Adderal not working, IMMUNE??? | ADHD Information

I have been on adderal for about 4 months now. I was DX with AHHD.

I started AdderalXR10mg. Worked great for the ADHD but I had bad side effects, Difficulty breathing, numbness in legs. So my doctor switched me to vyvanse XR,I took it for 2 weeks, it did not help at all, I felt I was taking a salt pill in the Am.

He then changed me to Focalin, That too did not work, was getting into trouble again at work. told I need to find a new medicine that worked.

So my doc switched me back to adderal salt solution tablets taking it (10mg) 3 times a day. It worked great!, for about 3 weeks, so he bumped me up to 15mg, that helped for another week or 2. I feel like I am getting immune to the dosage WAYYY to early. and if I take 5mg higher it really helps, but only for a few weeks. Then I am back to the same situtaion, not working as well, getting into trouble....

Can you get immune to ADHD meds or do I maybe need a higher dose than I am taking now. 15mg.

We have tried several different meds, but adderal is the ONLY one that does anything for my focusing issues and helps me work harder and better. My co-workers can tell when we are trying a new med that doesn't work, without me telling them I have changed anything. So I know if others agree adderall is the only one working, what do I do? I see my Dr. Monday.... I just wanted to see if anyone else has had the same problem.

Thanks!

I'm not sure about your exact case, but I have a friend who has a naturally high tolerance for meds, so she's on like 2 20 mils of Addeall before lunch, than 2 20 mils after lunch (or something like that). Adderall works well for her, but she just has to take more of it than the "Average person" for it to work Well, here's a lengthy reply.  But bear with me.  I've got some suggestions at the bottom if you want to skip there <g>

first, have you been diagnosed with ADHD-Combined or ADHD Primarily Inattentive?  Approximately 25-30% of people either do no respond to stimulant medication or are unable to handle the side effects.  Of the group that doesn't respond to stimulants, ADHD-I is overrepresented.  The reason for this is likely that many, if not most, cases of ADHD-I aren't ADHD in the classical sense but are instead other neurological or non-neurological conditions that cause substantial difficulties with attention.  Auditory Processing Disorder, a classic ADHD look-alike, often results in auditory distractability, visual distractability (your brain rewires itself to make you more sensitive to motion in the periphery of your vision and other visual stimuli- which is why teachers who teach deaf students are cautioned not to wear shiny jewelry, for example), and difficulties with organization.  Visual processing deficits can produce many problems with attention- how much of work or daily life revolves around visual processing activities?  Auditory hypersensitivity can likewise be a symptom, and severe problems with organization stemming from a deficit in encoding and organizing notions of 'space'- this also often shows up in the form of constantly misplacing objects (if you can't form a solid visual image of your area in your brain, then you're not likely to be able to recall exactly what something was left).  A full neuropsychological evaluation is necessary to determine if these may be your problems.

The reason why I bring this up is that it's very rare to have someone who simply doesn't 'respond' to stimulant medications.  While there's evidence that the paradoxical effect does actually occur for symptoms of hyperactivity (that those who are hyperactive will become significantly more calm than would someone who is not when taking equal doses of medication), EVERYONE who takes stimulant medication in low doses will experience an increase in attention and motivation.  What we do know about the drugs is that when taken at therapeutic doses there isn't an increase in tolerance to the drugs.  (I realize this runs contrary to what many people report as their experiences) 

I've posted about this before, but I'll sum it up briefly here.  People often 1. mistake the initial side-effects with the primary effect (taking these medications at first gives a slight 'speedy' effect for many, heart racing, increased sweating, etc.).  People feel those side-effects fade, and they do fade, and interpret that as the medication not working as well any longer.  So they increase the dose and end up bumping up side-effects again, only to repeat the process.  2.  People often have a big rush of motivation and self-monitoring when they first start on a new medication, and that naturally fades.  Sometimes with the loss of 'newness' the person feels like the medication isn't working as well when in reality the medication is working just fine but their excitement and external motivations are not what they were. 

What is interesting about your story is that you've tried Adderall twice and have felt a drop-off in effect right at the points where side-effects begin to subside.  This makes me think that it's some combination of you letting your guard down as the newness fades and you interpreting the diminishing of side-effects as diminishing of primary effects.  It also makes me wonder if the medications are really working for you at all.  It's possible that the neurological source of your inattention isn't the area that stimulant medication works on.  It's also possible that it's time to get more creative with your medication.

I'd suggest that before you go on the rollercoaster of stimulant dosages, you hold your stimulate dosage steady where it's at.  Mix in a new non-stimulant medication and try the two together.  Strattera plus a stimulant works wonders on a lot of people, and I know I personally get more benefit from the two together than the two separately.  Wellbutrin is another drug that you can try, and if the primary issues are related to impulsivity and hyperactivity then you should try Clonidine or Guanfacine.  See if the two medications get you to where you need to be.  And if they don't, it's time to start getting a re-evaluation.  Your thyroid should be tested if it hasn't already, and you should get a full evaluation if you haven't already and can afford it.  You'll want to tell the person testing you that you had a diagnosis of ADHD but want to see if there might be a related disorder with similar symptoms going on.  Assessments that look at visual processing, auditory processing, and sensory processing (if you can get it) would be ideal. 

Hope that's helpful?
Sounds like a higher dose is in order,but go slow. I started on 30mg adderall but i've been prescribed it before. It seems that
i'm immune to the generics. your dose is too low. honestly, i need 90mg to
get through the day. i'm gonna try the adderall xr next time because they
don't make generics of them yet and they're made by Shire Pharm. If a
higher dose like 30 to 70 mg doesn't help, maybe you should try desoxyn.
i'v heard nothing but good things about desoxyn. people give it a bad name
because of what it is. good luck