effects of adderall on mood?

Question

Hi. I met my boyfriend toward the end of the last school year. We became close mostly over summer. When school started back up again, he started to take adderall to help him. He has taken it for years. His mood seems really bad and I was wondering if this is due to the medicine. What are some of the negative side effects of adderall on a person's mood? Thanks in advance.

well he takes it to do well in school, so he thought that during the summer there is no need for it because he is not in school.

he has ADD and yes he is prescribed this by his doctor

Answer 1

Aha!

The short answer to this question is - yes - it is highly likely that his mood change is due to the way he is taking Adderall.

Now, to explain...

First, examine the structure of the chemical. Adderall is a compound comprising of 4 amphetamine and dextroamphetamine salts. Because it is a stimulant, and an amphetamine/d-amph, it works on the brain and body in a unique way.

The amphetamine compound broken down by the body causes changes in body functions and processes. Amps - when used for ADD/ADHD - are designed to complete the neurotransmitters pathways in the brain that control different processes. In ADD/ADHD individuals, these pathways are "open" more sporadically and for shorter periods of time compared to the regular human brain. But, because it is a CNS stimulant, amphetamines also cause other processes of the brain and functions of the body to speed up.

Now, how does this apply to your boyfriend?

Well, when an individual first begins taking Adderall, they tend to feel the effects (and side-effects) much stronger because their body is not adjusted to it. But, the body has an amazing habit of "self-regulation". After taking Adderall for a period of a few weeks, the individual will not have such strong effects when taking it. This is because the body has "gotten used to it" - or, adapted to accomodate the amphetamine. After a longer period of time, this adaptation becomes very routine for the body (The body interprets the presence of the chemical in the system to be "the norm"). So what happens when you remove that chemical that the body has adjusted itself to "co-exist" with? Well, it throws off the cycle or routine the body has gotten comfortable functioning in. Not having the amphetamines in the system, to the body, is not normal. So when the individual stops taking Adderall, naturally the body attempts to "reconfigure" itself again - this time to adapt to life without the presence of the chemical.

This cycle shift from Adderall (or other amps) back to normal has its way of physically revealing itself. This often comes in the form of a slight feeling of unexplainable discomfort to the individual. What's basically happening is a small form of "withdrawal" from the substance. The body is having to make an entire change just to suit normal life - which is harder when one is used to the pleasing "pep" and focus that results from the chemical breakdown when it is in the system.

So, when your boyfriend goes from taking Adderall for an extended period of time to a period of discontinued use, his body naturally has to readjust itself. This can take a few weeks at most, and is usually accompanied by feelings such as unexplained irritability, sleeplessness, and in some cases, certain levels of clinical depression. However, once the body has gotten used to functioning without the amps/d-amps, most of these side-effects will be greatly reduced, if not disappear altogether.

But remember, once he begins taking it for school again the following term, this will repeat itself. It is much easier for the body to slip back into the mode of functioning with it then without it - so the following summer, these things will most likely reoccur. Be careful, however, because a constant switching of on/of periods of use are harder on the body and will exaggerate these "withdraw" symptoms.

I really hope this is of some help to you :)

Answer 2

For what reason does he have the adderall in the first place? And why would he start/stop taking it? You BET it can affect his mood...he needs to tell a MD about his unique dosing schedule!

Answer 3

stimulants are extremely unpredictable. some human beings it doesnt impact lots in any respect moodwise, some human beings get a self belief strengthen, and if youve ever examine the warnings in the med handbook featuring it human beings can get paranoid or psychotic. Its possibly a night and day distinction for you once you bypass from having none to the boast on monday morning, so which you notice it extra. you moreover mght do get some tolerance to it, its stable you dont take it on the weekends simply by fact its much less possibly you will might desire to maintain increasing your dose up and up and up and get dependant on it like some human beings.