I've been on Adderall XR for almost a year, but now I wonder, is it bad!!?? Is focuset good? Natural ways

[strawberry_shortcake]

I used to be completely against taking any form of medication for my ADHD when I was diagnosed. After I realized that I had to treat it somehow, I decided to use the prescription my doctor originally prescribed to me. I am on 40mg as of now (I'm a 6'2" Guy I weigh in at around 170, I have toned arms, and my stomach could be stronger yetit doesn't have much fat). I have realized that when I come down from my Adderall XR, I feel smarter and I think more clearly. Yet I can't concentrate for anything. I started wondering about Focuset, does it work??? Is it harmful? I can't find a good natural way to cure ADHD. I wonder, is the Methamphetamine doing bad things to my body's dopamine??? I don't want to be doing anything physically bad to my body. Sometimes I'll zone out and not know what I'm doing. I hurt my best friend so badly and I didn't care and I couldn't grasp why I was making her angry and I keep at pissing her off, I made her cry and she hates me now. It still hasn't hit me hard yet. My memory seems to always be foggy. Despite this, I do have a lot of drive, I know I could force myself to cease taking Adderall for good. But on days when I skip it, I'm a nut! I can't control myself. It feels like somebody is borrowing my body and returning it at night when it wears off. I do exactly as the doctor says, I'm not recreationally abusing the drug, it is completely legal and what the doctor says. If I do find out that the Adderall XR 40 mg is detrimental to my well being and I do stop taking it, is there any good, natural way to help solve my ADHD problem? Thank you in advance!

[Deirdre M]

My boyfriend is similar to you...on Strattera. Unfortunately, if you do indeed have ADD/ADHD, there aren't any natural remedies. However, in addition to taking the medication, you must purse seeing a psychotherapist for behavioral modification. The medicine alone will not help you. It is an ongoing struggle. There's no little pill that's going to help. You have to work really hard on your problem and try to implement the behavior mod as much as possible. Use the people you love as a motivator...take it from someone who lives with someone with ADD...it's very, very difficult and requires a lot of patience and love. Hang in there. As far as the meds, the dose is not high enough to do any permanent damage...don't just stop it without telling the doctor. just as you probably had to ease into your current dosage, you have to ease out. People with ADD have fundamentally different brain chemistry that the drugs help to modify. You may need to try a different drug. Seek out a ADD/ADHD specialist, not just an internist or general practitioner.