Comments on: Adderall: My (Academic) Performance Enhancing Drug

By: school girl barbie

school girl barbie — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:17:05 +0000

I've been taking adderall for nearly 2 years now. I've always struggled academically since elementary school, and barely graduated high school with a 2.1 GPA. I went onto beauty school, worked for a while and realized it was unsatisfying as a career. I enrolled in community college taking 4 classes, and was so miserable that I ended up dropping 2 of the 4 classes, and barely passed the remaining 2 courses. The following semester I visited my family physican and finally expressed my extreme concern with my performance in school, and he suggested adderall. Immediately after starting the medication I saw 180 degree results. That semester I recieved 4.0's for all 3 of my courses and have seen the same effects in my performance since then. I have now been accepted and will be attending a tier1 university in the fall on an academic scholarship!!!!! ADDERALL GAVE ME A CHANCE TO A REAL FUTURE!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:55:11 +0000

Aderall is a hard drug, if you use it you will know what that means. There are many benefits from it but also many side effects. Saying that drugs are bad because they are illegal is a non sequitor as the mere legality or illegality of an action is not a measure of of it's morality. For instance many of the great "crimes" of the 20th century weren'tcrimes at all because they were perefectly legal under the laws of the countries in which they were perpetrated. That however is not to say that aderall is regulated without reason, but like anything else it should be used only by consenting adults in moderation. It's very illegality prevents that from happening. Like it or not the future is here, there are now drugs to help you do anything and they are not going away.

By: katie

katie — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:29:57 +0000

Casey. I must say, you really pissed me off with some of your first few posts on this subject. I just feel as though you’re being a little insensitive. Having read your most recent post, I’ve calmed down… but let me propose something to you.
I wonder if it’s possible you are so against the use of this drug because of the experience your friend is having with it? It sounds like she is extremely intelligent, has moved away to college and has changed durastically. She is partying, procrastinating and using adderall as an aid? (This is what I took from what you are saying, apologies if I have misunderstood.)
From personal experience, hearing about your friend worries me. She sounds like me in a lot of ways (although I don’t think my situation is nearly as extreme). Anyways, to make this short. Are you sure that she isn’t struggling with other things? I know that I have had emotional instabilities that completely distract me and give me a lack of focus, going out and being with friends temporarily aids that. Anyways, with this lack of focus and motivation, to sit there and do work while there are 3 million things going through your head, sometimes it’s really difficult. Especially if you have really high standards for yourself and you’re accustomed to doing well… It’s much easier to become frustrated if, all of a sudden, you can’t focus or, all of a sudden, your studying methods aren’t working after they have for so long. Maybe this isn’t my business at all, but I felt the need to say something for her sake. Because, as much as she’s changed, there’s always a reason for it… usually beyond the surface. I beg you to give it some thought and give her a chance if it makes sense to. (I say “if it makes sense to” because obviously I know very little about your relationship with her or what she was/is like)
Finally, Brad it was very interesting and inspiring to hear your story. I am considering going to the doctor about ADD now… I used to do well in school and be able to focus but the past few years I’ve had a lot of issues with it. Because I’m accustomed to doing well and being able to focus, and am generally very hard on myself… I’ve been extremely discouraged. I stopped going to classes and stopped doing my work and am now in a rush to catch up for finals. I’ve also been taking a form of CC, concerta, which has helped a little, but only to a degree. It releases into the system gradually, so I always find it works better after a few hours. I know I should consult a doctor, but with lack of time before exams I haven’t yet.
I appreciate everyone’s honesty with this subject! It has helped educate me on my different options, the dangers… just the general pros anf cons.

By: Mr T

Mr T — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:43:39 +0000

I want some! Well i dont want it for regular use, but i have 3 exams in a row over the next 3 days. Altogether its 8 hours of exams, 7 essays and 1 hr multiple choice. wtf.

So no wonder things like this seem attractive, but i have no idea how id get some. If i could i DEF would for these exams.

By: J0Y

J0Y — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:18:10 +0000

Brad, wow I'm happy for you!

By: Brad

Brad — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:20:44 +0000

I also agree with everything being said. My whole life, I have struggled with being able to sit down and focus on the little things like homework and small responsibilites. It was incredibly frustrating to hear other people get on to me about the problems I was having. The thing that I believe kept me from going into the doctors office to get tested was that I was able to do very well on tests and big projects. I didnt know what that meant. I also dont know if having ADD affects that. I think its hard to believe that people with ADD cant be good at something, otherwise we would have never made it through school without adderall.

I finished high school with an accumulative gpa of 1.6. I am very good at baseball and was getting looks from very good division 1 universities. Sure they were impressed with my talent and skills, but were immediately turned off by my academic performance. Luckily I was able to score a 22 on my ACT to get into the college I wanted to, but was not able to be athletically eligible. This was very frustrating for me.

I finished my first semester of college with a 2.3. This was far better than I had ever done, but the university offered a lot of test based courses.

I transferred the next semester to a smaller university so that I would be able to play right away. I arrived on campus and a few days later was informed that I was academically ineligible here too based upon high school performance. I was depressed. I knew of the opportunities I had through baseball to get me through college but I was relying on my academic skills to pay for college.

Currently in the semester, I am failing four of my five courses and the other is a D. I didnt want to go to class because I was never prepared with the homework complete or anything. This university cares a lot about attendance and was an even bigger problem.

Three weeks ago, I was forced to meet with the Assistant Dean of the university about my grades and lack of attendance. He told me that I needed to meet with a tudor about trying to get my grades up. This could have been the most important meeting of my life. She observed my behavior and took into consideration my study habits as well as grades and informed me that I might have ADD. The fact of the matter is, I have always wanted to do well in school. That has never been an issue. However, I lacked the ability to study on my own and sit down and do the assigned material. I just thought I was lazy.

I made an appointment for April 1st to get checked for a diagnosis. The diagnosis was having ADD. I was relieved to know that I would get an opportunity to see if this was the real problem I was having. I took the first dose around ten and arrived on campus around twelve. I sat down and tried to do some homework. Immediately I noticed differences. I generally have things running through my mind like a television changing channels every two seconds. I did still experience that, but metaphorically, the tv was smaller and turned down. I was able to complete the assignment and had the confidence to show up to class with it done.

I believe truly that people who have focus issues and want to do well but cant, need medication. The people that use the medication and see drastic improvements, have ADD. The improvements so far in my life as a whole are nothing short of miraculous. It truly is. I am doing things that took me so much longer to achieve before, much quicker because I am able to focus on them and get them done.

I am insulted by people who claim that I have focus issues and take adderall to help with laziness or procrastination. For someone who missed out on an opportunity to play at an elite baseball program because of poor grades, I am very upset. I will not knock anyone for thinking that they have ADD. But they should realize that having ADD stretches far beyond the classroom.

I now love to see the positive effects of adderall on people’s lives who have ADD. It really is incredible.

I apologize if this is an open forum for women only, I just wanted to put my story out there because I am so happy to now lead a normal life.

By: Winter

Winter — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:39:45 +0000

I take Adderall because I have ADD. I got my BS degree WITHOUT the drug and I had a C average. I then started to go back for my Masters now and started taking Adderall in June of 2008 and I am SHOCKED at the vast difference in how well I am able to concentrate, study and actually retain the information I spend hours studying. In the past, before the medication, I would study just as hard for just as long and retain very little. But now my grades are already in the A/B category. For me, Adderall brings me up to the level that others without ADD can be at with just hard work and effort and therefore levels the playing field.

If you use it and you don't need it, your test scores aren't a reflection of how smart you are, or how well you behaved responsibly by studying, or by doing all your work, or really understanding the concepts, or especially how worthy you are of the job your degree gets you. Your grade is really a reflection of how good the cheat method is that you used over another. So that 'A' someone may get is an 'A' for the method of cheating they used (hidden notes, copying from another student, using Adderall) rather than their true worth.

By: mike

mike — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:08:52 +0000

I personnally think its an insult to the people like me who NEED adderall to function in the real world. If I didn't need the drug anymore and could skip my doses I would be the happiest person in the world, but I can't. Those of you who are taking the drug to study better are gonna run into the harsh reality that its very easy to become dependant on it. I have to take it due to my diagnosis of ASD/ADHD. but if you don't have to take it then you should be thanking god everyday for not giving you the cursed burden he has put on me.

By: rosie

rosie — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:31:38 +0000

I've been on adderall for about three years now, and for me it was something like a miracle. I'm glad the author hasn't had any problems with it, because the side effects potentially include heart attacks and other BAD things, as I'm constantly reminded by my friends.

By: thatguy

thatguy — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:45:01 +0000

so many other readers find that being successful without working hard isnt fair. its perfectly fair, we would all do it if we could. the issue is the side effects: heart problems, dehydration, jitters, and of course addiction. if it wasnt for these side effects everybody would take them like vitamins. sometimes using the pills has a positive impact on your life, the trick is knowing when if ever. this requires educating yourself about the drug, exactly what it will do for you and to you, and then using your judgment to know which is the right choice.