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Doctor prescribed drug.
Drug made you feel better.
Mate, you got ADHD. Don't feel bad for treating it.
OP never said he had ADD. If anything the post indicates they do not. This is drug abuse.
Jesus knows, how heavily that weighs on your soul is up to you.
Lol wut
Adderall helped me survive as a junior associate but also made me kind of crazy to the point that it destroyed a relationship with someone who, looking back, I should have valued way way more than my law firm job. If I could do it all over again I would skip the adderall and keep the relationship even if it meant losing the job. Use carefully and try not to let it become a permanent part of your life.
My partner used adderall all throughout law school and was an emotional mess. I put my foot down and said adderall or me. We’re married now. 😊
Enthusiast
Have you considered that maybe Adderall is helpful to you because you actually might have ADHD? I’m obviously not your doctor and I don’t know if you do or don’t have it, but for what it’s worth, I don’t have any kind of ADHD symptoms and I tried my friend’s prescription in college and it did absolutely nothing for me, because I don’t need it. So if it’s helping, it might be for a reason.
Subject Expert
Sounds like you got legitimate medical help? Good for you, many people don’t take the time to care for their well-being.
Your concern should be that adderall will make you less sociable/charismatic and more likely to focus on small details at the expense of the bigger picture stuff that really matters. Less of an issue in your younger associate years when you have to slog through hours of boring detail heavy work.
Enthusiast
…unless OP actually has ADD. In which case, the meds help AVOID hyperfocus (which happens when those of us afflicted w it can do when we aren’t medicated).
I suggest you figure out why you were lacking motivation and treat your depression. Pretending you have ADD for adderall isn’t going to be helpful in the long run; it is more likely to harm you.
Subject Expert
Have you tried zoloft? Seems like it may be a better option imo.
A lot of folks with ADHD do well on welbutrin too, as an alternative to adderall.
Mentor
I am in an almost identical boat right now. Stay in touch with your doctor. Don’t do Adderall all the time if you can help it, but after many years of relying on hyperfocus waves to crank stuff out under the gun for 18 hours a day and then have work days when I could barely get 2 hours of work done…. I realized I needed some medical assistance. Because sometimes hyperfocus doesn’t hit and now you’re supposed to depose this guy for 8 hours listening closely to his answers but you only have the ability to listen to about 3 words out of his mouth before you’re thinking about something else entirely.
Medication is the only way I can do it. When I take an Adderall at 9am and can finally be a normal BigLaw lawyer and bill a solid 12+ hours without feeling like I’m dying…. It’s huge!
Wish this world didn’t push grinding and hours and productivity to the point where many of us need stimulants (caffeine, Adderall) just to meet the “normal” standard. But that’s America baby
Mentor
Yea I agree drug abuse is bad. But I genuinely have ADHD and take adderall like twice a week (when I justifiably could take it every day) so I wouldn’t say I’m anywhere near “abuse”
If you don’t have ADHD it’s a different story. But I couldn’t even do a normal 9-5 without adderall. BigLaw has actually been kind of good for someone with ADHD because it supports huge ups and downs. I often *can* have a day of 2 billable hours followed by a 16 hour day when my hyperfocus hits (without meds).
It’s just sometimes there’s a next-day deadline or a deposition/court appearance and then I can’t rely on natural hyperfocus waves so I need some stimulant help.
You probably don’t know what it’s like to have ADHD. I can’t do a lot of stuff normal people do. Like I can’t focus on a 30-minute meeting. In school I literally never bothered to take a single note in class because I couldn’t pay attention to lectures past the first 15 seconds.
Since you say you “convinced” your doctor, yes, cause for concern. It is too good a drug and too easy to use as a crutch in our bs stressful profession. I would avoid as much as possible… not worth changing yourself that way to make it in this job
Enthusiast
I use Kratom white maeng da strain. Similar effects to adderall without feeling like you’re on meth
It definitely makes working long hours and operating on little sleep a lot easier. I would be concerned about needing higher doses the longer you use it and the more dependent you become on it. It seems like a good short term solution to your problems, but it’s worth asking yourself if you plan to stay on it indefinitely. It def made me more moody and aggressive. This job destroys people’s health and it’s so sad.
Coach
I take adderall and have for sometime (like since college). I have ADHD and it helps me. I don’t abuse it and I’ve managed to get through days without it. I think taking a legally prescribed dosage is fine assuming you need it, you abuse it when you take more than needed. I know people are all on here saying “drug abuse”, but I’m sure many of those people drink coffee all day long too. I know many think it is a cheat code or something, but it isn’t. I know plenty of people that have taken it for a test, while studying, etc, and do horribly. I’ve also seen people do better not taking it then when they would. Just don’t let it impact your health (eating, sleeping, etc…).
Be easy on yourself. You took steps to help you survive a situation (which could very well be bc you have ADD, and saying you tricked your doctor may be a narrative you need to tell yourself… which is okay). There are medications that treat both depression and ADD. Once you get some breathing room (which you should try to make sure you get once the deals are done), you can revisit this with your doctor and see what happens.
The fact you’re asking the question about abusing adderal now is an indication that you’re less likely going to do it. Keep checking in with yourself and if it doesn’t feel right anymore or your relationships/ work are being negatively impacted, then you stop and look for other solutions.