I am 19, currently a freshman in college. I do not have ADD or ADHD, and I am not prescribed any medicine of any kind. However, I have started taking
Adderall XR which I buy from a friend. The pills come in 20mg capsules, and I generally take 60mg at a time. I do this when I need to study or pull an all-nighter. I have been taking about 60mg in one go about once or twice a week for about 4 weeks.
At first, I experienced no side effects other than the desired increased motivation and concentration, as well as an ability to stay awake for up to 48 hours. However, just the other night I thought I was overdosing: My heart was pounding furiously, not necessarily super fast, but rather very hard. This lasted about 48 hours after taking 60mg in one dose. I felt no serious pain, but I had an acute awareness of every variation in my heartbeat. Several times when I stood up, I felt very light headed, and at times my hearing seemed to fade just slightly. I had slight tremors, nothing serious. What worried me was the intensity of my heartbeat. I had also smoked a small bowl of weed right after taking the pills. Is this relevant?
I weigh 145 lbs and stand about 5'6" tall. I am a smoker (average about 10 a day), but only for the last two months or so. In high school I was very athletic and ran track, played soccer, etc., so I am in pretty good physical condition. I went to the doctor's about a week before I started taking the Adderall, and they informed me that I have very good blood pressure and a healthy heart.
I have done some research and it looks like people with my same build are taking upwards of 100-200mg of Adderall XR daily, so I am curious if anyone can explain this side-effect to me. Am I in serious danger of dying if I continue to take 60-100mg in one dose about one or two times a week?
Thanks so much,
Charlie