this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2026
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ADHD
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A lot of these types of drugs don't just work immediately. You need to take what your doctor says, for at least a month, before you can be sure if it's helping or not.
That's.... contrary to what my doctor said. 20 to 40 minutes to start being effective, and no day after day cumulative effect, she said. She even recommended not taking those on weekends and holidays to avoid building a resistance.
Some ADHD medications (like atomoxetine) need to be taken every day, in order for them to be effective, and they take a while to be effective (much like antidepressants). And you're right that Adderall isn't like that, and is likely to start being effective straight away.
However, there is still an acclimatization period of sorts. For me, this was discernible in the fact that initially, I had a few minor side effects, but after a while of taking my medication every day, they disappeared. So like, on the biochemical level, there is some impact of taking it regularly. But there's also the more human side of adjusting to stuff — as I outlined in another comment I left on this thread, once I found a medication that worked for me, I needed to develop new strategies to actually manage my focus and routine and stuff (the meds helped, but they weren't a silver bullet is what I'm saying).
So there's two lines of thought here;
1 is that the first time you take it, the meds have the best effect and you finally have a functional day, but better, it almost feels like Felix felicis from Harry Potter. Some view it as what should be striven for, which unfortunately can end up with people chasing that first time feeling again, leading to increasing the dose more and more despite side effects.
2 is that after taking the meds for a few months, you've gained a tolerance, its less euphoric but actually more functional because you aren't chasing the euphoria (or the dopamine from starting a different task).
Personally I find IR meds to up and down for my day to day, XR is a lot more comfortable long term
Amphetamines work IMMEDIATELY, always. Hooo boy do they ever WORK.
Your SSRIs, SNRIs, most antidepressants, antipsychotics, methylphenidate even… those can take some time. A week, a few weeks maybe.
Amphetamines hit yo shit whether or not you’ve got ADHD—they’ll just do different things. But adderall for sure will be immediately noticeable. If it’s not, it’s not the right medication to be on. The only thing that hits more quickly when taken orally are benzos/barbituates.