16th July 2008
Diamondgirl,
Unfortunately yes, there is potential for abuse and addiction with most ADHD meds, including Adderall. Most ADHD meds are stimulants in the amphetamine family, and will give you a "high" if you take too much. If you have a history of addiction, be very careful about ADHD medications, especially Adderall. You may have some success with Strattera which is a non stimulant medication which has recently been introduced for treatment with ADHD, but I know little about this medication, so I can't give you a lot of details about efficacy and such.
All that said, you should discuss with your psych the fact that people with ADHD are prone to addiction because a large part of ADHD is sloppy impulse control. The part of your brain that controls your impulses is hypoactive, leading you to make poor decisions, including the decisions to take too much medication. It's kind of ironic, the best way to treat a condition that makes you prone to addiction is with potentially addictive medication.
Do you live with someone you can trust? Parents, siblings, significant other? One way to avoid abusing meds, especially ones you need only once a day (such as the SR and XR variants of ADD meds) is to have someone keep them for you so you can't take more than one at a time. Another thing is to have your doctor prescribe carefully, ensuring that you're not back for more in half the expected time (though there are ways around both if you're desparate enough, I know).
To answer your original question, I was once told by a psychologist that stimulants were the way depression was treated prior to Prozac, and they're still used for depressions that don't respond to traditional antidepressants, so Adderall may work for your depression as well as your ADHD.
Unfortunately yes, there is potential for abuse and addiction with most ADHD meds, including Adderall. Most ADHD meds are stimulants in the amphetamine family, and will give you a "high" if you take too much. If you have a history of addiction, be very careful about ADHD medications, especially Adderall. You may have some success with Strattera which is a non stimulant medication which has recently been introduced for treatment with ADHD, but I know little about this medication, so I can't give you a lot of details about efficacy and such.
All that said, you should discuss with your psych the fact that people with ADHD are prone to addiction because a large part of ADHD is sloppy impulse control. The part of your brain that controls your impulses is hypoactive, leading you to make poor decisions, including the decisions to take too much medication. It's kind of ironic, the best way to treat a condition that makes you prone to addiction is with potentially addictive medication.
Do you live with someone you can trust? Parents, siblings, significant other? One way to avoid abusing meds, especially ones you need only once a day (such as the SR and XR variants of ADD meds) is to have someone keep them for you so you can't take more than one at a time. Another thing is to have your doctor prescribe carefully, ensuring that you're not back for more in half the expected time (though there are ways around both if you're desparate enough, I know).
To answer your original question, I was once told by a psychologist that stimulants were the way depression was treated prior to Prozac, and they're still used for depressions that don't respond to traditional antidepressants, so Adderall may work for your depression as well as your ADHD.