why do stimulants have a calming effect for people with ADHD?
In: 2471
This is how my psychiatrist described it to me:
Your nervous system requires a certain amount of stimulation to function properly. Normal people are capable of generating this stimulation internally – their bodies generate the chemicals, hormones, whatever that properly regulate stimulating the nervous system.
In AD/HD people, their bodies *cannot* self-stimulate properly, so they seek that stimulation externally. This is why they seem hyper and their attention seems short: **they are bored.** They likely aren’t *consciously* bored, and the person may be actually interested in the person or conversation, but their *nervous system* is not stimulated, and their body is telling them “seek stimulation.”
“Why do AD/HD kids seem to focus so well on video games, then?” it’s because video games are *hella stimulating.* It can hold their attention because it can keep providing the stimulation their nervous system demands.
Drugs like Adderall bring their nervous system up to baseline, so they no longer need to find stimulation externally. In that sense, it is like “they can finally relax” because their nervous system has what it needs, and isn’t constantly telling their body “this isn’t stimulating, go do something else.”
As one who finally got diagnosed, I (36M) can tell you that this is an extremely accurate depiction of my life! I wasn’t *consciously* bored, but my nervous system wanted stimulation, so I would lose focus. I’m *significantly* better at my job (and life) now that I’m on drugs. Literally a life-changer.
TL;DR drugs bring AD/HD people’s nervous system “up to baseline” so they no longer need to find external stimulation. This gives the appearance of relaxation because they are no longer driven to be stimulated constantly.
they don’t, at least not in the way this stereotype seems to imply. They have exactly the same effect on ADHD brains as they do on non-ADHD brains, stimulation of dopaminergic pathways. ADHD brains just need more stimulation in order to focus on stuff, that’s why we can hyperfocus on something interesting for 12 hours without moving but ask us to sit still and do something boring and our brains literally don’t know how to process it, and we might start fidgeting or seeking out other stimulating activities to compensate. It’s really useful if you live in a hunter gatherer society or have a high stakes job like a paramedic, but it’s less useful when you need to go grocery shopping or do your taxes. We might seem more calm on meds but it’s only because the meds are providing the stimulation we need so we don’t need to seek it externally.
I’m seeing alot of science and good explanations but let me give mine.
You’ve been really bored before right? Have you ever been in a theme park line? Or in traffic. A situation where what should have taken maybe 30mins took 3 hours?
You know that feeling you get? That knawing want for it to be over? That desire for something fun to happen? The want for you to be doing literally anything else but what you are doing now?
That is what low dopamine feels like. When your dopamine is low, times drags along like tree sap moving calmly down a tree. It’s near unbearable. As a child it IS unbearable.
That feeling you get when you are in traffic, or in a long line. That’s the ADHDers baseline. That’s how they feel all the time. That knawing feeling that you need to find something to do. That desire to be doing anything but what you are currently doing. That’s what makes adhd people appear hyper. We adhders are in a constant state of feeling like we are in traffic. So we are constantly fidgeting looking for distractions because we are desperate to find SOMETHING that helps us get rid of that knawing need to get rid of boredom.
When we take ADHD medication. Suddenly, everything is ever so slightly more enjoyable. That feeling like we are in a never ending line, or never ending traffic weakens. And when that knawing need for finding anything you can to stimulate yourself backs off. We are able to slow down and smell the flowers so to speak. We can appreciate the moment because our mind isn’t in a panicked animal state of need. Thusly we will appear less “hyper” because we aren’t desperately looking to satisfy a need for stimulation. It allows us to focus on the boring things that were previously unbearable.
I hate be that guy, but they don’t always. That stigma can give people with ADHD a type of imposter syndrome. They get the diagnosis, get meds, take Adderall, drinking coffee like usually, and end up overstimulating and feeling anxious/jittery. That still happens in ADHD people. We don’t have a superhuman resistance to stimulants.
What really happens is the non stop rambling and stuff we do in our heads shuts the hell up. That’s the biggest “calming effect” some of us get. That’s how it is for me plus a small sleepy feeling for the first 20 minutes it kicks in. It doesn’t really feel like a Xanax though haha (in very few ways it does though).
It doesn’t have a “calming” effect per se. It stimulates the brain making it easier for signals to go from one part of the brain to the next.
Your brain is suppose to judge a signal based on a number of things to determine how important it is for that signal to get across. That signal could be a thought, or impulse, to over simplify.
Depending on how important that thought is, the brain expends chemicals to help ot travel. The importance determines how much chemical is needed and given to help it out.
An ADHD brain has too high of a requirement for a signal to travel. It only likes the really exciting things, and says no to everything else and holds back those helpful chemicals. But once it sees an exciting thing, it opens up it’s supply of chemicals and says “you’re exciting, so you’re really important. Take ALL of these to help!”
Now the ADHD brain is very very active, but only for that one thought that was allowed to use all the chemicals that were being held back. This is also called hyper focusing.
And that’s pretty much a very over simplified illustration of this process. Thoughts that are boring do not get to use those helpful chemicals, so they’re unlikely to travel the brain and reach they places they need to. While the exciting thoughts are given more than what they need to guarantee follow through.
Stimulants even the playing field. Now the boring thoughts are being showered with substitute chemicals from the bloodstream. They don’t need the brain to allow access to chemicals because they already have all they need. So now, all thoughts, impulses, intents and what not can travel the brain without issue, allowing many to be converted to action which wasnt possible before.
The exciting things are still exciting, but not so much anymore when you compare their movement to the other thoughts and impulses. Previously, the exciting things were the only ones allowed to get what they needed to be turned into action. Now the exciting things are only a little more exciting instead of a lot more exciting. So it has the appearance of a calming effect when in reality, the stimulants stimulated everything and brought them a bit closer together in importance.
Again, this is an over simplification typed on a phone, so take it as such.
Latest Answers