adderall or other? | ADHD Information

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I, too, am taking adderall. I have been taking adderall and adderall xr for a few years now and find that it helps tremendously.

Quite frankly, every drug has it's dangers and side effects....it's a matter of what works for a particular person. Stimulants such as methylphenidate and amphetamines propose similar "safety" levels as well as possible side effects and are often prescribed for AD/HD. Prozac and Zoloft belong to a class known as SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) and are typically prescribed for depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, and eating disorders. Herbal medicines can be very effective for some, while they are not for others. Often people who find they are benefitted by medications are simply convincing themselves that whatever they are taking is working--also known as the placebo effect.

When it comes down to it, I personally believe that every individual should weigh their options and choose what's best for them. For me, it is to take adderall. Yes, there are many potential side effects from it, but you only get one chance at life, and for me, I would rather spend my life at least somewhat "put-together." I could go on and on, but I will spare the board lol. Hope this helps a little and have a great day!!

I've been on adderall for about a month. I just found out this website. its really helpful to me. But I saw many people are having problem with adderall. So I was thinking I should be better off with other safer medicine.
My doctor has told me about zoloft, prozac, ritalin, adderall xr.
I dont know which is safest to use.
Also my doctor also recommended me
natural herb medicines.

Has anyone used natural herb medicines? how is it?
also which prescription is safest to use?

thank you

The twitch may be from another problem, stimulants sometimes make a problem more apparent. But there are so many different things that could come from its almost impossible to narrow it down from my stand point.

Concerta and adderall are different for each person. Each metabolizes the drug differently, making it a totally different drug for each person.

I use to get a twitch from adderall and found that it was a result of being nervous combined with the effects of adderall. My problem went away as I got use to the meds but it is certainly a result of the adderall. Relax.

Daven~ what else do you think could be causing this?  I don't seem to be overly 

stressed about anything else.  All of my stress ended last week (when they started).    Do you think it's wise to up the dose still, to gain any benefits?  Should I just suck up the tics and see if more will make them go away?  Am I maybe in the middle of the "right dose" and more will put me where I need to be?

 

SoonerPilot~did you stick it out and suck up the tics? How long before they went away? It's driving me crazy....it is constantly there! Ugh! I myself think I tend to be OCD as well, which makes for a more difficult time ignoring them!

DeanG~Thank you for your reply.  That's exactly what I needed to hear emotionally! I needed someone to agree!  And tell me concerta might be right for me.  So there Mr. I Don't Know What I'm Talking About Psychologist.....I have definately made my decision to seek a new professional to treat me!  It stinks since he diagnosed me and has all the info on me, but I've not felt comfortable with this guy from the get go.

Thanks for your responses.  It makes staying up this late and sacrificing all my sleep to hear them worthwhile.  Now I must go get four hours of sleep!  Tomorrow is going to be quite difficult w/out the meds! It'll be my first day off of them and I'm going to need to suck down coffee every hour!  Thanks again!

 

I think that you are making a wise decision in discontinuing the adderall and seeking out a new physician. I'm sorry you have to go through the inconvenience of finding a new doctor, but I have a feeling that you will be better off in the long run....or the short-run for that matter!

I hope you are sleeping well--I always function sooo much better when I get sleep. Exercise helps me too...Best of luck to ya!! Keep us posted as to how things work out!

I've been taking Adderall XR, (25) for a month now and four days ago started a twitch in my right eye.  It's been pretty constant, maybe 5 minutes a day w/out it and it's driving me crazy.  My left eye just kind of started the same thing today.  I had a visit w/the psychologist and he insisted it wasn't from the Adderall.  He said it would have started right from the beginning if it was.  Does anyone agree with him?  Because I didn't, and still don't.  He's all ready to up my dosage, because I'm not noticing a darn thing on it.  No concentration, no focus, still no motivation.  I want to gain all of that, but not by upping a dosage and developing tics!  Has anyone had experience w/concerta compared to adderall?   He didn't want to even consider it, thinking we had to exhause the adderall attempt first.  Someone told me the concerta worked much better for them. The psychologist told me it's not as reliable w/the release as the adderall xr.  Any info would be appreciated.  And has anyone developed these twitches in eyes or anywhere else?

g girl-

I think that I would have to agree with you there....To me, it makes no sense to increase the adderall dosage if you are already developing twitches in your eyes. Perhaps you should try not taking adderall for a few days to see if this eliminates the twitches, as this could be a strong indicator that the adderall is, indeed, causing the twitch.

As for the concerta vs. adderall--"to each his own." People respond so differently to different medications that it is difficult to say which will be better for an individual based on other people's experiences. My personal experience with concerta is far inferior to that which I have had with adderall and adderall xr. I found that while on concerta, I was fatigued, still had lack of concentration, and that I was in a "blah", almost irritable, emotional state. For these reasons, the medication did me more harm than good. However, just because I had a negative experience with it does not mean that you will and I believe that it would be reasonable to discuss with your doctor further about trying concerta.....or another medication/alternative.

I wish you the best of luck!

I was originally perscribed Concerta at 36 mg, and after 12 days I quit taking it because the side effects were too intense for me. Things I found troubling were:

-Concerta can't be crushed or broken up, so I had no way to ease these symptoms, the most annoying being consistent, profuse sweating. (occured daily regardless of outside influences like temp. or hygiene)
-I found myself having done things without thought and I would often get into trouble, and I would instinctivly lie, which is odd for me. (theft common, lying and almost believing my lies myself etc.)
-In class I would start speaking and stutter and before too long I would be speaking quickly without saying anything relevent; speaking without thought a factor
-Hyperventalation was not consistent, I had 3 spells where I couldn't breathe and it became frightening.
-When my plans for the future didn't work out I would find myself unable to fix my plans or accomplish ANYTHING.
-I was sensative to criticism especially and I would be overly-apologetic as a result to insignificant mistakes.

I began taking a friend's AdderallXR 30mg; I Sweat mildly, I prioritize and am less spontaneous, I've stopped lying, the fluency of my speech has returned, I've had one instance of hyp.vent. and it was not intense at all, I work diligently even under pressure, and I've become a happier, more considerate person since starting the medication.
For some people Adderall has bad internal reactions, for others it's wonderful.

I visited with a new Dr. today and as soon as I got home 1:00, took my Adderall xr that I'd quit taking a week ago due to a constant twitch in my eye.  This new guy informed me the twitch may be stress (under way too much!) and since I'm not taking it currently, the twitch should stop.  I've also read twitches diminish within a month or so after eliminating the meds.  Well, that was the reason I stopped, and frankly I just can't take the spinning out of control mind I have anymore so I took it again.  I am going to ask the doc tomorrow about trying concerta though.  To each his own, everyone seems to react differently.  I figure if this eye twitch is all i have to deal with, i guess the attempts at straightening out my head and life are worth a twitch.  We'll give  it a whirl and if not, I'll stick w/the adderall and twitches.  But I don't know what I'm going to do when my head starts bobbing to my shoulder and I make mean nasty faces uncontrollably.  Okay, I'm kidding, and I know that's not funny because it happens, but that's exactly what I was worried about, and that's why I stopped w/the adderall last week.  Honestly, even though I felt no help w/concentration w/the adderall, I have to admit it was better than NOTHING!Can anyone tell me if they have had any problems with becoming addicted to this medication?  Also, is there anyone who is an addictive person, who is not having problems taking this?  I have been taking Adderall for 4 days and I'm really seeing improvements already.  However, I'm really afraid of becoming addicted because I have such an addictive personality.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.

MicheleRW222-

I, personally, have not had any problems with becoming addicted to my meds; however, I do not have an addictive personality. I am surprised that a doctor prescribed you a stimulant with an addictive personality because of its addictive properties. I advise you to monitor your meds very closely with your doctor as to avoid any possible problems. I think that it's great that you are aware of the potential "problem" and it's great that you're seeking advice/help.

Best of luck to ya!

I was surprised that he would prescribe something addictive to me also.  I told him specifically that I didn't want anything addictive because I have problems with it.  He gave me the impression that it wasn't addictive in the sense that you'd crave more, or abuse it but said that it would be something that I might have trouble with if I suddenly stopped.  I think he's referring to withdrawl type of stuff.

I am so concerned with addiction that I am always very rigid with myself, and am pretty disciplined with keeping myself in check.  I quit drinking, smoking, and sugar on my own, cold turkey.  People are surprised at my willpower, although I sometimes get pretty far down before I make up my mind up to quit something.  When I read that Adderall is an amphetamine, it scared me because it might not be something that is all that easy to control.  I skipped this afternoon's dosage again.  I figured I can be a dingbat at night, and I'll sleep better too. LOL  Hopefully if I try to keep it to a minimum, I won't have too much of a problem with it.

--Michele