has anyone ever been prescribed adderall to help with concentration? anyone ever actually try it? if so what were your results?

I have no experience in this circumstance but I highly recommend staying away from adderall with an injured brain. It is essentially a legal methamphetamine mixture and will cause further imbalance to your already fragile neurobiology.

There are better options out there if you think a stimulant is what you need. Ritalin (methylphenidate), provigil are some safer options. Just remember your brain is trying to heal and messing with the delicate balance of neurotransmitters could be disastrous. Talk to a psychiatrist, or a doctor who knows your history, but in general stimulants are not to be taken lightly.

I've been taking a small dose of Adderall since December, and I feel like it has given me my life back. Before my TBI, I had already been dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for 10 years; the TBI made that condition even worse. It had gotten to the point where I almost couldn't even do part-time work, even though I was spending almost all of my other time resting. I was paralyzed with fatigue (both physical and mental) that robbed me of my life. Now I feel like I have gotten part of that life back, thanks to Adderall. At first I was concerned about anxiety, since I also have OCD and Panic Disorder, but so far, the Adderall has not made my anxiety any worse. The only negative impact it has had on my TBI is that occasionally I will end up pushing myself too hard and end up really feeling it the next day. When that happens, I rest until I am back to baseline. The Adderall has helped tremendously with both my physical and mental energy.

what dosage are you taking?

xr or regular?

have you noticed any dependence: ie when you are not taking it you can only function at a lower level than you could prior to beginning the medication?

injuredbut,

Have you tried some caffeine ? It is much easier on your system without anywhere near the risks.

mark: i haven't tried it (have stayed away from caffeine per your advice). what are the risks of adderall? my docs seemed to think there isn't any. however, i'm skeptical as well on that point.

I've found that adderall can help some with attention and concentration. I was prescribed it however I do not take it regularly. I've had PCS for 2 years and early on in caffeine I actually noticed it made my symptoms worse and I felt more foggy, while on adderall they were made a little better particularly in terms of concentration ability. The comedown however was terrible, greatly exacerbated by my already terrible PCS symptoms. Caffeine made me feel much worse overall however because I saw no benefit. Now though, my symptoms aren't really affected by caffeine and it's a much easier way to have a quick energy boost using it. I avoid adderall because I feel it burns my mind out too much and I feel worse after. I only try to take it whenever absolutely necessary. Caffeine I use more casually. I do not recommend taking adderall every day, while caffeine is ok as long as it doesn't make your symptoms worse.

tbi survivor: thanks for the info. can you give me a bit of detail about your situation?

how long did you have concentration troubles?

what did it feel like?

what did adderall do to make it better (ie what did it feel like on adderall)?

what does the crash from adderall feel like?

are you + coffee now similar to what you were like prior to TBI?

You can try a dose of caffeine in the AM and it will be cleared by the evening. I don't drink coffee but occasionally take an 84 mg caffeine tablet just to get going on a bad morning.

While everyone's different and may find different approaches helpful, it's very wise to start with the safest approach and then work your way through various meds if needed.

Caffeine is one of the safest, as Mark has pointed out.

I have a complicated medical and neurological history, with lots of pre-existing severe fatigue prior to a TBI and whiplash. I had suffered a random assault in (in broad daylight) just over 2 yrs ago now. I have not recovered 100% yet.

I have also suffered moodswings since the assault which maybe the TBI and/or PTSD.
I control those with Depakote 24/7. I cannot be without an anti-epileptic drug (AED) for mood stabilization since the assault. I have used low-dose Depakote (375-500mg/day) for this. (Depakote also helps with my neuromuscular disorder and my headaches, thus it is the AED we'd chosen to use.)


As for stimulants-

I have tried: caffeine, Provigil, Nuvigil, Ritalin and Adderall.
Yet another option I am now trying: Wellbutrin (bupropion)

Some people do really well on one of the above.

I have found my brain function changes and we often must switch/rotate meds/approaches. It's very frustrating, Luckily, my specialists don't find this as frustrating as I find it.

The TBI left me extremely fatigued, with some periods of agitation.
When I am very fatigued for long periods, I can use Adderall at a very low dose, in the immediate release form. At the right time, it can be very helpful to me. If/when I am going through an agitated period, I do not touch Adderall.

Currently, we are trying Wellbutrin (bupropion) as an everyday med.
I have just started bupropion this week, so will see if it's helpful.
(Any stimulants are on hold when trying bupropion as they cannot be safely combined with bupropion.)

If you have medication coverage, most insurers will require a pre-authorization for each Ritalin and Adderall. Most also require a trial with Ritalin before moving to Adderall. These meds are quite expensive in generic form for a monthly supply without coverage.

I hope this info helps.

To Our Healing,
DejaVu