DOSE:

40 mg

oral

Lisdexamfetamine

BODY WEIGHT:

145 lb

I wanted to try lisdexamfetamine for a few reasons: Clinically, I've dealt with a hodgepodge of eating disordered behavior over the years, including binge eating disorder, and Vyvanse was recently approved to treat this. I don't meet the clinical criteria but binge often enough that it was a concern to me. But more important, I was under a lot of work pressure and simply couldn't afford the brain fog that my mild-to-moderate depression gives me. I needed to be 'on' immediately and couldn't wait for the antidepressant window. So I tried this, using it semi-clinically—4-5 times a week at a clinical dose, trying not to take it every day, in part because it's expensive and in part because I don't want to feel like I MUST take it in order to work.

First off, this doesn't make me 'high' or speedy, at least not taken at a clinical dosage. I've taken other amphetamines before, again at clinical dosages, and felt much buzzier. What it does give me is a genuine sense of focus, but with my decision-making faculties fully intact (i.e. I don't look up and realize I've spent two hours organizing my spice drawer). It lifts the brain fog and allows me to do good, productive work, and if I take it on a day when I don't have to work I find that I simply feel more 'on' and lively, with a slight mood elevation.

The main downside, beside the expense, is that even though I don't take it every day, I do find it difficult to function without it. I'm not cavalier about filling my body with amphetamines and don't want to increase my dosage, but neither do I want to struggle through the brain fog I have so frequently without it. It can also put me slightly on edge, making me a bit irritable, but unless I'm already in a foul mood it's not really noticeable—a bit more impatient, things like that, and nothing that has concerned me.

Exp Year: 2016	ExpID: 109096
Gender: Female
Age at time of experience: 40
Published: Apr 14, 2019	Views: 1,997
[ View PDF (to print) ] [ View LaTeX (for geeks) ] [ Swap Dark/Light ]
Lisdexamfetamine (589) : Workplace (51), Performance Enhancement (50), Retrospective / Summary (11)