Illegal Drug II: Pharmaceutical Amphetamines (Stimulants, ADHD meds, dopamine releasers), dopamine's role in ADHD, and the blessing-and-curse of stimulant abuse. (Part 1)

Pharmaceutical amphetamines. Adderall(Dextro- and Levo-amphetamine), Dexedrine(Dextro-amphetamine), Vyvanse(Lisdexamfetamine, basically time released dexedrine), and the rarely prescribed Desoxyn(Methamphetamine, absolutely nothing like crystal street methamphetamine). Back in the day they were prescribed as appetite suppressants for people trying to lose weight(And are still used in that way for the morbidly obese and some recreational users), nowadays are mostly used for the treatment of ADHD, which I myself have a severe case of. To me, taking a stimulant is almost like filling in a missing puzzle piece in my brain. And what's funny? It kind of is, literally.

You see, stimulants are potent releasers of the neurotransmitter(1) dopamine, which, as I've mentioned, is the chemical responsible for motivation, desire, sex drive, pleasure, and (in part), alertness/energy/social drive. ADHD is a deficiency in dopamine, basically. That's why ADHD people often get bored of things incredibly fast and often feel anhedonic(2). Whenever I explain this to people, they always ask the same question...

"But Geno, if dopamine gives you energy and ADHD is a deficiency in dopamine, why are many (but not all) ADHD people hyperactive?"

The hyperactivity isn't REALLY excess energy: It's us trying to alleviate the soul crushing boredom. To me and many ADHDers, boredom is the one of the most unbearable and painful things to deal with, so we often appear immature by annoying others to entertain ourselves, and fidgeting in our seats because sitting still ads even more to the boredom due to our lack of dopamine. Yes, everyone gets bored, but to a far lesser extent than an ADHDer. That's why stimulants, in reasonable doses, calm us down, they basically make the boredom easier to deal with, allowing us to see through boring tasks without that gut-wrenching feeling of "Oh god I want to be doing something else so badly.".

In part 2, I'll cover recreational use of these drugs and withdrawal. In the near future I also have a blog planned where I'll recount my first stimulant binge(3), the most mindblowing experience of my life.

Footnotes/Definitions:

1. Neurotransmitter - A brain chemical that binds to a receptor and activates it to perform a bodily or mental function. In dopamine's case, the d1, d2, d3, d4, and d5 receptors.
2. Anhedonia - Dopamine depletion. Seen in (sometimes) clinical depression, as a side effect of antipsychotic medications, and stimulant withdrawal. Basically the inability to feel pleasure from anything and a lack of motivation for doing anything more than basic needs like eating and sleeping.
3. Binge - Using a stimulant to stay awake for 4-7 days, usually ends in the eruption of (temporary) psychotic symptoms in normal people, and is followed by a few days of anhedonia.