Was diagnosed young, and again when I was 21, have been taking Adderall 20mg for years, and thought i was managing the symptoms well, until I spoke with the psych again. They ADDED 5mg and I am already feeling waaaaay slower and clear. How does something that is supposed to speed/”wake” you up, slow a person down?
In: Biology
If your general level of dopamine is low, you end up trying to get more by finding new stimuli and reward, so you get distracted. It’s like you aren’t getting enough satisfaction from something that others would, so you need to keep changing it up to get the dopamine fix.
When you raise that basic level of dopamine, you are sufficiently stimulated in the tasks you are doing that you don’t need to get more.
ADHD medication works by raising the general level of dopamine (that is available to be taken up). Drugs of abuse generally flood dopamine into the pathways, which screws with the basic levels of dopamine, and while it feels good, also screws with the delicate balance of how the brain releases and uses dopamine for long-term goals and rewards.
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