Adderall isn't working for me...

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Don't know sempiternal not really in on how the brain listens in on sounds & filters them out, other than "brain gamma wave" & the sound wave is attached to a gamma wave.

But then last time I looked they could not go forward because they needed to stick probes into a human, which was banned at time from doing.

Maybe it's messing with the "neurons" that control filtering. I don't really know what "adderall" does other than what ( Ritalin does tranquillizes ). Other than they say “Adderall lasts longer”. Not really big on drugs really don't research much into them.

( But then I am very limited on knowledge in this subject, so someone who better knows would be able to tell you how the brain filters out sound, unless it's still a theory or been disproved. )

10mg isn't a big dose. People generally start on a low dose and work their way up after their system gets used to the effects.

You'll probably notice more of an effect when it gets bumped up to 20.

Adderall (like every stimulant, yes, even caffeine) clogs up dopamine receptors so your brain thinks it needs to release more. Also, no, really, adderall's amphetamine (dextroamphetamine) is the strongest of all amphetamines (meth is not included; don't get confused with it); it's a nootropic (aka smart drug). Adderall does have the strongest amp, but almost all amphetamines have the same half-life time, some people just don't notice that it's still there; it's half-life is, on average, 4-5 hours with IR, and 10-12 hours with XR.

I had the same reaction to stimulants (Dexedrine), a lot of the mental noise vanished and concentration improved, yet all the core aspie features were still there, so I viewed it as not working well, or at least not enough benefit to justify the medication.

Jason

The XR capsules or Adderall itself?



Yeah, I know. My psychiatrist also said she's increasing the dosage up to 20 mg during my next appointment.

Just the XR capsules.

Well Adderall is basically prescribed speed, so that's important to keep in mind. I can't imagine it would be a good fit for autistics, given that our brains are always working in overdrive as it is. This med is best prescribed for someone with ADD who can't focus or pay attention-- but NOT for someone who is going through constant sensory overload. I would think it will just make our symptoms worse.

Check out "Problem Child," my published memoir of life with autism.

Alex, I have to disagree with you that the XR capsules are "better" ~ I can't stand Adderall in that form. I much prefer the tablets.

For me, the most disagreeable side effect is the antsy, yucky feeling I get when the medication is wearing off, after having reached its peak of effectiveness (for that dose).

I have found that the XR takes forever to wear off, and the tablets wear off quickly. So the period of time that I feel uncomfortable from side effects is much shorter with the immediate-release tablets.

That's one reason I prefer the tablets over the XR. The other is price. Although I do currently have insurance, there have been times when I did not, and the XR costs at least three times as much as the tablets. Like hundreds of dollars, where I come from anyway.

I think it's a bad assumption that overactive minds = overstimulated brain. I remember flicking over some research that showed a lack of blood flow in the brain for ADHD, which would imply the opposite.

I think it's much more like the way the house lights flash during a brownout, very distracting and an appearance of activity, but in reality there is a lack of power not too much.

Jason

I haven't been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder yet, and my psychiatrist thinks I'm more likely to have ADHD, so she prescibed me Adderall. I didn't want to sound too persistent for a diagnosis, so she assumed some of my Aspie traits to be ADHD or OCD symptoms.

I certainly show a lot of the traits and symptoms, but I'm not quite sure if I should go for the diagnosis. While I seem to be more sensitive to and distressed by certain sounds, smells, and textures than NTs are, it seems as though most people with ASD have more serious sensory issues. I'm usually the only one in a group/class to be distracted by the buzzing of the lights overhead, the only one who will jump, flinch, or even scream at loud/unexpected noises, be the last one to understand a joke, and when I was talking about the types of thoughts I usually mull on about throughout the day to an NT friend, she claimed that she's be extremely exhausted if she thought the way I do. Maybe I'm just very quirky?