this is long, but I hope it is informative. I wish there was a viewer friendly way that I could post this information. If there is one, I apologize for not using it. I am still new to this whole blogging thing.