30 October
Adderall after all...
It's been nearly 24 hours now since I took the 1st of 2 blue pills (Adderalls. Actually, Matrix-metaphorically they would probably be the red pill) and here are my impressions:
Pro's
- Vastly better ability to focus and maintain current trains of thought. It also seems easier to think clearly in general. I could work on the same thing without distraction for upwards of 40 minutes+, an approximate 10-fold improvement over my doped-free self. Also, I'm able to do things without getting sidetracked or forgetting mid-stream what I meant to do, both of which were regular occurances for me.
- Sort of a corollary to 1, but I'm able to ignore distractions much more effectively. E-mail, web surfing, side coversations, IM all seemed less enticing draws while I was working on stuff.
- Higher energy level. I went through a 6-hour interview loop yesterday followed by 3 or 4 hours of finishing my programming assignment. I really didn't feel tired at all through the whole thing until about 30 minutes before I finally went to bed.
Con's
- A mild headache that isn't enough to take medicine for, but enough to be annoying. I had it nearly all day and night.
- Sleeplessness. I went to bed at 1 and woke up at 5:30 and didn't really sleep fitfully in-between. I did chuckle hearing Karen talking in her sleep, in a very sarcastic and caustic tone...hahaha...it's weird, it was like she was condescending to someone she was dreaming about...maybe the dream-version of me?
- I found myself many times yesterday talking loudly and excitedly. I had to consciously curtail my chatter...
- Most alarmingly, a skyrocketed BP increase, post-Adderall in the neighborhood of ~137/97.
I'm not sure what % of the perceived pro's and con's are just placebo effect. For right now, it's not a slam-dunk for me one way or the other, i.e. it's an easy call to keep taking it or not take it anymore.
I took 2 yesterday and it was too much. As such, I'm refraining today and I'll have another one tommorrow AM, as per my doctor's actual instructions (1 week take 1, next week take 2, week after that try 3, all the while monitoring BP and stopping if it gets too high)
I'll play the guinea pig just a while longer...=)