No, the caffiene and Adderall have always been fine together with me... I tried the 'no' coffee thing, I tried meditation, yoga etc... This is a new side effect, ever since I started the meds again.. At first it was really bad. I would feel great once I took it, but the rebound caused tension headaches which triggered a silent anxiety.. I began getting insanely focused, anxious, and physically nervous - one day in CVS I was going down the asprin isle and saw Excedrin Tension Headache.. I bought it not really thinking it would work because the pain wasnt like a regular headache, but to my surprise it did!
I still get the tension headaches but that because my dose is increasingly climbing to where it was before (60 mg a day adderall xr), so I'm hoping the tension will go away...
Headaches are a sign that your dose might be too high. When we increased my son's Adderal XR from 30mg to 40mg, he start having headaches. We lowered the dose and the headaches stopped. You could need a lower dose because your body is metabolizing the meds better at your new weight. You need to bring all these questions up to your doctor.
It may be time for a new med. Sometimes they just stop working.
You might ask your doctor about Vyvanse, which is similar to adderal but in long acting formula. We have very little rebound and lasts about 12 hours. It does not seem to suppress my son's apppetite like Adderal did. While it has not been approved for adult use, several people on this forum have been prescribed it and are doing well. It is considered an "off label use" when prescribed for adults.
Congrats on the weight loss.
Adderall dosage doesnt go by weight. It depends more with your body's metabolism and how fast the meds go through your system. Maybe that medicine isnt the perfect one for you? Have you considered trying something different?
I have the weirdiest story ever with Adderall... Dec. 06 I was givien Adderall by my doctor to treat my severe ADD... He gave me 20mg. twice a day... I did really exceptional well on it, however I was also much MUCH heavier then too.. I weighed in at 192 lbs. at 5'1!!! I actually felt energized, focused and goal-oriented... I started to enjoy reading, learning, etc. I use to sleep 10 hours aday b4 Adderall...
After about 4 months on 20 mg, I started noticing that my attention spam was shortening again.. The way I explained it to my dr. was; when my boss spoke to me I would listen to the first and last sentence of our convo... He immediately increased my dose to 30mg twice a day... I then started feeling great again, however my sleep pattern was a bit altered.. I would go to bed at 12:30 - 1:00 and wake up at 7 am for work... By the time he increased my med's I had dropped 37 lbs, weighing in at 155.. I had my coffee every day throughout the day, no problems! By the time July came I had lost 60 lbs, and I my energy was tooooo high and the rebound effects made me feel and look like a drug addict! I wasnt addicted to the drug because I almost dreaded taking it! I had this fixation of rubbing my tongue against the back of teeth, leaving my tongue sore and painful... I was so grossed out by the act of eating - even though I ate at least 1 big meal mostly in the morning, and stuck to coffee and Ensure the rest of the day.. The weekends was my day OFF adderall! I ate bacon egg and cheeses, doritos, etc..
As horrible as the symptoms may seem I truly believed that the pros out weighed the cons.. I mean I was as sharp as a nail! Learning was so easy and enjoyable and I was genuinely very happy.. I has that "I feel lucky for what I have" feeling..
This novel does have a point I promise! I moved in September 07 and continued taking my regular dose of 60mg of Adderall xr, and then I left my job to build my on Bookkeeping Service.. Well, thats when the terror began! I started taking my 30 mg x2 a day but the anxiety, tension and need to constantly be on the go-go-go, made it EXTREMELY hard to sleep.. I dropped the dose to 30mg once a day (morning) and at first that wall all good, until I started feeling this unbelievable pressure in my face... I literally feels like someone is crushing my face... Little by little more funky things started to happen - My jaw, my shoulders, my neck, my face and ofcourse the constant oral fixation took over.. I stopped taking the Adderrall....
Heres the fun part - After being off the adderall for 2 weeks, I noticed my ambition was gone, and my problemsolving, troublshooting skills were a distant memory.. I was reverting right back to the way I was - no drive at all... At the time I went to see another doctor who felt strattera would be a good choice, tried it, and I might as well have swallowed a pezz, the non-stimulates have very little effect on ppl who suffer from SEVERE ADD, and it just wasnt cutting it! The doctor than gave me ritalin, now I know many ppl who say that Ritalin is very harsh, and if you have trouble with Adderall than you will have trouble with ritalin - they were right!
I'm going to go see a dr. up here on the 13th, I just dont even know what to say to him... My first doctor said that all these symptoms were psychological b.c for almost a year I had stellar results on this med. He believes that Adderall is the best drug choice for me, it totally controls the ADD, and the other learning disabilities that ADD contributed to...
Does anyone think that is true? I mean can I really be creating these symptoms myself? I wonder if I should ask the new doctor to drop my dose.. What do you think?
Also, is there anything out there (over-the counter or rx) that eases the facial tension I get, and rebound effects?
Adderall can certainly cause increased anxiety. I'm not sure why the doctor told you it was in your head. The coffee and Adderall was probably a terrible combination, especially for anxiety and you were probably rebounding between the the Adderall leaving your system and the caffeine withdrawal. A couple of thought. IMO, take the med break. Give yourself some time off the meds, then when you go back on try to limit your caffeine intake. Increase your fluid intakes with more water and try to eat as high a portein diet as you can. I think you should try to eat even a little even on the meds, but definitely drink a lot of water. If you're seeing a new doctor see what he feels your best options are. There are several methyphedinate meds not just regular Ritalin. Concerta or another long acting may be smoother for you.
Good luck, I think all tension symptoms are probably anxiety related and related to the stimulants. Obviously I am not an expert and that is just my opinion.
I am just trying Adderall RX for the first time so far no good. I am super irritable. I want to ask my dr to put me back on Concerta. I agree with the Vyvanse sugestion, It did wonders for us , He could eat better but he didn't eat before the Vyvanse either.We stopped adderal XR becasue of the anxiety issues and that my DS was always frustrated, easily aggrivated, and angry.
We start Vyvanse tomorrow! I hope it works out much better. This will be our third medication for him!