DOSE:

5 mg

oral

Amphetamines

BODY WEIGHT:

170 lb

I have fibromyalgia- a condition in which the brain perceives pain which occurs with very little or no stimuli. I've had FMS since I was 16 , along with a host of other related conditions (IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression/anxiety) most likely stemming from extensive childhood abuse.

Every day, I feel as if I have the flu- that achy and very sensitive sort of pain where it hurts to even wash my hands- and it varies from day to day. For the past 9 years, I've managed with occasional use of Tylenol #3, usually taking only half a pill for flare-ups, and thus, have not developed any dependency issues. I'm very sensitive to medications, particularly SSRIs, and thus cannot tolerate any medication with a long half-life.

My boyfriend had a bottle of 10mg generic Adderall which he had taken roughly a year ago to get through a stressful academic period, but experienced little positive benefits from it. I had read personal accounts online that Adderall was beneficial for some individuals with FMS, so I decided to try it out.

I took one pill, and broke it in half, on an empty stomach. Here is what followed:

00:00 Took 5mg of generic TEVA* Adderall on empty stomach- my pain level today is about a 4/10, which is normal for me.

00:30 Was riding in the car with my boyfriend, and I began to feel a physical sensation which can only be described as similar to the 'warmth' of a low dose of opiates.

00:45 The feeling begins to slowly become stronger, and I notice that sensations which normally cause me pain (shifting of clothing on my legs, general body pain) are slowly starting to fade. I am shocked, because I certainly wasn't expecting such high-quality pain control, especially from a stimulant.

01:00 My mood and energy levels are increasing in a very natural-feeling way. My pain has dropped to a 2/10, and has remained as such. Despite not yet eating today, it's lunchtime, and I have no desire for food. I feel more talkative, slightly and very naturally euphoric.

02:00 The suppression of my pain and increase in energy has continued on strong for me, and it's incredibly easy to get all of my daily tasks done. I feel like this is what normal people feel like on a good day.

04:00 The effects are slowly winding down, but the pain relief is still going pretty well. The only unpleasant thing about this is the moderate jaw clenching, but it's not a huge problem.

Overall, my experience 6 months later with my own Rx of Adderall has been the most positive experience I've ever had with a maintenance dose of a medication. I don't take it every day -- usually 5-10mg every other day -- but it's enabled me to have a 40 hour a week job with moderate physical labor, something I'd never be able to do before. I've also noticed my skin is much clearer and softer than before, something I'd never expected. I usually have issues with going to the bathroom, but when I take Adderall in the morning, within an hour, I have a very normal-seeming BM, which (sadly) is a big deal to me! Because I dose every other day, I haven't experienced any toleration issues.

*An interesting side note on generic forms of Adderall- I have tried two generic forms:
TEVA which manufactures a 10mg oval-shaped scored blue pill with b972 on one side, sugary taste to it and
Sandoz which has a circular 4-way scored blue pill which is darker in color, with E111 on one side

The TEVA pill gives me much more of an energy boost, lasting roughly 4-6 hours, while the Sandoz pill gives me much more pain relief and steady energy for 6 hours. Very interesting and noticeable difference!

Exp Year: 2010	ExpID: 95581
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: 24
Published: Jan 17, 2020	Views: 2,492
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Amphetamines (6) : Various (28), Therapeutic Intent or Outcome (49), Performance Enhancement (50), Medical Use (47), Retrospective / Summary (11)