Adderall XR versus regular Adderall? | ADHD Information

i i'm on two 20 ir's a day. i sometimes go 15,15,10 taking the first two 3 hours apart and taking the 10 about 2-2 1/2 hours after the second dose that tends to make it more evenly distributed. i noticed that i can take the first dose a little later than when i was on the xr because it kicks in sooner, so the ir works better for me when i work 3am-3pm.what a coincidence, three posts, three dog avatars!!!actually, she belongs to a friend of mine. he tells me she'd a chow-mix. she has the signature purple tongue of a chow, and some say huskie!!even the vet can't tell for sure.He's some kind of little mutt--part minpin, part Jack Russell, and part annoying is our guess :P Okay, I have Miniature Schanuzers. Nixie it looks like you have a Lab? And Jerber, I would guess a Lab or a Jack Russell?

MaxDad
Has anyone tried both Adderall XR and the regular, shorter-acting sort? What differences did you notice? What are the advantages/disadvantages of one over the other? I'm on XR right now, but I'm wondering if just plain old shorter-acting Adderall would be better for me, as I really only feel the effects for the first 4-6 hours, and from what I understand, IR is only intended to last 4-6 hours and is stronger in general.
nixie_g38938.6630092593

Nixie

I've tried both. Started on the IR (instant release), switched to the XR (extended release), then back to the IR. I only had 6-7 hour benefit period with the XR (it’s supposed to work for 8-12 hours) and felt at times that I had too much in my system -- as if the second part of the dose hit while the first was still strong. With the IR I get a solid 4 hours and can sometimes wait 5 hours before I absolutely need another IR dose.

With the XR I noticed a smoother effect, however, due to the poor benefit period I went back to the IR.

IR is not "stronger in general" and is the same amount of medicine as XR. However, since it's an immediate release tablet, there is a strong "lift" as the med hits your system whereas the XR releases the active ingredient more slowly.

Also, that "lift" is not an indicator that Adderall is working. To determine that you need to see and understand the impact on your performance. Can you pay attention longer, stay on a task, not impulsively react, etc. That "lift" is a pleasant side-effect to the medicine hitting your system.

MaxDad