Adderall side effects, do they go away??? | ADHD Information

Share

Day 3 on Adderall XR. 20mg, just once a day, and it's still really powerful. I have never been so over-awake in my life. I slept 10 hours in the last two days, so I'm tired but of course can't sleep. Also feel like I have a fire beneath me a lot...like I just have to go do something. And then can't leave what I'm working on even when I have to do something else. Never hyperfocused like this before (except when avoiding unpleasant tasks, ha ha). Problem is, I'm sensitive to *caffeine* to the point that I shake a little when I take 2 Midol on an empty stomach (and that's like 60mg of caffeine? like 2 cups of coffee??) I know some of this is supposed to wear off a little over time but I might collapse from exhaustion before then! I talk too much, too fast, type the same way... I think I'm scaring people. Someone, please turn it off!!

Oh, and I'm 25, 5'2" and 115 if that makes any difference. I know someone said size doesn't make a difference but I thought it did... not sure why the doc started me on 20mg, though that's all I take all day.

Funny, I feel MORE ADHD than before I started on this! Crazy, huh.

[QUOTE=floofthegoof]jeez I guess not! I would start bleeding through my pores if I took 75 mg! [/QUOTE]

haha I didn't get a very good mental pic when I read this!! But, isn't it interesting how much people seem to differ in the amount of medication they need to help them? Maybe it's just me, because I am intersted in psychological issues and pharmacology, etc.

Good for you. I thought I was taking the max dose. The only thing about it is it leaves my system in about 7.5 hours, so there is never a time I have but so much in my system taking the 3 20mg XR, and trying to make it last at least a little all day.  So like I take one at 10am, then 12pm, then 2p...or wait and take the first one at 12p, and then 2 of them at 2pm. Anyway, guess I had better go. I am already bordering on being late now. jeez I guess not! I would start bleeding through my pores if I took 75 mg! Hello. I am 5'6 and weigh approx 155, and I take 20mg of adderall XR three times per day. I would feel like garbage too, if I took the shorter acting form of the medication, and was trying to function when it wore off!  When I very first started taking it I got sort of hyperfocused, and did not care to talk to anyone nearly as much as usual.....it has sort of tapered off. I do not believe size determines how much of the medication that you need.Size does not determine how much medication you need. The prescription is based on how quickly your brain metabolizes the drug. I'm 5'7" and like 100-105 and I take 75mg adderall xr....plus more if needed....and I could take even more, but I like still being my ADHD self....I just need a little bit of help so I'm not winding out of control!

sounds like you might be taking too much.  I think wieght plays a small part with strattera, cause my Doc talked about my limit/per/weight, but that wasn't a stimulant. 

My Doc said you get worse than w/out meds, when they start to ware off, and when you have too much.   

I think weight if any is a really small factor with the stimulants, cause my little bro take tons of more meds than me, and i'm like 2 1/2 x his weight. 

We are dealing with our "neuro"transmission receptors here, so I'm pretty sure the amount of meds per indivitual is gonna have a huge variation.

try taking less meds and see what happens.

 

[QUOTE=floofthegoof]jeez I guess not! I would start bleeding through my pores if I took 75 mg! [/QUOTE]

I've always wondered or sortof thought if we take too much meds how we're gonna start bleeding out of our nose...that really dark colored blood like on the "butterfly affect" and then really start to flip out and loose it cause we jack our brain up even more hahaha

StrangeShadow38306.9940856481You guys should try adderall XR it's the longer lasting option and most people notice they don't have the severe rebound of the short acting meds. The XR seems to be a lot smoother then the regular adderall.I started Adderall 9 days ago and I have been feeling so irratable and restless from afternoon until evening. My doctor uped my dosage from 10 twice a day to 15 twice a day and it has not helped. I take my first dose in the morning and the second about 4 hours later. By the mid afternoon 3 or 4 I start feeling very aggitated, I dont want to talk to anyone, do anything or even be in my own skin and it does not completely go away until morning. I do feel a little relief about 9 or 10 in the evening. Does this sound at all familiar to anyone?? Is this the rebound that I hear about?? I have kids and I cannot be like this, but I do not want my doc to take me off meds I really want this to work for me. I have noticed a little difference in my life. I have been getting things done, but I have not noticed a huge change. Do you normally notice a huge change in 10 days. Anyone have any input, PLEASE!! If I just knew that it was or was not going to go away I could decide how to deal with it. Can some people just not deal, or is it not the right med for me, or am I not giving the side effects enough time to go away??? HELP!! [QUOTE=floofthegoof]I think that maybe you are taking too much. I'm 5'11" 235 lbs. and I take 10 in the morning and 5 at lunch. Personally, I only take it when I really want to have a productive day. I have experienced the side effects you mention, but only after taking it for more than a week straight. I don't think it really goes away.
[/QUOTE]

My experience is about the same.  I'm 5'5" 120 lbs. and take 10 in the a.m. and 5 at noon.

I think I'm am getting a little less irritable, but not sure if it is because my dr. just started prescribing a drug called Limactil to control the overfocusing (stuck) problems that I have. I do tend to feel extremely tired/worn out when it wears off. I love how productive and awake I feel when I take Adderall. It's not like a coffee, heart-pounding, sweating awakeness--just alert. I love that.
I think that maybe you are taking too much. I'm 5'11" 235 lbs. and I take 10 in the morning and 5 at lunch. Personally, I only take it when I really want to have a productive day. I have experienced the side effects you mention, but only after taking it for more than a week straight. I don't think it really goes away.
Definitely whatever works best for you! Figuring out what dose works best can be tricky. I am a fan of the adderall xr. You don't have to deal with the peaks and troughs of the quick release as much....plus you don't have to take it as often, which is nice! If you're intersted in it, I'd ask your dr. about itI actually spread my dose out to three times a day and I am feeling much better, the first 3 days of stretching it out, I cut it in half, now I am slowly upping it to the 30 mgs that my doc. prescribed me. Today will be my first day of 30 again since I started stretching it out. I am taking 10mgs at 9, 10mgs att 12 and then 10mg at 330 or 4, I have been asleep by 11 so far every night which is normal for me. But as I said before today is my first at the full 30 so I will see how it goes. CThere isn't any need to take the exact MG dose he prescribed, it's not that type of medication. Adderall should be taken at the lowest dose possible that achieves the desired results. You will build up tolerance faster if you take too much.

[QUOTE=MafiaKiddo]You guys should try adderall XR it's the longer lasting option and most people notice they don't have the severe rebound of the short acting meds. The XR seems to be a lot smoother then the regular adderall.[/QUOTE]

my second day on XR, I noticed a difference the first day.  I tried strattera b4 XR, but it took forever to work and when it would wear off it was a rear pain.

chrysalis: It sounds like your meds are wearing off too soon, those are usually the sympts I get when the meds are wearing off.  I didn't feel it as bad with XR as I did with strattera.  

StrangeShadow38293.0483564815whatever works best for you, besides everyones exact does will be different anyways. =) good luck. Yep. You are right, and THAT means my DR is an idiot, but then again I already knew that! Unfortunately for me, he only ups my dosage in 10's because my pharmacy doesn't carry the 5's. Strange huh?LOL so tell your pharmacy to order the 5's. Mine didn't even carry adderall when i first started taking it. Or of course you could switch pharmacies. Since I don't have insurance switching pharmacies was the best decision I ever made. I wound up saving over 0 on my prescription by driving two more minutes down the road.[QUOTE=MafiaKiddo]

LOL yeah I get the massive boost as soon as it wears off too. I also lose absolutely all ability to focus. I mean no focus at all. You could ask me to spell my name (It's only 4 letters  ). And I would just stand there dumb founded. And forget about walking and chewing gum at the same time. I'm not even able to walk without tripping or knocking something over. Of course I get extremely cranky at this point also.[/QUOTE]

I end up trying to do 100 things at once, while talking about EVERYTHING that comes to mind and drumming all over anything in front of me haha. 

StrangeShadow38328.9820833333[QUOTE=michalita]

StrangeShadow,

Thanks for the advice -- I'll ask  my doc.

I literally justt started last week (not even a week yet) and I tend to be VERY sensitive to stuff like caffeine so maybe my brain is sensitive to stimulants (or metabolizes them quickly?) I'll tell my doc about everythin that's happened and how I've felt over the last week when I see him on Thursday morning, and he can tell me what to do then. (If he changes my dose, there goes another chunk of money--I paid for a 30 day supply. You think maybe he should have just given me a week's worth?!)

Yesterday wasn't nearly as bad as the first 3 days--maybe sleeping an average of 5 hours a night (when I'm used to 8) is diminishing some of the affects.

Getting up this morning was hard but then I had my "cup of coffee" (the pill seriously is like a coffee addict's "first cup") and I got going. Never been addicted to anything in my life, don't drink coffee at all and rarely have caffeine or alcohol, so this is all very new to me.

Once again, want to thank whoever made up this forum and those who participate in it--this is like my "Support Group" :)

[/QUOTE]

That's a pretty supprising high dose to start with.  I was started on 5mg a day for three days, then given a higher does as my system got use to it.  Adderall xr doesn't need a long time before it starts working, unlike strattera which isn't a stimulant.  The stimulants can work right from the start, BUT STILL, it's probably a lot healthier to get started on a much lower does, even if you end up taking 40mg' 10 times a day(exageration!), think how your body/physiology has gone all its life w/out the stuff in the meds, now all of a sudden ban!!! the transmissions in your brain (your brains metabolism is gonna be changed), it just makes a lot of sence to be started on a low dose, much saffer and all. =)

[QUOTE=RieHere]I would have to say try the Adderrall XR. My DR has me on a dose of 20mg in the morning and another 10 at about 3 in the afternoon. Originally, this form of the drug was to help students during school hours, but most adults hours are alot longer than the normal 6 hour school day so we tend to need another dose in the pm. My DR also has me on a "filler" of regular adderrall 10mg at noon before the sedond dose of the xr. The highs and lows of the xr are very different from regular. i noticed when I was just on regular, I could pinpoint the exact time within 15 minutes it would wear off. That feeling totally sucked, but the new way I have been trying has been doing me well for over a year now. The only side effect that I noticed, and some people worry about is the weight loss. I went from a size 12 last year to a size 2. I am a female, 5'2 and I started on the meds at 167 lbs. Since then, i have dropped to 118, but its still a healthy weight so I cant complain!!!! GOOD LUCK!!!!![/QUOTE]

I bet you were pretty happy with the wieght loss part =D

Anyways, I've notice this a little bit w/myself, I go all day w/out being hungry, the way I know I need food is when my stomach growls hahaha, usually at a very imbarrassing time though heh.  Oh, and when I stay up later and am awake when the meds where of, I all of a sudden have a massive burst of energy and am suddenly starving hahaha.

Actually, the Adderrall XR only comes in dosages of 10mg. Smallest dose is 10, then 20, then 30. The XR doesnt come in 5's.HAHA Strange! I feel you on that. And MAN that hunger hits with a VENGEANCE! out of NOWHERE! That's always the sign that my meds wore off! LOL

[QUOTE=RieHere]Actually, the Adderrall XR only comes in dosages of 10mg. Smallest dose is 10, then 20, then 30. The XR doesnt come in 5's.[/QUOTE]

I have some in 5mg, says 5mg on bottle and pills... :shrug:

Anyone know of, or experiencing any other side affects?

When my meds start to wearoff I can relly feel my left ear tip...heh...kindof hard to explain, but it's almost like all of a sudden I can feel it/like a nerve thing, without anything touching it.  I think the tech term might be a tick...if it's considered one...no clue...

Plus, right when it wearsoff I have MASSIVE boost of enery, like twice the amount of ADD/ADHD hahaha, ADD turbo!!! for probably 15mins-30mins, then I turn back to my regular self w/out meds haha.

Anyone know what the sexual side affects are? Makes me feel alittle strange, taking the meds without knowing what they are...

LOL yeah I get the massive boost as soon as it wears off too. I also lose absolutely all ability to focus. I mean no focus at all. You could ask me to spell my name (It's only 4 letters  ). And I would just stand there dumb founded. And forget about walking and chewing gum at the same time. I'm not even able to walk without tripping or knocking something over. Of course I get extremely cranky at this point also.

I've been on Adderall XR for 4 years and I've never had any sexual side effects so hopefully that is one area you won't have to worry about.

StrangeShadow,

Thanks for the advice -- I'll ask  my doc.

I literally justt started last week (not even a week yet) and I tend to be VERY sensitive to stuff like caffeine so maybe my brain is sensitive to stimulants (or metabolizes them quickly?) I'll tell my doc about everythin that's happened and how I've felt over the last week when I see him on Thursday morning, and he can tell me what to do then. (If he changes my dose, there goes another chunk of money--I paid for a 30 day supply. You think maybe he should have just given me a week's worth?!)

Yesterday wasn't nearly as bad as the first 3 days--maybe sleeping an average of 5 hours a night (when I'm used to 8) is diminishing some of the affects.

Getting up this morning was hard but then I had my "cup of coffee" (the pill seriously is like a coffee addict's "first cup") and I got going. Never been addicted to anything in my life, don't drink coffee at all and rarely have caffeine or alcohol, so this is all very new to me.

Once again, want to thank whoever made up this forum and those who participate in it--this is like my "Support Group" :)

I would have to say try the Adderrall XR. My DR has me on a dose of 20mg in the morning and another 10 at about 3 in the afternoon. Originally, this form of the drug was to help students during school hours, but most adults hours are alot longer than the normal 6 hour school day so we tend to need another dose in the pm. My DR also has me on a "filler" of regular adderrall 10mg at noon before the sedond dose of the xr. The highs and lows of the xr are very different from regular. i noticed when I was just on regular, I could pinpoint the exact time within 15 minutes it would wear off. That feeling totally sucked, but the new way I have been trying has been doing me well for over a year now. The only side effect that I noticed, and some people worry about is the weight loss. I went from a size 12 last year to a size 2. I am a female, 5'2 and I started on the meds at 167 lbs. Since then, i have dropped to 118, but its still a healthy weight so I cant complain!!!! GOOD LUCK!!!!!