I can't get my stupid pills. How do I work without them?

December 29, 2009 8:28 AM

After twenty-something years without an ADHD diagnosis, I started taking Adderall XR about a year ago and it completely turned everything around with zero side effects. Now I live in a country where I can't get it (drug laws). The only medication available is Ritalin, but Ritalin makes me feel like crap and I doubt I could take it long-term. So then, how does one deal with adult ADHD without drugs, especially if they've already had such spectacular success with them? I know YANMD, but even if I could find a decent English-speaking psychiatrist here I get the feeling ADHD isn't something that's taken very seriously outside the West.

After dealing with ADHD my whole life (I presume) and never actually knowing I had it, I started taking a low dose of Adderall XR and became the driven, competent person I always thought I should be. Seriously, it was amazing. Sucks that I gotta depend on drugs for that, but it worked.

I don't really need Adderall to function - I don't take meds on weekends and I took a month off a while ago without using them at all - but I'm primarily concerned about my job. I set my own schedule and since I've been using Ritalin I've noticed a marked decline in the quality of my work, which is going to have serious repercussions down the road if I don't get it together.

I can't get Adderall here and it'd be stupid and illegal to ship amphetamines in from abroad, so what do I do? What strategies can I use to keep myself focused, energetic and productive? I've googled the hell out of this and found plenty of vague advice, but I'd like to know what works for you.

Thanks!

posted by anonymous to health & fitness (8 answers total)

Rigorous aerobic exercise.
posted by availablelight at 8:37 AM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

If you're used to Adderall XR (the XR means "Extended Release"), you might want to try Concerta, which is the XR version of Ritalin.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:47 AM on December 29, 2009

It would be helpful to know where "here" is. While you don't want to ship them in, it's very likely you can bring them in as long as you carry a prescription from your country of origin. Bringing them in and shipping them in are not the same thing. My US doctor was happy to provide me with a year-long prescription for a drug I could not get in the UK; I refilled it every Christmas for a few years. One year when I was not returning to the US, he wrote for my sister so she could bring it with her when she came to visit me. There are way to do this if nothing else works out, in other words.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:57 AM on December 29, 2009 [1 favorite]

If you tell me where you are I may be able to check with someone who knows whether it is legal to import a prescription drug for personal use into that country even if it is not locally available/approved. It is possible to do this in some countries with a copy of the prescription from the doctor in the foreign origin.
posted by Carbolic at 9:39 AM on December 29, 2009

If your case is mild, extra caffeine may help.
posted by jkaczor at 10:20 AM on December 29, 2009

some adult adhd sufferers have reported good effects from L-Theanine
which should be more readily available in supplement form.

This article might also be helpful/interesting to you.

good luck!
posted by SuperErin at 12:26 PM on December 29, 2009

You may find that Concerta or some other slow-release form of methylphenidate will do the job. I started out on Ritalin and it was great, but now that I have Concerta I never let myself run out of it because Ritalin leaves me with too many ups and downs as one dose wears off and it's time to take another.

I don't know where you are, but in my country Adderall is also unavailable because it combines 4-5 types of amphetamine salts each of which would have to be approved both separately and in combination for the drug to go on the market here. It's so much trouble that it will likely never go on the market. However it's only a minority of patients (AFAIK, IANAD etc) that really truly can't exist without an amphetamine (as opposed to methylphenidate) and even if you're one of those, there are other options besides Adderall. Can you see a local specialist for a change of meds? If I were you I'd look for local support groups, you'll surely find someone who can direct you.
posted by tel3path at 2:44 PM on December 29, 2009

Wait, you need stupid pills? Sorry, the title cracked me up.

Check out Concerta and Welbutrin, both used for ADHD. Meanwhile, add coffee. For some people w/ ADD, coffee helps a lot.
posted by theora55 at 3:24 PM on December 29, 2009