adderall and LSAT Forum

[lakers3peat]

I was originally just a passive observer to these forums and followed some of the advice here but I felt obliged to register and comment on this post because it is an issue that I don't feel was properly answered from the previous posts. I have taken Adderall, Ritalin, Conerta, and other ADD medications for 6-8 years to control my ADD which has been diagnosed by a learning specialist, psychiatrist, and a neurologist. I saw all the doctors at a young age too, mind you, because of the inherent danger of taking these medications and because I struggled early on due to my condition.

To clarify a few things, Adderall, when taken as PRESCRIBED and in the body of someone who ACTUALLY needs it, does not make you feel "cracked out." I have never taken my medication and felt over stimulated, hyper-active, or displayed any of the side effects that an amphetamine salt may produce. It actually does make me feel "chilled out," contrary to what the above poster might have said in regards to the effects of amphetamines.

When people who DO NOT NEED Adderall take it, it will often induce these symptoms which are counter productive. Adderall is not meant to give you a boost of speed so that you can answer things faster. In fact, if you think taking Adderall will make you answer questions faster, you are dead wrong. You might be able to zoom through the easy questions but anybody could do that--with or without Adderall--but something that will stump you, will make you feel overwhelmed. You feel the side effect of anxiousness and will read the same question over and over just inducing further panic onto yourself. I have seen it in my friends and fellow students who have freaked out. This is called Amphetamine induced rage. See: http://www.amphetamines.com/rage/index.html

Adderall when NOT taken everyday and taken by those of whom don't need it, are exponentially more likely to display side effects including:

Hyperactivity, restlessness, dry mouth, headache, tachycardia, increased breathing rate, increased blood pressure, sweating, diarrhea, constipation, blurred vision, impaired speech, dizziness, uncontrollable movements or shaking, insomnia, numbness, palpitations, and arrhythmia.


I copy pasted only SOME of the side effects to illustrate my point. Those of whom do not need it and whose bodies are not accustomed to it will more often than not, experience these side effects. And you tell me how you are going to do well on the LSAT when you can hear and feel your heart beating or when you start dripping sweat onto the answer sheet or your pencil slips out of your hand you are so wet and nervous lol. This test is so important that the adrenaline that your brain will NATURALLY produce will be enough to stimulate you. I NEVER take Adderall for tests.

It was sad to me in college to see how some students used this. Yes, it will make you stay up and you will be likely to cram information or finish a paper the night before its due but the LSAT is sooooooooooooooo not like that. I have been studying for this for months and I am just not beginning to better understand the material. This was not because of Adderall-it was from hard work and commitment. Also, I don't know if you have ever read a paper written by someone who has taken Adderall to stimulate themselves, but they actually are usually very poorly written. You can clearly tell that they are hyper-stimulated from the rapid transitions in their sentences and the overall lack of structure in their papers. Also they are always going outside to smoke ciggarettes to try to calm themselves down or going from table to table in the library, socializing, and actually not getting very much accomplished. I realize this is a generalization and not everyone who take it is like this but this just never made sense to me why people would do this.

I HIGHLY encourage those of you who are considering this, to not do it. Not only is it not safe(and illegal for those of you are trying to be lawyers?), it won't actually help you. I hope this clarified some of the questions/concerns for those of whom are actually considering this.

P.s. for those of you who have noticed you are doing much better on the reading comp, I implore you to think of the placebo effects and/or the likelihood that the passages might have been of more interest or easier to comprehend? We are all taking the same test. Have you not learned about correlation vs. causation yet?

[Ginj]

This topic gets brought up every gd cycle. Man up and do the damn thing yourself. Wimps.

Rack duh disciprine.

Well Ginj, hope you're not planning on drinking any caffeine. Caffeine is a psychoactive drug, albeit with milder effects, but addictive properties nonetheless. First Red Bull or Mountain Dew you drink means, I guess, you aren't doing it on your own anymore.

People have compared adderall to steroids. And in many ways that's true. Like I said, I'd advocate a better diet to keep you alert and not sluggish while studying. Everyone here who has tried it will agree the adderall will not really help you, except there probably is a way to do it right like I said, if taken at the right times and in small therapeutic doses. But taking adderall doesn't mean you're not "doing it yourself." People on steroids still work out in the gym harder than anyone else does most of the time. They don't just take steroids and then sit on their couch, they bust their asses in the gym five days a week. Performance enhancing drugs doesn't mean the drug is doing the whole performance. Caffeine is a performance enhancing drug, that just happens to be legal, if it makes you feel better. The next time you take a sip of coffee, just remember, by your logic, you're a fraud. Personally? I don't care either way, I'm just offering an objective opinion to people interested in this, rather than wasting people's time with a base opinion.

Sassy. And your angle and overall tone certainly suggest objectivity. 1 point for you.

No, the drug doesn't do the whole performance, and the hyperbolic nature of that statement is ridiculous in itself. It's similar to the "guns don't kill people" argument. Without that 'tool,' the overall objective won't be accomplished. Same with adderall. It's a tool that becomes the primary factor in the accomplishment of a goal. (Not to say you can't study successfully for the LSAT without it, but if you're wanting to cram in a full night of intense focus and concentration, you'd find it much more difficile).

In the words of the fabulous Eddie Izzard: "The gun helps."

And Mountain Dew??? How dare you suggest I drink such a thing. A pox on you.

[paratactical]

[img]ttp://images.memegenerator.net/Advice-Kpop-Fangirl/ImageMacro/2633934/Caffeine-is-a-performance-enhancing-drug-just-happens-to-be-legal-if-it-makes-you-feel-better.jpg[/img]

[Ginj]

If only I could see that image. Damn.

[bartleby]

I know a lot of people that have taken Adderall for the LSAT. Amphetamines rage is very real but can actually be coped with by taking a small dose of Xanax. If you absolutely have to take Adderall for the LSAT and are not prescribed to it, 1.) you probably won't do that well in law school or in life, 2.) I've heard taking a small dose of Xanax helps. Or it can kill you.

[WeX11788]

Never messed with adderall in undergrad, but then again I never really needed to.


I've been taking adderall while studying for the LSAT. Not every day that I study, but certain days that I need a little boost. I've been taking it with all my practice tests; accordingly, I'll be taking it on October 9.


You can't ask people from the site about adderall. Everyone is different. Certain people perform strong enough without it. Certain people don't react well with it. Certain people are opposed to the idea of taking a drug altogether. The only way to gauge whether or not it will be beneficial to you is to try it out and see for yourself. Obviously, trying it for the first time on test day wouldn't be a wise decision.


A buddy of mine took an adderall before the test and he said it began wearing off by the time the 15 minute break came around, so he popped another one. He ended up doing very well.

[whymeohgodno]

Snort coke before the LSAT. I heard it works wonders.

[fosterp]

I've thought for a long time all through CC and UG that I had some kind of disorder when it comes to studying for classes. Being unable to focus on a subject for more than 20-30 minutes, reading pages of text and getting to the end of the page and not remembering a damn thing I just read, having to reread lines over and over again to figure out whats being said. A lot of this has manifested itself in this test and I do the same things in RC and LR, for some reason some questions I can't seem to figure out what is being said. I'll read the stim 5-6 times and still not really know what to answer. A lot of the other problems associated with ADD are pretty obvious in my life too, but I've never taken the steps to talk to a doctor about it. Personally, I think a think theres a lot of bullshit in the area of psychology and medicine, and too much crap is being labeled as a disorder, and then being prescribed a drug to fix it. I just assumed there were different varieties of human behavior and people are different. After reading all of this though, perhaps I should give a psyche evaluation a try. Though it would be nice just to see the effects of one of these drugs....