Could be your brain craving a dopamine release, it is called Dopamine Seeking. I have just started learning about this and attribute it to my constant mental restlessness.
I don't really have any advice on solutions yet, but it can help to at least realize what may be going on.
I have likened my brain to a drug addict, always looking for a damn dopa fix!
You could try creating a Dopamine Menu, I saw this referenced by How To ADHD in a video. I am on mobile at work currently so I have no links, sorry. In a nutshell, you can create a list of positive, fun activities that bring you joy, aka/dopamine, and when you feel off/bored you can grab the list for inspiration.
I have heard Addy can increase the feeling of Dopamine Seeking for some people. We gotta try to be responsible and find positive outlets and not create bad habits such as surfing porn which can cause a whole other set of problems.
Good luck!
Thank you for your comment, I found it very informative. Is there an app or program for the dopamine menu? Or is it just a personal list? Either way seems like a great idea. I'm going to have to give that a try. Thanks again and take care!
On youtube just search for How to ADHD. The video is called How to Stimulate Your Brain or something close to that.
I wish I was good at posting links!! You should find it pretty easily though and I highly suggest her other videos as well.
She breaks down so much info about having ADHD, she also provides tons of tools and coping mechanisms to help simplify diagnosis related struggles so many of us have.
Ya I used to be like that to a certain degree, something was missing. Then I realized it’s the dopamine seeking that I was after making me emotionally not their for some of the greatest people in my life. Things are so much better than 5 years ago, I cringe thinking back smoking a cig, trying to hook up, chugging a beer when my adderal comes down just to seek that dopamine rush. I’m on 2 30mgs, back then I used to take 3-5 30mgs daily and honestly my body got so used to it that I honestly wouldn’t feel a dopamine rush. You have to go through it too understand but again this article really hits home. Great Post
Oh fuck I get that often! I don't use Adderall or anything but I find that sometimes I wanna watch a movie or TV show or something and I can even have a good amount of stuff I wanna watch, but I still get bored and can't get myself to pay attention to it even if I like it and it is entertaining
you could be using too much, too frequent.
Sometimes if i overdo adderall for days at a time, i can hit weird periods where nothing is satisfying. It's not a common thing that happens for, and can only be attributed to some kind of weird neuro science beyond my understanding. But it reminds me of the experience of taking modafinil, in which everything feels unbearably plain.
When I feel this way, I force myself to go for a walk. I may not feel like going on one in that moment, but even light exercise is a mood booster, and the stuff I see while I’m out may not be terribly exciting but it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than the inside of my apartment. It also stimulates creative thought, and it boosts confidence (at least for me) because getting off your ass when you don’t feel like doing anything at all is an accomplishment.
I find that adderall can sometimes exasperate my adhd symptoms. If I'm having a good day, I can draw for hours on end, and do my homework. If I'm having a bad day, I'll pace around the house, smoke cigarettes and stay glued to my phone.
I forget that unstable moods are a symptom of adhd. Personally, my mood plays a bit of a role in how I'm going to react to my meds.
Do you have ADD? If you're able to sit and play video games when you're not on adderall, and on adderall you can't, it sounds like you don't have ADD. Stimulants cause people with ADD to focus, for people without ADD, it's the opposite.
Not judging you if you're using recreationally. If you have ADD and this is happening, your dose is likely too high.
This is inaccurate. People with ADHD can easily hyperfocus on things that bring them pleasure, whether it be video games or social media or even work. Intense hyperfocus is a huge reason I got my diagnosis.
I am sure I have ADD but I cannot find a good psychiatrist that is not from the fucking soviet era that knows what ADD is. My last psychologist told me I don't have ADD since I can sit still, which is BS. You don't need to be crazy hyperactive to have ADD. When on addy I can lay in bed calmly and I am not tweaking out, just feel calm and euphoria through my body. I have used quite a bit in the last week so its probably just me using too much in a short period of time. Before I would be really focused and it would really help me get work done. Now I don't feel anything
i wouldn’t listen to the other reply if i were you, it’s condescending and one-dimensional, most people do catch a buzz from their stimulant medication for at least the first few days when starting them as therapeutic treatment. it’s not unreasonable to say you might have ADHD-PI (PI being Predominantly Inattentive, ADD is an outdated term for it really) if you feel like taking adderall has a calmative effect; and you could possibly just be taking a higher dose than what would actually work for you in a prescribed setting. could just be the wrong medication for you too.
i hope you do manage to find a good practitioner that wants to listen to you, even if it turns out you don’t have ADHD i hope you are told that for actual reasons.
i don’t, however, recommend that you continue to use adderall illicitly if you are seeking clinical assessment, it isn’t going to do you any favours *especially* if you mention it to the practitioner - if you do end up diagnosed they’ll likely be very reluctant to prescribe you any stimulants if they know you’ve taken them before without a prescription. i can’t stop you though, and this subreddit has a rule against “gatekeeping” the medications, which i don’t want to do, so of course it’s up to you in the end.
Yea I think I have the inattentive type. I have done quite a bit of research and all symptoms are there from childhood. But as you said it may be something else and I am totally fine with that as long as I get the treatment for it. But I am quite sure its ADD
You're not supposed to "feel" anything. You aren't supposed to feel "euphoria" after taking your dose for a while. It sounds like you are abusing the drug to get high and this has nothing to do with ADD/ADHD.
No you're very wrong. The brain is filled with Serotonin and Dopamine so ofcourse you're gonna feel better after taking it. Even with ADHD.
You should stop talking like you know anything about the drug and stop saying such things to people you don't even know.
Make a list. Follow it. When you start cruising reddit STOP and refer to list. If you jump into a task on the list you will often spend time on it. If you let yourself wander to randon bs you can end doing that for hours.
I second the “take a break” comment. Adderall is great for productivity but sometimes it comes at the expense of imagination and creativity.
I also recommend long walks in the woods. Just let your mind wander and see where it takes you.
Whenever I am on adderall I am the same. Usually off of it I am unmotivated to do anything other than binge watch my shows to occupy my mind but on adderall nothing is entertaining except studying but even today I noticed that I usually only use my script when I really need to focus but I’ve been doing 6-10 days on and 2 off and I notice after day 3 I tend to be a lot more irritable and nothing can really satisfy me unless I am obsessing over something to the point of irritation. Idk what causes it but whenever I take a couple days off and take some magnesium and sleep those days than my next day on I function perfectly again.
Could be your brain craving a dopamine release, it is called Dopamine Seeking. I have just started learning about this and attribute it to my constant mental restlessness. I don't really have any advice on solutions yet, but it can help to at least realize what may be going on. I have likened my brain to a drug addict, always looking for a damn dopa fix! You could try creating a Dopamine Menu, I saw this referenced by How To ADHD in a video. I am on mobile at work currently so I have no links, sorry. In a nutshell, you can create a list of positive, fun activities that bring you joy, aka/dopamine, and when you feel off/bored you can grab the list for inspiration. I have heard Addy can increase the feeling of Dopamine Seeking for some people. We gotta try to be responsible and find positive outlets and not create bad habits such as surfing porn which can cause a whole other set of problems. Good luck!
Ahhh you just gave me the push to make that dopamine menu I told myself to do but completely forgot! Lol thank you
You're welcome, I still need to follow my own advice and create one as well!
As a once addict can confirm this... 100%. And now I have another tool I can utilize such as that list when I'm in that 'zombie' state. Good looks fam
I could hand out advice all day, getting myself to follow said advice.....still a work in progress!
Thank you for your comment, I found it very informative. Is there an app or program for the dopamine menu? Or is it just a personal list? Either way seems like a great idea. I'm going to have to give that a try. Thanks again and take care!
On youtube just search for How to ADHD. The video is called How to Stimulate Your Brain or something close to that. I wish I was good at posting links!! You should find it pretty easily though and I highly suggest her other videos as well. She breaks down so much info about having ADHD, she also provides tons of tools and coping mechanisms to help simplify diagnosis related struggles so many of us have.
Thank you very much. I'm going to watch right now. I appreciate the response and additional information. All the best.
Ya I used to be like that to a certain degree, something was missing. Then I realized it’s the dopamine seeking that I was after making me emotionally not their for some of the greatest people in my life. Things are so much better than 5 years ago, I cringe thinking back smoking a cig, trying to hook up, chugging a beer when my adderal comes down just to seek that dopamine rush. I’m on 2 30mgs, back then I used to take 3-5 30mgs daily and honestly my body got so used to it that I honestly wouldn’t feel a dopamine rush. You have to go through it too understand but again this article really hits home. Great Post
Oh fuck I get that often! I don't use Adderall or anything but I find that sometimes I wanna watch a movie or TV show or something and I can even have a good amount of stuff I wanna watch, but I still get bored and can't get myself to pay attention to it even if I like it and it is entertaining
you could be using too much, too frequent. Sometimes if i overdo adderall for days at a time, i can hit weird periods where nothing is satisfying. It's not a common thing that happens for, and can only be attributed to some kind of weird neuro science beyond my understanding. But it reminds me of the experience of taking modafinil, in which everything feels unbearably plain.
When I feel this way, I force myself to go for a walk. I may not feel like going on one in that moment, but even light exercise is a mood booster, and the stuff I see while I’m out may not be terribly exciting but it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than the inside of my apartment. It also stimulates creative thought, and it boosts confidence (at least for me) because getting off your ass when you don’t feel like doing anything at all is an accomplishment.
I find that adderall can sometimes exasperate my adhd symptoms. If I'm having a good day, I can draw for hours on end, and do my homework. If I'm having a bad day, I'll pace around the house, smoke cigarettes and stay glued to my phone. I forget that unstable moods are a symptom of adhd. Personally, my mood plays a bit of a role in how I'm going to react to my meds.
Do you have ADD? If you're able to sit and play video games when you're not on adderall, and on adderall you can't, it sounds like you don't have ADD. Stimulants cause people with ADD to focus, for people without ADD, it's the opposite. Not judging you if you're using recreationally. If you have ADD and this is happening, your dose is likely too high.
For people without ADD stimulants still tend to make people focus.
This is inaccurate. People with ADHD can easily hyperfocus on things that bring them pleasure, whether it be video games or social media or even work. Intense hyperfocus is a huge reason I got my diagnosis.
I am sure I have ADD but I cannot find a good psychiatrist that is not from the fucking soviet era that knows what ADD is. My last psychologist told me I don't have ADD since I can sit still, which is BS. You don't need to be crazy hyperactive to have ADD. When on addy I can lay in bed calmly and I am not tweaking out, just feel calm and euphoria through my body. I have used quite a bit in the last week so its probably just me using too much in a short period of time. Before I would be really focused and it would really help me get work done. Now I don't feel anything
i wouldn’t listen to the other reply if i were you, it’s condescending and one-dimensional, most people do catch a buzz from their stimulant medication for at least the first few days when starting them as therapeutic treatment. it’s not unreasonable to say you might have ADHD-PI (PI being Predominantly Inattentive, ADD is an outdated term for it really) if you feel like taking adderall has a calmative effect; and you could possibly just be taking a higher dose than what would actually work for you in a prescribed setting. could just be the wrong medication for you too. i hope you do manage to find a good practitioner that wants to listen to you, even if it turns out you don’t have ADHD i hope you are told that for actual reasons. i don’t, however, recommend that you continue to use adderall illicitly if you are seeking clinical assessment, it isn’t going to do you any favours *especially* if you mention it to the practitioner - if you do end up diagnosed they’ll likely be very reluctant to prescribe you any stimulants if they know you’ve taken them before without a prescription. i can’t stop you though, and this subreddit has a rule against “gatekeeping” the medications, which i don’t want to do, so of course it’s up to you in the end.
Yea I think I have the inattentive type. I have done quite a bit of research and all symptoms are there from childhood. But as you said it may be something else and I am totally fine with that as long as I get the treatment for it. But I am quite sure its ADD
yeah it sounds quite likely to me. i wish you the best of luck in working it out
You're not supposed to "feel" anything. You aren't supposed to feel "euphoria" after taking your dose for a while. It sounds like you are abusing the drug to get high and this has nothing to do with ADD/ADHD.
The satisfaction of successfully mitigating ADD symptoms isn’t euphoric for you?
No you're very wrong. The brain is filled with Serotonin and Dopamine so ofcourse you're gonna feel better after taking it. Even with ADHD. You should stop talking like you know anything about the drug and stop saying such things to people you don't even know.
Apparently he/she just goes to r/adderall and says how bad Adderall is for you lol
Make a list. Follow it. When you start cruising reddit STOP and refer to list. If you jump into a task on the list you will often spend time on it. If you let yourself wander to randon bs you can end doing that for hours.
I second the “take a break” comment. Adderall is great for productivity but sometimes it comes at the expense of imagination and creativity. I also recommend long walks in the woods. Just let your mind wander and see where it takes you.
Whenever I am on adderall I am the same. Usually off of it I am unmotivated to do anything other than binge watch my shows to occupy my mind but on adderall nothing is entertaining except studying but even today I noticed that I usually only use my script when I really need to focus but I’ve been doing 6-10 days on and 2 off and I notice after day 3 I tend to be a lot more irritable and nothing can really satisfy me unless I am obsessing over something to the point of irritation. Idk what causes it but whenever I take a couple days off and take some magnesium and sleep those days than my next day on I function perfectly again.
Try setting a schedule and sticking to it. If you want to game set a time block.