Dexamphetamine
Ranked 9 of 9 ADHD medications by recommenders
Recommended for ADHD, with people calling it effective with minimal crash and long-running help. Critics report jitteriness, a short effect and a pronounced crash.
Recommended for ADHD, with people calling it effective with minimal crash and long-running help. Critics report jitteriness, a short effect and a pronounced crash.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 3
- approval share
- 67%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Substantial, life-changing ADHD help
“This actually helped me a lot, and continues to help me to this day.”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “The main thing about P2P meth is that there's so much of it (2022)” “actual treatment (dextroamphetamine + bupropion) changed my life”
Comment from 9 Oct 2026 in “ADHD as a circadian rhythm disorder: evidence and implications for chronotherapy (2025)” Research-backed recommended treatment
“research shows that the best treatment are the recommended drugs”
Comment from 6 Oct 2026 in “ADHD, autism or complex trauma? [pdf]” “actual treatment (dextroamphetamine + bupropion) changed my life”
Comment from 9 Oct 2026 in “ADHD as a circadian rhythm disorder: evidence and implications for chronotherapy (2025)”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Jitteriness, short effect, pronounced crash
“I came to dislike the effect it had on me”
Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “What nicotine does to your brain” “short effect, jittery, pronounced crash”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “Mortality Among People with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder”
Other ADHD medications people recommend
The four most recommended other ADHD medications, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adderall | 38 | 26 | 59% | 11 | 3 yrs4 owners | — |
| Ritalin | 18 | 19 | 49% | 8 | 11 yrs4 owners | — |
| Vyvanse | 13 | 11 | 54% | 7 | 1 yr3 owners | — |
| Methylphenidate | 10 | 8 | 56% | 8 | — | — |
| DexamphetamineThis page | 6 | 3 | 67% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
All 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“short effect, jittery, pronounced crash”
“actual treatment (dextroamphetamine + bupropion) changed my life”
“research shows that the best treatment are the recommended drugs”
“I used to meditate best, for longer and deeper, when I was taking dexamfetamine medication”
“This actually helped me a lot, and continues to help me to this day.”
“with less addictive potential than dexamphetamine”
“I had similar issues with XR methylphenidate and Dex”
“after 30 years apparently it's dexamphetamine”
“Dex is just like a super effective coffee with minimal crash or anything.”
“I came to dislike the effect it had on me”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.