Dexadrine

[Lucy_Sky_Diamonds]

hey, whats up. first time poster. Just got a question for you guys. Im an 18 year old guy who has been struggling with mild depression(nothing suicidal or anything) and lack of confidence for many years. Ive suffered from depression since I was 11 or 12 which was around the same time that i was diagnosed with OCD and perscribed Paxil. I used Paxil for a little over a year and i found that it helped me get over the bad OCD i had, and i havent had a problem with it since. However i still feel low and useless a lot of the time and i have very low self confidence. The other day i took a 25mg dose of my friends perscribed Dexadrine and it was awesome. I was not self concious or unsure of myself at all, it really allowed me to just be me. Im just wondering what you think the best way of dealing with my situation would be? should i go see a doctor and see if i could be put on an anti depressant? or a confidence boosting drug (if such a thing exists) If anyone has any advice for me id be glad to hear it.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Please read the forum rules especially regarding self-incrimination

[staples]

I would first suggest reading through the forum rules and guidelines. It is illegal to take a controlled substance not prescribed by a licensed physician, and admitting such behavior would be self incriminating.

Dexedrine is primarily used for treatment of ADD/ADHD, but are sometimes used for treatment of depression as well. I think it's unlikely that any doctor would try dexedrine for either of these symptoms right away, but if someone had taken dexedrine before talking to a doctor, that someone should tell him/her about it, instead of ask for it. Doctors will look for signs of drug-seeking behavior.

SWIY should be honest with his doctor and himself, he wants to be healthy, not addicted, right?

[Lucy_Sky_Diamonds]

Originally Posted by staples

I would first suggest reading through the forum rules and guidelines. It is illegal to take a controlled substance not prescribed by a licensed physician, and admitting such behavior would be self incriminating.

Dexedrine is primarily used for treatment of ADD/ADHD, but are sometimes used for treatment of depression as well. I think it's unlikely that any doctor would try dexedrine for either of these symptoms right away, but if someone had taken dexedrine before talking to a doctor, that someone should tell him/her about it, instead of ask for it. Doctors will look for signs of drug-seeking behavior.

SWIY should be honest with his doctor and himself, he wants to be healthy, not addicted, right?

i apologize for using self incrimination, i assure you that my future posts will not contain anything of that sort. And i have no intention of straight up asking the doctor for any drug, because i know they will see i would be drug seeking. SWIM plans on being 100% honest with the doctor and although does not want to be addicted thinks that some type of medication may help SWIM out

[djSIM]

Originally Posted by Lucy_Sky_Diamonds

i apologize for using self incrimination, i assure you that my future posts will not contain anything of that sort. And i have no intention of straight up asking the doctor for any drug, because i know they will see i would be drug seeking. SWIM plans on being 100% honest with the doctor and although does not want to be addicted thinks that some type of medication may help SWIM out

SWIM has learned the following from SWIM's experiences: the reason you feel so great is cos you're high on Dexdrine. It effectively turns off the shit that gets you down, and in the respect, hell yeah it great. BUT, think of it this way. To feel "normal", you will need to be high all the time... don't fool yourself by thinking that because Dexdrine is precribed for ADD/ADHD it's OK... you or SWIY may as well just drink alcohol or shoot coke. It's a lonely road..

[Paracelsus]

^^ That would be a good argument against medicinal use of opiates for pain relief, and maybe an argument against pharmacotherapy in general.

LSD: I would second staples' suggestion: Be 100% honest with the doctor, Don't say that you need Dexedrine. Also, don't be disappointed if you are prescribed something else (this, too, indicates drug-seeking behavior).

[staples]

My understanding of drug therapy, at least for behavioral issues. is that they condition your brain as to what 'normal' is.

You can induce the effects of coffee, sometimes right down to the taste, in someone else just by mentioning it. So then making you feel normal, and/or exhibit normal behavior, with a drug in every-day stimuli should condition your brain to associate the correct neurotransmitter levels with normal situations. Slowly removing the drug and eventually discontinuing it at the end of treatment should leave you with normal behavior and feelings.

I am no authority on the subject so that could be completely wrong. If it is, I'd appreciate any corrections, as I'm interested in the subject and will be studying it eventually.

[djSIM]

Originally Posted by Paracelsus

^^ That would be a good argument against medicinal use of opiates for pain relief, and maybe an argument against pharmacotherapy in general.).

LOL true, in a broad sense. I shouldve been more specific.

What I am getting at is that alot of people think that because they tried Dexadrine and it worked, that they have ADD/ADHD. 10 yrs ago when SWIM was diagnosed, the dr said that Dexedrine only effects the brain of ADD patients.... and that taking Dexedrine without ADD would be the equivalent to taking Tylenol/PAnadol without a headache (ie no noticable effect).

I'm sure SWIM isn;t in the minority here when it is said that I believe that far too many people are pinned as ADD. Of course Dexedrine will help you concentrate on boring monotonous tasks, and to feel alert and have a sense of well-being and cofidence... that's the effect it has on the brain!

I'm not judging anyone here, and nor do I want it to sound so, but in SWIM's experience (and SWIM acknowledges this doesn't apply to everyone) the Dexedrine fills the need for that "sense of normality" that one has been missing until starting on the drug, but it can quickly become a coping mechanism for what the real problem may be (not necessarily ADD).

Anyway, SWIM is aware this won't be understood unless you've been down that road. My intentions were better said by Paracelsus:

Originally Posted by Paracelsus

I would second staples' suggestion: Be 100% honest with the doctor, Don't say that you need Dexedrine. Also, don't be disappointed if you are prescribed something else.

In all honesty, Dexedrine may be just what you need, but SWIM implores you to go into this with an open mind and honestly. Because if it isn;t what you need, you may be back where you started a few years down the track with alot more questions than when you started.

All the best

[JaWill88]

swim must say that it sounds like swiLSD was never even thinking about getting/asking for dexedrine but every swiy who posted so far seems to assume so. how about some swiys actually posting about what swilsd was asking for? swim would be kind of pissed off if swim wrote that same post and people automatically assumed swim was searching for dexedrine or something like that. nowhere in swiys post did it say swiy wanted to be prescribed dexedrine. anyways swims opinion is if anti depressants helped in the past than they should definately be tried again. swiy said it got rid of the OCD but while swim was on SSRI did swiy feel the low/useless feeling then too? if not then ssri would definately be a good choice. if not, swiy should really talk to his doctor about what swiy is feeling and go from there. and at this moment in time swim doesn't know about any drugs specifically prescribed for boosting self confidence but if there is swim would like some too lol.

Reputation Comments on this post:

thanks for pointing that out and good reply to the op!! :)

[djSIM]

Well the post is titled Dexadrine and iiit s located in the amphetamine section, so I didn't think it was a far stretch to say he may have been considering trying to get a script for Dexedrine, considering he found it so effective.

I've given the best advice SWIM can ... be honest with your doctor or they can't help.

As far as how SWIM would solve the problem... I'd go to a GP, get a referral for a psychiatrist (preferably recommended by people in the medical community ie pharmacist, other patients), then go in there and tell them how SWIM felt and what SWIM wanted to achieve (ie self-conifdence issues). And last but not least, SWIM would get a second opinion on everything.

[IntrepidTraveler]

If confidence boosting is what SWIY is seeking--and he doesn't want to build a drug habit with addictive benzos and other such medication--anti-depressants are a possible solution. Perhaps a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor would be appropriate. Many medical researchers attribute depression and anxiety (which are often inextricably linked to low confidence and self-esteem) to a lack of stimulation of the recipient neurons (which receive neruotransmitters like serotonin--the neruotransmitter famous for its mood-altering effects) at the synapses between nerve cells in the brain. To stimulate the recipient neruons, SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin. As a result, the serotonin stays in the synaptic gap longer than it normally would, and may be recognized again (and again) by the receptors of the recipient cell, stimulating it. SWIM can attest personally to the efficacy of SSRIs for the treatment of anxiety, and has seen it help many others aswell. However, the literature indicates that the effectiveness of such drugs varies from individual to individual, so SWIY might need to try a whole range of anti-depressants before he finds the best one for him. This is something that SWIY should definitely discuss with his physician/psychiatrist.