Well, I haven't personally tried the ritalin la, so I can't speak from my own experience; however, I can say what I do know.
Adderall is a stronger drug than ritalin, so a smaller amount of adderall should yield "the same" results as x dose of ritalin. So, if you were wanting to lower the dosage of the ritalin la, but are also switching drugs, I would start at a lower dose of adderall than what you were going to switch to if he were still on ritalin.
Adderall typically has a longer half life than ritalin, which makes the med last longer. Adderall XR supposedly lasts 10-12 hours, although this does vary slightly from person to person.
I, personally take adderall and adderall xr and am fortunate to say that I don't experience any side effects. Some people report lowered appetite and moodiness amongst other changes upon starting the med.
Thanks for the "inside info"!You can switch safely from one to another with very little problems Sheila! Many do to try and limit side effects and others have a combination after a while to get the best from both meds. It varies as much as we do.
Same kind of side effects but many find them a bit more tolerable especially over time. And there's not the slowdown that many find with Ritalin. The side effects are typical - raised heartbeat (mostly when acclimating to it), some get the "jitters" at first, euphoric feeling (about half hour into taking), appetite loss at first. Most of the effects are just when becoming used to the dose and are mild.
One thing many don't find (though I've heard more lately than before) is the "crash" when the med goes away at night. I never got a down with dexedrine but there's been talk of it.
As with any there's trial and error. Don't give up - you'll find what works for your child sooner than later! And there are more than just Ritalin and Adderall - there's straight dexedrine sulphate in IR and XR, focalin, concerta and others. Keep trying!
I thought I had responded to this post!! haha It must be under a few different sub-forum topics. I thought I was just going nuts.
TillyT, I really couldn't tell you exactly how long the adderall xr works for me...for a lot of reasons. First, I guess I never really pay attention to the clock, I tend to go by how I'm feeling & my concentration level. I also stagger my med doses in the morning to eliminate possible evening "crashes." (I'm supposed to take 75mg adderall xr (3x25mg), so I take 1-2 caps, then the other 1-2 within the next 15-60 mins.
It's very possible that you won't need the booster in the afternoon, but there's also a possibility that you will. Unfortunately, it really depends on the individual's metabolism of the drug.
One thing to note about adderall is the necessity of avoiding foods/beverages that increase the acidity of your stomach because it inhibits the absorption of the drug. (That means no vit. c/ascorbic acid, etc. until the evenings when it doesn't matter if the meds are in the system).