Do people without ADHD have paradoxical reactions to stimulants?

I'm just curious. I've heard the whole "you know you're ADHD when a high dose of Adderall means a nap" spiel from a lotta people, but then I've also heard "everyone is higher functioning on a stimulant, that's the point."

I'm doubting my diagnosis. Basically I, at 28 as a female, got diagnosed this past April when I showed up at a psych ward for bipolar/BPD shyt. I tested positive for amphetamines because I took my partner's and subsequently passed the fk out for half an hour. My provider said "well, you've tried every class of psych med except stimulants, maybe that's what you need," and I've been on one (methylphenidate--sometimes IR sometimes ER) since.

Basically, if I look up something ADHD related on the internet I ended up getting recommended a post that's like "did you know if you have an internal monologue, you probably have ADHD?" and I feel like that's BS (do people not have internal monologues?) and "if you're more productive around other people, you probably have ADHD" (which also sounds BS).

Basically I don't want to say/think I have a disorder when everyone struggles with stuff like this especially when I am part of a 300,000 year old species evolved on a planet that may have had life ~4,000,000,000 years ago but we're dealing with all this electronic technology our primitive bodies aren't used to... well I was never comfortable with boredom. Finish a test in school early? Doodle, take apart a calculator, turn my pencil into a metronome.

But I never had one of those "official" (AKA expensive af) assessments to get my dx, it was pretty much me being in a hospital saying I took a good nap after I don't know how much Adderall and them trialing me on Ritalin and me having a discussion that morning on a school shooting and should the parents be held accountable that, unlike previously, did not end up as a rant about music instructors.

(Today's a day I thought about my alphabet soup of diagnoses and I swear there's too many for one person to genuinely "have." Although I realize too many docs go by strict DSM criteria for a lot of psych stuff so of course there's overlap etm)

Hello.
It's a fascinating topic for me also. I am almost sure I have ADHD, but for our country, it is still an unapproachable area, especially for adults.

I was interested after your post and found some articles related to this - Inner Monologue in ADHD

"Not Exclusive to ADHD: The idea that having an internal monologue is a sign of ADHD is oversimplified. An internal monologue, or the experience of having an ongoing conversation with oneself in one's mind, is common among many individuals regardless of whether they have ADHD. Research indicates that about 30-50% of people regularly experience internal monologues, which can serve various functions in cognitive processes like planning, problem-solving, and memory processing. However, the nature of the monologue might differ; for some with ADHD, it can be more distracting or hyperactive, but this isn't a definitive diagnostic criterion."

Also this:
"The idea that being more productive around others suggests ADHD can be misleading. People with ADHD might find it easier to focus in a structured environment or when there's external stimulation, but this isn't exclusive to ADHD. Many people find they work better in social or collaborative settings."

Stimulant Medications for ADHD Treatment: Types, Side Effects, and More
"Stimulant medications like Adderall or Ritalin are commonly used to treat ADHD. The fact that you responded to stimulants by feeling calmer or even sleepy isn't uncommon in individuals with ADHD. However, this response alone doesn't definitively confirm the diagnosis."
My reaction to amphetamine was a full relaxation. But only 2 times - on the third, I started to talk and was very active.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying: there are these little things I've seen saying "body-doubling" and internal monologues and being able to sit for 10 minutes after a stimulant mean you have ADHD, but some of them are above and beyond like, "uh, yeah, that's not ADHD, that's just not wanting to do dishes because of course watching that chemist guy is more interesting," and the "listed symptoms" are vague as hell. I've been misdiagnosed a lot, and I don't believe half the stuff listed in my file now is accurate, so I just want to know if this is an actual thing with me or if I just take Ritalin because I'm a fking inferior being who can't do shyt without it.

I see that you have problems. Me too, and I'm not sure, it's something PTSD-caused, and may have a lot of issues related to this - ADHD, BPD, or... For example, I don't procrastinate at all. And some types of ADHD procrastinate.
I think the healthcare system at all is not enough for complicated things.
You have Ritalin, and I would like also to use some medications if we have them here. It's great that you have such an option. And the diagnostic as I read is so complicated that I realized if it is somewhere, I can not afford it.
My bad voices before also disturbed me, but those were toxic voices of my family that I repeated. And I am getting rid of them (ADHD causes over-clinging to the problems). I think I must use everything that helps me. Many people can't go witouth medical support nowadays and it's normal I think. We live in a mad world.
I use caffeine for being somehow effective. I can't work without it.

My "diagnostic" was me taking someone else's amphetamine salts and falling asleep in the middle of the day 30 minutes later and telling that story when I ended up inpatient and them saying "a lot of people with ADHD have more of a sedative effect than a stimulant effect from stimulants, maybe that's use, let's give you 5mg in the morning and see how that goes." It was "suspected" for at least a decade before (basically since I got into treatment), but I never saw anyone "qualified" or "confident" to do a "legitimate assessment."

I read that ADHD, bipolar, (C)PTSD (if you're including that as a dx), and BPD all common misdiagnoses of each other and I've had/have all of those right now, so...

I feel like it doesn't even matter and these things probably aren't even neatly separated boxes like how leukemia is a totally different thing from appendicitis, but you never near of people treating BPD with stimulants (well, doctor's anyways, I've heard of plenty of the self-medication variety). Bipolar was the first dx they were confident in which is why it took over a decade to be prescribed a stimulant, and it didn't cause mania or worsen psychosis.

IMO, trial and error seems to be how psychiatric issues are diagnosed and then treated. I do have ADHD in my medical history; I have no idea who put it there. I'll go look for my neurological assessment report now....

My friend was diagnosed bipolar and had a very usual reaction to stimulants. I decided that his trauma proceeded in the other way.

"Usual reaction" for someone with bipolar (I'm told that's mania) or usual for someone with ADHD (calmer/more focused) or usual for a "normie" (baby-cocaine effect)?

Well, I think the 'usual' reaction is to be uplifted, happy and ready to run all over the city. The world 'mania' is quite similar. Stimulants should make you move, and you can't sit in one place, no way. The only unusual reaction I heard was about ADHD.
But for different medications, it can also be something personal, and I think for stimulants it is also a range.
I wish this topic would be studied more and have common answers to this, in diagnostics and treatment. This is only my experience compared to the internet and other's experiences.

Yeah, but there is a big difference between a coke or meth high and mania

I've not been dx'ed with ADHD ( a while ago my Dr asked me if had certain symptoms indicating ADHD, I said no, but those symptoms would've applied to the younger me for sure) but all the same, stimulants like meth and Ritalin, completely relax me. No racing around cleaning the house all of a sudden or anything. I could watch TV, even the ads, and not get annoyed(!) So - I kinda fit the paradoxical thing I think.