Hi,
I've read several posts that describe the effect of stimulants on ADDers to be calming, whereas in nonADDers, for the effect to be the complete opposite.
I recently took Dex for my ADD after a 7 month absence, and posted somewhere on this site, the effects I felt following a 10 mg dose...calming ....in fact so calming, that I wanted to sleep...really......
My wife also tried the drug (5mg) -- she doesn't have ADD -- but wanted to see if she could feel its effects. I posted the result of this experiment elsewhere on this site too -- but the jist was that she experienced feelings of relaxation/calming/fatigue.....quite the opposite to the way I was expecting her to feel.
I wonder whether there is an individual dose dependent relationship or threshold for Dexedrine, regardless of ADD status that separates feelings of calmness, from feelings of excitation/stimulation.
I'm pretty sure I've read posts from ADDers which describe more 'speed'-like symptoms at higher doses. Often these posts are accompanied by advice urging a reduction in dosage.
I have asked elsewhere whether it might be possible to use the effective dose of stimulant medication and effects seen, as confirmatory of a diagnosis of ADD. Since the current methods for diagnosing the condition are open to subjectivity, this might help provide a harder test of ADD status.
It'd be great if we could show that all ADDers initially respond to doses of stimulant < eg 20 mg with feelings of calmness, and then > 20 mg with feelings of 'stimulation', whereas nonADDers experience feelings of stimulation at doses > eg 1mg.
If there's enough clear water between the 2 groups, then any individual variability in these 2 groups might not destroy this test eg if ADDers normal distribution +/- 2 SDs were calmness to 20 +/- eg4 mg, and non ADDers 1 +/- eg2 mg...then the test could still be valid.
I know it's an overly simplistic suggestion ...but surely it should be possible given the widely held opinion that ADDers are calmed by Dex and nonADDers stimulated by Dex, to turn this idea into a (very necessary) 'hard' diagnostic test for ADD.
SB.