Dextroamphetamine, or amphetamine salts, refer to a stimulant drug prescribed to people who suffer from varying levels of attention deficit disorders, most commonly ADD and ADHD. This drug is better known by the names Concerta, Ritalin or Vyvanse, but most commonly, Adderall. As someone who is affected by severe ADD, I have been prescribed Adderall since I was fifteen years old. When people discover that the pill I take every morning just so happens to be this stimulant, they become curious.
Here are some of the craziest questions and reactions I've gotten about Adderall:
1. "You take Adderall? I bet you have straight A's!"
I think this one gets on my nerves more than anything else. Adderall doesn't produce easy A's. Of course, if you're misusing the drug, then that could be a different story. But if you actually NEED it, that is not the case. School doesn't become easier in the sense that this medication makes you smarter. It just makes it less difficult to focus.
2. "OMG why are you shaking like that?!"
Ahh, one of the many side effects of this medication. Adderall is a stimulant (even though it essentially has the opposite effect for somebody who suffers from ADD or ADHD), so feeling like you just consumed gallons of Red Bull is unfortunately very common. It isn't as bad for some people as it is for others, but it's definitely something that I experience. Caffeine also intensifies the shakiness, so for avid coffee drinkers, this side effect might be one of the worst.
3. "But you don't seem like you have ADD!"
So I guess the Adderall must be working, huh?
4. "ADD isn't real."
It never ceases to amaze me how many people believe this. Check your facts please.
5. "That's not fair! You're so lucky!" or "How did you get your doctor to put you on it?!"
Lucky?! Without Adderall, it takes me literally years to complete even the simplest, most menial of tasks. (OK maybe not years, but you get the point.) I get distracted about a million times before I finally get around to doing something. It's not something I'm proud of, and it's embarrassing to admit, but I totally have the attention span of a chipmunk when I forget to take my medication. Homework takes forever because focusing on the information in front of me is physically exhausting. It's frustrating and upsetting not being able to focus on a certain task, no matter how simple or insignificant it might be. I'm not sure about you, but I wouldn't exactly call that lucky...
At the end of the day, Adderall isn't a magic pill. I promise you. Ask anyone who has ever been prescribed the drug. It's not something I want to take, just like ADD isn't something I want to have. I never asked my doctor to put me on Adderall, and I'd be willing to bet that anyone you encounter who takes it as well will tell you the same thing.
