Hello - I have a question -
I ve been taking Adderall XR 15 for several months.. I am wondering if i am getting "used" to it, as i dont seem t be getting the same effect.
My buddy takes the regular adderall 10mg sevreal times a day. The other evening after i felt my XR ware off he gave me on of his to try, it seemed like i got what seemed like a quick rsponse, and it last about 4 hrs.
I take the XR first thing in the morning, and it did seemed to be working, but of late it sems less effective. I do like the idea of being able to augment it with the non XR when im studying or doing something in the evening.
I did a little reading up on the non XR adderall and see th ebenefit of using the nontime release and i guess i experienced the quicker result as opposed to the steadyness of the other throughou the day, but as my friend point out, what if you dont want to be running on it all day?
Is it possible to get a perscription for both at the same time? I see some people here have both versions taking one later in the day
I also think i need to increase the dosage of the XR either way. the last few days ive taken two of my 15xrs in the morning and that seems to be working better.
when i first started on adderall xr it was with 10, 15, then 20, and we settled on 15 at the time.
or should i ask the doc to let me try the IR adderall for a month? i imagine the 30 mg dosage would need 3 x 10 a day?
thanks,
ed
Talk to the doc. You really want a med regimen that will work with your needs.
Some kids are on a long acting and short acting methylphenidate. The long acting for the bulk of the school day and the short acting to get started in the morning, or to help with homework when the long acting has worn off, or just a small dose to ease coming off of the long acting form.
makes sense, just wanted to know before hand if its legit to ask for both the XR and IR. It seems like from what I tried this week, it might be a better combination than XR alone.
thanks.
thanks for the replies.
yea i think the XR (two 15mgs) just wore off(i took it at about 11am this mornig)
It took a year since I first asked, but my doctor finally prescribed some IR along with XR Adderall. For all the reasons stated above, some days a combination of the two works best for me.
I'm a bit late on this, but I figured I'd drop some thoughts by:
Much of the time people end up confusing their stimulant side-effects with the stimulant's ADHD benefits. Once their body had adjusted to the side effects (which can take several months), they realize that they are no longer acutely aware of when the medication kicks in: this is particularly with the long-lasting versions of stimulants, which generally hit peak plasma levels more slowly than the short-acting stimulant versions. At this point, people have a tendency to go to their doctor and to tell them that the medication isn't working any longer, and that they need a dosage increase. Doctors often oblige because they nothing to go off of except the patient's own self-reporting.
One of the hallmarks of ADHD, of course, is a poor ability to self-monitor. We're generally not very good at assessing our levels of distractability, hyperactivity, and motivation. In particular, after several months on stimulant medications we become accustomed to a certain compensated level of all of the things, and it's very easy to forget what we were like off of the medication. Thus our new baseline expectations may be considerably higher than they were at one point, but without that prior reference point in mind it is easy to forget that. It can seem like we're getting no benefit from our meds at all since we've come to expect the medicine's effects.
The fact that you took an equal dose of SR that you would normally take in XR and noticed a difference seems to indicate that it is likely you were simply confusing side effects with intended effects. The SR hits more quickly and wears off more quickly, so you're getting more of the rollercoaster which signals to you that the medication is in action. But you should be chasing focus and calm, not ups and downs.
It's also possible that you've adjusted other parts of your life in a way that is affecting your medication. Are you sleeping as much these days? Are you remembering to eat? Are you keeping your diet high in protein? Has it sunk to carbs lately? Are you no longer hitting the gym? High fat diets and fruit juices affect the absorption of adderall- are you taking it right before or right after meals that contain these things? Any of these factors can substantially affect your baseline focus and hyperactivity, as well as adderall's ability to do its job. I'd look to these things before you just up the dosage. If you seem to have your diet, excercise, and sleep bases covered well, and if you're receiving external indications that your focus and hyperactivity are taking a turn for the worse (suddenly running late all the time again, having employers bring up ADHD issues at work that they weren't thinking about just two months ago, etc) then it's time to go to your doctor and discuss medication options. I highly suggest adding a dose of strattera in with your current adderall dose before increasing adderall. The drugs compliment each other amazingly well, and the side effects of strattera are generally more tolerable than that of stimulants.
Good luck!