Adderall-Law school finals/studying

[tjohnl]

Fellow 1Ls,2Ls and 3Ls:

 Would like your input on this subject.  Used the powerful blue uppers of AD in undergrad and currently considering using them for my three hour exams in law school.  I do not take these pills frequently but find when I take them while reviewing material, AD is extremely helpful and productive.  On the other hand, I got into law school because of my LSAT score and on that test under the consumption of adderall I scored signifiantly lower.  Therefore, for the ultimate LSAT test, I determined taking the blue pill was couunter productive and I did not consume AD on test day.  Ultimately I scored well enough to get into a T50 school (hence the previous sentence of LSAT=law  school acceptance).  I need help in determining if that should be the same rule (haha, I f-ing hate legal writing 1) for Fall 1L exams or if I should take the dirty amphetamine salt that makes me feel cracked out because it would keep me alert and focused upon fact patterns and black letter law during the final?  Please give input.  Don't judge.  I'm being honest and actually upfront about something a lot of people consume at many law schools. Thank you for your advice.

T john1

P.S. I'm not diagnosed with ADD or ADHD but I have a great deal focusing and my mind runs in multiple directions.  I do feel that IF I went to a doctor he/she would diagnose me with ADD or ADHD.  I'm reluctant because I know what the effects of Adderall are on me and DO NOT want to feel those everyday.  Complicates things..doesn't it? Just like a confusing hypo.

   

[Jumboshrimps]

I do commend you on being upfront about your intentions.

My friend, you seem to have a wonderful ambition for the trees, but you've lost sight of the forest. Do you want to be the lawyer and the person you actually are, or do you want your achievments and progress to always be subject to the caveat that you took the proper pill on the appropriate occasion?

You should embrace the way your brain works. Allow yourself to consider that this may be an asset in many ways. Then ask yourself if you really want to short circuit that asset by forcing your mind to conform to what YOU THINK it should be doing.

Bottom line- you should let your mind do its thing so that it can grow to being the best mind of its type, rather that tell your mind which mold it should fit into, even at the price of a little temporary clarity.

It's scary to be lost. Maybe even a little exciting...

[usedcarmanager]

On the other (pre-law) board people say Adderall is great for studying and essay exams -- on multiple-choice exams it does not help because you tend to overanalyze.

[vault]

Adderall is not as potent as Cocaine. In fact, their mechanisms of action differ.

Amphetamines

Amphetamines are drugs used to combat fatigue. Like cocaine, amphetamines increase the concentration of dopamine in the synaptic gap, but by a different mechanism. Amphetamines are similar in structure to dopamine, and so can enter the terminal button of the presynaptic neuron via its dopamine transporters as well as by diffusing through the neural membrane directly. As the animation to the right shows, once inside the presynaptic neuron, amphetamines force the dopamine molecules out of their storage vesicles and expel them into the synaptic gap by making the dopamine transporters work in reverse.

Amphetamines also seem to act by several other mechanisms. For example, they seem to reduce the reuptake of dopamine and, in high concentrations, to inhibit monoamine oxydase A (MAO-A).

Amphetamines may also excite dopaminergic neurons via glutamate neurons. Amphetamines would thus remove an inhibiting effect due to metabotropic glutamate receptors. By thus releasing this natural brake, amphetamines would make the dopaminergic neurons more readily excitable.

http://www.thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_03/i_03_m/i_03_m_par/i_03_m_par_amphetamine.html#drogues

Cocaine

Cocaine acts by blocking the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. By binding to the transporters that normally remove the excess of these neurotransmitters from the synaptic gap, cocaine prevents them from being reabsorbed by the neurons that released them and thus increases their concentration in the synapses (see animation). As a result, the natural effect of dopamine on the post-synaptic neurons is amplified. The group of neurons thus modified produces the euphoria (from dopamine), feelings of confidence (from serotonin), and energy (from norepinephrine) typically experienced by people who take cocaine.

In addition, because the norepinephrine neurons in the locus coeruleus project their axons into all the main structures of the forebrain, the powerful overall effect of cocaine can be readily understood.

In chronic cocaine consumers, the brain comes to rely on this exogenous drug to maintain the high degree of pleasure associated with the artificially elevated dopamine levels in its reward circuits. The postsynaptic membrane can even adapt so much to these high dopamine levels that it actually manufactures new receptors. The resulting increased sensitivity produces depression and cravings if cocaine consumption ceases and dopamine levels return to normal.

Dependency on cocaine is thus closely related to its effect on the neurons of the reward circuit.

http://www.thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/i/i_03/i_03_m/i_03_m_par/i_03_m_par_cocaine.html#drogues

[lovee]

Great website, vault! Thanx for the post!

[DeltaTauKyle]

Dude, who gives a *&^%.  If the pills help you, take them.  I know a ton of people who do coke and study, so I am hardly going to condemn anyone for doing AD.  And before anyone jumps my *&^% for supporting this, I study high on life + coffee.

[dmitrik4]

My friend, you seem to have a wonderful ambition for the trees, but you've lost sight of the forest. Do you want to be the lawyer and the person you actually are, or do you want your achievments and progress to always be subject to the caveat that you took the proper pill on the appropriate occasion?

+1.  are you planning to keep popping those pills throughout your career?  if not, why start now?  just learn the material.  instead of looking for shortcuts, understand how your mind works and adapt your study habits to that.

i have the same problem as you; my mind constantly wanders.  its not exactly an uncommon trait.  it takes discipline and a recognition that absolute concentration for hours on end isn't your way.  so take frequent breaks if you need them to keep your mind fresh.  i often found that my wandering mind ended up giving me a perspective on an issue or showing me a connection between two seemingly separate issues i might not otherwise have appreciated.

plus, there is no prize for "most time spent in the library."

i know some people who popped pills while studying and none of them did THAT well in the end, so i don't know what benefit they really offer someone who doesn't legitimately need them.

[rapunzel]

If you think that you might legitimately hvae ADHD then see a doctor.  There is a book called Driven to Distraction that is an excellent resource.  If you recieve a diagnosis you may be perscribed medication and/or therapy. 

If not, then stand up and do this on your own merits.  The results of taking the drugs could be unpredictable at best, and you will underminine your own sense of achievement. 

[LostMyMonkeys]

So you are admitting on a public, google-able message board that you use illegal perscription drugs?
What a lawyer you are gonna make

Seriously, I have no respect for your 'being all out in the open about it'. @#!* that. You, and everyone else who pops *&^% like that to try to get an edge, are morons.

Your mind wanders? Welcome to the f-ing real world. We all do it. We overcome it. Its called discipline and practice and focus. You learn to do it.
Get over yourself

[shire]

Pink pills are 20 mg., blue pills 10. 20 mg. is enough to keep you sharp and awake for about 8-10 hours. On the street, Adderall used to be sold illegally for $1-$5 a pill (for a 20-30mg capsule). Now, street price has gone up, $ 4-10 for 20 mg. Slang names are: "ralls", "bennies", "amps", "addies", "jollies", and in some regions of the U.S., "railguns". The 5mg and 10mg doses are also known in the northwest as "BBs", which is short for "Blueberries", named for their blue color. Heavier users tend to use the term "GBs", short for "goofballs", referring to the "goofed up" feeling from taking in excess of 100mg in a night.



You can read quickly, work intensely, think rapidly. Your heart beats fast and your legs tingle. You run steps. You get ideas and dive into them passionately, productively and powerfully. Eating and sleeping become unnecessary. Your mind is acute, your body charged. You're awake and working until you fall asleep, satisfied and relieved. It makes you feel like Superman, giving you the power and self-control you always wished you had. Unlike speed or cocaine, however, you can still function normally.

The real worry is dependence, though. Some ppl say that after they've been using Adderall really frequently, they cannot concentrate without it. It is not something to use every day. I've heard of ppl doing 80 mg. before going out to clubs. Or using it every night. Or even multiple times a day. A typical, careful student takes Adderall about once every 10 days to pull all-nighters.