• Yeah. I can’t stand myself on Adderall or Ritalin - only dextroamphetamine works (and my lil brother is the same way). Caffeine is a sedative for me and does nothing for my dad - he can drink it at any time of the day and not have issues with sleeping or anxiety. There are definitely some metabolism issues that probably affect everyone but are particularly problematic for people who need stimulants of one form or another to function in society.

    • I have similar experiences. I find the Levoamphetamine in Adderall is less helpful that just pure dextroamphetamine

      Adderall is a mixture of amphetamine salts, which have different chiralities (left handed vs right handed) Levoamphetamine is the left handed version and dextroamphetamine is the right handed version.

      Dextro is the main one and the more active of the two. When I take formulations with levo i seem to have more side effects and headaches.

    • By any chance are you autistic? Many autistic people report that sedatives and stimulants have opposite effects for them, with sedatives leaving them wired and stimulants leading to them becoming tired. I had a similar issue with benedryl as a kid.

      • Benadryl is also a sedative for me. I’ve heard the caffeine thing is related to ADHD, but there is a ton of comorbidity in both directions. I probably meet some of the criteria for autism but haven’t ever sought out a formal diagnosis, if only because I’m a stats professor, so my benchmark for “normal” is probably off by quite a ways :).