25 replies to this topic

[Melchoire]

A friend of mine give me a 15mg capsule of dextroamphetamine. This stuff really works well, totally gets me to focus and get stuff done. I constantly have this little voice in my head that says, "Lets go! Lets get this done!"

I still have a little bit of it left. Another friend promised to let me try some of his adderall. With finals coming up in the next 2 weeks I asked for 3 tablets. He said the year that he got hooked on it he had the highest GPA he ever had.

So I wanted to hear second opinions. Have any of you ever tried it? Did it work? What was the downside?

[Junsu]

I found a school's newspaper doing a report on such pills:

http://elestoque.org...-drugs-for-sat/

“If you start thinking [that] your success is because of the pill rather than your own ability,” Altmann said, “then the next time [you take a test], you won’t trust your ability [to succeed].”

Edited by Junsu, 03 December 2011 - 03:07 PM.

[holaCarlos]

And I thought this was a thread about learning techniques...

Nope. No study aids. I wonder what biochemical pathways those work on to make you so productive and if there are more natural alternatives.

[Waser Lave]

You could probably get a similar effect with caffeine/caffeine tablets.

[Jake]

What happened to the old fashioned ways of lighting up a bong to pay more attention in class? Personally it never worked for me but I hear some very good things come from doing it.

[WharfRat]

And I thought this was a thread about learning techniques...

Nope. No study aids. I wonder what biochemical pathways those work on to make you so productive and if there are more natural alternatives.

I'm glad that you asked!

FYI Melchoire, Adderall is simply a racemic mixture of amphetamine salts. (Dextroamphetamine being one of them.) In fact, I always found dextroamphetamine to be much more clean and "user-friendly."

As to how these drugs work? Well, they are AMPHETAMINES! (Like... add a CH3 (methyl group) and you have methamphetamine....) They work predominantly by causing a flood of epinephrine/norepinephrine across the synapses and they also act as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. [I'm trying to keep this simple.... When you think norepinehprine you should think adrenaline.... "fight or flight mode." When you think dopamine..... dopamine is essentially the neurochemical that is associated with pleasure. Think sex, food, gambling, smoking, etc.... Instantaneous pleasure... So amphetamines act to both flood your body with adrenaline and also to stop your body from "absorbing" the dopamine back up once it has been released...) I hope this answered your question!

As to you, Melchoire; I have an extended history with amphetamine/methamphetamine use for both recreation and studying. I will tell you that there is most certainly a bell shaped response curve. You will see immediate results that are great right away.... Then you will actually see your performance deteriorate well below what it ever started out at. Along with this deterioration your body will also begin to crap out on you. I know that my blood pressure at times was 205/171 pules 220 which undoubtedly will cause long term damage to my heart. (Surprising I'm alive, tbh....) But I can assure you that your health is not what you are going to be concerned with right now.... Because of the immense release of norepinephrine repeatedly, your body will begin to severely reduce the amount that it naturally produces. (The same is true for dopamine... your body will think that it has a new mechanism for supply and thus will not continue to produce/release more.) It's this neurochemical battle that makes methamphetamine HANDS DOWN the most addictive drug ever. Your body will actually become dependent upon amphetamines to initially feel awake, alert, and/or any pleasure at all. Which is okay, presuming you don't factor in your health or any monetary concerns... But eventually, you will actually stop producing those neurochemicals entirely.... So then you are going to be taking amphetamines to TRY to feel close to what you would normally without chemical enhancement. The situation will continue to deteriorate until you are simply unable to derive pleasure from anything at all.

As you know, I have an extensive history with a LOT of drugs. (The popular ones and the designer ones...) Methamphetamine is the only drug that really grabbed me by the balls and almost took my life from me. The only drug that truly made life so miserable, I would have preferred not to live any longer. It starts out fun... but it ends very badly. My A's turned into struggling for D's... My life in shambles. I urge you to leave the amphetamines alone... The worst part about amphetamine addiction is actually caused by the above.... Even once you're clean, your brain has already developed specific neurochemical pathways for these chemicals to be released... Your body associated the amphetamines as the only way to feel pleasure or to feel alive at all. So you feel like a lifeless zombie for a year or two after your last hit.

I promise... it sucks. Badly. Put the shit down while you can.


As to your initial question regarding study aids,

I do take aniracetam on a nearly daily basis for cognitive improvements and it has been a huge success. On top of that, the toxicity is ridiculously low. (p.s. amphetamines are one of the few drugs that are truly neurotoxic as well as cardiotoxic) I have to run right now, but if you have any questions regarding aniracetam, feel free to ask them and I'll respond later when I have more time.

Best of luck, pal.
-Cody

[Junsu]

I'm glad that you asked!

...

Best of luck, pal.
-Cody

Would it be bad if you used it a few times every year?
Lets say for Finals and such
Or perhaps the correct question should be how bad

Edited by Junsu, 03 December 2011 - 04:37 PM.

[luvsmyncis]

Dude, wtf. That's not a study aid.

What I know about it, is that it is a CII medication, which means- in the pharmacy we keep it locked up in a safe, in the state of Texas we can only dispense it if it is written on special paper, it has a high risk of dependency, and all the adult patients who use it are the biggest retards on the planet. I love looking at Cody's warning about this medication and then knowing that millions of kids are put on this stuff. I really can't wait for another 10 years or so when all these kids grow up, still addicted to this medication, and try to function in the world. We are in for a ton of HERP DERP.

But I think what makes me the most angry is your friends who are giving it to you are the same people who come to my pharmacy a week early to fill their Adderall saying they're out of medication and they 'don't know why' so it must be because WE shorted them, even though we double count all controls. Then, after wasting half an hour listening to how stupid this patient is, we have to go through the hassle of contacting their fucking doctors who don't even give a fuck to get permission to dispense a controlled substance early, just because little assholes are handing this shit to lazy people. Then after we finally fill the medication we get bitched at because the insurance won't pay for it this early and it's $400 and yadda yadda yadda. You're making my life fucking hard!!


I would never myself use this, Ritalin, OR Vyvanse, and even if I had a child born with shit-for-brains, I would never let my child be put on any of them.

[Melchoire]

What happened to the old fashioned ways of lighting up a bong to pay more attention in class? Personally it never worked for me but I hear some very good things come from doing it.

Yeh I used to hear that from some people, it's a load of horse shit if you ask me

I only know one person who can study and focus while high and they can do it while sober so it doesn't count.

I'm glad that you asked!

FYI Melchoire, Adderall is simply a racemic mixture of amphetamine salts. (Dextroamphetamine being one of them.) In fact, I always found dextroamphetamine to be much more clean and "user-friendly."

As to how these drugs work? Well, they are AMPHETAMINES! (Like... add a CH3 (methyl group) and you have methamphetamine....) They work predominantly by causing a flood of epinephrine/norepinephrine across the synapses and they also act as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor. [I'm trying to keep this simple.... When you think norepinehprine you should think adrenaline.... "fight or flight mode." When you think dopamine..... dopamine is essentially the neurochemical that is associated with pleasure. Think sex, food, gambling, smoking, etc.... Instantaneous pleasure... So amphetamines act to both flood your body with adrenaline and also to stop your body from "absorbing" the dopamine back up once it has been released...) I hope this answered your question!

As to you, Melchoire; I have an extended history with amphetamine/methamphetamine use for both recreation and studying. I will tell you that there is most certainly a bell shaped response curve. You will see immediate results that are great right away.... Then you will actually see your performance deteriorate well below what it ever started out at. Along with this deterioration your body will also begin to crap out on you. I know that my blood pressure at times was 205/171 pules 220 which undoubtedly will cause long term damage to my heart. (Surprising I'm alive, tbh....) But I can assure you that your health is not what you are going to be concerned with right now.... Because of the immense release of norepinephrine repeatedly, your body will begin to severely reduce the amount that it naturally produces. (The same is true for dopamine... your body will think that it has a new mechanism for supply and thus will not continue to produce/release more.) It's this neurochemical battle that makes methamphetamine HANDS DOWN the most addictive drug ever. Your body will actually become dependent upon amphetamines to initially feel awake, alert, and/or any pleasure at all. Which is okay, presuming you don't factor in your health or any monetary concerns... But eventually, you will actually stop producing those neurochemicals entirely.... So then you are going to be taking amphetamines to TRY to feel close to what you would normally without chemical enhancement. The situation will continue to deteriorate until you are simply unable to derive pleasure from anything at all.

As you know, I have an extensive history with a LOT of drugs. (The popular ones and the designer ones...) Methamphetamine is the only drug that really grabbed me by the balls and almost took my life from me. The only drug that truly made life so miserable, I would have preferred not to live any longer. It starts out fun... but it ends very badly. My A's turned into struggling for D's... My life in shambles. I urge you to leave the amphetamines alone... The worst part about amphetamine addiction is actually caused by the above.... Even once you're clean, your brain has already developed specific neurochemical pathways for these chemicals to be released... Your body associated the amphetamines as the only way to feel pleasure or to feel alive at all. So you feel like a lifeless zombie for a year or two after your last hit.

I promise... it sucks. Badly. Put the shit down while you can.


As to your initial question regarding study aids,

I do take aniracetam on a nearly daily basis for cognitive improvements and it has been a huge success. On top of that, the toxicity is ridiculously low. (p.s. amphetamines are one of the few drugs that are truly neurotoxic as well as cardiotoxic) I have to run right now, but if you have any questions regarding aniracetam, feel free to ask them and I'll respond later when I have more time.

Best of luck, pal.
-Cody

I knew I could get your attention.

All great information, I appreciate you really taking the time. I still have half of the dex cap left which I plan to take tomorrow and finish my last project.

Are you advising that do not even try adderall? I was gonna get 3 tablets from my friend and use them to study for the finals, I don't plan to make a habit of it. I have 5 finals and only 6 days to study for all of them. I'm normally very bad at staying focused, I get distracted easily etc...I don't have an addictive personality. I had a heroin habit for something like 4 months and I quit that cold turkey.

What do you think? Still not try it?

Dude, wtf. That's not a study aid.

What I know about it, is that it is a CII medication, which means- in the pharmacy we keep it locked up in a safe, in the state of Texas we can only dispense it if it is written on special paper, it has a high risk of dependency, and all the adult patients who use it are the biggest retards on the planet. I love looking at Cody's warning about this medication and then knowing that millions of kids are put on this stuff. I really can't wait for another 10 years or so when all these kids grow up, still addicted to this medication, and try to function in the world. We are in for a ton of HERP DERP.

But I think what makes me the most angry is your friends who are giving it to you are the same people who come to my pharmacy a week early to fill their Adderall saying they're out of medication and they 'don't know why' so it must be because WE shorted them, even though we double count all controls. Then, after wasting half an hour listening to how stupid this patient is, we have to go through the hassle of contacting their fucking doctors who don't even give a fuck to get permission to dispense a controlled substance early, just because little assholes are handing this shit to lazy people. Then after we finally fill the medication we get bitched at because the insurance won't pay for it this early and it's $400 and yadda yadda yadda. You're making my life fucking hard!!


I would never myself use this, Ritalin, OR Vyvanse, and even if I had a child born with shit-for-brains, I would never let my child be put on any of them.

If it's any consolation my friends get them illegally Oh and we live in Canada so there's that....

Your stories sound cool...got any more?

[California]

They call Adderall kiddie cocaine for a reason. I know kids that talk like they're on Charlie's warlock dust.

[jargon]

Ahah when I came to the board, I was thinking somewhere along the lines of having a tutor or a study buddy.
I hear those work pretty well too.

But no I don't take any study aids. I used to be a bit of a caffeine addict, but I quit that since buying coffee and energy drinks cost too much. There were many times where I was tempted to get into them, but I never knew anyone who were taking them (at least openly) so I never got into it.

[luvsmyncis]

If it's any consolation my friends get them illegally Oh and we live in Canada so there's that....
Your stories sound cool...got any more?

Oddly, it does comfort me that they get them that way.

And yes, I do.

Spoiler

We have this grown ass lady, she's probably like 40, who comes in a week early for her medication every month. And every time she SWEARS it's early because the 'doctor changed the dosage'. "I have severe ADHD. I used to take it twice daily. Now I take it once in the morning and once in the evening" She reeks of cigarettes and cat pee. She randomly dumps out her purse on the counter to look for something unknown to both of us. I carefully explain to her the instructions are the same, and as she's stuffing all her crap back into her purse, I tell her the date we actually CAN fill them. She asks me if I can write that down. I do, and she puts the note it in her purse with all kinds of receipts and candy wrappers, and prescriptions she's going to go fill at a competitor and God-knows what else. Suddenly, she begins to cry, no BAWL, and she snatches my hand and shakes it 'meaningfully' and thanks me for helping her, because she has severe ADHD and it's hard for her to remember things.

She leaves and I'm grateful to be rid of her.
She comes back 2 mintues later asking if she left her keys here. I look around the counter with her. She reminds me she has severe ADHD. I acknowledge the people who are cross armed and frowny in the line growing behind her with a small smile and shrug. I say, "Is it in your pockets?" She looks at me like I'm a ghost, and goes through her pant pockets several times mumbling, "No... no..." I suggest she try the pockets of her coat. She sticks her hand in and EUREKA! She starts crying again and thanks me again. She has severe ADHD.
Then she walks away, leaving her purse on the counter. I yell out her name and hand her the purse, and she asks me again to write down the date she can fill her medication. I do, and finally she departs for good, and I pray a silent prayer so the people I love will not ever come near this woman in traffic.

p.s. I don't know if I mentioned it, but SHE HAS SEVERE ADHD!

Spoiler

There's a family of creepy midget people (sorry Trich. I love you, but little people really creep me out.) who have all their medications on 'auto-refill' which means our system looks at the day supply on all their meds and fills them when they SHOULD be close to running out. They have about 15 different meds total on this thing, so every 30 days we are going through the trouble of filling their 15 medications. But every.. EVERY single time these horrible little people come to the counter, I know I'm going to have a problem. I have to go over each medication with them.
"This one is Singulair."
The man turns to his wife, "Do we need the Singulair?" They discuss it seemingly forever and decide they don't want to take it.
Repeat 14 times.
They end up taking 2 of the 15 medications. I suggest to them that maybe I should take all the medications off the auto-refill, and whenever they DO need a medication, they should just call us.
"No, no no. We want auto-refill" says the little man.
Yeah. Okay.

They live in my neighborhood, and I know it's polite to wave at your neighbors when you see them in their yard, but I always look the other way. My mother tells me, "BE NICE" and I tell her, "They are the worst Hobbits ever."

Spoiler

A sixty something year old hypochondriac with a voice as melodic as Fran Dresher's comes in about every day to complain about one of her many medications POSSIBLY giving her an allergic reaction. Here's what happened in this week's episode!

She had picked up some cream the other day, she paid $60 for it and she wanted to return it because after reading the complete medicine information leaflet (like... a fuckin' novel printed on paper as thick as toilet paper in the tiniest font ever) she said there was a blurb somewhere that said something about people who have allergies to aspirin.

"I HAVE ALLERGIES TO ASPIRIN!!" she said. "WHAT COULD HAPPEN? I HAVEN'T USED IT BECAUSE I READ THAT!!"

The pharmacist assured her the manufacturer has to list every single possible outcome, and that she could use the lotion even though she's allergic to aspirin. She will be fine. But she refuses to listen to reason and demands a refund. Then she implies we did not do our jobs of consulting her properly when she picked it up, because in the state of Texas, pharmacists are required by law to consult all patients on medications that are new to them. But looking in her profile, we see that she's picked this same medication up a few months ago. The pharmacist asks her what her reaction was like in July. She says she can't remember. That she never used it. She must have just thrown it away because she thinks she had a reaction. Pharmacist asks her if she told her doctor about the reaction she had before and she says yes. The pharmacist offers to contact her doctor, so we can change the medication. She suddenly goes ballistic. "DO NOT CALL MY DOCTOR. I beg you. Do not bother them." The pharmacist tells her he's sorry, but we cannot take back medication unless we've made a mistake.

"So what should I do then? Just throw it away? Throw my $60 away?"

I'm thinking it shouldn't be that big a deal if she threw away the bottle she got back in July. But I'm a moody, heartless person.

Anyway, she stands there for half an hour whining and the pharmacist refuses to return the medication. He mentions calling the doctor again and she is practically screaming for us to not call her doctor. She says she'll just go home and throw it away. The pharmacist assures her she will not have a reaction if she uses it. She shuffles away, sobbing quietly. And the sight of her Charlie Brown walk of shame made me smile.

Excuse me while I go kill myself now.

[Junsu]

Oddly, it does comfort me that they get them that way.

And yes, I do.

Spoiler

We have this grown ass lady, she's probably like 40, who comes in a week early for her medication every month. And every time she SWEARS it's early because the 'doctor changed the dosage'. "I have severe ADHD. I used to take it twice daily. Now I take it once in the morning and once in the evening" She reeks of cigarettes and cat pee. She randomly dumps out her purse on the counter to look for something unknown to both of us. I carefully explain to her the instructions are the same, and as she's stuffing all her crap back into her purse, I tell her the date we actually CAN fill them. She asks me if I can write that down. I do, and she puts the note it in her purse with all kinds of receipts and candy wrappers, and prescriptions she's going to go fill at a competitor and God-knows what else. Suddenly, she begins to cry, no BAWL, and she snatches my hand and shakes it 'meaningfully' and thanks me for helping her, because she has severe ADHD and it's hard for her to remember things.

She leaves and I'm grateful to be rid of her.
She comes back 2 mintues later asking if she left her keys here. I look around the counter with her. She reminds me she has severe ADHD. I acknowledge the people who are cross armed and frowny in the line growing behind her with a small smile and shrug. I say, "Is it in your pockets?" She looks at me like I'm a ghost, and goes through her pant pockets several times mumbling, "No... no..." I suggest she try the pockets of her coat. She sticks her hand in and EUREKA! She starts crying again and thanks me again. She has severe ADHD.
Then she walks away, leaving her purse on the counter. I yell out her name and hand her the purse, and she asks me again to write down the date she can fill her medication. I do, and finally she departs for good, and I pray a silent prayer so the people I love will not ever come near this woman in traffic.

p.s. I don't know if I mentioned it, but SHE HAS SEVERE ADHD!

Spoiler

There's a family of creepy midget people (sorry Trich. I love you, but little people really creep me out.) who have all their medications on 'auto-refill' which means our system looks at the day supply on all their meds and fills them when they SHOULD be close to running out. They have about 15 different meds total on this thing, so every 30 days we are going through the trouble of filling their 15 medications. But every.. EVERY single time these horrible little people come to the counter, I know I'm going to have a problem. I have to go over each medication with them.
"This one is Singulair."
The man turns to his wife, "Do we need the Singulair?" They discuss it seemingly forever and decide they don't want to take it.
Repeat 14 times.
They end up taking 2 of the 15 medications. I suggest to them that maybe I should take all the medications off the auto-refill, and whenever they DO need a medication, they should just call us.
"No, no no. We want auto-refill" says the little man.
Yeah. Okay.

They live in my neighborhood, and I know it's polite to wave at your neighbors when you see them in their yard, but I always look the other way. My mother tells me, "BE NICE" and I tell her, "They are the worst Hobbits ever."

Spoiler

A sixty something year old hypochondriac with a voice as melodic as Fran Dresher's comes in about every day to complain about one of her many medications POSSIBLY giving her an allergic reaction. Here's what happened in this week's episode!

She had picked up some cream the other day, she paid $60 for it and she wanted to return it because after reading the complete medicine information leaflet (like... a fuckin' novel printed on paper as think as toilet paper in the tiniest font ever) she said there was a blurb somewhere that said something about people who have allergies to aspirin.

"I HAVE ALLERGIES TO ASPIRIN!!" she said. "WHAT COULD HAPPEN? I HAVEN'T USED IT BECAUSE I READ THAT!!"

The pharmacist assured her the manufacturer has to list every single possible outcome, and that she could use the lotion even though she's allergic to aspirin. She will be fine. But she refuses to listen to reason and demands a refund. Then she implies we did not do our jobs of consulting her properly when she picked it up, because in the state of Texas, pharmacists are required by law to consult all patients on medications that are new to them. But looking in her profile, we see that she's picked this same medication up a few months ago. The pharmacist asks her what her reaction was like in July. She says she can't remember. That she never used it. She must have just thrown it away because she thinks she had a reaction. Pharmacist asks her if she told her doctor about the reaction she had before and she says yes. The pharmacist offers to contact her doctor, so we can change the medication. She suddenly goes ballistic. "DO NOT CALL MY DOCTOR. I beg you. Do not bother them." The pharmacist tells her he's sorry, but we cannot take back medication unless we've made a mistake.

"So what should I do then? Just throw it away? Throw my $60 away?"

I'm thinking it shouldn't be that big a deal if she threw away the bottle she got back in July. But I'm a moody, heartless person.

Anyway, she stands there for half an hour whining and the pharmacist refuses to return the medication. He mentions calling the doctor again and she is practically screaming for us to not call her doctor. She says she'll just go home and throw it away. The pharmacist assures her she will not have a reaction if she uses it. She shuffles away, sobbing quietly. And the sight of her Charlie Brown walk of shame made me smile.

Excuse me while I go kill myself now.

Surely there must be some perks to balance out your job?
Do you know what the doctor said in the last story?

Edited by Junsu, 03 December 2011 - 05:41 PM.

[WharfRat]

Yeh I used to hear that from some people, it's a load of horse shit if you ask me

I only know one person who can study and focus while high and they can do it while sober so it doesn't count.



I knew I could get your attention.

All great information, I appreciate you really taking the time. I still have half of the dex cap left which I plan to take tomorrow and finish my last project.

Are you advising that do not even try adderall? I was gonna get 3 tablets from my friend and use them to study for the finals, I don't plan to make a habit of it. I have 5 finals and only 6 days to study for all of them. I'm normally very bad at staying focused, I get distracted easily etc...I don't have an addictive personality. I had a heroin habit for something like 4 months and I quit that cold turkey.

What do you think? Still not try it?



If it's any consolation my friends get them illegally Oh and we live in Canada so there's that....

Your stories sound cool...got any more?

I would recommend doing things the old fashioned way.... A good nights sleep, a hearty breakfast, and a big ass cup of coffee.

If you MUST take it just once or twice.... okay. You'll almost definitely not suffer immediate heart failure or brain damage.... but I assure you that the temptation to continue to take them in the future will lead you to feelings of incompetency without it for exams.... and damn, it just feels so good.... why can't I? Just a little bit.... I do have work after all.... It will make me more efficient! I'll get that raise I've been after when they see how hard I work!

Caveat Emptor.

[Melchoire]

Oddly, it does comfort me that they get them that way.

And yes, I do.

Spoiler

We have this grown ass lady, she's probably like 40, who comes in a week early for her medication every month. And every time she SWEARS it's early because the 'doctor changed the dosage'. "I have severe ADHD. I used to take it twice daily. Now I take it once in the morning and once in the evening" She reeks of cigarettes and cat pee. She randomly dumps out her purse on the counter to look for something unknown to both of us. I carefully explain to her the instructions are the same, and as she's stuffing all her crap back into her purse, I tell her the date we actually CAN fill them. She asks me if I can write that down. I do, and she puts the note it in her purse with all kinds of receipts and candy wrappers, and prescriptions she's going to go fill at a competitor and God-knows what else. Suddenly, she begins to cry, no BAWL, and she snatches my hand and shakes it 'meaningfully' and thanks me for helping her, because she has severe ADHD and it's hard for her to remember things.

She leaves and I'm grateful to be rid of her.
She comes back 2 mintues later asking if she left her keys here. I look around the counter with her. She reminds me she has severe ADHD. I acknowledge the people who are cross armed and frowny in the line growing behind her with a small smile and shrug. I say, "Is it in your pockets?" She looks at me like I'm a ghost, and goes through her pant pockets several times mumbling, "No... no..." I suggest she try the pockets of her coat. She sticks her hand in and EUREKA! She starts crying again and thanks me again. She has severe ADHD.
Then she walks away, leaving her purse on the counter. I yell out her name and hand her the purse, and she asks me again to write down the date she can fill her medication. I do, and finally she departs for good, and I pray a silent prayer so the people I love will not ever come near this woman in traffic.

p.s. I don't know if I mentioned it, but SHE HAS SEVERE ADHD!

Spoiler

There's a family of creepy midget people (sorry Trich. I love you, but little people really creep me out.) who have all their medications on 'auto-refill' which means our system looks at the day supply on all their meds and fills them when they SHOULD be close to running out. They have about 15 different meds total on this thing, so every 30 days we are going through the trouble of filling their 15 medications. But every.. EVERY single time these horrible little people come to the counter, I know I'm going to have a problem. I have to go over each medication with them.
"This one is Singulair."
The man turns to his wife, "Do we need the Singulair?" They discuss it seemingly forever and decide they don't want to take it.
Repeat 14 times.
They end up taking 2 of the 15 medications. I suggest to them that maybe I should take all the medications off the auto-refill, and whenever they DO need a medication, they should just call us.
"No, no no. We want auto-refill" says the little man.
Yeah. Okay.

They live in my neighborhood, and I know it's polite to wave at your neighbors when you see them in their yard, but I always look the other way. My mother tells me, "BE NICE" and I tell her, "They are the worst Hobbits ever."

Spoiler

A sixty something year old hypochondriac with a voice as melodic as Fran Dresher's comes in about every day to complain about one of her many medications POSSIBLY giving her an allergic reaction. Here's what happened in this week's episode!

She had picked up some cream the other day, she paid $60 for it and she wanted to return it because after reading the complete medicine information leaflet (like... a fuckin' novel printed on paper as thick as toilet paper in the tiniest font ever) she said there was a blurb somewhere that said something about people who have allergies to aspirin.

"I HAVE ALLERGIES TO ASPIRIN!!" she said. "WHAT COULD HAPPEN? I HAVEN'T USED IT BECAUSE I READ THAT!!"

The pharmacist assured her the manufacturer has to list every single possible outcome, and that she could use the lotion even though she's allergic to aspirin. She will be fine. But she refuses to listen to reason and demands a refund. Then she implies we did not do our jobs of consulting her properly when she picked it up, because in the state of Texas, pharmacists are required by law to consult all patients on medications that are new to them. But looking in her profile, we see that she's picked this same medication up a few months ago. The pharmacist asks her what her reaction was like in July. She says she can't remember. That she never used it. She must have just thrown it away because she thinks she had a reaction. Pharmacist asks her if she told her doctor about the reaction she had before and she says yes. The pharmacist offers to contact her doctor, so we can change the medication. She suddenly goes ballistic. "DO NOT CALL MY DOCTOR. I beg you. Do not bother them." The pharmacist tells her he's sorry, but we cannot take back medication unless we've made a mistake.

"So what should I do then? Just throw it away? Throw my $60 away?"

I'm thinking it shouldn't be that big a deal if she threw away the bottle she got back in July. But I'm a moody, heartless person.

Anyway, she stands there for half an hour whining and the pharmacist refuses to return the medication. He mentions calling the doctor again and she is practically screaming for us to not call her doctor. She says she'll just go home and throw it away. The pharmacist assures her she will not have a reaction if she uses it. She shuffles away, sobbing quietly. And the sight of her Charlie Brown walk of shame made me smile.

Excuse me while I go kill myself now.

Jesus! This makes me want to work in the service industry just for a little while just so I can personally witness the extreme lows of human behavior and communication.

If you're ever in the mood to share more, I'm all ears!

By the way, the ADHD lady: so does she keep coming in a week early and keep getting turned down?

I would recommend doing things the old fashioned way.... A good nights sleep, a hearty breakfast, and a big ass cup of coffee.

If you MUST take it just once or twice.... okay. You'll almost definitely not suffer immediate heart failure or brain damage.... but I assure you that the temptation to continue to take them in the future will lead you to feelings of incompetency without it for exams.... and damn, it just feels so good.... why can't I? Just a little bit.... I do have work after all.... It will make me more efficient! I'll get that raise I've been after when they see how hard I work!

Caveat Emptor.

I'm a pretty studious person I'm doing pretty well so far but in order to really excel at these finals I need to fully utilize what little time I have so I considered the pills. At the pace I'm going now, I'll probably finish both projects by the end of the night. =P

[Nymh]

Oddly, it does comfort me that they get them that way.

And yes, I do.

Spoiler

We have this grown ass lady, she's probably like 40, who comes in a week early for her medication every month. And every time she SWEARS it's early because the 'doctor changed the dosage'. "I have severe ADHD. I used to take it twice daily. Now I take it once in the morning and once in the evening" She reeks of cigarettes and cat pee. She randomly dumps out her purse on the counter to look for something unknown to both of us. I carefully explain to her the instructions are the same, and as she's stuffing all her crap back into her purse, I tell her the date we actually CAN fill them. She asks me if I can write that down. I do, and she puts the note it in her purse with all kinds of receipts and candy wrappers, and prescriptions she's going to go fill at a competitor and God-knows what else. Suddenly, she begins to cry, no BAWL, and she snatches my hand and shakes it 'meaningfully' and thanks me for helping her, because she has severe ADHD and it's hard for her to remember things.

She leaves and I'm grateful to be rid of her.
She comes back 2 mintues later asking if she left her keys here. I look around the counter with her. She reminds me she has severe ADHD. I acknowledge the people who are cross armed and frowny in the line growing behind her with a small smile and shrug. I say, "Is it in your pockets?" She looks at me like I'm a ghost, and goes through her pant pockets several times mumbling, "No... no..." I suggest she try the pockets of her coat. She sticks her hand in and EUREKA! She starts crying again and thanks me again. She has severe ADHD.
Then she walks away, leaving her purse on the counter. I yell out her name and hand her the purse, and she asks me again to write down the date she can fill her medication. I do, and finally she departs for good, and I pray a silent prayer so the people I love will not ever come near this woman in traffic.

p.s. I don't know if I mentioned it, but SHE HAS SEVERE ADHD!

Spoiler

There's a family of creepy midget people (sorry Trich. I love you, but little people really creep me out.) who have all their medications on 'auto-refill' which means our system looks at the day supply on all their meds and fills them when they SHOULD be close to running out. They have about 15 different meds total on this thing, so every 30 days we are going through the trouble of filling their 15 medications. But every.. EVERY single time these horrible little people come to the counter, I know I'm going to have a problem. I have to go over each medication with them.
"This one is Singulair."
The man turns to his wife, "Do we need the Singulair?" They discuss it seemingly forever and decide they don't want to take it.
Repeat 14 times.
They end up taking 2 of the 15 medications. I suggest to them that maybe I should take all the medications off the auto-refill, and whenever they DO need a medication, they should just call us.
"No, no no. We want auto-refill" says the little man.
Yeah. Okay.

They live in my neighborhood, and I know it's polite to wave at your neighbors when you see them in their yard, but I always look the other way. My mother tells me, "BE NICE" and I tell her, "They are the worst Hobbits ever."

Spoiler

A sixty something year old hypochondriac with a voice as melodic as Fran Dresher's comes in about every day to complain about one of her many medications POSSIBLY giving her an allergic reaction. Here's what happened in this week's episode!

She had picked up some cream the other day, she paid $60 for it and she wanted to return it because after reading the complete medicine information leaflet (like... a fuckin' novel printed on paper as thick as toilet paper in the tiniest font ever) she said there was a blurb somewhere that said something about people who have allergies to aspirin.

"I HAVE ALLERGIES TO ASPIRIN!!" she said. "WHAT COULD HAPPEN? I HAVEN'T USED IT BECAUSE I READ THAT!!"

The pharmacist assured her the manufacturer has to list every single possible outcome, and that she could use the lotion even though she's allergic to aspirin. She will be fine. But she refuses to listen to reason and demands a refund. Then she implies we did not do our jobs of consulting her properly when she picked it up, because in the state of Texas, pharmacists are required by law to consult all patients on medications that are new to them. But looking in her profile, we see that she's picked this same medication up a few months ago. The pharmacist asks her what her reaction was like in July. She says she can't remember. That she never used it. She must have just thrown it away because she thinks she had a reaction. Pharmacist asks her if she told her doctor about the reaction she had before and she says yes. The pharmacist offers to contact her doctor, so we can change the medication. She suddenly goes ballistic. "DO NOT CALL MY DOCTOR. I beg you. Do not bother them." The pharmacist tells her he's sorry, but we cannot take back medication unless we've made a mistake.

"So what should I do then? Just throw it away? Throw my $60 away?"

I'm thinking it shouldn't be that big a deal if she threw away the bottle she got back in July. But I'm a moody, heartless person.

Anyway, she stands there for half an hour whining and the pharmacist refuses to return the medication. He mentions calling the doctor again and she is practically screaming for us to not call her doctor. She says she'll just go home and throw it away. The pharmacist assures her she will not have a reaction if she uses it. She shuffles away, sobbing quietly. And the sight of her Charlie Brown walk of shame made me smile.

Excuse me while I go kill myself now.

Your pharmacy posts always make my life in healthcare feel so much less suicide-enticing. I Punk.

[Therion]

I was put on ritalin as a kid, I can honestly say it did nothing for me. I wasn't hyperactive, but I was zoned out to the point of not taking anything in.

I have a medical condition that makes concentrating really difficult, in that I almost always have to read things twice or more to take in information. Particularly with books or lengthy reports.

With all that said, I wouldn't touch the stuff now. Using drugs like that to solve every little problem just leads to dependency on not only the drug in question, but on a questionable pharmaceutical system.

There's also the case of pharmaceuticals doing far more harm than good. What happens if you're taking something recreationally and someday you really need it, but it has a significantly smaller effect on you? This is particularly a problem with antibiotics, which we're quickly running out of. 'Study Aid's are probably less at risk to this sort of outcome, but as a personal belief I could never see medicating something to be the best and only answer.

Although, I do drink enough energy drinks to put myself at severe risk of a heart attack at the tender age of 21.

[redlion]

Would it be bad if you used it a few times every year?
Lets say for Finals and such
Or perhaps the correct question should be how bad

It depends on the dosage and the frequency, to be honest.

I had a roommate freshman year of college on a ridiculously high prescription of Concerta. He was taking like 56mg a day. Every once in a while he would pass me one, near finals or midterms, and that shit was fucking ridiculous. A single dose was enough for me to write two or three papers (this was freshman year when papers were never over 10 pages) BUT I would crash out afterwards for like, 16 hours of sleep. 16 on, 16 off. Or 12 and 12 if I took it more than one day in a row. After a crash, you can't feel happy (dopamine levels crash) and you can't stay awake for shit (norepinephrin crash simultaneously) resulting in a very unpleasant comedown. Most modern amphetamines attempt to curb these side effects with various mixtures (as cody elaborated on) but unless you're on some serious cocktails, you WILL feel the negative side effects. Other possible side effects include decreased appetite (speed freaks don't eat) insomnia, and cardiovascular problems.

The problem with this class of drugs is similar in my mind to diabetes. Take too much sugar, your body stops producing insulin. Same thing here, except it's the far more vital neurochemicals that affect mood, happiness, and alertness.

Dude, wtf. That's not a study aid.

I would never myself use this, Ritalin, OR Vyvanse, and even if I had a child born with shit-for-brains, I would never let my child be put on any of them.

QFE.

This class of chemicals really scare me. The Germans were huge fans of amphetamines, as far back as WW2, and look where THAT got us. The combination of addiction potential and the increasingly common practice of prescribing amphetamines to children scares the shit outa me.

I would recommend doing things the old fashioned way.... A good nights sleep, a hearty breakfast, and a big ass cup of coffee.

If you MUST take it just once or twice.... okay. You'll almost definitely not suffer immediate heart failure or brain damage.... but I assure you that the temptation to continue to take them in the future will lead you to feelings of incompetency without it for exams.... and damn, it just feels so good.... why can't I? Just a little bit.... I do have work after all.... It will make me more efficient! I'll get that raise I've been after when they see how hard I work!

Caveat Emptor.

Physical addiction to amphetamines sucks, but I have to agree with cody here, the far more vicious beast is the mental dependency that seems to affect the majority of users. Because most people don't take the time to understand the mechanism of action, they view the pills as 'magic black boxes' that seemingly produce results simply by dosing.

The cycle generates a negative feedback loop. One day medical science will realize that.

[Frank274]

I get randomly drug tested, so no. Never have, never will.

[Amagius]

I opened this thread thinking it'd be funny to say, "Yes. Amphetamines."

Huh.

I haven't read the thread, but I have only a little judgment. There isn't anything right or wrong about it, but the costs will be seen in the byproducts of your work.

[Melchoire]

Hey cody!

My friend weighs like 135lb and 15mg of the dex lasts him a whole day. For me it lasts more like 4 or 5 hours and I weight 170. Do you know what would account for this huge difference?

[WharfRat]

Hey cody!

My friend weighs like 135lb and 15mg of the dex lasts him a whole day. For me it lasts more like 4 or 5 hours and I weight 170. Do you know what would account for this huge difference?

Simply? Metabolism.

Many things could have contributed to the difference between the two of you... He may eat more than you do and some of the amphetamines are being absorbed with the food... It may be your general diet.... I also recall reading that the acidity in your stomach will actually effect the duration of amphetamines rather dramatically. (I.e. Eat 2 x Tums right after taking your cap and you will be high longer...)

Other than that? You may have a higher quantity of the enzymes responsible for breaking down the amphetamine salts.... Or perhaps you simply have more enzymes that are active and free to metabolize the salts while his are busy... (Grapefruit juice will help extend this duration as well slightly.... but grapefruit juice with benzodiazepines is killer.... Seriously 2x potentiation....)

SN: Opiates are seriously potentiated when you keep the enzyme CYP 450 2D6 busy. So for example, I'd take about ~50mg of diphenhydramine (benadryl) about half an hour prior to dosing with opiates. You will clearly notice an increase in peak plasma levels and also will notice quite an extended duration of effects. This is caused as essentially the enzyme is too busy breaking up the benadryl to start metabolizing the opiates. This will also reduce the itchiness that opiates cause as diphenhydramine is an anti-histamine and the itchiness is actually caused from histamine release...

I mention the above because what otherwise may be considered minor factors can actually be the culprit. Of course, there is always another possibility; the difference is solely psychological. When you say that he feels it for the whole day and you only feel it for 4-5 hours, you are implying that the difference is based upon individual observation. He may have a more keen sense of disturbance in his normal bodily function...

But FYI, amphetamine salts consumed orally will normally only last 4-6 hours before returning almost entirely to baseline. (Minus any time with off-baseline cravings, side effects, come downs, etc.) So your range actually seems to be more appropriate... They do make Adderall XR here in the states which is just extended release amphetamine salts. Essentially, they are solidified in these tiny little balls and contained within a capsule. These tiny little balls each have varying amounts of coating so that some beads will be dissolved in your stomach and absorbed nearly immediately while others will take 6-8 hours before they are ever absorbed.... Leading to a prolonged experience.

With everything in life, YMMV.

P.s. It's also possible that it's just a difference in body weight... But frankly, you're time frame appears closer to the "norm" than his does.

I hope this has been helpful!

[Jakerz]

Never even heard of these pills before for studying, normally I just take a energy drink or something

[Seaner]

I've recently started looking into nootropics, and after hearing about the product and reading some testimonials I purchased a bottle of AlphaBrain.

I get that it's probably child's play when compared to any sort of prescription pill, but I have no complains. I don't feel scatterbrained when studying, and when coding/writing I just go and go with no distractions. I've also starting sleeping incredibly well.

[Galadriel]

No study aids- I am smart.