How much adderall do you take a day? | ADHD Information

I read in the prescribing information that the maximum recommended dose for adults was 20mg of Adderall XR. Also, my psychiatrist mentioned that 40mg was considered very high.

I was taking 40mg (20 2x day) for 2 years. I was worried about the long term side effects from taking such a high dose, so I dropped it to 20mg 1x day. Now I don't feel as productive.

If 40mg is indeed the maximum recommended dose, please provide a link, so I can ask my doctor about it. I'd rather be back at 40mg honestly.
I was at 40mg for 6 months, then moved to 60mg for the next year and a half, then up to 90mg.   The moves from 40 to 60, then from 60 to 90 were both determined by my doctor during my regular 3 month check up.  I take 30mg at 8 in the am after breakfast, then 60mg at 2:00pm.  I do not believe I am developing a tollerance.  The dosage I am at is just as effective as it was 3 years ago, and we are considering going backward on the dosage since I was able to report that I have been sucsessful in improving its effectiveness through proper diet and rest.Looking over the official documentation on adderall, it seems 40mg is the
max dose they suggest. And yet, I feel that most adults are on far more.
Personally I take two Adderall XR 30mgs a day with an occasional late night
boost of up to 10mg (adderall helps me sleep- I'm a freak like that).

Most days it's just the two XRs, but sometimes it's as high as 70mg a day. Is
this too much? It's been a fantastic dose for me (combined with 50mg
strattera), but I don't want to risk building tolerance.

I am, and have been on 90mg Adderall XR daily for 3 years.  My doc says I'm on one of the highest doses... same thing he told me at 60mg and 40mg.  I kinda think he tells me this because he knows the addictive properties of stimulant meds and is truly concerned about his patient.  Sometimes I get frustrated and feel I need a little more, but as you've stated above, we can build a tollerance to the medication.  When I felt the effects of the medication were getting weak I would 'take a vacation' as its termed and stop for a few days.  Now I am working on diet and sleep for I know now from personal experience that I can take 90mg of AdderallXR but if I ain't eating properly and lacking sleep, those 90mg are like putting a drop of water on a forest fire.  On the other hand if I eat proper and get my rest, the medication seems to improve.  This has worked so well I have found days when 30mg does more for me than 90mg on days when I neglect nutrition and rest.

I saw someone post here that claimed to be on 240mg AdderallXR.  I can't say they are being honest or lying, but if they gave me 240mg, they'd have to scrape my remains off of the belly of the space shuttle the next time it landed.

People can definitely survive doses of 300-400 mg a day; I think the 240
mg woman was telling the (horrible) truth. Her doctor should have his
license taken away.

I absolutely agree about the sleep and nutrition comment. Adderall helps
me a lot with both of those things (it makes me conscious enough of how
I'm feeling and reduces the restlessness and impulsivity enough that I can
do the things necessary to eat and sleep enough), but when I toss
adderall into my tired and starved body, it barely carries me through the
day. Likewise, the medication also seems to make me jittery and gives
me anxiety when it's first hitting when I'm lacking sleep and food. When
I'm rested and have been eating enough, however, I don't tend to have
that problem.

Out of curiosity...how long did you stay at 40mg and 60mg? Was it just
the period of time during which you were determining the proper dosage
for you? Or did 40mg work for several years, then 60mg, etc? Do you
feel you're building tolerance now?

Studies show no tolerance building at theraputic doses, but they rarely go
above 50mg. So it's hard to say when that point begins.