We spoke about this and I didn't want to admit it but yeah, years of dex for finishing ugrad and beyond probably helped contribute to making my crash and depression super severe from finasteride. Also normally I have good to a LOT of energy, my CFS with post fin syndrome was insane. I was dead tired, depressed, suicidal, and in bed like 7-10months. It was crazy. I do like amphetamines but I like teeth and hair better. I try and take the minimal dose and go weeks and months without it. Save for important exams and I never take adderall (more L-amp action than what I take, Dexedrine). I can see why even JQD said amps are catastrophic in our condition, but he was propped up by drugs. I've done 2-3months with NOTHING not even asthma inhalers, adhd, etc. I was pretty good. Using it to study some stuff for now.
But I am not joking at all when I say cocaine feels less harsh. There's a reason almost everyone who does amps outside of people with prescriptions do it 2-4x a year. Like MDMA, not all day everyday. Maybe if I'm prescribed 20-40mg a day and I take 5-20mg, and often zero, cycle citocholine, and or a bit of coffee instead, I can minimize damage. Also getting a nightguard/ mouthguard (which I had a few yrs ago) for sleep. Taking things like Mg, and the like. Adderalls racemic mixed amphetamine salts and far less isolated for dopaminergic affects compared to D-Amphetamine. D-amp obviously is not side effectless. I say cocaine's less bad, because it's a NDRI (among other things) so tolerance doesn't involve actual structural brain changes unlike slight increases to amphetamine. If I recall correctly. Tolerance increases that last more than a couple days are potentially causing structural changes, alterations in gene expression, toxicity, among other things. Also increasing blood brain permeability could not have helped prevent PFS, it may have made it more likely and more severe (maybe that was Bipolar II/ADHD, random genetics, who knows).
That said Dex does help me a lot... but I just need to be careful and there's been a few times since getting better from PFS I quit. Mostly I didn't care too too much, when I was living with my folks. It definitely is helpful for getting work done, definitely is detrimental to some of my work, definitely is helpful to what I find most difficult (deadlines, studying something). In many ways it's probably good I was out of PSSD 4-6yrs and out of grade school like 7 years before taking them habitually at all.
I like stims better than other drugs but like all drugs they need to be respected. My long term average dose is 16.66mg tho I was prescribed 40mg several years, which shows it's a pretty harsh drug. Helps my mood and a lot of things, but if it gets out of hand, I'm getting rid of it. Didn't take it for 5-6mo or so of TEI, and won't in future cycles. My school situation was totally fucked up but clearly without effexor I wouldn't have transferred in as badly a way, and stims took it to another level, helped me sit down, and actually put my head down and focus but yes for sure they're not for everyone. And even people who really like them/benefit from them, definitely do not always love them. They're a serious drug. IN certain ways I'm happier off of it. In other ways I'm happier for managing my life better, but in a perfect world or if I could do certain things without it, I would. Possibly seems like a cop out but I've tried years and years. I'd say if 1 million are prescribed it, it should be more like 200 000 or something. It should be like 1/30 kids in a class maybe, definitely not 4-5-6/30.
Adderall started my hair loss, it took 2-3 days max. I threw it away and only used it a few times over the next 5 years. Other things that hurt hair were dexedrine (less, maintained it most that time, and quit like 40% of that time, because of PFS and breaks), and Lamotrigine (raped my hair). Maybe grew some back... but definitely it's different. (i started with way more, so despite having decent hair for age, It was more, zero scalp showing or near zero). Crashing on fin, during surgery, this and that, and seeing 20-40 bald spots was pretty crazy. Money would have solved that easily = just get better docs, just get genetic testing, fly around see PFS doctors pre taking finasteride, and have FUE money set aside in cash (for peace of mind).
) Are you trying to convince amphets are good and god old coffee is not ?
