ADDERALL Users, Experiences & SideEffects | ADHD Information
I never knew that such a website like this even existed. Thank You. I've been on Adderal for about a yr and a 1/2. The extended release capsules (30mgs a day) and the little pink frisbees (as I like to call them). I am still having trouble regulating my dosage. I am actually trying to cope more without it but I can't. My question to you all is what is it like for you to be in withdrawl???? For me it's like a small prison. I get agitated, depressed, mean, and extremely lazy. Does anyone understand?? Love to hear any advice. Thanks. Neither did I lol! I just started my extended release 20mg Adderall XR yesterday, after being on instant release 20mg for the last 4 months. When I first started Adderall, I did feel a dependence for it, but I just drank a lot of coke, and it got better. Although, on the weekends, and during holidays when I don't take it, I feel as if I'm able to focus better before I started the medicine, but not as well as when I take it though. I think the medicine changes some of your brain chemistry, and improves the disorder over time. However, I do feel a bit lazy at times when I don't take it.Adderall = wonder drug, wish I found it (or it found me) a long time ago! 40mg per day, worst side affect is insomnia, occassional tongue sores (from licking roof of mouth when it gets dry) and not eating for oh, a day or so.As a child i did well in school, but had hyperactivity-i talked and talked and talked, could not sit still for more than 15 minutes at a time and got very easily distracted by the littlest things. My parents always assumed it was just a part of being a kid, it wasn't until i was in 10th grade that i was diagnosed with ADHD, my parents refused to put me on medications until the middle of 11th grade when my grades got so bad there was no where to go but up (this was hard because i had always done well in school, probably because i had always been in schools where i was never challenged). But my doctor gave me Adderall-It worked miracles, i focused, got my work done on time, and my grades greatly improved. But there are also side effects!!! I felt like a totally different person all the time (one minute i'd be up, the next i would feel like i was stuck in a pit), i lost a ton of weight-i'm only 5'1 and 90 pounds to begin with. My parents immediately talked with my doctor to take me off of Adderall due to the weight loss because i had also had anorexia in 9th grade and still battled it. The doctor said if i continued the adderall the side effects would go away within a few weeks, and recommended not taking me off the medicine-so my parents ditched that doctor and since it was the summer they didn't think i needed medication anyway.
Once my senior year came around i had easy classes the first semester so my grades were ok-but once 2nd semester started i couldn't focus or sit still to save my soul. so once again my mom took me to another doctor and they prescribed ritalin. I started out with a small dose-even a small dose made me feel "stoned"-I now take 40 mg in the morning and 20 mg at noon-i feel no difference in my concentration, although i am more able to sit still for longer periods of time, I feel high all the time, you can feel as soon as the medication wears off-and the feeling of not feeling like yourself is worse than the adderall.
Although i had the weight loss and the change in moods while on adderall, i think it works 10 times better than ritalin with fewer side effects...especially the "stoned" feeling
My little girl started adderall xr saturday and within one hour she started vomitting and stated many times during the day that her heart was racing and her body was very shaky,she vomited for 12 hours.Needless to say I will NOT give it back to her.But everyone reacts to medication in different ways,good luck to you all.
Sandra
I wish I were singing its praises. I can't say anything really bad about it. I've been taking XR for maybe six weeks, toying with my dosage from 10 to 30 mg a day. I'm less emotionally reactive, which is good. I sleep. I eat. It just hasn't sharpened my focus the way I expected. I still don't know what I'm doing half of the time. My memory still sucks. Is is too much to want to be clear headed and lucid and be able to give a detailed account of what I did in the last ten minutes? Am I doing something wrong? I've tried metadate and ritalin, both at 10 mg. And I have had moments where I can tell it's kicked in and my perceptions seem to change, but it doesn't last.I have been on Adderall (generic) for 11 days now. I noticed changes right away (I felt clearer headed, more motivated, and organized). I am still having really good results. The first few days I felt a bit hyped up, but I think I am sensitive to medications. I have been taking 10 mg. around 7:30 a.m. and then another 5mg. somewhere around noon. The worst side effect for me is how it effects my sleep. Yesterday I decided to wait until 9:00 a.m. to take my 10 mg dose and skip the 5 mg dose entirely. I slept through the night last night. YAY! I do get sleepy in the late afternoon but I push through that and don't actually go to bed until 10:00 or so. I have noticed the days when I take a nice brisk walk (30 minutes) after dinner, I sleep better.
I am reading a book for pleasure for the first time in ages. I'm getting through it more quickly (because I don't have to read things over and over) and I'm actually absorbing it, and enjoying it. This is something I've always wished to do, but really haven't been able to. I still don't know that I'd do well with text material, but haven't tried it.
I have been doing a LOT of organizing! I am very neat by nature, but couldn't quite keep up for at least the last 7 or 8 years now. I'd be angry with myself because I was unhappy with my surroundings, but didn't quite know where to begin. I'm very pleased with my producivity, and what is even better is that I can do a ton of things, and look at my watch and it's still early in the day. I never could keep track of time before, spun my wheels, was late everywhere, and now I've been quite punctual because I prioritize my time better and end up be ready early.
I feel like I've had a new door opened for me. I always figured I had the ADD but it didn't seem like big enough of a deal for me to do anything about. I'm so happy I've been taking the adderall because it's improved things more than I could ever realize. I've read that you can lose your creativity. I don't quite understand why this would happen, but I'll take peoples word for it. I love my creativity, and pray that that part of me doesn't change. I also hope that I don't end up with nervous tics. I have them some, and think they've gotten worse with other medications. So far they are manageable but I know it can take a while before they get bad.
I better quit my rambling here, but I'm appreciative of this thread because I have been so curious about it myself since I'm still new to this medication. I hope to hear from more people!
It may take time to find the right dosage and the right timing but you seem to be on a good track. I have now switched to the XR (slower release) Adderall to see if it works better for me.
I think it really helps to keep a diary to track your feelings, emotions and observations. I am also a very creative person, which I depend on for my work. I have noticed no negatoive effect on that. In fact, I am far more productive and can better harnass and use my creativity better than ever before in my life.
These threads are helpful to us because it's important to share our insights and experiences. Of course everyone is different but we also can share similar situations as well. Even though I have spent a lot of time reading and researching about ADD, the forums offer great inspiration and information that you offer don't find in books.
hello, I have been on adderall (not xr) for about 5 months now and have really felt as though a curtain had been lifted. My grades just shot up, and my motivation and focus are wonderful. I have just started to notice that taking a 10mg in the am and then another 10mg in the afternoon really does not seem to be as affective. I wanted to talk to my Doc about this but thought I would get some advice from you guys first. How long does it take to build up a tolerance? If I stop for a couple days or a week will my tolerance lower? My doc has never been very helpful with these kinds of things and I really believe it takes experience with the med to relate. Also what would be a healthy dose for my schedule (senior year at college, very long days and weekends). Thanks for any info you guys have!I was on Adderall for a long time. I loved it, but my main complaint: you get too much joy from words. To clear that up, I'd say scroll up this page, and look at all the adderall posts You go on and on and you think you're about to revolutionize our world, but you're ranting, repeating and going on tangents.I miss Adderall, but I made some... "mistakes" in my dosage and I hated the mood swings so I quit taking it.
okay well bye everyone!First off, I'll go over my history pretty quickly, but my main purpose for this thread is to hear everyone else's experiences, good and bad concerning adderall, and please give everyone some background and dosage information. If all of we Adderall users could compile a good set of information, hopefully we could be of benefit to people looking into drug treatment. Help me out guys, there's enough of us out there :)
Hello,
I am relatively new to this website, but I have educated myself thoroughly about ADD/ADHD. To quickly explain my history, I visited a psychologist and psychiatrist, so both could explain each opinion, and for a very long time I thought that I was anxious and that sometimes it led to depression. This also caused troubles with my sleep, sometimes insomnia and other times not getting quality sleep after falling asleep. The primary problem was found to be ADD (a year and a half later.) I'm now 18, so I was waaay late on learning that I have ADD (which, for everyone who didn't get diagnosed early in life, knows that this is very agravating and unfortunately creates other problems with unhelpful, deep-inbedded habits; i.e. stress, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and on, and on.) BTW, looking back on my childhood, if i had the knowledge I currently possess, I would've diagnosed myself and would have spoken with a doctor. ANYWAYS, that was me in a nutshell, and I currently am on 60 mg of generic adderall a day (2x30mg.) along with clonidine to help me get back to sleep. Concerning other meds that I have tried, they are as listed: concerta, ritalin, adderall xr, and adderall (brand name); none of these helped me maintain a positive pro/con ratio. The most important point regarding medication, especially stimulants, is that EVERY DRUG WORKS DIFFERENTLY FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL . Therefore, please do not take this forum religiously if you are on ritalin/concerta/metadate (any methyphenidate), because if you are satisfied with ritalin and it works well for you, than that's great; do not consider changing meds simply because one seems like a more "popular" or "modern" choice of medicine. I specificly created this thread for Adderall-takers, so chances are more Adderall patients will respond than Ritalin patients.
HERE IS HOW ADDERALL WORKS FOR ME AS AN INDIVIDUAL:
Duration: 4-5 hours (this creates problems for me because I am a college student who needs to be at his best the entire day, not a third of it)
Work: I definitely have more motivation and feel more able to find an extra push within myself. Unfortunately, I've also found that anything else that I enjoy can attract my attention and have it for a few hours sometimes, and by that point the drug's effects are over and nothing was accomplished.
Personality changes: Whenever I start taking adderall, if I havent for a week or so, I always seem to have to start the whole cycle over and learn the drug's characteristics all over. During this re-getting-used-to stage, I will usually not be as outgoing and talkative and tend to be less social overall and not myself; this is why I find drug holidays a bad idea for certain patients. Also more edgy during this period.
Side Effects: When I first started taking adderall (brand name) a little shy of a year ago, I fought hard to accept the uncomfortable side effects. They say brand name and generic drugs are very similar, but what I have found shows quite the opposite. When I use generic adderall, the effects are much less noticeable in my normal, day-to-day life. I'm sure it works just the opposite with some people, so give it a try if you are unsatisfied with brandname ritalin or adderall (there is no generic form of extended release for either.)
Indirect Complications: Many people get concerned about long-term health problems (as i was) when taking methylphenidate or amphetamines, but the fact is that it HELPS us that need it. While I have read once or twice about people having heart troubles (I am very sorry to anyone that it happened to, my sincerest sorrow) I've noticed that my heart rate often times stays constant or goes down. An ADD brain and "normal" brain are different; they cannot be looked at as the same.
Sleep: My sleep has been affected for many years, probably due to ADD, but sleep is one of the most important and influential aspect of retaining memory, especially in ADDers. What I've learned to stay away from when dealing with sleep medications are drugs that are meant to be used for a short time, such as many in the class of benzodiazepines and new drugs such as zolpidem (ambien) and sonata. Another important part of this is that you get good tests done to point out the specific sleep problem.
Physical Changes: I am not a big supporter of drug holidays because it seems like after these holidays end and medication is started back up is when most of the unwanted and blah side effects show up. When I start taking adderall again after being off for a week or so, it seems to be about half or a third as intense as when it had been first starting. Before I'm used to the drug again, I'll get cold and have a quick heartbeat for short times, on and off. My advice is that if your brain needs the drug to replace a chemical in your brain not doing its task, it needs it all the time just as you do, not inconsistantly.
Pretty decent amount of words, so I'll be patient and hear everyone else's views and experiences. Thanks for all of your time, and let's help inform the uninformed for everyone who has information and knowledge. Have a good one! -joy come on..
I commend you for starting this thread! I am new to Adderall (5 weeks now) and it certainly has changed my life. But I am also learning that it will take time, and experimentation (possibly with other drugs or combinations) before I feel confident that I am pursing the best therapeutic strategy. I also have made major changes in lifesyle (eating, exercise and relaxation) along with cognitive/behavioral changes that I now feel are also making a major difference. From my own learning and research I understand that to successfully manage this neurologal syndrome, you must take a biobehavioral approach. Yes drugs are incredibly important, in fact they are almost too good to be true when you have the right one. But one must not neglect the changes in behavior and lifestyle that are also critical components of a successful strategy.
One of the most difficult challeges we face is finding experienced, and compassionate healthcare providers that really understand how to treat ADD. There are so many wonderful people out there but access to them for many is not very practical. Books and the web are valuable tools and can give us incredibel insight but it becomes very frustrating when we have to "go it alone"
I have thought a lot about how best to evaluate how my meds are working. I am currently using the generic but did first try the brand Adderall thanks to a friend of mine. I do see a difference but it also can be hard to detremine which one is actually better. If I take them on a full stomach it takes a good hour or more sometimes to kick in. If I take them on an empty stomach it takes about 20 minutes. I can get 3-4 hours before I feel it fading. Dosage is another big issue. I only take 10 mg at a time but I know that 20 or 30 would be better. I juts have to be careful because I have high blood pressure and it does increase my pressure. This certainly worries me. Although the exrecise and eating changes have paid off. My pressure is much better than it was in the past. I do also take BP meds. I have heard that Provigil (which is not a stimulant) may be a good alternative. I am hesitant to switich just yet as the Adderall has done wonderful things for me. Also, I am in my late forties and my life and finances have taken a major toll. See http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/12869.html
This is very true. I wish I was diagnosed, or like you said, diagmosed myself a long time ago. This certainly has explained a lot about the failures in my life. But this discovery, and diagnosis, has been the most important thing that has happened to me. I truly feel I've been given a 2nd chance in life. I have such determination now to dig myself out of the hole I am in. I have alsways had great potential all my life but never could achieve the things I knew I could. Having a good support group and keeping a realistic attitude about this condition is key.
I look forward to continuing this thread and exploring the marvels/and pitfalls of Adderall and ADD. I will be trying the XR version in the next few weeks.
It's nice to hear how older people describe their experiences with Adderall. I have a 7-yr old son, and he really can't tell me how he feels like when he's on the medication. While everyone is different, it does offer some insight.
i do work really diligantly on adderall! i love it! my grades are better and the quality of my work is better. i can retreat to a corner of the library at my college and just stay there getting crap done for like 3 hours.
it seems to be making me have really vivid, and sometimes very strange dreams
also, i have an extremely unpleasant taste in my mouth when i'm on it. anybody else have that? my hands and feet seem to fall asleep much quicker than they used to as well
thank goodness i don't rebound from it, though. my older brother used to rebound from ritalin like REALLY bad when we were kids. he would just be downright mean from 430-530 PM
sochro38442.933287037Thanks for this thread. I am female, 31 and live with my Husband and toddler. I am new to ADD (diagnosed 9 days ago) and have been taking generic Adderall (20mg) a day and 50mg of Zoloft for low grade depression. At first I could not sleep at all, but it has gotten better and I have tinkered a bit with when to take each dosage and it works out better in the evening, with less rebound and more sleep. I have lost about 5 pounds in a week and I am a small person to start with. I am a bit concerned that I will keep losing. Has anyone had this problem?
Overall, I feel better and more focused. Definitely more organized. I have been an organizing/cleaning machine!
Thanks again to everyone. I am learning so much from you all. 
Adderall was the worse thing I was ever on for ADHD...and I was on it 2 weeks...but I never took it because of what it did to me.
My pediatrician decided to start me on it the summer before my senior year in high school like about 3 weeks before school started. I was in marching band (color guard) and I went for my physical and such before band camp. My parent's went on vacation and I couldn't go because of camp, but about 5 days before he gave us this new medication to try and told me to start taking it that weekend. I took it on Sunday and took it 2 times a day like I was suppose to and by that night I was bouncing off the walls and could not sleep. I had to be up and at school the next morning at 8:00 and I tried everything from a hot bath to taking a PM pill. NOTHING WORKED! I was so dead to the world come about noon the next day and cranky as can be. I was snapping at everyone and my coach. It was one of the longest days in my life, and I told my parents that I can't take it anymore because it was messing me up just after 2 days of taking it. My mom said not to take it anymore and to go back on the other medication. (which was Dexedrine and Prozac) And after getting off of it, I was fine. It turned out my system didn't process it correctly and I had a system reaction to that and it was the same way with Ritalin.
Hi - This is my very first time for this. I went to my OBGYN today and began to discuss the problems of concentration, etc. and how bad it's gotten over a period of time and how it is effecting work/home. I cried. She gave me the name of a doc. to go to for ADHD which she feels I may have. After looking at this site and reading about others with problems concentrating, getting their head wrapped around a problem at work, no short-term memory at all, no motivation, no attention to detail and on and on - this opened my eyes. I've been laughing this problem off for awhile now, it's 1/2-heimers, I didn't remember something because it wasn't important enough to remember it, and on and on with the excuses. Well, it's effecting my work in a large way now and I can't laugh it off anymore. I've been scared that I really did have a serious problem and thought I was losing it. I feel relief right now knowing that there is something that will help and that I can be productive again and probably more then I ever was. I look back now and realize that I never pushed myself due to this problem. I hid in jobs that didn't require so much concentration. I read here that someone was so happy for a 2nd chance in their life. I'm looking forward to that as well. I'll write back after my appt. and listen and learn about the medications, etc. It will be so nice to know you all are out there and that there are people to turn to that understand. 
I just started on Adderall today. I'd been on Provigil for a month while I awaited results of a sleep study. Sleep disorders were ruled out, so we're treating for Adult ADD now (I'm 32). I loved the Provigil in many ways, but within a week, I needed a higher dose to get the same effect. My insurance didn't cover it, so my first prescription was nearly 0, and if I needed a higher dosage, we'd be talking more like 0!
So, I did some research, and asked about trying 30 mg of Adderall XR in the am, following up with I think 10 mg of generic instant release Adderall in the afternoon.
Like I said, today was my first day, but I got pretty much the same effect as with my early days on Provigil. I swear, I could have cleaned every house in this neighborhood, I felt so energetic! About 6 hours after the XR dose, I could feel it wearing off, so I took the generic instant release. Me no likey the generic. My scalp suddenly developed a life of its own, and felt like it was crawling. I went from upbeat and talkative to not so happy with anyone. I was suddenly more scatter-brained than in my unmedicated state, and couldn't even spit out a sentence without making a mistake in my wording. I was also more tired than I think I should have been.
So tomorrow, I think I'll try using 1 XR tab in the morning, another when that one wears off. I would try a double dose of the generic in the afternoon, but I don't think that will help..?? I'll be sure to report back.
Biggest difference between Provigil and Adderall XR for me was that the Adderall XR did help a little with focus. Also, Provigil cut my appetite by about half; Adderall XR destroyed it completely. All I could stomach today was half a small salad and a handful of chips.
Side effects with Adderall XR; nothing major, just the disappearing appetite. Made me more talkative, not a bad thing for a quiet person. Makes me want to smoke non-stop, but so did the Provigil.
Positives: great energy to get stuff done; alert feeling. extra confidence, likely because of the extra energy. Same feeling as Provigil, only much less expensive.
Oh, and after taking the generic instant release, I had to pee more often (and the calling felt more urgent) than when I was 8 months pregnant... and at the time, I practically lived on the toilet, I had to go so often. I went to the store tonight, and it had only been ten minutes since I'd used the restroom, but I felt like I was going to wet my pants if I didn't go right away; the XR didn't have that effect at all.
Adderall has been great for me. Pretty much saved my life. I don't get side effects from it accept when I change dose or if I take a break from meds and then start up again(usually cus I run out of Money lol). For me I get diahrea for 2 weeks while my body adjusts . So yeah sh*tting nonstop for 2 weeks is not fun
but after that 2 weeks
everything is just great, no side effects I can concentrate almost like
normal people and I feel calm even able to sit and relax for dinner or
chatting with friends. Also don't know why but the short acting Adderall and the generic don't help me only the XR really works so weird how that is but thought I'd share. < ="">
Hi,
I was initially prescribed ritalin 10mg 3x a day and since my insurance doesn't cover concerta I figured that I could try the adderall xr to avoid taking 3 doses a day. My side effects compared to ritalin are way worse. I have some stomach aches, and slight insomnia. I'm going to give this med a little more time though since I've only have been taking it for 2 weeks now(30mg xr). I do notice an increase in my focus, however, ritalin seemed to be more effective for that. When taking ritalin(generic) I noticed my brain felt clear, and I wasn't speedy or anything, but just like my brain go a new prescription. Adderall on the other hand helps me focus, but I kinda feel a tad bit foggy, I can't explain it but I'm thinking that it's due to being a different form of a stimulate or different ingredients. I'm going to give it a few more weeks.
Oh, does anyone know if you can notice more effectiveness with regular ritalin as opposed to generic?
My 6yr. old was on adderall xr. It was working wonderfully at school just not as much at home. She is not currently on it because she started to have bad nightmares and night terrors and some motor tics and her behavior got really bad, but as far as school work and focusing it really did help her. I hated to take her off because it was helping so much at school but the side effects scare me to much.Hey starting this thread was a really good idea I've been worried about adderalls effects on muscell building if anyone has any info on it please tell me. Bur my history is that I was allways a smart kid, good grades up but hyper active,talking alot, getting fustrated becuase just couldnt seem to stay focused for a long time. My mom allways questioned weather I had ADHD but every year a different teacher would tell her that my IQ level and my ability to comprehend things were too high to have ADD or ADHD. Then when I was 13 I was finally diagnosed and prescribed 54 mg of concerta. I took the concerta until beging of 9th grade and did really really well on it but I stoped taking it for a really stupid reason...I started smoking pot on a regular basis and didnt like mixing the 2 so I just stoped my concerta and didnt do well in school at all that year I managed to pass all my classes but with 65-70 and I was an 90-95 student on concerta. Then finally in spring of sophmore year after really becoming an idiot and consumed with pot, I made up a lie that concerta made my stomach hurt (noone knew I had stoped taking it). SO I was given the generic form of adderall which i thought was great because I tought I'd abuse it like other drugs. I ended up taking it like 3 times and everytime I had smoked because I smoked constantly and hate dthe feeling so I woudlnt take the adderall. Then 22 days ago I got clean after getting into legal trouble with drugs and it was the best thing that I ever did. I decided why take the adderall on my first day at this 45 diagnostic school where all my work from my high school is sent for me to do and professionals to see how I learn. Well I took the adderal and was shocked at what happened next. For the fitst time in 2 years I felt like I could accomplish something. Ive been sober for 22 days now and was 6 weeks behind my classmates at my school and now I am 2 chapters ahead in all 4 of my major subjects. The teachers at the school have encountered many kids and are very well respected and my teacher wrote has informed me that I am the brightest most capable kid he's ever come across in his career and that I should have no trouble getting into an Ivy League college as long as I just do 1/2 of the amount of work I'm doing now. Huge change from lazy druged out allways thinking id never even graduate high school to now knowing I can actually make soemtihng of myself and that its not too late. I am taking 50 mg of the generic adderall as of date.
Duration: It sometimes varries but allways keeps me focused all the way through the school day I've only been taking it for 3 weeks now and I'm starting to notice a slight change in attentiveness but nothing really noticable. Im usually able to stay focusedwork on home work for about 2-3 hours after school.
Work: It has affected my work greatly I wouldn't even pick up a pen before I started taking it and now all I want to do is school work. It's great I never thought I'd care so much about school but adderall makes it so easy and gives me the motivation to do the work.
Personality changes: When I take the adderall I am not as out going but that's a good thing because before taking it I was a an absolute party animal and was runing my life its made me really Gain alot of impulse control. Totally keeps me calm and makes me less prone to confrentation as to before I took it almost liked to argue and fight now I am just really easy going. If I skip a day though I feel like weird, lazy to a point but just kind of feel out of control not like party out of control it's more like I dont have control over what I do yet I do at the the same time, I just feel like I have no control.... Im sorry its kind of hard to explain I hope someone knows what I am talking about.
Side Effects: I have noticed a hige lack in appitite wince beinging to take adderall and have lost about 10-15 pounds of fat in 3 weeks but I was also layed up for about 3-4 months because of a serious ski injury that snaped my fermut in half so bad they had to put a metal rod down the middle and I am just able to run and do normal day to day things and have been working out like crazy so they may have something to do with it. I also have noticed when I do not take the adderall my male genitaila is alot more alert than it ever was before taking, friends who take it says that it can shrink decrese size of the male geintaila when on adderall but I havent seen any changes at all except that I can get an errection out of no where and very frequently but Ive been taking it almost every single day. I have also experianced light headednes especially when doing rigerous physical activity.
Sleep patterns- When I first started the adderall 3 weeks ago I was averaging about 2-3 hours sleep a night but i was told by the school nurse it would change in 2 weeks and it did unless I take an extra one which I was told my my neuro pyschologist that I could if I felt it nessasary just not everyday.
Physical effects- I have experianced cold shivers, huge nicotine cravings which is extemly odd to me because I stoped smoking ciggarettes last summer because i woke up one morning after smoking about 1 1/2 packs a day and took a drag and it was horrible and wasnt abl to smoke ciggarettes after that but now im smoking a half a pack some days and 1-2 ciggarettes another. I have notice a weight loss and im worried that it might effect my muscle growth because I began intense lifting and plan to continue doing so. I decided last night that I am going to start taking weigh protein and glutamine and I believe both will help turn what fat i have left which is not much into muscle and help feed my body the nutriance its missing by me not being able to eat more than one small meal a day sometimes. I also have to continouously force myself to drink water to keep hydrated. I have noticed i can obtain an errection like nothing whgne I do not take it but it does not effect my genitaila size or ability to get an erection while the adderall is in my system like i heard that it can. my heart feels different though I caqnt really explain it because it doesnt hurt, its just different I pretty sure it increases it though. I am also gaging sometimes not nearly as mcuh as when i started but it still happens sometimes, never throw up i just gag.
[QUOTE=Jared112987] Ive been sober for 22 days now and was 6 weeks behind my classmates at my school and now I am 2 chapters ahead in all 4 of my major subjects. [/QUOTE]
Congratulations!! It sounds like you're on a great path. The best thing I ever did was quitting drinking and drugs. The second best thing was starting Adderall. I wish you continued success. Good luck!
Warning: Adderall DOES make you want to type/talk/write more. And I was already wordy before this...Background:
26 yrs. My dad diagnosed himself with ADD a few years back. We all thought it was another rationalization for him feeling like a failure. About a month ago I started comparing my life to my dad's. HAH. I'm just like him. Cannot finish anything I start. Always flitting from intrest to interest. Worst was the horrible impulse control. I got credit cards. Tried to start my own business, of course I failed. Bought everything I thought would make me happy. k in debt later, I'm wising up.
In school I couldn't excel at anything that required homework, hated history, always read novels when I should have been reading school books and aced every test. Smart, but unmotivated.
Treatment:
So I started taking AXR 20mg. That was Apr 29 '05. From yesterday (May 11th), I've started taking another 10mg of XR at around noon. Already thinking of switching to 10/10 instead of 20/10.
Side Effects:
I've always been a mouth chewer. In fact I eat my cuticles too. Havn't noticed a significant change in this behaivior.
The dry mout hit me, but my friends always laugh that I have a drinking problem anyway. I usualy go through 20-30 glasses of water a day.
I feel like I have to pee more, but only on some days.
No tics or anything like that. I have TMJ and set my jaw, especially at the gym, but lately I've noticed my neck gettin tense and my jaw not. But I'm also doing more sittups now, and that always screws up my neck.
I get to sleep ok, but only sleep for about 6 hours. Excercise before bed usualy helps.
I get a bit dizzy or light headed occasionaly, but only for a few seconds. Two minutes max.
I'm not sure if I'm sweating more than usual but maybe.
I do get mild headaches, but I havn't established a pattern yet.
Food and Jitters:
One thing I've noticed, you HAVE to eat. I force myself to drink a protein shake about 1.2 hours after dosing. Throughout the day I make myself munch bars (zone perfect are my favorite! Tiger milk's good too.) or something every 2 hours or so. If I get a burger or something, I usually don't finish it, so I have to keep nibbling. If you've had trouble getting edgy or that "dirty gritty" jittery feeling, you are probably hungry. Drink a sprite or cary some peanut butter crackers with you. It made so much difference as soon as I started.
My hint: meal replacement/protein shakes are great. Sometimes it's easier to drink something substantial than force yourself to eat. Usually they have vitamins too.
Also cut caffeine. Its hard enough balancing your moods with one addictive stimulant in your system. Why have two?
Positive results:
There have been pros and cons. I still lose track of what I'm doing sometimes. I often get that weird cold medicine like detatched feeling in the afternoons. But I realized, that the robotic feeling was the adderall focus. I still laugh and respond and have spontanious thought, I'm just not particularly emotive all the time.
Since taking AXR I have cleaned my room (I moved 3 times in 5 years with the same crap in the same boxes, all now gone or sorted.) I've also established a pattern of habits for keeping organized. I've taken care of chores that were on my white board for months. It's only two weeks in so I can't really say I'm definitively seeing a diference. My mind and energy level were kind of messed up the first week. Just when I was stableizng, I've gone and changed my dose, so we'll see.
One thing besides more motivation that I've noticed is more impulse control.
Hope this helped somebody.
According to my Doc, it's a possible side effect..
I was personally already a rather anxious person when i started my 15mg Adderall XR.. it has actually helped quite a bit with that.
Thorns4Life38729.0183217593Thorns, if you haven't been evaluated by a specialist in ADHD then you should do so. Most general physicians don't really have the knowledge to accurately diagnose ADHD in adults as there are many symptoms that are very similar to those of other completely different disorders.
My advice to you is to search for a psychiatrist or psychologist in your area that specializes in diagnosing ADULT ADHD. You could be receiving treatment for the wrong thing.
Hi all, haven't been on in a while. Actually, am not doing that well since I went off the Adderall (banned in Canada). I was only taking 10mg. a day but boy did it ever change my life. Maybe I would have had to increase my dose as it was the first time taking that family of drug (I have taken Wellbutrin for 5 years). I am now taking Dexedrine and I have this feeling I need to increase my dose. I am taking 5mg. x 3 a day and I feel like I spend a lot of time waiting for it to kick in and coming off and taking another etc. I'm going to up my dose today to 10mg. a shot a see what happens. I feel tired much of the time but I am under a ton of stress at work so that is a factor. I know this thread is about Adderall (wonder drug!) but I'm wondering if others have taken both Adderall and Dexedrine and the differences. I am also having a problem with my digestive system clogging up and I eat pretty well. I work out at a gym 3/4 times a week and ride my bike to work everyday and generally everywhere so I'm exercising but it doesn't seem to help. Water retention too. My doctor says that he has been heariing rumours about Adderall so there may be a chance that it wll be back on the market for us. I pray it is because my brain functioned in a way it had never before, I actually thought about what I was doing, I could stay in a moment. The constant frenzy of thoughts, ideas, storytelling (much of it bad) and general tornado like activity of my brain altered drastically and I just don't have that on Dexedrine except for the occasional short period and even then not as pronounced. I am under the gun to create a very big web site for my work and I have stopped working at home in the productive way I was on Adderall. Hope my government stops infighting and I hope they are not toppled right now so that someone can look at this and realize how insane it was to ban it in the first place. ShellHi Shell,
Do you know why it is now banned in Canada? I am in the US.
T4L
The first time I tried adderall it was 30mg of the XR and caused me to have some strange demon hallucinations for a few minutes when I tried to go to sleep (*tried*... not a wink that night). I'm 21 and an otherwise healthy adult but it seems everything else i've read about people hallucinating from it was in small children, like under 10 or so. Now I'm on 30mg daily, or sometimes i do 15/x2, depending on my schedule for the day. These are my worst side effects, but not so bad that I want to stop taking it:
-Insomnia (if i take the later dose)
-CHEWING, i either need to be chewing a wad of gum or I chew the insides of my cheeks incessantly!
-No appetite - I have to force myself to eat, and I'm not too interested in it
-Profuse sweating of my legs when I work out.
-Numbness of my limbs, occassionally, when I'm laying down
Other than that it seems to do the trick for concentration. Here are a couple of articles I've found that anyone on it may be interested in:
The Adderall Me - My Romance with ADHD Meds
http://www.slate.com/id/2118315
Blame Canada - Don't Flush Your Adderall XR
http://www.slate.com/id/2118314/
HEY GUYS! I really am sorry for bein gone for so long..i was workin my ass off at school. Well im going to read these all in a sec, but thank you all so much :) I really appreciate it like everyone else im sure does too. Keep it goin, aight? hehe take it easy guys, ~joymy son (now 71/2) was on adderallxr for about two years. He was behind in his speech, sluggish, and behind on the growth charts. He was VERY skinny, he had no appetite, so he grew slow. He had a very hard time going to sleep and only slept for 3 or 4 hours. We switched him to Strattera a little over a year ago, he grew about 4 inches and gained about 12 to 16 lbs in about 3 months. He now has an appetite and is a fun energetic (not hyper). He now sleeps soundly. And doesn't crave sugar. Infact, he will NOT eat candy, of any sort. Hope this helps you out.I just skimeed through the thread, but as far as I know only Adderall XR is banned in canada.. You may still be able to get regular adderall tabs (immediate release).Hi, in January there was a report of deaths by heart failure or attack (who really knows) in 30 people in the States. I have since read that at least several of these people had obvious previous heart problems and a few others had other medical conditions. One doctor also pointed out that for the huge number of people taking Adderall for the years it has been on the market these deaths were a small percentage and it was also made note of that 30 deaths during that period of time was be normal in that population.
I belive it was banned here for purely political reasons because there have been previous problems here re drugs and so Adderall was banned to satisfy a few people who may have made a stink about the whole thing. Ridiculous.
I know the drug is being over prescribed (as all are) and so there were people or children taking it who should not have been. I can't believe the nerve, they sell cigarettes and happily allow the population to be poisoned by toxic food and air but get that danderous drug off the market. More people die in a month from other drugs on the market. Shell
Hi there, You're 18 and you think that you've been diagnosed late? Everything is relative. Try 48. So, I have 48 lost years and now if my incredibly corrupt goverment would reverse the ban it placed in February I can go back on the drug that changed my life for the one month I was on it before it was banned. There are many adults who have spent their entire life messed up before getting a diagnosis, imagine the bad habits and other mental issues that one can develop over 40 or 50 years. So, while I hate that anyone has to ever go through the kind of pain this condition creates you will hopefully realize how young you are in years and not bother worrying about losing what has passed. Take care! Shell
[QUOTE=lifejoy]First off, I'll go over my history pretty quickly, but my main purpose for this thread is to hear everyone else's experiences, good and bad concerning adderall, and please give everyone some background and dosage information. If all of we Adderall users could compile a good set of information, hopefully we could be of benefit to people looking into drug treatment. Help me out guys, there's enough of us out there :)
Hello,
I am relatively new to this website, but I have educated myself thoroughly about ADD/ADHD. To quickly explain my history, I visited a psychologist and psychiatrist, so both could explain each opinion, and for a very long time I thought that I was anxious and that sometimes it led to depression. This also caused troubles with my sleep, sometimes insomnia and other times not getting quality sleep after falling asleep. The primary problem was found to be ADD (a year and a half later.) I'm now 18, so I was waaay late on learning that I have ADD (which, for everyone who didn't get diagnosed early in life, knows that this is very agravating and unfortunately creates other problems with unhelpful, deep-inbedded habits; i.e. stress, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and on, and on.) BTW, looking back on my childhood, if i had the knowledge I currently possess, I would've diagnosed myself and would have spoken with a doctor. ANYWAYS, that was me in a nutshell, and I currently am on 60 mg of generic adderall a day (2x30mg.) along with clonidine to help me get back to sleep. Concerning other meds that I have tried, they are as listed: concerta, ritalin, adderall xr, and adderall (brand name); none of these helped me maintain a positive pro/con ratio. The most important point regarding medication, especially stimulants, is that EVERY DRUG WORKS DIFFERENTLY FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL . Therefore, please do not take this forum religiously if you are on ritalin/concerta/metadate (any methyphenidate), because if you are satisfied with ritalin and it works well for you, than that's great; do not consider changing meds simply because one seems like a more "popular" or "modern" choice of medicine. I specificly created this thread for Adderall-takers, so chances are more Adderall patients will respond than Ritalin patients.
HERE IS HOW ADDERALL WORKS FOR ME AS AN INDIVIDUAL:
Duration: 4-5 hours (this creates problems for me because I am a college student who needs to be at his best the entire day, not a third of it)
Work: I definitely have more motivation and feel more able to find an extra push within myself. Unfortunately, I've also found that anything else that I enjoy can attract my attention and have it for a few hours sometimes, and by that point the drug's effects are over and nothing was accomplished.
Personality changes: Whenever I start taking adderall, if I havent for a week or so, I always seem to have to start the whole cycle over and learn the drug's characteristics all over. During this re-getting-used-to stage, I will usually not be as outgoing and talkative and tend to be less social overall and not myself; this is why I find drug holidays a bad idea for certain patients. Also more edgy during this period.
Side Effects: When I first started taking adderall (brand name) a little shy of a year ago, I fought hard to accept the uncomfortable side effects. They say brand name and generic drugs are very similar, but what I have found shows quite the opposite. When I use generic adderall, the effects are much less noticeable in my normal, day-to-day life. I'm sure it works just the opposite with some people, so give it a try if you are unsatisfied with brandname ritalin or adderall (there is no generic form of extended release for either.)
Indirect Complications: Many people get concerned about long-term health problems (as i was) when taking methylphenidate or amphetamines, but the fact is that it HELPS us that need it. While I have read once or twice about people having heart troubles (I am very sorry to anyone that it happened to, my sincerest sorrow) I've noticed that my heart rate often times stays constant or goes down. An ADD brain and "normal" brain are different; they cannot be looked at as the same.
Sleep: My sleep has been affected for many years, probably due to ADD, but sleep is one of the most important and influential aspect of retaining memory, especially in ADDers. What I've learned to stay away from when dealing with sleep medications are drugs that are meant to be used for a short time, such as many in the class of benzodiazepines and new drugs such as zolpidem (ambien) and sonata. Another important part of this is that you get good tests done to point out the specific sleep problem.
Physical Changes: I am not a big supporter of drug holidays because it seems like after these holidays end and medication is started back up is when most of the unwanted and blah side effects show up. When I start taking adderall again after being off for a week or so, it seems to be about half or a third as intense as when it had been first starting. Before I'm used to the drug again, I'll get cold and have a quick heartbeat for short times, on and off. My advice is that if your brain needs the drug to replace a chemical in your brain not doing its task, it needs it all the time just as you do, not inconsistantly.
Pretty decent amount of words, so I'll be patient and hear everyone else's views and experiences. Thanks for all of your time, and let's help inform the uninformed for everyone who has information and knowledge. Have a good one! -joy [/QUOTE]
Hi MN Consultant,
I'm from Minnesota too! Just wanted to comment on your post. I have noticed that sometimes I get VERY nervous too. I take the Adderall generic, and I think if I take too much that happens. I cannot take much at all without getting nervous. We are building a new home, and it's been a huge stresser in my life. We are also living in a townhome until our house is finished and with kids, a big dog, a bird, my husband and I, it's cramped in here! I'm anxious to see if I still have such nervousness after we get into the house. I have to say that when I feel this high anxiety, I can't always pinpoint WHY I am anxious. I just am. I have been taking 10mg. 1 time per day. I had upped my dosage to 15 mg. for a short time but I couldn't take the anxiety. I have not had any nervousness since cutting back down to 10 mg. However, I don't think I'm as effective either. Maybe I just need to take 5 mg. a few hours apart or something. That is one thing I like about the timed release, I can experiment with dosages and that I can basically let it wear off if I want to. I'm afraid if I was on the AXR, I'd be running in high gear around the clock, and probably not sleep.
I'm wrapping up my first week on AXR. 3 days at 30Mg, then 2x30 afterwards. I'm surprised by the impact and find myself still adjusting to it. (46 Yr old male)(Maybe I could've picked a better time to start the meds. I recently become unemployed, and just completed the sale of my home. Two major "life issues" at the same time.)
Anyway, yesterday was a rough day. It was the day after the house sale, so I think there was a kind of emotional decompression going on. But throughout the day I felt extremely overwhelmed by the stuff going on in my life. It wasn't necessarily a nervous reaction, which was my normal state before AXR, but just a very amplified acknowledgement of what I had on my plate. And being very scared about that reality.
Throughout the day I struggled. But as the evening came, and the meds wore off, I felt that struggle reducing.
And then it hit me: Since AXR works on the brain's "focusing" functions, it probably increases focus on EVERYTHING. And what I was experiencing was a heightened focus on my normal life struggles. It's not that the issues were any greater than before, but that my focus on them was greater.
Whew! Making that connection was a great relief. With that knowledge I can prepare and better manage the increased focusing. And today, with my normal dosage, I feel much better. I'm calling my experience yesterday a "bad trip."
So it's been a week of learning. Learning what this stuff does, how it impacts me, and being able to get in synch with it.
Also, yesterday I didn't eat much. I have a feeling that had something to do with it. Good suggestions on the board about making sure you eat during the day.
Anyone else out there who's had a similar experience?
I think I know what you mean. I started (46 as well) on 30 mgs. Ritalin 2x a day for 3 weeks and then my doc switched me to Concerta 1 x @ 54 mgs. My work is overwhelming right now due to cut-backs and people leaving. Doing the work of 4 people at ou busiest time. I felt the same way when I thought about all that has to be done - not panic but still not normal. I think what you said about really focusing on it now has something to do with it.
I'm having a problem right now with the Concerta. It's suppose to be a 12 hr. time release. I take it at 7:30 am and by 3-4 pm, I feel like I'm about to drop. I'm totally wiped out by 8 pm and sleep like the dead. I was a light sleeper before taking the meds. Now I don't hear anything.
I'm not sure if I should take a 10 mg. ritalin around 3-4 pm to help me get through the rest of the day. I'm working until 8 or 10 right now. Does anyone else have this problem??
It's like everything else what might work on you might not work on somone else. My 5 yr old was put on a low dose of adderall and all he did was cry and cry and cry and didnt want to do anything at all he was very sluggish and just wanted to lay around. SO I took him off of it and now I'm doing research on what to try during the summertime. I would rather see him hyper then what he was like.. And for me I take welbutrin xl for depression and adult adhd. It has done wonders.. I take a pill a day and it last for 12 hours. People think it is just for smoking but it isn't just for that.
Thorns4life -
Please listen to what I have to say.
DO NOT people DO NOT give your meds to anyone!!!! Especially someone who is certain they don't have ADHD!!
It's hard enough for us to get taken seriously. There is an epidemic of kids sneaking off to school and selling their meds to other's who wish to get high. It is a dangerous, potentially fatal game that makes us all look like liars and phoneys!
Not saying you are one of these - but don't recommend or do it ok? These amphetamines can be habit forming, abused to the point of killing you, and generally are meant for those of us with problems serious enough to make it necessary to take them.
I'm just sad and worried when I see people just handing out these meds like candy. It's not good.
Thorns4Life38729.0199189815Ok that's different. Just touchy on how some on the forums are taking this too lightly.
As to how you should react - every one does differently. I was nearly instant - seeing the fog clear within the first few minutes of the first pill. Some I've heard say they didn't know it was working until some people commented how good they were doing weeks or more into it.
I'd see how people around you are noticing any changes. Are they? If so, give it some time. If not, go back and possible either up the dosage or get on a different type or formulation. The MD should be able to alter it to your specific needs.
I took AXR for two months. Initially, I had side effects: staying up late, racing heart, and I felt terrible if I had any caffeine with it. After two weeks, its seemed to mellow out. The side effects began to taper, but I also wasn't thinking very clearly, had one long run-on sentence monologue stream in my head, was spacey. I switched to dexedrine, which I take still. Again with a similar pattern, but I decided to stick with it to see what happens. I now suspect that I have also an issue with cyclic depression so that when I'm up, the meds work great. When I'm down, NOTHING mobilizes me. It's weird that, when I'm low, I can increase my meds, drink coffee, eat chocolate, and nothing gives me any more energy than I started with. I think that's what happened with the AXR.
foxp - have you been checked for bipolar or other related depressions? That sure sounds like you might have it. My exgf was bipolar and when she was in the middle - antidepressants helped but if she was at the bottom nothing short of a firecracker would move her. You should mention that to your psychiatrist/MD.
Yeah. It wasn't until I started the meds and found they took me to an even higher "productive" state and then at other times seemed to have no effect at all. I've been educating myself more about depression and came across a site that I found interesting, though I haven't decided whether or not it is credible yet. It ties the relationship between lethargy and depression with having a negative bias in your "thinking style" and how that affects your sleep cylces. The site is
http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/Understanding_Depressio n/understanding.htm
if anyone is interested. I like to hear what other people think. I've heard that the comorbidity of ADHD and bipolar disorders is high.
Hi all, have not been on in months, really getting pissed at my stupid goverment that has not allowed Adderall back on the market. Time for me to go visit my MP. Anyway, wanted to say I had to laugh too when I read the "diagnosed late in life, at 19-20"! Not to dimish your experience but try 46. I was diagnosed quite easily with depression and later anxiety but never ADD/ADHD although I went through the medical profession for years and I have been seeing a doctor for 3 years. Took my health into my own hands years ago but still everyday was (is again) an endurathon, no pleasure, no motivation, just will power, always getting myself into hot water, lousy relationships, high failure rate though expectations of me always seem to be high and on and on ...pretty tiring and boring. I have a full time job by the way.As for Adderall, I took it for one month and it did change my life. I was a different person on it. I behaved in a completely different fashion especially when it came to work but it also affected my ever present depression and anxiety. Part of this I believe is that I was thinking so differently, I could not help but FEEL differently. How can you be thinking of a million different negative things when you are focused on what you are doing? It got rid of the bad storytelling.
Now I'm on Dexedrine and I spend the whole day going up (up is shorter) and down. Wanted to ask, I'm taking 1.5mg. three times a day and my doctor (pysch) seems reluctant to have me up my dose, he even wanted me to stay off one day a week so I wouldn't have to keep raising it. I am severe though and I also do everything I can. I commute on my bike, I work out 5 times a week and do at least 1/2 hour of high intensity aerobic excerise everyday. I am almost a vegan and drop lots of money on organic food etc. The thing I find hard to control is my stress level. Any opinions on the Dexedrine dose? Thanks, S
shellr - is that 1.5mg or 15? either way it's lowwww!! I started at 10 and it very soon was not enough. Try 30 to 40 as a normal day-to-day dose. Upped over months of course.
I don't know why your psych is so reluctant - unless you show a tendency towards addictive behavior and he/she is thinking you're going to abuse it.
All I know is that if I'd stayed at 10 this last 8 months I'd have chucked out the prescription and have thought it was useless as a ADHD medicine.
[QUOTE=SandraM]My little girl started adderall xr saturday and within one hour she started vomitting and stated many times during the day that her heart was racing and her body was very shaky,she vomited for 12 hours.Needless to say I will NOT give it back to her.But everyone reacts to medication in different ways,good luck to you all.
Sandra
[/QUOTE]"CYP2D6" is an enzyme in the liver that processes most of the toxins we put into our bodies - from alcohol to amphetamines. Something like 6% of the population has a genetic problem with this enzyme. These are the kind of people that can die from taking ecstasy or really any kind of drug that utilizes this enzyme. Your daughter's reaction to Adderall sounds like that - or a contraindication with MAO inhibitors (she wasn't taking any other meds or supplements, was she? There are lots of natural MAO inhibitors).
NAC, Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Vitamin B6 (in a multi-vitamin), Milk Thistle and Artichoke are good for liver protection. Grapefruit juice and the antacid Cimetidine (Tagamet) slow down the metabolism of CYP2D6. Do not take with alcohol (or any other drugs) as it is possible to suffer from alcohol poisoning since Cimetidine (Tagamet) slows down CYP2D6.
oscar38560.7633333333Hello Everyone. Ive read everyones experiences. I have a 9 year old son who has been on Adderal xr since February. Only 10 mgs in the morning. He exploded ( a wonderful thing) in school. Within 2 weeks he went from reading 16 words per min to 45 wpm. Excelent. Smart boy. His teacher said that he has changed in school, he is not as figity(sp?) and he can concentrate and sit still. His side effects consisted of grumpiness and outragous mood swings, which have alll subsided. I only medicated him during school, I didn't give him the meds on the weekends or holidays. His Doc says this is fine and it seemed to work out well. He was a noticaby more hyper on Saturday. He was never a behavior problem in school or a home so I would only medicate him to concentrate in school. I did notice that toward the end of the school year he was really quiet and others commented that he seemed sad. That worried me, I don't want to make my happy boy sad. My million dollar question is, "does anyone else get depressed on adderal?" He has been off the meds all summer, He is doing fine, definatly hyper if he has too much sugar, but nothing alarming, typical. It seems to me that its harder for adderal users to not take the meds on a regular basis. Am I making things harder on him by not medicating him on the weekends? Thanks for your time. Hello everyone,
I also have to laugh a little at 18-20 years old being "late in life" although I get the frustration. I'm 29 and I discovered I had add during my last week of graduate school. I just finished my masters in social work and worked on a group project on adhd in children right before I finished. In doing research, I read some things about adult women with add and was amazed at how much I related. I was especially angry because I had been to several therapists over the years with the same symptoms and I was always diagnosed with depression.
Luckily, my doctor prescribed welbutrin SR for my depression a couple years ago because I had a lot of problems with motivation. That helped some, but I still struggled, especially when I went back to school. I had a rough year with several major stressfull events and started having horrible anxiety attacks and continuing to feel unfocused, frustrated and depressed. I went to my family doctor about changing anti-depressents and she suggested that I might have ADD, but I had looked in my DSM and didn't think the criteria really applied to me, especially when I was a child, so I dismissed it and I started taking Lexapro in addition to the welbutrin SR. A couple weeks later I did the research paper and learned more about how add looks in girls and women and how the DSM criteria are grossly inadequate.
Anyway I started on concerta 18mg and have since increased to 36 mg, but it doesn't seem to be working. In fact sometimes, I think I might actually be worse. A lot is hard to tell right now though, because I started on the concerta just as I was graduating and I haven't found a job yet, so my life went from crazy hectic, ultra structured to relaxed with no sructure, so it's hard to compare. I also wonder how the concerta might be interacting with the welbutrin and the lexapro. I'm going to start weaning off those two though.
I've asked that my doctor switch me to adderall XR to see if that works better (I can only remember to take pills when I get up and before bed- so the regular adderall is out). I'll check back in once I'm on it for a little while.
In the mean time, I really appreciate reading everyone's experience, I was nervous about why it had been banned in Canada, and about potential side effects. Although, being 60 pounds overweight, the weightloss doesn't sound so bad.
I know a lot of people have mentioned feeling messed up because of the loss of appetite and not eating, but if adderall dehydrates you that will make you tired, depressed and forgetful, and lots of other stuff too. There are a lot of problems caused by dehydration and by the time you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated (sorry, in my last career I was a health educator).
What was that about rambling on?
Hi everyone,
Today was my 2nd day on my new dosage of short acting Adderall. I was increased to 20mg/2x a day. I ate my skin around my fingers until they bled. I could stop moving my fingers. I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin. I started drinking black coffee today for the 1st time in my life because the Adderall was wearing off only after 3hrs.
I didn't like the way it made me feel. I felt more anxious than normal. I asked my Dr to increase my dosage because I felt like the Adderall was working but after the last 2 days I think it wasnt the dosage of Adderall but the drug itself. For the past 2 months I don't like myself on the Adderall. There is no change in my ADHD behaviors.
Can't wait until I call her tomorrow to see what she has to say. I'm very unhappy on the Adderall. I also go into crying spells for no reason. Today I was very jumping at work.
After reading these message boards about the other meds out there, I'm scared to try another med for the reactions that I might get & for fear of fustration because I want something other than therapy to help.
Thorns4Life38729.019525463Hello everyone,
I was diagnosed w/ADHD back in the end of May, I didnt start trying meds for ADHD until sometime in June because my DR wanted to get my General Anxiety Disorder under control. I have tried the generic Adderall and finally around July 4th weekend, I came to the conclusion it was working so I called my pharmacy to fill my rx with the Brand name Adderall short acting, not the XR. I noticed a difference between the 2 but it was something I couldn't explain. About 12 days ago my Dr bumped me up from 10mg/2x day to 15mg/2x aday.
I went & saw her today, & asked if I could try 20mg/2x a day. She noticed I am still not able to stay on subject & I was 15 mins late for my appt because I got sidetracked doing something at home. Don't ask me how I know but I dont feel like I'm on the right dosage w/15mg 2x/day. The 30mg/day is working but I feel like it could be better. I know everyone is different, but how do you know when you have the right amount?
I am still forgeting things but finding ways like bullentin boards, pocket planners & writing contracts to my kids to help.
A major side effect I'm having from the drug or anxiety is the bitting of the skin around my fingers until they are raw & bleeding. I did it before the Adderall but stoped when I was taking the Lexapro alone.
Any thoughts?
Like you I was diagnosed ADD late in life at 19/20 years. Always very innattentive as far as I can remember. I get soo good at not paying attention I even trick myself that I am paying attention .My innattention will lead to anxiety with people socially becuase i cant stay focused on what is happening only to what my head is thinking at light speed. If you got a lot of chat in your head how can you excuse that conversation and talk to people around you? Ya don't so you just feel awkward and then depressed. BUT since i started seeing my psychiatrist he's helped a lot. He's an angel :D Tried wellbutrin made me hallucinate! no lie. strattera made me cry a river and an ocean oh and a small stream w/waterfall... Adderall xr 20 and short acting worked for a while 2 years but i think the side effects were too yucky. I wasn't hungry so i didnt eat. At first inside of my mouth would peel and be sore. ritalinxr 30 seems to be working very well now. when i am really hyper it calms me down .my friends say i'm boring on my medicine though = . The only problem is my heart rate . On ritalin my resting heart rate is 125 bpm! and normally is 60 something. It beats soo fast and my blood pressure is usually really really low so i tend to feel dizzy. despite the heartbeat the pros outweigh the cons. i dont know what to do. the pharmacist i work with mentioned clonidine but i have no idea what that would look like adding to ritalin. if anyone knows it would be helpful. i dont want to stop what is working but if i can treat that rapid heartbeat it would be nice.
honey bunch. when you know your concerta is wearing off and you have a ton of work left to do but you dont want to take another 12 hr dose and be up 24 hours.. take a short acting one. short acters are nice on the weekends for if you sleep in.
Hi,
I Started adderell (generic) 15mg/2x daily about a week and a half ago. Uped it to 20mg/2X yesterday. DTSJOR-I'm having the same side effect with biting/chewing my fingers! It's bad...bandaids on most fingers. I have always been a chewer but not like this. Painful, not to mention unattractive! I feel more motivated but as always have difficulty really evaluating whether I am actually benifiting from the drug. I wish I was one of those people who feels like, "WOW, I am a totally different person capable of things I never was before taking this drug" but alas, I'm not. I think that experience is probably more the exception rather than the norm but am interested in hearing contrary views. For that matter, I'm interested in hearing all views so thanks everyone...this has been I very useful thread!
hi, thanks for the reply. That was my mistake on the dose, I'm so used to thinking of it that way. I'm taking 1 1/2 5mg 3x a day. So, 20.5 a day. The time I feel good is maybe a little over an hour. Shell I am on my fourth day af Adderall XR and I don't feel any effect. I swithched from Concerta 36mg/day to 20 mg a day of adderrall XR. I read that when you switch the dose of AXR should be half of the dose of concerta you were taking, but since that wasn't working well, I guess it makes sense that I would need more.Hi there,I am very appreciative of this forum and am glad to know there are more people out there like me.
I just wanted to share my experiences with everyone. I have been on the generic form of Adderal since April. I was first started on wellbutrin for adhd which i found really helped my depression but did nothing for my concentration, organization, etc. Now, I currently take 20 mg in the morning and 20 in the afternoon as well as 300mg wellbutrinxl in the morning. I used to be a huge coffee drinker--not only for the caffeine but for love and realized in the last week--i have to switch to decaf because I was feeling so extremely anxious and I wanted to crawl out of my skin. Since switching--I am feeling much better. My doctor has discussed with me cutting back the wellbutrin but I am not quite ready to make many changes because i am finally starting to get clarity and feel better in my life.
Since taking the adderall-- i have seen a huge improvement --for the first time in two years i was able to organize my office at work in less than a couple of hours--and it has completely changed my life. i am able to sit down and concentrate for long periods of time rather than sit write a sentence, get up walk around, sit down, etc, etc. I used to feel like i was in a fog--that too is gone. And it has not impacted my creativity at all in anyway--now i am able to complete more projects--and write more easily which is eventually what i hope to do full time. i don't struggle with the organization of my ideas as much anymore either.
While the medicine helps with energy, clarity, concentration--it does not change bad habits. I am 26 and already i have years of bad habits built up from trying to cope--procrastination and avoidance esp of big projects i am afraid of and things i don't want to do--i don't think any medicine can change that--that has to come from me. i am also in therapy and that has helped a lot.
i have bought an egg timer to time myself so i don't spend too long on projects or to get myself working when i want to avoid. i also am employing a bunch of other tactics to help with that stuff. very slow progress. i am learning to be patient with myself--hard to do. i have forever felt so ashamed, overhwelmed, discouraged, depressed, critical, etc etc. this too is changing and it has helped me to move forward.
The major draw back with the adderall i feel and it does concern me a lot is that when my morning dosage wears off i get extremely spacey and a lot of times exhausted/down/depressed feeling--more so than I ever used to. I do not like the feeling of having to rely on a medication for anything. when i chose not to take it for a day i feel devasted--so completely exhausted. The thing I have found that really really really helps monitor that is exercise and diet. I do cardio 4-5x/wk and I will swear by it--it makes all the difference in my quality of life. I try to cut waaaaay back on my sugar intake and eat more veggies, and protein also.
Anyway, this is long. Don't know if this is useful--just wanted to share. Hang in there everyone!!!
I take 30mg XR in the morning, and my doc also writes me out a script for 60 5mg tabs of regular immediate release adderall to play with. I generally take 2-3 tabs around 4:00 to get me through nightime studying.
Hey, can I come over and play?
[QUOTE=Davidornado]Hey, can I come over and play?
[/QUOTE]
Anytime, D.O. I love new playmates... but I warn you now, I don't play very well with others...
Well, God threw away the mold when he made me, so they are studying me as Run Time Error # 12.
(P.S. I think one of them is trying to debug me....)
It seems like adderall is wonderful for most adults taking it and not so great for the kids that have been on it.My son was on it and I will NEVER put him on anything like that again. He was 7 yrs. old. That drug was made for adults, not kids.
Kids have a hard time communicating what it's like to be on a mind altering drug. I will never get over the fact that he suffered on that drug (and it was only 5-10 mg.)
Talk to your kids. Get them to explain how they feel.
Hello everyone. i am new obviously.
Ok. I was diagnosed with ADHD in December of 2004. I've known i've had it for a very long time. But never went to the doctor b/c friends and family would say I just need to pay attention more. Um HELLO?? Thats my problem! But anyway after getting way too frustrated at work, never able to stay seated and always starting arguments with managers, i decided to go in.
My thing is that I go to work full time and school part time. I currently am taking the same dosage of Adderall XR 30mg originally prescribed in december. BUT, I wake up at 5 am to practice (court reporting) for school. I take my Adderall XR at 5 in the morning. Then i go to work and then to school at 6 pm. Then get out of school around 9 or 930. But I find that around 1 or 2 pm i am restless and frustrated again. I"ve been trying to ignore it for the past 3 months. I'm finally going to the dr. on tuesday to see if i need to up the dosage or keep that but add a second dose in the afternoon. Does anyone else think that XR may only be time release set for a 8 or 9 hour day?? With school every day my days are 16 hours long. I find i can practice and do all sorts of stuff in the morning but can not concentrate or even want to practice by the time i get to school. I need the concentration at night. I need to graduate to get out of this current crap job. i often skip school or leave early cuz i just can't sit there or anything.
sorry i wrote so much. i tend to do that. Ok so, anyone have any suggestions? or anything similar? what do you do? Remember I take Adderall XR 30mg at 5 in the morning.
thanks guys, this board is a life saver already.
LadyPeace - the XR works MAX 12 hours - but for many it peters out at 6, 8 or 9 hours. I take dexedrine spansules (XR) which are rated at 9 - but I take a second dose when needed (for overtime usually) at six. If I go until 9 then I get an hour or two of fog and lackluster performance so I experimented until I got to the number 6. So I get 12 full hours of charged batteries - and if a bit more is needed I can squeeze the charge to more and coast on the daily meds.
If you find that you are just not keeping the attitude and focus all day - maybe adderal in SR might work. You can take it during the day - and if memory to take it would not be a problem then you can just keep getting smaller bursts until the day is done. A thought anyway.
Don't you dare worry about the length!! You should read around here - most of us go on - and on - and on - agh it's awful!! LOL!!
Good luck to you - and perhaps keep in mind either the switch to SR or to work on the premise that it will be gone for you in a shorter period. Ask the MD what's the shortest time to take one dose and when you could introduce a second. Keep in mind that you might lose sleep - I did when I started with the OT dose. It doesn't last - but you'll be dry of mouth and red of eye for a few weeks. Well worth it when it was me.
Oops, my mistake on the post.
Welcome chucklenugget! Love the nick by the way!LOL
Have you tried dexedrine sulphate XR? I find that it lasts more than long enough (6 to 9 hours) - you get a full work day out of it - and then an hour after that. It does the same for me - the fog lifted 10 months ago and never came back!
I find though that I'm one of the people who needs a "time out" from the meds every couple of months to avoid that dragged out feeling that can come along. What I do is whenever I start to feel the energy falling (I keep a diary and check it weekly for signs), I quickly taper off and spend a week without it. I find that dex will let you coast a couple of days - then when you come back on them you feel that self control 100 percent again! Maybe check with your MD on the possibility - and I hear some switch temporarily to ritalin or other alternative while you settle off the dex.
Good luck - and you didn't go on too long - check out my and other posts - we are chatty too!
Oh, thanks auntie for the bump - I hadn't seen this. Just not enough time - bashing trolls and all.
I took Adderall for about a year and a half. At first it was awesome. I could get so many things done! I felt it wore off for my after a few months and then I would go get a different presciption, my doctor would up the dose. Then I tried a vacation from it and tried some herbs, it was called focus factor. That really helped me. Then it wore off too.
Now I'm trying exercises from the book Stopping ADHD by O'Dell. That has helped me the most. I don't have any side effects and I don't have off times.
Bump up
Thanks GlenW and shakespeare. I went to see my PCP this morning. she told me it lasts an average of 8 to 9 hours. so she wrot me a prescription to take 2 adderall xr 30 mg a day. She suggest I just start out taking it on the days i have school and go from there. I don't have school tonight but went ahead and took it. Don't have my normal spaz hour now. (after 2pm) The only thing that sux is my ins. will only cover 31 pills which means i have to go back to my dr. every 2 weeks for her to write the prescription and i ahve to get it filled every 2 weeks and pay 2 co-pays in one month. stupid ins. wonder if any of them ever even see a dr and know what real life is. ahh well.
I have taken Ritalin most of my medicated life, but did trial Adderall. It was a little too strong for me, as at the levels prescribed I'd get pretty wired. I was also doing coffee at the time, which unfortunately I can no longer ingest caffeine. I'd like to retry the Adderall, but I'm so satisfied with my current regimen I won't fix it until it breaks.