Adderall XR..hard on your body? | ADHD Information

I started Ritalin 10mg today for the first time ever. This is the only medication I have ever been besides birth control, so I tend to get anxious when a doc suggests any kind of medication for me, especially one like Ritalin with a huge risk of crazy side effects.

My doc is starting me 10mg twice a day. I took one pill this morning at around 11 right after I got the script filled and felt great while I was on it for the most part. Side effects were mild but increased a LOT when I was coming down off it. The scariest thing for me was the extremely fast heart rate/heart palpitations (?) and weird heartburn-ish feeling (which I am still feeling even though I took the pill 8 hours ago). My heart would be beating super fast and hard while just sitting, and if I got up to walk to my car or walk to the kitchen, it would start beating even faster and harder. I am kind of scared about that whole thing.

I feel exactly the same way you do right now after only taking the one pill - I feel like my body has been put through the wringer and all I did was my normal routine daily activities. I am so wiped out and can't imagine taking not one but two doses of the drug tomorrow. If the scary heart side effects don't wear off in a few days I really think I might just bag the whole thing.I have been on Adderall Xr for three days now and I Feel totally worn out. I get 5 hours of sleep a night at best and have to force myself to eat. It has helped a lot with ADD symptoms and overall feeling of self confidence and self esteem, but seems like there is a huge price to pay. I dont know how something can be good for you if your heart pounds and your blood pressure goes up. I feel totally spaced out until I take it in the morning, and I feel like why am I taking this again? I feel like I have been on a drugged out binge for 3 days when I have been taking normal doses. Im also very concerned with withdrawal and addiction. Even non abuse adderall use seems to be mentally addictive. Im scared to ever have to go off it after long term use because of the cases of deep depression I have heard about. I just dont know if the benefits outweigh what this is doing to my body and mind. I feel sketchy taking a speed pill every morning. I have to take Ativan with it because it tends to make me anxious at times. Im thinking of taking a day off from it tomorrow to let my body recoup. Ugh. I have heard of people having hallucinations coming off it and I had those last night. I had to take seroquel to sleep. If I keep feeling this bad, im just gonna quit taking it.I started it 3 days ago too but drugs obviously affect people differently.  I certainly have felt the stimulant effect of the amphetamine but my experience has been mostly positive with the exception of suppressed appetite which isn't all that negative seeing as I could stand to lose a few.  I'm not expecting a cure in a bottle but something adjunctive.  So far I think it's working.  My mind still races a mile a minute with all kind of different things running through it but the difference I've seen so far is being able to prioritize and stick to the task.  My priority task is now flashing in bright neon where the distractions are dimly lit in the background.  Can't think of any other way to explain it. 

Adderrall may not be the drug for you or maybe you need to be dosed down unless you're already at the minimum.  No sense taking something where the cure is worse than the disease (disorder) though you should talk to your prescribing physician. You don't need to worry about having halluciantions when you take a day
off of adderall. I take days off all the time (too many days off) and when i
don't take it, i pretty much feel like my old self.
It is taking me a long time to warm up to this medication, even though
my experience on it has been quite positive. I have a strong aversion to
meds i guess. Have things changed since your post?