Sweet, sweet, pseudoephedrine | ADHD Information
I think pseudoephedrine wins my award for "Best OTC drug, evar".
Without PSE I feel slow and in a haze, it's hard for me to get anything
done at work. With it, things seem to clear and I can
focus. I can't wait for my diagnosis so I can get a real drug,
but until then, I've gotta say... PSE is incredibly helpful for
me. The difference in productivity at work for me is staggering.
On a 120mg dose atm. 60mg is the normal "decongestant" dose.
I find this absolutely fascinating. I take a Claritin Extra tablet every day due to my allergies. (Each tablet contains 5 mg loratadine & 120 mg pseudoephedrine sulfate.) I also take 20 ml.of Dexedrine twice a day (for severe ADHD) & Wellbutrin SR & Zoloft for depression. I don't always take my meds when I get up, but wait until I eat. Sometimes I'll get involved with something & not eat. Then, -especially if I am working on the computer- I will feel this foggy/sleepy veil descend over me. I've always thought that was an allergy problem. Now I wonder. Guess it doesn't matter. ADD is always present, that's for sure!
60mg doesn't do anything for me. You build a tolerance to
stimulants... but not *that* fast :) I started out at 90mg, and
that worked pretty well for a while, especially when used with vivarin
(caffeine). Unfortunately, the effects of caffeine on dopamine
levels is very short lived, so I went to mostly PSE instead. A
single dose will carry me from the morning to evening, and not mess
with my sleep that much. The biological half-life of PSE is about
12 hours. I've never heard of any problems with the liver or
kidney from stimulants, the main risk is underlying heart problems.
More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoephedrine -- you'll note
the similarities to Adderall: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphetamine
as both are in the same family of drugs
The only side effect I notice is drymouth, and insomnia if I take it
too late in the day. But everyone is different.
(EDIT: Also, my pulse rate increases by 10 bpm, and my blood
pressure rises by about 10-20 mmHg as well)
I also don't quite use it every day. Almost never on the
weekends, just when I need to get stuff done at work. Otherwise I
just sit there in a slow mental haze and don't accomplish much.
RandomUser38415.3273263889I can't afford a diagnosis or meds so I've tried the Sudafed thing a few times. I take 60mg and it lasts only
about 6 hours for me. I don't want to take too high a dosage because I
don't want to develop a tolerance for it. I only do it occasionally
when it's absolutely necessary. I'm worried that if I take it too often
I will eventually be swallowing half a box of pills to get through the
day.
scarygreengiant38415.3585185185
Well, people can use Adderall for years to treat ADD, taking it several
times a day with no impairment to its ability to treat ADD, and given
how similar both drugs act upon the brain I'm not sure why that
wouldn't hold up for PSE either. I think the tolerance of this
class of drugs must be in other areas.
Edit: Tried a dose of 150mg today. Didn't like it, no
better CNS stimulation than 120mg but increased side effects.
120mg seems to be my limit.
RandomUser38415.4341319444Now I know I'm not the only one who has tried this to see if it works!
I cannot afford a diagnosis, so I can't get the real drugs either. I tried Pseudoephedrine to study for a midterm last week, and it seemed to work for a little bit. But I took some more the next day (for the exam itself), and it didn't seem to do much good, if any!
I had heard that stimulants cause a tolerance effect very quickly, but don't know if that's the reason why.
I tried taking only 60mg each time. I was afraid for my liver, LOL, to take any more than that. Does anyone know exactly how dangerous this may be for the liver and/or kidneys?
By the way, how long have you been taking 120mg doses?? How long do the effects seem to last?
Can you provide a URL link to more information on this?
Thanks.
One other question... when you take a 120mg dose, do you notice any side-effects? (like heart palpitations, come-down, etc.)I cant take it. Ritalin doesnt give me palpatations... psuedoephrine does. I cant even tolerate decongestants...sucks when i am sick..like now