Are adderal and dexedrine...? | ADHD Information

Only prescribed for ADHD, or for ADD as well?

ADD is an older term for ADHD. The current terms for ADHD are: ADHD primarily hyeractive, primarily innatentive (the old ADD), and combined. Originally it was all called minimal brain damage, then further changed as more was learned about the disorder and how it manifests. The names will continue to evolve as information and categorization evolves. Hopefully the categorization will eventially help determine the best treatments to start with.

My oldest is the innatentive form and her doc uses the same meds for all three types. He works with the most bothersome symptoms and adjusts from there.

Well are they prescribed for the old ADD then? Or are they just prescribed at random, or depending what kind of doctor you go to?

Thanks guys, that helps a lot. However, there's still one thing I'm concerened about.... Edbson, you say that Adderal is the strongest medication, but from my knowledge I'd think it would go something like this: Desoxyn>Dexedrine>Adderal>Ritalin.

Is this some kind of misinformation? I came up with that because I heard that Adderal was basically Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) mixed with a weaker amphetamine (levo-amphetamine). So please, would anyone mind clearing things up for me?

Thanks in advance.

[QUOTE=Yhalothat]

Thanks in advance.

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These meds cannot be evaluated by "strength" except by dose levels for a particular med. Relative strength when comparing med to med is useless since medical science has yet to determine what will work for a patient based on their symptoms and physical characteristics. A 5mg dose of a med may be perfect for a 200 lb male but another male with the same characteristics may need 50mg. There's no logic that can be currently applied to med selection except for the percentage of patients that benefit from the med.

Also, I'm curious about the need for your question. In fact, I would not be surprised if you're a non-ADD person looking for info about ADD meds to use recreationally. Your question is not at all consistent with the questions asked by the newly diagnosed.

If I am wrong then my apologies. However, if I am correct then please leave this board to those who sincerely need support.

MaxDad

Adderall® is a pharmaceutical stimulant amphetamine used to treat attention-deficit disorder/attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. Severe cases of depression may also be treated with Adderall or other stimulants. It was first prescribed in the 1920s as an anorectic (under the brand name Obetrol®), but such usage is now rare. Adderall is a schedule II controlled substance, meaning it has been deemed to have a high potential for abuse .

In particular, Adderall XR is comprised of the following proportions of active ingredients:

1/4 Dextroamphetamine Saccharate1/4 Dextroamphetamine Sulfate1/4 dl-amphetamine Aspartate (racemic amphetamine)1/4 dl-amphetamine Sulfate (racemic amphetamine)

The four component salts are claimed to be metabolized at different rates, thereby imparting a more gradual and "smoother" build-up and decline in effect compared to amphetamine preparations comprising only a single salt.

The average elimination half-life for dextroamphetamine is 10 hours in adults, and for levoamphetamine, 13 hours. Its effects are otherwise similar to other central nervous system stimulants (see amphetamine for details.).

Citation: Wikipedia
Adderall is the strongest stim available for ADHD, and yes, it is prescribed for all types of ADHDEach doctor seems to have the ones that they are most comfortable with or have had the best outcomes with, and they kind of start out with those.....