I too felt drowsy the first day and the third day (today). It didn't last very long though - maybe an hour. Since yesterday, I feel like my muscles are very relaxed too, and my brain is calm. I'm on Adderall XR 10mg.
Once thing I noticed is that since my appetite decreased, I need to keep eating protein-rich snacks to keep my blood sugar up. I have reactive hypoglycemia, which means that my insulin works too much to bring the sugar level back down after I consume carbs, therefore reducing my blood sugar below the normal level.
I'm also on Lexapro, and it made me VERY drowsy at first. It took a good week to 10 days before my body got used to it.
I finally got around to pursuing my attention problems a few months ago and this past Tuesday I was prescribed 15mg adderall xr. However, the main thing I have noticed while taking it is that it makes me really drowsy and makes my muscles feel relaxed. In fact, I would compare it to taking a large dose of Benadryl. Naturally I did the basic google search of "adderall drowsy" and "adderall sleepy" and it appears I am not exactly the only one.[QUOTE=vafan13]I finally got around to pursuing my attention problems a few months ago and this past Tuesday I was prescribed 15mg adderall xr. However, the main thing I have noticed while taking it is that it makes me really drowsy and makes my muscles feel relaxed. In fact, I would compare it to taking a large dose of Benadryl. Naturally I did the basic google search of "adderall drowsy" and "adderall sleepy" and it appears I am not exactly the only one.
What I'm interesting in knowing is:
1) Will this likely go away once my body gets used to the drug?
2) How rare is this somewhat paradoxical side effect?
3) Why do most people become active and driven with amphetamines while others such as myself feel like they are on a depressant/muscle relaxant combo.
[/QUOTE] It sounds to me like the medication is too strong for you. Is there a lower dose of it? You may need to try a different medication. It is NOT suppose to knock you out like that. My nephew went through that when he was first dx 9 yrs. ago. The first couple that he was on turned him into a zombie. Once they found the right one for him he was fine.
I got very lucky with my son. I did not have to go through all of the med. changes with him. The only thing we have had to do is up the dosage and now he does fantastic in school.
From WebMD.:
Stimulants affect how the brain controls impulses and regulates behavior and attention. They do this by influencing the availability of certain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, in the brain.
People who DO NOT have ADHD don't have the imbalance of chemicals in the brain therefore these stimulant in essense speed them up where with people like yourself and my son, the medication is suppose to bring you back down to a normal function level.If the meds. are too strong they will bring you down to the point where you are which is very sleepy. I am no doctor by no means, this is just the way I am understanding how these meds. are suppose to work.
Good Luck to you. I hope things get better for you.
HisMom30139529.5953587963 Alright, I was switched over to Focalin XR two weeks ago. However, I have a new problem. I don't notice anything. The first few days or so I had a weird sad feeling. Not depressed, just sad (although I'm not 100% positive it was the drugs or other factors). That went away and I don't notice anything now (in attention improvement or side-effects). Even upping the dosage to 20mg didn't seem to do much and as 20mg is the maximum recommended dosage, I'm not going to try any higher without talking to the doc about it. Have other people had similar (lack) of effects with focalin xr? vafan1339558.4917708333OMG, I could've written your post! Adderall XR was making me drowsy, and it was only lasting about 7 hrs, so my psych switched me to Focalin XR 10mg. I felt exactly the same way as you did - I felt extremely lazy, unsocial, and it did nothing for my attention (or lack thereof)! And I was more irritable during rebound than Adderall. Today was only day 3, and the first 2 days, I could feel my heart beating a bit stronger, but today, nothing - nada. I'm going to call my dr tomorrow!I am having the same effect. I was origionally put on Concerta and switched to Adderall RX. I dont feel as focused and it wears off super fast.My PCP told me that drowsy effect means the dosage is too high. She was right! I switched to Adderall XR 5mg twice a day for a month, then upped it to 10 mg twice a day. I'm no longer drowsy! And I often don't need to take the 2nd dose - not sure why - maybe because I'm also on Wellbutrin (no longer on Lexapro).