Which med is best for college? | ADHD Information
Daviddornado-Bad bad bad bad DavidWell, if you judge by the value given to meds by med students, Adderall seems to be the drug of choice.
It fetches top dollar...
From what I understand Vyvanse and Adderral are the 2 major ones used for adolescent/adult Adhd. I would look into the Vyvance we are starting it next week I hope although we are only 9. It is supposed to be great from most people I have heard. Good Luck!Vyvanse is the same med as Adderall, it just releases differentlyHey, it's true!
When a med student found out I take Ritalin, she told me that her fellow med students prefer Adderall for use as a stay-awake, and that there is this black market for it in college circles.
I think she was dissing my Ritalin...
I must agree with everyone here, ADD meds are in high demand on college campuses, and scary enough, readily available. The treated kids get Rx's for a month at a time, but rarely USE the med every day, so they sell off the extras at the end of the month and go pick up their new Rx. What a scary mess...
Anyway, my university is pretty much starting newly diagnosed people on Vyvace, and giving the ADD Vets the choice of sticking with their previous Adderall Rxs or changing over. (I've recently started on Vyvance myself, and have never taken Adderall.) From what the on-campus doc explained to me, from her feedback from the 18-24 year olds she usually treats is -- Adderall has a little spike at the beginning of the dose, and a small spike at the end, but seems to have a slight dip in the middle with mild ineffectiveness, and has a bit of a sharp drop off at the end. She's said that many of the people who've switched to Vyvance seem much happier in regards to a more constant flow during the day, without the noticable spikes and dips, and a much easier drop-off at the end of the day.
As I said, this is not from my experience, this is from the MD on my campus who reguarly treats young adults. I hope you find what works best for you!
Best wishes,
I am a 19 year old college student who was recently diagnosed w/ ADD. I have been started on 10mg adderallXR but don't feel like its doing anything. I'm sure the doc will up my dosage next week.I am wondering what medication you all had the most success with? The doc didn't give me any options and jut told me to start with Adderall. Whats the deal with this new vyvanse stuff? I need a long acting drug since I'm in class all day then until at least midnight to do homework. I'm new to all of this so I am just looking for advice as to where to begin with these meds.
Thanks~
Paulina
THe best med is the one that works for you. Everyone is different. Adderall is considered very effective. Vyvanse is a med that the body metabolizes into the active form. If you get to an effective adderal XR dose, you could try vyvanse or use a booster of short acting adderall for longer coverage. Potential sleep interferance needs to be looked at as well (some people have problems due to the meds and some actually sleep better on meds). You and the doc need to work at meeting your individual needs.I also have a similar question. I was started on Adderall 10 mg by my
doctor. I didnt feel any change in terms of increased concentration or
focus. My doctor increased my dosage to 20mg but I still dont feel and
signifacant change. I can sit down and actually start my studies but I dont
really focus or concentrate for an extended period of time. My doctor felt
that the dosage of Adderall I was taking was effective so she increased my
dosage to two 10 mg pills and half of one which would mean 25mg of
Adderall, if this doesnt help she suggested I move up to 30mg. I am
concerned...I read and heard about the addictive effects of adderall and
Im concerned about the possibilities of becoming addicted. Does anyone
have any advice or information regarding addiction to adderall? It would
really help me out, thanxs
Well, I've been on ritalin for 12 years, and I'm not addicted yet.
I think if one has ADHD, the meds one takes don't addict.
I suppose if you don't have ADHD, then the meds one takes can addict.
Hmmmm, good question.
I don't think I've developed a tolerance for Ritalin.
I've been taking it for about 12 years now, and it still is effective.
As to how I felt before I was medicated, that's a good question, too.
I don't think I remember! I guess I could not take it for awhile, observe my feelings, then report that.
Except I'll probably get fired if I did. I've been fired 17 times, and quit another dozen jobs or so.
As to how I studied pre-Rit, I didn't. When I had to, I'd cram at the end. Most of my success stems from an ability to make ends meet with middles missing.
i.e. an ability to see the big picture with the component parts missing...
i.e. jumping to the right conclusions
which is a trait of ADHDers:
creativity.
Type ADHD? You have Hyperactive/Impulsive and Inattention symptoms?
Is Somie right? When I first went to a doctor I was really hyper, I had alot
of running thoughts and I had a hard time explaining to the doctor how I
felt inside me head. You dont have to answer this question Davidornado
but ...how did you feel before the medication? How were you able to
study? How did you feel?
-SomieHello Davidornado
I just took the ADHD Assessment test. My results showed that I have
combined Type ADHD. I wasn't sure quite how to post the table with my
results. I book marked the page so I'm going to try to figure it out and I
will post them for you. I was actually just going to copy and paste but I
myself was not able to see the image so I thought perhaps you wouldn't
be able to either. Thank you for posting your results Davidornado.
You had mentioned in your first reply to me that an individual with ADHD
is not likely to become addicted to Adderall. I suspect one of the reasons
why I don't feel the affects of my dosage of Adderall might be because
individuals with ADHD are more likely to develop a tolerance to the drug
and are thus less likely to become addicted (like you said).
Thanks Davidornado
--SomieThis is a really interesting to read about and keep in mind, because college is only like 1.5 years away for me now. So thanks! Hello Davidornado
Thanks for the reply. Its really cool that you were able to make ends meet
with middles missing. I actually felt the same way. I constantly use to find
myself in a situation where I had to be a little creative. I remember I use
to go to the library for hours. I tried to focus on my studies...all in a
unsuccessful attempt to absorb information. I was always fond of the idea
that maybe the next day I went to study in the library things would get a
little better for me but they never really did. I became really good at like
you said "seeing the big picture". I think individuals can become pretty
good at attaining their goals by doing it in a different manner. I mean
getting through school is hard sometimes but I think for a person who
has ADHD it can get a little harder. Getting through school even though
having ADHD makes it kind if difficult is an accomplishment in itself. By
the way what do you mean by "observe my feelings, then report that", do
you mean explaining how you felt prior to you medication?
You mentioned you were fired 17 times and left numerous other jobs.
That must have been hard for you. I had a hard time with jobs myself. I
usually felt that I had to try even harder than others just to get the same
results. Hmm..I didn't mean to make this reply long, sorry if it seemed
extremely long. It's just that your reply was really interesting is all.
Thanks Davidornado
-Somie
Getting through school was a huge challenge for me.
In retrospect, a huge milestone.
It took me 5 years for my undergraduate degree.
And 6 for my Master of Science.
But I did it.
Hang in there, find what works for you, and stick to that.
Not knowing I had ADHD at the time was a huge stumbling block, but I did work out coping mechanisms b/c the incentive to pass was greater than the impulsiveness and distractions.
Peer pressure kept me in school, as well as the movie "The Paper Chase". After it came out, my GPA went from 2.0 to 3.6.
Hi David thank you for your advice.I only began treatment a few weeks ago but I find it's becoming a little
easier to cope with the problems ADHD brought about. I wish I would
have made the decision to see a doctor when I was an undergraduate.
That period of my education was a little stressful. I knew it was really
important to see a doctor especially since I'm furthering my education
and my research. I'm optimistic. You should be really proud of yourself
because it seems you really worked hard and despite the obstacles you
attained your goal. You received your Master of Science that's very
impressive.
I have not seen "The Paper Chase", although some of my colleagues
mentioned it before and thought it was a good movie. Didn't that movie
come out in the 70's ...hmmm did you go watch it opening night at the
movie theatre? I'm just joking :) Seriously though, did this movie inspire
you? Raising your gpa from 2.0 to 3.6 is a big improvement. I have things
that inspire me and in a sense they also help me realize that an individual
who has motivation and self determination can accomplish great things.
* Somie
Not opening night, but in the theater!
You are welcome.
Here, I found it.
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/tc/default.htm
Then click on the ADHD Assessment link.
Post your results.
Here are some other good links on ADDULT adhd.
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/adhd-symptoms
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-adults
http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/criteria-for-diagnosing-attent ion-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/mental-health-adhd
Here's my results:
any formal ADHD testing from my University doctor but she suggested
Adderall because of my symptoms (short focus span & running thoughts
to name a few). I think looking at these sites may help me understand
more about ADHD.
Thank you Davidornado I really appreciate your help.
*Somie First of all thank you so much for the feedback Davidornado. I also read (from another member in this forum) that individuals with ADHD often need an increased dosage of adderall because they build up a tolerance rather quickly.
I have another question (if you dont mind replying) is there some kind of standard ADHD screening/test an individual is suppose to take in order to be diagnosed with ADHD?
Somie thanks you
There was a very good one somewhere, but I lost the link.
Here's some others I found, but haven't taken any.
http://search.conduit.com/Results.aspx?q=adhd+screening+test &ctid=CT305939&octid=CT305939