Re: Is it common to grow tolerance? Afraid of long-term high dose use

[Anonymous]

Hey Sugargremlin-

Keep in mind that I am no expert, so take everything that I am about to say with a grain of salt.

To my understanding, YES, it is possible to grow a tolerance to amphetamines/other stimulants. Keep in mind though, that there are two aspects to ‘growing a tolerance’.

1- When you first start taking a new medication, your body needs some time to get used to it. Until your body grows more accustomed to the medicine, you may experience some strange effects.

For example, I recently started a higher dose of Dexedrine. For the first 5 days, I felt GREAT! My symptoms were under control, my thoughts were clear, and my speech was smoother. My sense of touch was also more sensitive. My skin felt ‘tingly’, and I noticed tactile sensations that I would normally have ignored. I was largely side effect free, except for a slightly decreased appetite, and an especially dry mouth.

After a few days, I noticed that my skin was less ‘tingly’, and the effects of the medicine felt a little less pronounced. My mouth was also less dry. I asked my doc about it, and he said that I was simply getting used to feeling ‘normal’. Now my focus is great, my appetite is fine, and my mouth feels normal too. It isn’t tolerance, my body is just more used to the medicine.

2- The dopamine receptors can eventually become less sensitive to stimulation. Taking a short break from the medication can help minimize this. I also heard that taking a secondary medicine like amantadine/memantine can help combat this type of tolerance.

Here is a link to a forum post about those medications: http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80317

So yeah, tolerance happens, just be sure that it is actual tolerance, not just you getting more used to the medication.

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