I totally agree. The use of those sort of stimulants as pick-me-ups is not appropriate. Then again, how many people can't get by without caffeine? There was an OTC tonic in the UK called Labiton, which was loaded with caffeine and kola nut extract. It has been discontinued now, but such things were very popular years ago.

Anytime that I have taken anything that is for "energy" I get that nervous shaky feeling. I just can't stand that, does anyone else have that problem? I would rather have no energy than feel shaky with energy

That's exactly why I don't drink tea or coffee, or those Red Bull type drinks.

guess some people like that feeling, but I think I would rather have less energy that feel like that. I bought one of those energy packs in a conv. store once and only took half of what they said. I called my sister and told her if I died to check my purse what I took was in it.lol

I couldn't agree with you more. In the 70's I was prescribed didrex (among other stimuliants) for weight loss...ugh...they worked, but never again. They drive your blood pressure up for one thing; and they can trigger black depressions when you come down from them.

My PCP Rx'd me Provigil 200mg, and it worked great, 1/2 a tab often did the trick. Problem was it was like 300.00 for #60!!! With Ins! No generic avail either.

I have battled chronic fatigue for years & after extensive research asked my doctor to prescribe me Provigil so I could try it out. Naturally my insurance company said no - we think Adderall is the same thing. I had to choose between spending a fortune paying for it myself or trying the Adderall. I tried the Adderall & all of a sudden I felt almost human again. I started out on the lowest dosage, in 6 months the doctor had to up me to twice a day since I was crashing in the afternoon. 6 months later we moved up to the next dosage level. It works really good for energy, but does have some side effects. Kills your appetite. For me that's not a good thing since I don't eat much anyway & don't need to lose weight. Also causes nervous "tics". Sometimes it's a little twitch in an eye muscle or sometimes I just find myself picking at my cuticles incessantly. I would say it is great as a last resort. We went through about 20 different medications to try to resolve insomnia, sleep studies, etc. We have given up on me sleeping & are just concentrating on keeping me awake & functioning now.

Hope that helps answer some questions about the Adderall.

Do alot of Doctors prescribe Adderall for energy and to keep someone "going"?

Just curious, as I know that people who take it are normally hyper and it calms them down, right?

Does it have the opposite effect on people who don't have ADD?

So, do you just ask your doctor for it? Do you just tell him that you are tiered all the time or do you have to get it from a psychiatrist? Any info is great

from a psych. usually one has to be diagnosed with add disorder. don't believe "tired all the time" will cut it...
but, you never know...

They should not be prescribing it for energy.

For attention disorder with hyperactivity, it increases concentration levels which reduces the hyperactivity.

For those who don't have ADHD, the drug is especially addictive due to, as you say, the CNS stimulating effect.

Adderall is not easy to get from dr.'s. The person on this thread, Su30 was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and that's why her dr. prescribed it.

I get it from my Rheumatologist, but like I said it wasn't his idea, my insurance company suggested it since they didn't want to pay for Provigil. It is an ADD med, but for those without ADD it is a stimulant. I hate the fact that I need meds to live my life, but with work, kids, house, etc. I have to keep going & this works for me at this point. I try to skip taking it on the weekends when I can. I think that helps.

Actually, I was not diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue. Just the Fibro. But my doctor is very sympathetic & I was miserable. Could barely drag myself up & down the stairs. I would imagine it is hard to find the right doctor to prescribe it since I have read it is a widely abused drug. I only take it as prescribed & skip it whenever I feel like I can.

I had some weird things happening to me like needing to sleep in the office during lunch, chronic sore throat, hoarse voice, couldn't get out of the bed in the morning, couldn't think straight......given synthroid after having thyroid checked and all those symptoms went away. Also, I've been a psychotherapist for many years, and do see provigil work for sleepiness, if thought to be from other meds. Adderall is addictive and will even make adults with ADHD jittery. I've taken ionamine to have an edge although I know lifestyle changes are healthier. They require Rx too. Talking to different people, it seems necessary for a precise diagnosis when dealing with fatigue, depression, and lots of vague sounding symptoms. Even lyme disease has similar symptoms. I hope you have a family doc that tests before making a diagnosis, it might make a world of difference for you.

Has anyone ever been prescribed Ritalin for the pain and lack of energy from FM? Just wondering as one of my docs wants me to try it.I never asked or suggested it.

I,m also a diabetic,and i stay so tired I can barely walk.I have extreme high blood pressure to with a lot of medication.i would love to feel good just one day. I also went from 220 to 146 in weight due to divorce, but never made me feel better.

Chantex- thats great that you lost the weight. My husband has diabetes as well and he lost about 60 pounds and he is able to control his sugar much better. Ask you doctor for B-12 shots. This will give you energy.

I've never heard of this before, though I hope it works for you. Did they mention modafinil or anything else at all, or was methylphenidate the first thing they suggested for the lack of energy?

Wow, Ritilin can be very dangerous. I can't beleive a doc would recommend this for lack of energy. Do you have any symptoms of ADD? Good luck with whatever route you end up going.

No,I've never heard of it before either.He suggested it primarily for the pain and lack of energy second.I have tried Adrafinil with no success.I've also tried L-Dopa(Mucuna prurians) which helps occasionally,but I cant take it all the time.I think he may be using me as a part of a case study.


No,I'm the complete opposite of ADD,although to get Ritalin at the subsidised cost(and maybe qualify for the study?)he will have to diagnose me with ADD.

If adrafinil didn't work, then it's doubtful whether modafinil would either. I know a diabetic lady with a similar problem - excess fatigue, and there is nothing on the UK market indicated for this, which is unfortunate. Of course, a doctor must be careful not to mask a potential diabetic crisis with a stimulant drug.

Its weird that when I went to have my glucose tolerance test,after drinking half the amount of glucose drink,I threw up all over the place.The dr said,'well we won't try that again' and I've never been tested again.Figure that one out.

Try being tested for sleep apnea.

I just received Adrafinil, wanted to test it out on my day off - hopefully notice some focus or energy.

Bad news! I feel like I was given a horse tranquilizer!
I cant believe it, what a negative effect. Has anyone else noticed this? is adrafinil something you need to be 'adjusted to'? not liking it right now at all.

nevermind, on top of having chronic fatigue, Im probably getting the flu.

What can you take to get more energy? Well I have been tired for 10 years. Since age 13. Blame it on puberty, depression, the meds they put me on for depression, Cronic Fatigue, CFIDS, FM, or whatever, I am still tired. I have tried Provigil (modafinil). The real deal...not online stuff from India. My psych gave me the neat samples and I also got the Rx, Which btw in the USA is around $10 a pill (for 200mg) if you don't have insurance and most insurance won't cover it anyway. All I got out of Provigil was a bad headache and a little insomnia. I have been on Ritalin (methylphenidate) and it is the only thing that has worked for me (a little) its cheap as dirt as well. Adderall (amphetamine salts) both the old and the new fancy kinds didn't help. Neither did the "updated" Ritalin type drugs like Concerta. They are just slow release MPH. I have had every test known to man done multiple times to see why I am tired, my psych and pcp suggested I go to a sleep clinic so I can just go get diagnosed with nacrolepsy already! (The drug therapy would be identical to what I have tried so I don't see the point) but I need a diagnoses and the waiting list is 3 months...can't wait. haha. I will keep you posted. IMHO Provigil=Junk

Hello MKF,
1. Dexoxyn 5 mg. (methamphetamine immediate release) mfg.
by Ovation Pharmaceuticals.
2. Dextrostat 10 mg. (pure dextroamphetamine sulfate in
immediate release version) mfg. by Shire US Inc.
3. Dextrostat 5 mg. (pure dextroamphetamine sulfate in
immediate release version) mfg. by Shire US Inc.
4. Dexedrine 5 mg. (pure dextroamphetamine sulfate in
immediate release) mfg. by Glaxco/SmithKline.
If your Psychiatrist disagrees with option #1 or option
#2, ask him if you can take one 5 mg. of either the
Dextrostrat, or 5 mg. of the Dexedrine, and then split
the second pill "in half" and take 7.5 mg. of the
immediate release dextroamphetamine sulfate at the same
time. It might help to add a Starbuck's "Grande Latte"
to wash down the pills, as the "hot coffee" on a empty
stomach will excelerate the release of the d- amphetamine!
As a last resort, you can always do what my shrink allows me to do.....get a script for "Dexedrine Spansule 15 mg. capsules, take one upon arising, make a pot of coffee,
then, get your shrink to script you "Adderall 10 mg." in the original (immediate release) tablet, and then, take either 1/2 of the 10 mg. tablet with your morning caffeine
laced coffee, or if that doesn't work, you can take the full
10 mg. tablet of the immediate release "Adderall 10 mg tab"
as you sip on your hot coffee. It takes me 1 hr to feel the effects of the slow release Dexedrine Spansules, but with the addition, of Adderall 10 mg., or the addition of the increasingly rare 5 mg. Dexedrine heart shaped tablets "at the same time in the early AM hrs, I can tell the full effect with 20 to 30 minutes after ingesting both meds. I have been doing this for the greater part of 14 1/2 years,
for my Adult A.D.D. and my underlying dysthmia and/or seasonal affective disorder! You may need to get on this quickly, as I hear rumors that Glaxco Smith Kline, may soon
be discontinuing their famous 5 mg. pink heart shaped pure immediate release heart shaped pills. Abbott has already discontinued their 10 & 15 mg. Desoxyn Gradumet (meth) tabs,
and, I don't know of anyone in my "support groups" who are scripted "Desoxyn" 5mg. that are now marketed by Ovation. I sense the "residual stigma from the late 60's/early 70's has
kept methmphetamine in low demand" Glaxco Smith Kline, and
Fisons, both stopped marketing their famous "Benzedrine" &
"Biphetamine" about ten years ago, long after the "fad" for
diagnosing "Adults with A.D.D." had reached "Newsweek magazine" (1994) and the hot selling books by Dr. Hallowen
& Dr. Ratley, "Driven to Distraction" (1994) and "Answers to Driven to Distraction" were written. IMHO the demonization of "Bennies" and "Black Beauties" and "methamphetamine tablets" by the DEA from 1972 until maybe 1992 (twenty years) had scared off too many physicians, before the scientific studies of A.D.D. in the 1990's by the brilliant Dr. Russell A Barkley could overcome
the "stigma". The effective "banning of the use of Schedule II stimulants for short term appetite suppression"
in obesity prone patients by the National Academy of Sciences and the DEA, also left a indelible impression on the "new generation of non-psychiatric M.D.'s. Now, with the meddling of these Federal agencies, Shire US has the overwhelming dominance in the amphetamine marketplace, as
Norvartis has the overwhelming market in the USA for methylphenidate. Barr Generics seems to be the leader in the generic versions.....no hard facts on that one (yet).
I look at the PDR's of 1968, 1970, and 1973 and count almost twenty four amphetamine/dextroamphetamine/methamphetamine mmanufacturers
in the US of A! Wow, how times have changed since then!!!!

Im in the same boat, except no doctor would script me any provigil or ritalin. I have not tried ordering them from an IOP yet.

I KNOW its bad to force your adrenal system when its compeletly taxed/spent... but there are moments in life/work where your eyes must remain open!!!

so far I am stuck with 'fentermine' and over the counter 5-Hour energy drinks. I pay for it the next day, but dang! sometimes you HAVE to be somewhat alert.. or you can hurt yourself! like Driving.

the adrafinal *sp* did nothing for me at all.

perhaps looking at ritalin is a next step.

I have to say though, my therapy pool excersise, short lived as it is,... helps much with energy and stamina.

please keep us posted mkf

How is your thyroid level? Also vitamin D level? Sometimes fatigue results from those types of deficiencies and taking stimulants doesn't fix what is wrong in that case. A few people with chronic fatigue get well from taking d-ribose. The only way to find out if you are one of them is to try it. There is also a very small percentage of people who get energy and feel "normal" from taking opiods. Integrative Theraputics has a product called Adrenal Stress End that helps some people. As you can probably see, there are a lot of things to check and things to try out and see if any of them work for you.

The problem with relying on stimulants for FMS/CFS is that they wear you out more than you already are and can provoke flare-ups.