Hello there, am new to the site today from Australia. Am 44 years old and have just been diagnosed with ADHD and complex post traumatic stress disorder. My psych has given me dex 5 mg to take between 1 and 6 tabs a day. Its been 3 weeks and quite difficult trying to sort out the dose while needing to work and be a mummy to a 6 year old, sometimes feel 'stoned' and sleepy, although the world does appear a lot smoother and and more in focus. Also have had a spasming muscle in my back and not sure if this a side effect of the drug. (Cant find reference to Dexamphetamine on your American websites which is making it hard to read the postings and see if things also apply to me. Is Alleral dexamphetimine? ) Anyway I cant seem to find enough info on the drug Dexamphetimine eg can it be addictive for ADHD or is it only addictive for 'street, non ADD users? Does it take a while for your body to adapt? - I have been feeling woozie, generally yukkie and unwell sometimes taking the drug, and therefore am not too keen next day round, yet ast the same time I hanker for the smoothness rather than the usual jumpy jaggedness of the last 44 years. Any help, advice experiences in starting taking the medication would be appreciated.....
Hey there... im a 19 year old guy from perth, and i've been on dex for the past year for passive add. at first, it screws you around, but once you start taking it regularly it gets better. the worst thing you can do right now is to only take it periodically, since your body is trying to get used to it, and if you dont take it your body tried to get over it, only to be hit with another irregular dose. i started off with one a day for about 5 days, then moved to 3, then my psych upped me to 5. Sometimes i take 3, sometimes 6 or 7 (dont worry.. i was advised by my psych to do it in 'intense' situations ie. exams). The main point is to keep the drug in your system, else you'll start the comedown and eventually withdrawal. This is the worst part of the drug.
Oh, and if you want any info out of the americans about the drug, try calling it 'dexedrine' - its the same thing, but a brand name. also dextroamphetamine, dextroseamphetamine and d-amphetamine can turn up some good info if you want. there are countless other names out there too, but these are the main ones
in addition, yes it is addictive, yes it screws your body around (try looking for some of my previous posts), comedown/withdrawal is hell, and Adderall is in fact a mix of l-amphetamine and d-amphetamine salts. (d-amph is dex, and is the more 'desired' isomer as it gives more stimulation and 'happiness')
Hmm... i think you should bring up your concerns with your doctor first. Sometimes they dont know as much as they should, or dont tell you as much as they know. I voiced some of my worries to my psych (the only ones who can prescribe dex) and my GP, and they all smoothed things over. Dex is a very controversial drug, since its so addictive. People tend to 'go easy' when it comes to prescribing this med (except here in perth where we have the largest prescription rate for it in australia)
Theres no reason to feel guilty about taking it. Im actually quite proud at how well i've done since on the med. I passed everything last semester, and just today got an assignment back from nanotechnology, and got 100% and top of the class!
And if you still think youre doc is not doing his best, or theres someone better out there who can help you more, then dont hesitate in going there
I'd strongly recommend reading some of the literatureHello Jimbo
Thanx kindly for the response. I am working on being more compliant in the dex dept and am working on taking one in the morning and one at lunch. The wooziness and general malaise are wearing off but the digestive disturbance and insomnia seem to be setting in.
What are your experiences in taking one in the evening? I get the idea that its 'not the done thing' to take them later in the day and wondered why this is so when generally they just calm me down and seem to be causing insomnia when I am taking the last tab at midday.
My next concern is that I'm not sure that the dexies are making me any more 'functional' than I was before. I am quite capable of holding down my job doing Quality Improvement for a Community Mental Health service, and know that the team leader and regional manager think the work I do is fantastic albeit sporadic . Mind you I have managed to manipulate my work environment so that I can work from home so that I dont have to apologise for being late ALL the time!!! And I can walk around and sweep the floor when I'm hving teleconferences.
I'm still late for appointments, still get my little boy, Finn to school late without intense effort, (thank goodness for school hols ...breathe sigh of relief for the next two weeks), still burn the potatoes, leave and lose things and get all confused about what is a priority and what isnt, (thank heavens for my loving and understanding partner)......I guess its all about slowing down enough to actually learn how to do it 'right'.
Your thoughts on the above would be welcome when you have time. Meantime what does passive ADD mean? Is that the 'dreamy' type where you zone out? And also have you been involved with LADS at all and with what thoughts? I am down in not so sunny but magnificent Albany...where unfortunatley there is no suppport group. Hope you are travelling well. I will try and get some time to read your old postings to get the gist of the general medication issues and the withdrawal you went through...
Andrea
Hello Its meAndrea, Jimbo and lyndonboy,
I'm glad to see a few more people with experiences with Dex. I'm in Canada, here Adderall was pulled permanently since the scare with children in the USA. But they should have left it available for adults since the only alternative is Dex. I don't think even Ritalin is often prescribed here anymore but since I have ADD not ADHD (I think) Ritalin may make me more lethargic than I am currently.
I have there for only tried Dex. What I know is this. The soft tablets....5 and 10 mg, are broken down quickly in about 20 minutes and that 5 mg lasts in the body for up to 3 hours in effectiveness until you start to "come down" and feel tied, a little fogged ect at that point. The time released capsules take about an hour to break down just the capsule itself but then the little "balls" are then coated making some absorbable right away while others take much longer ( 3 coating types on the little balls) ending over 7 hours. So the dose on a 10 mg capsule is delivered to feel like having 3mg of Dex per every 2 hours since the first hour nothing is really released. But the 5 mg tab stays around longer in the body giving a feeling of “5” for every hour of the 3 hours it hangs out. Its delivery is taken up and utilized differently than capsules.
I say all this to illustrate why the capsules really don't feel as effective when used as a direct milligram replacement for the tablets. But I have found ways to combine the two different modes of delivery for usefulness based on my activity levels for the day. I want to be on the ball first thing in the morning quickly but I also don't want to feel "the down" three hours later. So I take 2 x 5mg in soft tablet upon waking with also a 10 mg capsule that glides me over that "down" in 3 hours. At about 4 to 4 1/2 hours after this dose, I'll take a 5mg, wait 1/2 hour ...see if its enough for the last of my productive day and if not take another 5 mg. Remember that the 10 mg capsule is still in the background even if in a small dose and I have to consider this or I may get jittery if I add too much in tabs too quickly. By the end of my work day I'll be floating off the last of the 5's effect and the 10 capsule has been over for 1 1/2 hours.
If don’t have much to do at home after work etc...I take no more mdes and am tired at bed time. If I need to do more, I take one more 5mg. around dinner or before leaving work.
This sounds odd I know but the point is I take no more than 25 mg soft pills and one 10 mg capsule...35 mg a day total but this is more effective than 35 mg of just capsules only because of how they are "taken up" by the body...at least its true for me. I prefer tablets to capsules hands down but appreciate a capsules time released ability to "take the edge off" in small consistent doses between taking the 5 mg's.
lyndonboy, print this and whats below out to educate your Doctor and have him consider and discuss the metabolizing rates of medications and their delivery systems with you....and get him to help you try this out for effectiveness. Hope it helps and that I've not made it too bloody confusing. If Adderall is available...try that too. Just watch your blood pressure on both. It goes up while on either of these meds and can cause a lot of heart issues if not watched. The least amount of drug you can take...the better.
When I first started taking Dex, I took 2 x 5 mg tabs and nearly chewed the inside of my mouth out. I started the next day on only 5mg and found after a few days the effect was less and I was tired and fogged as my body became used to it. I then moved to a 10 mg capsule and found it to be the same or even less than the 5mg tablet. So after a few more days I combined a 5 tab and a 10 capsule. This worked great but after a few more weeks I needed to up it since again my body was getting used to this. I tried and extra 10mg capsule…eliminating the 5 mg tab but found it lacking overall and I needed to be "on the ball" right off in the morning and adopted the final dosing I've shared with you above. Its working well and gives me the flexibility to avoid unnecessary insomnia by having the choice around 4 pm to see if my the rest of my day requires more or not and allow a greater span between meds and bedtime. Some people who have more ADHD may require more Dex...up to 60 mg but try playing around with what I've shown here. If you make the 60 mg's up in capsules only you could actually be doing better with less mg's in tablets. Taking 1 X 10 mg capsule in the am with the tabs to avoid the roller coaster effect of the "down" is also better than taking just tabs and taking them too close together to avoid the "down". If you do this now, taking tabs again within 3 hours after your first dose, you may cause yourself to get too much Dex mixing with what’s left all at once for the first 45 minutes and be over stimulated and jittery. Remember that the tabs are metabolized differently than timed release. The way I have combined the two kinds, I believe is smoother and requires less Dex to be purchased for the optimum effect which of course saves money!!!!
I do know however, that in a while my body may “get used to” this amount and I may have to increase it. I am not “addicted” in the way that I can not function because of the drug. It actually allows me to function. My body however is “addicted” in that it adjusts to the meds and may require more and then more to remain effective. Eventually this may cause serious health risks…an ADD life is better than NO LIFE at all. Hopefully, I will stay here at these med levels and it will be effective for a long while. If I require too much “uping” of the Dex at every 2 months or so then a new drug may have to be considered. The only 2 that are comparable in type and that are readily used are Adderall and Ritalin…and Adderall has shown very effective for ex Dex users at a much lower dose over all. But this choice is up to the patient…not the doctor due to the severe ramifications of altering an individual’s daily life and the length of time and personal courage it takes to find effective alternatives and have them begin to work…if they ever do. No one med is right for everyone nor will each person respond the same.
Karen N, Canada
Hey Andrea... good to hear youre getting into the swing of things. The stomach thing and the insomnia may go away, then again it may not. But in my eyes its worth the grades. Its also opened my eyes alot, and i've seen how people take sleep for granted. I value sleep higher than alot of things now, and will actually forfeit them just for another half an hour sleep :P
I took two in the late afternoon yesterday (4pm) to get me through work, and also had an ice tea and a coke. I didnt get to sleep til 4:50 this morning, and was awake again at 5:10. The good thing is i fell asleep again, but didnt wake up until 12:10 this afternoon. So it kind of buggers up your body clock. I didnt take my pills today (i couldnt be bothered finding my bag), so i've been dopey all afternoon. I've had a fight with my girlfriend, and i know im the one who was in the wrong, and it happened because i was tired and grumpy. (If youre reading this sweetie.. im so sorry. I love you so much and you've gotten me through this whole thing, and youre the only thing that gets me through uni.. thank you for everything and i love you)
Passive ADD is the non hyperactive type. And i know what youre saying about not feeling more functional, but if you actually start working, its hard to stop. You dont feel more functional, but once you get into things you realise how productive you really are.
Im not too sure what LADS is, so i cant say what my thoughs are :P
And another thing, i owe albany alot. I went down there for a music tour in 2002 with my school, and i was still up in the air about what i wanted to do at uni. I was considering mechatronic engineering. But once i went up to the coast to see the wind generators, i knew i just HAD to work with them in the future, and i've been doing renewable energy engineering ever since. Albany is such a nice place and yorue so lucky to be there. We stayed in camp quarrinup if you know where that is. I live up in perth in a suburb called bibra lake. Dont know if you've heard of it, but if you've ever been to Adventure World, thats in bibra lake and you can see it from my house :P
Hope all goes well with your dexies (going rate at schools is about each so you might want to consider a new source of income... kidding!! :P) If you have ANY questions whatsoever, dont be afraid to ask me, and hopefully i can help you out.
Jamie
hello Jimbo,
I finally found a doctor who would give me dexedrine or dextroamphetamine. He started me out on 10mg twice a day. The next month when the only thing he ask me is how it was going and did the medication seem to be helping me? I told him that it was like night and day - definitely yes, the medication was helping. The next month when I went in I told him that I believed that I needed to increase my dosage. He wrote me dexedrine 15mg tablet - Guess What? They don't make a 15mg dextroamphetamine except in capsule form. He fixed it where I would get 90 pills and take 1-1/2 tabs twice daily. I stayed on that for a month knowing that although the medication seemed to be helping me greatly but the dosage didn't seem to be strong enough for me (I have gained a few extra pound for the first time in my life and my metabolism has changed in the last two or three years and it seems like I have a high tolerance. Anyway he had told me that he could only write me a one months supply unless I could find a mail service that would mail it to me every three months. I told him that I would work on trying to find one that it would help me if I could get it by mail service since I had to drive approximately 100 miles to see him roundtrip. I went in today, April 6, 2005 for my appointment and told him that taking the meds two times a day seemed to be wearing off in between and I had to make a choice whether I wanted to take my afternoon dose or take my lunchtime dose. I awake at 8:00 or 8:30 and take my meds then, until today 1-1/2 which equaled to 15mg twice daily. I am a hairdesigner and many times have to work way late in the evening and if the medication wears off I am almost worthless. Next choice is do I take my one dosage that I have left around lunch time (when the last dose has done faded fastly from my body) or do I go in slow motion with my crazy adhd messed up ways and wait until around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. so that the meds will help get me through the evening without a crash. The doctor that I am seeing is a Nurse Practicioner and I was referred through my family doctor to him. He didn't think that I had adhd but I could almost be a doctor myself and I am 100% sure that I have add. He is Not quite a full fledge doctor but can dispense medications and can practice under other doctors in the practice. At first I really liked this guy but today he was looking at his little mini pocket computer and looked up dextroamphetamine or Dexedrine - I told him that I belived for adult add or adhd that 60mg was the maximum dosage unless a doctor approved more. He told me that his computer said that for adhd 40mg per day was the maximum. I'm not too sure that I believe him. I have read different places that for childrens adhd 40 mg is appropriate but for Adult add or adhd 60 mg would be appropriate. He increased my dosage from 15mg twice daily to 20 mg twice daily allowing me 40mg twice daily. If that works that will be wonderful and I will not say anymore but little does he know that I already feel really guilty for even taking a medication to help me with my disorder and its very hard for me to even ask for medication. The only reason that I had enough nerve to even tell him that I felt like my medication needed to be increased was from the support from the online forums. My logic is to get my medication to a proper dosage before trying to find a mail order company to send me a three month supply. Besides, I have insurance through the state of Tennessee called Tenncare and they are already wanting to drop 323,000 insured already due to money shortages and so I don't know how much longer I will have insurance and will have to find a way to pay for my medication or have to stop taking it one and I don't want to do that because I really do need it. What really bothered me today was after he had written out the prescription he told me that 40mg was probaly the best that he would be able to do on this medication and that if that didn't work then we might need to try something else. He already knows that I have tried Straterra, wellbutrin, natural remedy's, anti depressants, ect. and they haven't worked for me. The dexedrine really does work but after finally finding a doctor that I thought I liked and then him saying something negative like, "40mg is probaly the most I will be able to do"!!! What kind of doctor says crazy words like that. I thought that the medication was made for a reason and that reason being to take it at an adequate dosage for the patient ( THE PATIENT, NOT THE DOCTOR). I thought that I had finally found a doctor that would help me to feel better. Not that he hasn't done that so far but what he said today just told me of his ignorance and freshness of being a new doctor that didn't even know what milligrams dexedrine came in. He tried to say that dextroamphetamine (dexedrine) came in 15mg tablets but I know good and well they don't. The name brand dexedrine made by GlaxoSmithKline has the 5,15, 20 in extended release capsules. The tablets in name brand are only made in 5mg and 10mg only - thats it. The generic substitute made by Barr laboratories also makes just 5mg and 10mg tablets and the same in the capsules as the name brand. Do you know if 40mg is the maximum dosage for adult adhd or if that is just for kids. I don't want no more medication than effectively possible and he just rubbed my feelings the wrong way. A good doctor will increase you until you are feeling better. A neive doctor that doesn't even know exactly what strength the dextros come in tells you that 40mg is the most he can go. Now what would you do in my case??? Would you continue with this doctor and inform him through my research about what is and what isn't or would you look for another doctor. I'm not sure - I really need some guidance. Also, do you know of anywhere in this forum, or other forums, or just somewhere on the www a place that I can find out how patients on dexedrine have been dosed and how their dosages were titrated as needed. I apologize about the length of this request but I had to get this off of my chest and this was the first logical message that I have read and you seemed to be fairly knowledgeable about dexedrine. I would appreciate any info that you might have. I thank you in advance for any help possible.
Kind Regards,
Mark L Thornton