Adderal XR and lethargy? | ADHD Information

I am a mom of a 6 yr old daughter who was diagnosed with ADHD last year.  She has been on several meds with no success (Strattera, Ritalin LA, Concerta).   Her doctor recently advised us to try Adderal XR starting with 5 mg for 5 days, then 10mg for 5 days and then increase to 15 mg.  The first day she took it, I got a phone call from the school that she was "not herself".   Very lethargic, complaining that the light bothered her eyes, bad headache, and wanted to sleep rather than go to recess.  (This child NEVER misses recess!)   I brought her home and she went to her room and immediately fell asleep.  We woke her up at about 7:30 pm and she was totally confused as to what time of day it was, where she was, etc.    Her doctor advised us to try it again on the weekend when we could watch her.   Today we tried it again, and she became very sleepy, eyes were dilated, no appetite, and basically not herself for the day.   I don't want to continue the meds at this point.  I am willing to try no meds at all at this point as I hate how they change her personality.  She does take Zoloft for anxiety and I also wonder if this has an effect on the Adderal?   Has anyone else had these side effects with the Adderal?   Our doctor said that headache and sleepiness were NOT a common side effect at such a low dose.  Thanks!Wow, that is an interesting reaction. Loss of appetite and dilation of the pupils are both fairly common side effects, and headaches do occur occasionally but tend to disappear over the first week or two, so I wouldn't worry about any of those. Did you ever try the 10mg dose? It may seem counterintuitive to raise the dose when she is having so many negative reactions, but that may reveal a totally different response. Obviously Adderall is a stimulant, but it targets 2 neurotransmitters: dopamine and norepinephrine. Occasionally blocking the reuptake of norepy can result in sedation. At higher doses, Adderall will release more norepy as well as block the reuptake, which should be more stimulating. Obviously its not an experiment I would try on a school day, but you may want to try it on a weekend. If that doesn't make a difference or if the side effects get worse, this may not be the drug for you. Tenex is a blood pressure med that sometimes works for ADHD. Also, you may try switching from Zoloft to Cymbalta. Cymbalta targets serotonin like Zoloft but also targets norepy, resulting in improved concentration in some patients. Good luck!