You can learn a lot about the usual side effects of "Dex" by reading up on the experiences of speed junkies.
Oh, and by the way, there is no such thing as a side effect. Every change in your bodily system that is the result of something external becoming internalized is an effect. The fact that a medication has "side effects" is the proof that it is not an exact replacement for something your body is lacking, or it is proof that the medication is a toxin. Of course, many medicnes are toxins, that it nothing new.
Speed abusers are easy to spot by their excessive sweating. They don't often sweat when sitting or doing office work, but at relatively light exertion, such as carrying 5 bags of groceries up 1 fight of stairs, beads of sweat will be noticable on the forehead, or the palms will be moist. This sweating will occur even at normal room temperatures of 70 F.
Introversion and anxiety are also behaviors cultivated in speed junkies by the methamphetamine, along with grinding of teeth and tics, irritability, and of course, insomnia. But insominia is not really the right word for the junkie, as the junkie usually doesn't want to sleep at that time - too many things to do, lines of code to write, paintings to paint, music to compose.
Although some individuals who take speed socially and recreationally will seem to become gregarious while buzzing, this is usually because it was their original intent to party and they usually drink alcoholic beverages at the same time.
A few junkies loose weight, as they stop eating. But most long term junkies do gain weight, usually because of a period of sloth and overeating that sets in after they come down from the most recent high.
So, since you have some of the same symptoms as a speed junkie......
Oh, and by the way, it is expected of humans to endorse for others anything that gives themselves pleasure. This is due to a mechanism of the brain that seeks to cause it's creature to reaquire any substance that increases dopamine, serotonin and norapinephrine. The emotion of pride is invoked in the mind by the brain to combat any negative thoughts regarding that pleasure :"If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for anyone else" and "If it feels good, it must be good, how could I, the perfect ego, like something that is not good?"
Because of this, everyone runs the risk of overevaluating the goodness of anything that gives a neurochemical pleasure, even inverted pleasures such as cutting, hair pulling, and receiving tattoos.
abysslooksback38478.8469675926[QUOTE=abysslooksback]
Since you have the same symptoms as a speed junkie......
[/QUOTE]
Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who believes that ADHD is a made up condition.
abysslooksback, is that true? do you feel it's made up? honestly, I'm not angry or anything I'm just trying to find out...abysslooksback,
Though it's obvious that you like to come across as some sort of expert on the 'mechanisms of the brain', it's become glaringly apparent to me that you know very little of the reality of ADHD.
Sounds to me like you are a reformed 'speed-freak' whose chosen to make it your mission to keep anyone else off of it.
I find your posts personally offensive. This forum is NOT your soap box and I don't imagine that anyone here appreciates being preached to. I know I don't.
Please educate yourself a bit more before posting rants on a board that is meant to help people with real problems find real solutions.
Evvy38478.9281712963I'm going to ask my doctor on wednesday to put me on AdderallXR since it has less side effects listed than Strattera. Strat made my stomach sick, and made me constantly on edge.Sweating? Oh god thats awful?!?! What the hell is up with that!!
Nah, just kidding. Im in exactly the same boat as you. I've been on dex for about a year, now, and i've noticed i sweat heaps more. I think its just your body temp going up from the increased metabolism/bloodflow, or whatever it is. Its nothing to worry about. Also, my weight has been anywhere between 72 and 85kg the past year, and it fluctuates heaps. Im an 19 year old guy from Perth, btw. Probably something to do with being a guy and living in Australia :P
Hello everyone
I just found this forum and think it is really helpful. I was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago as an adult and have been taking 15 to 20 mg of Dex a day for about 3 years. Generally I think it has been very beneficial (some of friends disagree) for me but have experienced some negative side effects and was wondering if anyone else gets these.
Probably the most annoying side effect I notice is excessive sweating. I seem to sweat significantly more when medicated, especially when exercising. I used to be really good at endurance events but now I sweat so much from the dex (I think) that I am too embarrassed to exercise as much anymore. I have also put on quite a few kilograms since taking the dex but I was too skinny before.
I am not sure if it is the actual dex making me sweat more or the increased anxiety and nervousness I seem to feel when medicated. I notice that if I concentrate on relaxing the sweat seems to decrease.
Just wondering if anyone else experienced any negative side effects from taking dex such as sweating or had any insight as to why this might be happening.
Once again I am saying the same thing.. Sorry everyone...
But try something different! Not all meds work the same for every adhd'r... Tell your doc you want to try ALL the treatments (that don't interfere with other meds you may be on) and experiment with what works best for you..
Personally, I wouldnt be able to tolerate social anxiety as a side effect and neither should you.
Thanks Jimbo you are a helpful man and it is great to hear from a fellow Perthy. You are right about the increased body temp just guess I shouldn't overdo it with the exercise. I used to be real skinny but since taking dex I have become a big guy so try to keep as fit as possible.
Do you experience any other side effects from taking the dex? What sort of dose do you take? I have become much more introverted since taking the meds and socialise much less. I used to be fairly comfortable socialising with people but now I am shy, anxious, paranoid and uncomfortable when around people. Think I have lost the spark that used to make me interesting and fun to be around.
On the positive side I am much more organized, efficient, focussed, productive, don't make silly mistakes and do significantly better academically.
Recently I have been thinking whether it is worth continuing taking dexies. Don't know if I want to be dependent on medication my whole life but it does seem to make life easier (just not as fun).
Sorry if I have rambled on way too much. Just feels great being able to discuss some of the concerns I have kept bottled up.
Cheers Mike
Honestly, dont worry about trying a different coctail of drugs. If they work for you, then go for it. Dont worry if you sweat a little more, its an expected side effect. Theres no point trying absolutely everything out there, confusing your body, then end up on dex again. Im going to keep taking them for as long as they keep working, or until i dont need them anymore. If, however, you feel the negatives outweigh the good effects, then maybe you should consider something else. We seem to only have dex and ritalin over here, so i dont know what else there is to try. My main side effect is insomnia, and im constantly on the can. Also, my mood swings occasionally.
So where from perth you from? Im from bibra lake... (if youre not sure where that is, think Adventure world :P)
Jimbo38478.2187847222Evvy:
There is little about ADD/ADHD I don't know, I am well read in the area. For instance, I know that you can't offer any conclusive proof that it is a disease or disorder. I know how many of the published findings of, for instance, reduced brain size, have been rigged. That medical researchers would rig their research should ring some alarm bells. Recent findings of radiologists concerning front to back neural fibers being underdeveloped in ADD/ADHD patients are inconclusive. For one thing, the study group was too small, and the appearance of those structures across the whole human poplulation is unkown. What still has to be shown is that such "diminished" neural fibers don't exist in so called "normals". Also, it has to be shown that the fibers did not develope simply due to learning, and not due to the stimulant itself.
I am not a reformed speed addict. I did snort crystal meth once, and that was enough to tell me it was not a wise thing to do. I couldn't wait for the drug to wear off. I have had the unfortunate opportunity to observe a number of speed freaks, due to the nature of my work.
You find my post personally offensive because your lower brain is enamored to and addicted to stimulants, a normal physiological response. Any information now taken in by your eyes or ears that has a negative opinion of stimulants will cause your lower brain to prompt hour higher brain, where mind and language reside, to form a defensive reaction. In most people, the lower brain rules the higher brain/mind. Of course I am subject to this same relationship. But I admit of it.
Notice how many people who smoke marijuana invent rationalizations, like it makes them more spiritually attuned, or allows them so see the goodness in all of humanity, and so on, ala Alan Watts and others. The bottom line is that marijuana is pleasurable, and that's it. No justifications should be needed, but people make them up anyway.
See my other post to you about resentment. You definately have a case of resentment. No one who has equanimity in their views or opinions can develope resentment at the view of another. Resentment CAN arise from suffering an act of cruelty or injustice - niether of which I have perpetrated.
Words, literally arrangements of letters on your computer monitor, have triggered resentment in you - an actual change in your neurotransmitter profile. Very highly sensitive, I would say. Such a sensitivity indicates you have more going on .....
You may think at this point I am attacking you or something. No. What I wish for you is that you have a calm mind and a good sense of equanimity. I want all that is good for you. So, since I want all that is good for you, it is difficult for me to want you to be on a stimulant, which I think causes a net negative over time.
If you were a diabetic, I would not want you to go off your insulin. If ADD/ADHD was identified positively as some kind of physical anomaly, and there was an elegant and precisely targeted medicine for it, with no or only inconsequential undesirable effects, then I would have no objections.
Good Luck
Once again, you've missed the mark. I didn't say that you know very little ABOUT adhd. But that you know nothing of the REALITY of it. Many here do. I do. There's much to read and many studies to take in. But if you are not ADHD, then you have no clue as to the reality of it. I've lived with it and the consequences undiagnosed for 35 years untill 3 months ago. I've spent those last 3 months ....
In the midst of my thoughts I've realized that responding to you is pointless.. You don't know what you think you do. For the first time in my life my eyes are truely open. And nothing you say will ever change my mind.
Color me a 'speed-junkie'.
Good luck with your soap box.
Thanks guys for your responses.
Cheers Jimbo, I think you are right to stick to something that is generally working and to reassess periodically to ensure the benefits are greater than the costs. By the way I live in Carine and Adventure World rocks.
I think Abysslooksback has made some interesting points. I am open to any advice and keen to hear all sides of the story. The thought of being seen as a 'speed junkie' is very distressing for me. I believe my excessive sweating is noticeable and I hope people don't see me as a speed junkie, maybe I am.
However I can't say my experience supports your statements. Since being diagnosed with adult ADHD and taking Dex I have made some major improvements in my life that seem to be from the improved brain functioning. This includes finishing my degree, getting a good job, completing my professional qualification, getting out of financial difficulty, buying a house and getting married. So while there are negative effects from the taking the Dex the improved quality of my life would suggest continuing medication.
I would prefer not to be medicated and have seen three different phsychiatrists to confirm my Adult ADHD diagnosis. They all agree and believe for now medication is recommended for me. I am no brain doctor but from my own research can see Adult ADHD is not an absolutely proven condition. I get concerned about the long term effects of taking dex over the long term but am informed from the Drs that this sort of med is one of the most researched drugs and many people have taken if for years without any long term problems. For now I guess the best option is to continue taking the dex while it is still beneficial and hopefully over time I can deal with this condition without medication.