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Comment by lawlessone | Hacker News Reader

Is Adderall significantly different the Ritalin? Prescribed the latter and I would not call it addictive. If I don't take it I don't crave it...

..unlike Nicotine which seems impossible to stop.

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As someone whose been on and off amphetamines for almost 3 decades (with about 14 years of that unmedicated), I'd say all the prescription amphetamines I've been on (Adderall, Dexedrine, Vyvanse) are pretty similar and anti-addictive for me. Due to side effects I'd strongly prefer not to take them, but do so when I need to because they help me stay on task.

I'm currently prescribed Concerta (which should be much more similar to Ritalin IIRC) and find it somewhat less effective at ADHD treatment (I also fortunately have a lot of leftover Adderall due to avoiding it on days I don't need it), but I can't imagine it's any less addictive for me since I don't like taking the amphetamine drugs in the first place.

Depends on the person, but pharmacologically they are pretty similar.

I was on Ritalin as a kid and eventually it seemed to lessen in effectiveness, so we switched to a low initial dose of Adderall. Didn't do much, so we went to a higher dose a week later, and then the next higher a week after that. And then I was manic for a couple days. So we switched back to Ritalin, or found something else.

Statistically they're probably pretty similar, but individual bodies and weird and variable.

(Neither was addictive for me.)

It is psychologically addictive as opposed to an addiction which would create a physical dependency in your system. Nicotine for instance doesn't really induce much of a "high" or "euphoria" (many report essentially no effect after prolonged usage). The reason stimulants like adderal can be addictive is that for many they induce an objective euphoria that upon self-conditioning can be incredibly difficult to stop taking the drug even though it doesn't technically have negative effects after stopping for a few days.

Anyone who has suffered from depression or similar and taken an adderal for the first time will understand. It takes many bad feelings and replaces them with an almost manic productivity. There are downsides, but they commonly outweigh the negatives one was experiencing without the drug.

> It is psychologically addictive as opposed to an addiction which would create a physical dependency in your system.

This is just flatly wrong. Amphetamines do have symptoms of physical (not psychological) withdrawal such as ataxia and diarrhea. These more severe symptoms only typically happen when withdrawing from higher doses than are prescribed, but those withdrawing from lower doses can expect to experience milder symptoms such as fatigue.

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