People without adhd reddit Of all the batches I've tried, I've gotten properly high only once,or twice, without interference of ADHD. Also, people abusing ADHD meds for studying or recreation are the reason it's difficult to get them prescribed. Obviously dose-dependent but improved focus, elevated mood, relief from fatigue, etc. ADHD-diagnosed college students were found to have significantly lower grade point averages, report more “academic problems” and to be less likely to graduate from college. WTF man. My doctor has prescribed meds to people from when they were 12 and are now 40 still getting prescribed. If someone without ADHD takes Ritalin they'll just end up overstimulated. ) work well enough that they can come off meds entirely. ADHD people are just as happy as people without ADHD, they just don't process reward the same way (amongst other things) so their behavioural and cognitive process don't develop correctly. Personally I think I just forget that I’m already working on X, Y and Z. Largely because medication effects us all so differently. Yeah possible but the reason my docs looked into adhd was because multiple antidepressants made my concentration issues, restlessness, boredom and other inattentive adhd symptoms far worse (but the antidepressants helped mood and anxiety). People without ADHD take them to study because it helps them focus, to stay up, to party, all kinds of reasons. ADHD people have a dangerous habit of overcommitting to stuff. Ultimately, ADHD people may take stimulants to help with a significant problem which impacts their life and notice a change which other non-ADHD wouldnt see. Again, it’s all dependent on the individual’s needs and situation. I tried some meth today to test my theory and see what I'd get out of it. I remember a time I put $60 in a shoe and forgot about it for a whole year. Only to a - way - lesser extent. As someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, I have noticed a trend in this subreddit where people are self-diagnosing themselves with ADHD and making posts that are not only insulting to people with actual ADHD, but also misrepresenting the condition. They don't get it, that it is a different thing to take meds with or without adhd. Now since non adhd people barely improve on a medicinal does that is used to treat adhd, and not a higher dose designed to get you an euphoric high, is not worth the side effects. Share your stories, struggles, and non-medication strategies. Caffeine doesn't have the same effect at low doses - my dad has always self-medicated for his ADHD with caffeine but that equates to 5 pots of coffee a day which is an insane We're an inclusive, disability-oriented peer support group for people with ADHD with an emphasis on science-backed information. Dec 16, 2024 · It is FDA approved to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Adhd is knowing what to do, (like how to change bad habbits and start using good ones) but do not have the ability to execute it. They might be getting just a slight edge over ADHD people, but I don't see it that way. In fact I would rather have adhd and benefit from the creativity, spontaneity and energy that allows me to talk, think and act differently than to be a normal person without the advantages adhd has to offer. edit: fixed the paragraphs spacing (I'd also say, even if you don't actually have adhd it doesn't mean it's just laziness, there's many things that can cause adhd-like symptoms from deficiencies to depression to sleep issues etc, in theory they should have been addressed as past of the diagnosis but 'laziness' is the worst fall-back option, as it just leads to beating yourself It is perfectly possible for people without ADHD to have a paradoxical response to meds. Yes, without the executive dysfunction of ADHD, people can more quickly and succinctly organize their thoughts and get them out their mouths. The largest effect was that the N=13 healthy students on Adderall 30mg felt subjectively high (there is a rating scale for this!) at 90-210 minutes, their diastolic and pulse went up, with large effect size. This sounds mean, but seriously, the amount of people who have no idea what adhd is, yet spew about it online is crazy. But I'm curious to know how it affects those without ADHD I guess! I know the question was about people without ADHD, but the comments are making me weirded out. It's a process of just putting a little on the side maybe in a glass jar and sticking it wayyyy back out of site. Adderall affects adhd people and non adhd people the same way, but normal people barely improve compared to their non drug selves, while adhd people drastically improve. Stimulants affect people with ADHD differently than they affect those without. Adderall increases chemicals in the brain called dopamine and But an ADHD person is getting 10x the benefit from the meds. We're an inclusive, disability-oriented peer support group for people with ADHD with an emphasis on science-backed information. Other studies, done on rats, have even shown detrimental effects on working memory after longterm abuse of ADHD meds when there are no cognitive impairments. So I guess basically it's important in calibrating and regulating the brain processes underlying motivation and behaviour and control of behaviour and cognition. No racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other forms of discrimination and bigotry. In people without ADHD, it can also enhance focus, alertness, and energy levels. The sub advises using "with ADHD" and "without ADHD" to get away from the negative connotations of "atypical" since "neurotypical" isn't really a thing. But if we enjoy writing, we have the benefit of Hyperfocus. How ADHD affects object permanence People with ADHD also reach this milestone and understand that objects exist even when they are out of sight. Posted by u/bebebaby1232 - No votes and 2 comments All the evidence indicates that the exact opposite is true, ie. I’m expecting and hoping for a wide range of answers. My job requires me to work with sociologists and understand human behavior. Not trying to diminish the struggle that people without ADHD face. 18-56mg did absolutely nothing for me. Being productive is hard for everyone. So the same mechanisms that cause people with ADHD to not get things done are also at play in people without ADHD. I have no evidence for this, but I’m curious if people with ADHD are more easily able to enter flow states than people without ADHD, since we’re easily able to enter preservation states. Generally, those diagnosed with ADHD and taking stimulants still have lower academic performance and outcomes than expected for their IQ. As you probably know, people with ADHD handle crisis really well, and I quickly formed a plan to start my own online business, which is still running today and set to hit 6 figures next year. I always hear that people with adhd become more calm on the medication and people without adhd get jittery and energised similar to how the street drug speed (street amphetamines) would affect you. In my 1 year of college, 1993 I was gifted an adderal bya friend to ‘help me focus’ For a paper… that part turned into a a 5 page run on sentence…I went through a half box of dot matrix paper trying to print it because i couldn’t get the tabs to line up properly… This is in line with other articles I've read that reach the same conclusion: ADHD medication does virtually nothing for people without ADHD, especially with regard to academic performance. It's not about me doing me. And I find this is one of the things that people without ADHD struggle to understand the most. Pretty sure to people without adhd, ritalin and other adhd stimulants can keep you awake for several hours hence why they are used by students. Stimulants do increase focus and attention, even in people without ADHD. I don’t like lots of stimulation and spontaneity like some of my adhd people do. People have plenty of problems without even taking any medication simply because of their lifestyle. I remember crying and feeling so proud of myself when I got diagnosed and medicated because I was able to do my homework and make dinner, something people without adhd do every day. You said it yourself: you have been burning out. that people with ADHD are the ones that tend to be less self-aware, since impairment in some of the mechanisms that underlie self-awareness is one of the defining features of ADHD. People with add or adhd can feel this too, we just need to take a lot more than prescribed, where people without add or adhd only have to take a little bit to achieve a ¨high¨ Side note: the original reddit comment I read about this said something to the effect of, "you often hear people struggling with addiction talk about how they don't even enjoy The Thing anymore, but can't seem to stop pursuing it. Mar 1, 2025 · Recently, Reddit user ViolinistMiddle1534 turned to the popular Ask Reddit page to ask people with ADHD, "What are the things about it that people just don’t get?" and their answers ranged from Nov 18, 2016 · But wait, Adderall makes me focus too. It raises their dopamine levels higher than the normal amount, thus creating a sense of euphoria and high from it. ” The "mind on meds" VS "mind without meds" difference reported by adhd people, is exactly what also happens to me when I take meds. " [if there's someone reading who knows this better, please add detail or correct me!] Stimulants affect ADHD people differently. They need to rest too, and do things just for themselves sometimes – not to mention the fact that they too often feel like shit, in their own way and for their own reasons. But as an ADHD medicine, it's often said that if you don't have ADHD and take it you get too buzzy and other such side effects. A lot of people have said that people without ADHD just do things with ease, but I wonder how much struggling/failing to get mundane stuff done is just part of the normal human experience. I don't understand why people without adhd take it. Note: I would be hesitant to trust the word of someone without a behavioral disorder on topics like these. There is evidence to suggest stimulants do not significantly improve performance in people without ADHD and higher-performers with ADHD. . For someone who doesn’t have ADHD, it may make them feel more hyperactive, overly positive and make the meds feel like more of a ‘feel good’ drug, which yes this will happen to most people who have diagnosed ADHD in the first few days, and then it calms down, it probably won’t be to the same level. You may think you didn’t try because you didn’t actually start the task, but youd be wrong. For some people, untreated ADHD can be detrimental to their functioning (like OP’s story) and devastate their quality of life. Trying to start the task is still trying. I've come across plenty of content online that describes how the minds of people with ADHD work, but I'm curious to read about those without ADHD. It’s not fully literal. I’d like to add: If you’re not having the motivation to even shower, it might be well worth a visit to a doctor or psychiatrist or counselor if you can find one within budget. So if you don’t actually have adhd the medication will likely still give you the benefits of feeling more alert, being able to focus, feeling mentally sharper, etc. r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions. Working for myself has literally saved my life, and also gave me freedom and time to really start examine who I was. It might not be a dopamine deficiency but that phrase is an easier way of saying your brains reward system doesn’t work like people without adhd. In fact, people who have ADHD but are not treated for it have higher rates of car crashes. Just make sure you take care of your health, exercise, eat well, sleep well. All I am asking for is information on how a ADHD brain reacts differently to ADHD meds compared to a non ADHD brain. It's not a unique trait of ADHD. Just a reminder of how different people without ADHD live and experience the world. Even if you didn’t actually start it that doesn’t make you a failure, it just means you have ADHD, a medical issue. ADHD is a real and serious condition that affects individuals in many different ways. 46M subscribers in the AskReddit community. “Stimulants may help Mar 10, 2025 · Community for autistic people with ADHD to ask advice, vent about your day, share stories, infodump on your special interests and most important: be yourself. I just agree that it is frustrating to be misunderstood and I also wish people understood that ADHD is more than difficulty with focus & procrastination. School. It was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002, and became the first non-stimulant medication to receive approval for ADHD. In adhd the toggle is off which leads to both sides competing, resulting in imaginative reality. We prefer the more specific terms ‘people with(out) ADHD’ or ‘people with(out) mental (health) disorders’ instead. So to give a general answer on "why people without ADHD also don't get things done" is impossible. They also have much higher risk for developing substance use disorders- if the ADHD is left untreated. I’m titrating at the moment and haven’t found a huge uptake in executive function and after researching it, a lot of people with adhd don’t always get that ADHD stimulant medications work both for people who do have adhd (most of us anyway), and people who don’t have adhd. Please bear with me. I haven't heard a single adhd person say it gives them a high. My advice if any is to stay busy all the time. being adhd feels like being a racecar with ignition problems. Most people with ADHD have trouble visualizing time (especially me, as I'm in the r/Aphantasia & r/dyscalculia clubs lol). Out of site out of mind. I worried too but it's never been an issue for me. This is interesting, but I am personally not a fan of the ‘stimulants are different for people without adhd’ narrative. A lot of posts on here talk about "hyperfocusing," a state that most people with ADHD are intimately familiar with. I didn't specifically say Ritalin. Many people take meds (whether stimulants or not) more or less their entire lives. Adhd is not over diagnosed its under diagnosed. but most my life i’ve been struggling to start the damn car. No, I said that taking ADHD medication without having ADHD can cause ADHD-like symptoms - there is research that demonstrates that. Ritalin is a stimulant, so the right dose will bring an ADHD brain to the correct amount of stimulation. They are not general-purpose descriptors, or scientific terms. There can be a myriad of reasons for that. They don't have to deal with such difficulties we do. ’” YMMV - there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for ADHD. I take it for ADHD, and it doesn't suppress my appetite, but iv definitely noticed a lot less bingeing since starting it. I think people with ADHD, particularly women, are actually very good at picking up on other people's emotional signals, but because of the RSD, low self esteem and self doubt that comes along with ADHD mean we misattribute the cause and assume the other person is having a negative reaction to us specifically. To more directly answer your question, I suppose things like effective time management, the consistent ability to delay gratification and generally a more organised thought process are what allow others to be successful where we often aren't. Most notably the amount of euphoria that a person without ADHD would experience is significantly increased because their brains have properly functioning dopamine receptors, so they will have an even higher than average amount of dopamine. Just FYI I've spent the morning googling (instead of working, of course!) and have not been able to find scientific studies comparing the effects of adderall (or other ADHD drugs) in people who have ADHD and people that don't. I’m sure that’s something people without ADHD struggle with too though. I have a really good memory, for one, where I know lots of people with adhd struggle with recall. So because of that, ADHD meds make us feel normal, where people without ADHD get high. edit: fixed the paragraphs spacing Please bear with me. This is followed by 2-3 days of severe withdrawal symptoms of crashing and feeling like your insides wanna spew out. If you're anything like me, you probably agree with the statement that you seldom have real trouble focusing for prolonged periods of time: Wikipedia or Reddit holes that span dozens of tabs and last for days, or losing entire weekends to Civ 5 or FTL. Developing a writing habit is hard enough for normal people, it is undoubtedly harder for us with ADHD. Your job isn't to be productive ALL day, your job is to be productive for PART of the day, banging out specific tasks so that you can be "done" for the day & enjoy your downtime 100% guilt-free, which is something I never Simple way to think of it: ADHD brains are always understimulated. You folks keep saying adhd people get high and whatever, but no. I always hear that when someone who hasn't got adhd takes adhd medication it affects them differently than it would affect someone with adhd. In conclusion, I haven't taken my ADHD meds in almost 2 years, nor have smoked meth. But yes, adhd is singlehandedly the most painful thing I’ve dealt with and it makes every day so difficult. If you think I am wrong then explain to me why I am wrong. I really get you. I would like to add that being aware of the shortcomings of adhd better equips us to handle the same challenges that non-adhd people have. when i’m doing things i’m fucking amazing, and better, faster, and more thorough than most people. Sustainability is important - don’t overcommit. However, this knowledge alone doesn't invalidate your diagnosis. Some lucky few people manage to make non-medicinal interventions (compensation strategies, lifestyle changes, etc. I’m wondering if the “superpower” people are referring to isn’t preservation-hyperfixation, but instead a flow state. Not that many people on this sub follow that example lol, but I was just mentioning it in case you felt it was more fitting for your family. Nevertheless, ADHD-diagnosed college students did not differ in IQ from those without ADHD, and were shown to be able to meet the demands of college courses. The drug acts in the same way and there may well be a cross-over between what each person experiences. They do not generate the euphoria expressed by neurotypical people because the improvement in dopamine and norepinephrine processing brought on by the stimulant bring ADHD people's brains into functioning levels more on target with neurotypical brains. It’s a good indicator that it’s probably not the right medication for you, though. Use Active Recall + Spaced Repetition to study for all your exams. The response you’re having isn’t a good indicator of having or not having ADHD. i have continued to, my whole life, muster the energy to wiggle the key every morning willing the People without ADHD don't have this spectre following them, ruining things in very subtle and gradual ways. I’ll tell you why I can’t observe and copy how people without ADHD function: because I literally don’t hang out with a single person without ADHD 😂 both my parents have ADHD, their siblings have ADHD, my grandparents have ADHD, my sister has ADHD, my boyfriend has ADHD and all my friends have ADHD. Rules: 1 Be kind, respectful and polite. People taking Adderall for ADHD typically notice improved focus and attention and reduced impulsivity. Sure, everyone hates a monotonous routine, but even when it’s good and working for me I want to jettison it just because it makes me chafe after a while or I literally get distracted by something for a day and completely forget the wonderful routine Yes. Words like 'neurodiverse', 'neurodivergent', and 'neurotypical' are political terms coined by the neurodiversity movement and are inextricably tied to it. The ADHD person also has to set up routines and structures to cope with symptoms, and with meds that can make them an extremely efficient, functional adult. But, there is also no perfect, universal definition of “Normal” or “Neurotypical” outside of “Neurotransmitters operate near ‘average target levels. I am just trying to help the public forum by telling people my viewpoint. We're an inclusive, disability-oriented peer support group for people with ADHD with an emphasis on science-backed information. And furthermore I don't want to read such articles again where people try medication themselfs without adhd and write how horrible they where feeling. A review of 40 studies. Strattera (Atomoxetine) - is a brand name for a drug that contains atomoxetine. I struggle with executive functioning, but in a different way from a lot of the adhd people I know. Which was just a "huh" moment for me. The problem however is actually sitting down and setting aside the time for it which we suck at. Get into the arts. People with ADHD produce less, which is where our motivation issues often come from. I think people just use that phrase to describe how the brains reward system is atypical in adhd people. However, the symptoms of ADHD can create a sense of “out of sight, out of mind” that some people refer to as “lack of object permanence. And I am sorry if my frustration sounds condescending. I've seen countless people go from C's to straight A's after adopting them ~ The answer is mixed. So my wife and I watched the Blackening last night (which I highly recommend) and there's a part where a character inadvertently takes some Adderall and gets pretty fucked up (they kinda treat it like a mild Acid/LSD). Also, altought I always had the highest grades of the class, I was also always the person who was the last one of the class to finish the tests and needed to be granted extra time to finish the tests. ADHD causes hyperactivity and inattention as the brain is trying to find some way to stay stimulated. i want to go places. Which is also why many adhd people do the tortured artist thing so well because we are in a dreamlike state and can really zoom in on the now. On the contrary, everylne says it makes them sleepy in the beginning. Don't feel bad or ashame, people without adhd have trouble saving money. And for each person there are individual factors at play. It's a strange but persistent myth that stimulant ADHD meds have no effect on non-ADHD people. No, people without ADHD don't fill up their calendars and attend all the events and feel on top of everything. You will have to practice a lot, but if you take some public speaking classes or work with a communication coach, you can learn/come up with strategies to add a filter to your mouth. People with ADHD have trouble with motivation, emotional regulation, general focusing on tasks that don't interest them, sleep problems, fidgeting and moving around a lot, boredom, being on time, task switching. There is some variation in how individuals respond, but this applies equally to ADHD and non-ADHD people. Plus, being able to concentrate doesn’t mean your ability to learn and/or do things well gets any better. 80% of all people with adhd are untreated. I'd love to understand if most people genuinely function differently since my social bubble mostly consists of the people who have similar struggles to mine. ADHD exists on a Spectrum, (some people have a severe case, or other co-existing conditions, some people have a moderate case, some people have a more mild case. Something that people without ADHD probably dont understand well. It was also the first medication to be approved for treating adults with ADHD. I'm very interested in this topic, but remember that without SCIENCE to back it up, we're just totally speculating here. Not much at all. Nearly a million and a half users say they 'feel at home' and 'finally found a place where people understand them'. qfsdxemnp flxaf fivpez rcp vzrkuezir fricfs qorbm ybgd frsxzk lylhm mhrgrsj jvej lkbt fvjus ggijn