<p>Hi, i'm gonna be a freshman next year at college and i have ADD. When i'm on the aderrall i get really focused and serious and all about work but when i'm off it i dont do as well in school but i am MUCH more sociable. My doc recommends that i take it EVERY DAY which i dont like doing. I used to take it on weekdays only but the withdrawal for me is like 2 days and during those 2 days i get really emotional and stuff. cry alot idk. </p>
<p>I want to do well in school but i also want to have fun. Idk what i should do. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>Please try to understand my dilemma. Dont just be like "get the grades" because the med REALLY does help me BUT it also makes me kinda anti-social. Its kinda like a double-edged sword.</p>
<p>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>i have explained this to my doc. but he just kinda dismisses it. hes one of those asian super hard work, work, work all day type guys. He is all for 24/7 meds!</p>
<p>I'm afraid I don't know much of anything about Adderall or ADD, but the only advice that comes to my mind is to plan your schedule carefully. If there's a time of day when you find that it's easier to concentrate, make use of it (this is 9:00-11:00 am for me, and then any time after supper). Can you fit your tougher classes into one half of the week and only take Adderall on those days? Maybe the withdrawals cause problems with that, I don't know how that works.</p>
<p>If you really want a "take it or don't" answer, I suppose I would recommend against the Adderall, which is weird since I'm more of a studier than a socializer myself... Your first year in college ought to help you to look at different subjects and give you some sort of idea about where you want to go with your education and with your life - find something that really interests you despite your ADD, and consider taking medication after you've found it. You don't want to use Adderall all through college, land a job, and then discover that without the medication your job is miserable, meaningless, or unmanageable. Don't go through life with a career path that is only really "right" for you when you're medicated.</p>
<p>Anyway, there's my two cents... hopefully that makes sense and didn't miss the mark too much :)</p>
<p>I don't know enough about your situation to be able to offer you advice. Well, I could offer you advice. But it would have a lot to do with what I think about certain drugs and very little to do with you making a decision that is good for you.</p>
<p>It's really too bad that your doctor won't discuss what your options are and how to strike a balance where you are getting good enough grades, having enough of a social life, and not having all kinds of emotional problems. I think you deserve better there.</p>
<p>I wouldn't try to switch meds right before school starts. ONe of my friends switched her meds right before first semester last year and while they were adjusting doses and stuff her school work and grades suffered a lot. If you are going to do something like this make sure you have enough time left in the summer so you can adjust without it affecting your school work.</p>
<p>idk much about dosing and pill size regarding adderall, but would it be possible to take less during the weekend (i.e. not none, just less than normal)? Ideally that would allow you to find a happy medium between focus and gregariousness.</p>
<p>You could maybe look at your syllabi when you get them and look for days or groups of days when not much is going on in your classes, and ease off the meds on those days. But I too don't know anything about effects from changing doses irregularly...</p>
<p>yeah maybe instead of extended release you could try instant release in the mornings so that it wears off by evening?
adderall doesn't really affect me very much..i focus on something really intently (not necessarily schoolwork, unfortunately) and feel a little jittery for like an hour and then it wears off..but then again i don't have ADD so maybe that's why</p>