The Adderall Man Can | ADHD Information

[QUOTE=bugzappers]Well I am happy to report I was changed over to STRATTERA today. Lets see how we do with this one. fingers are crossed. [/QUOTE]


I was on Strattera and it made me a zombie slug. Sure, I was more focused then before but I was constantly tired, 24/7. It sucked. I switched to Adderall XR and life changed for the better. I'm more focused and have more energy and I am never tired anymore like I was on Strattera.

Just my 3.5 cents.
Well I am happy to report I was changed over to STRATTERA today. Lets see how we do with this one. fingers are crossed. It has been a while now and I can tell you straterra does NOT work for me. I feel like I have pea soup for a brain and can't focus on anything. The score , adhd - 2 / Meds - 0 . I am weaning down from strat now.

dooper  my son is on 5 mg at the moment.. he sees a councler once a week and the doctor whom gave him the medicane is  a  doctor for adhd.  i called the doctor and she said give him the adderall that last 5 hours again for 2 days then stop giving it to him for a week then try a different med..

thanks

Illrosario

I was happy to read that you called the Dr. and that the Dr. is knowledgable about ADHD.

Counseling once a week is also a good thing.

I think that you are doing the right things but results can take awhile, especially the results you would like to see. (I would guess a  normally active, inquisative, and managable child may be the results you are looking for.)

You had enough faith in yourself and this Dr. to seek help. Keep the faith in yourself and allow the Dr. to guide you through this maze of ADHD and the different medications.

I would also suggest looking for an ADHD support group in your area. It was very helpful to me to know that I was not the only one in my area going through some of the same struggles. Sometimes just talking to someone other than family and friends can keep you sane.

Keep up the good work!

Well I went full dosage today, you start small with stratterra and go to the full dose within a few days. So far I am still doing the morbid thing and not sure how far it will try to take me. It can't take me down as I am in control, and I have the knowledge to say no.  But we will see. I think proper rest is paramount to any sucess story, treat this like an operation. Get lots of bed rest and eat right. I know things may get worse for me instead of better, but I have not lost to me or add or crazy thoughts in 35 yrs, so I'll be damed if I am going to start now. Sometimes substitution is a good thing. Instead of thinking of killing myself, I think of pesky ants that are invading my home and how I need to kill them. So I divert the energy to focus on that. Then I can try to accomplish something and maybe feel fufilled so I am not so hard on myself. Well it is sunday and I have had the full dose for 2 days, I now have made a startling realization of myself. I am beginning to think I am not adhd and was mis-diagnosed as a child. The more I read into BI-POLAR,  I am actually seeing myself in the symptoms. This is great as I can see a light, but horrible in the sense of all my life has been somewhat of a lie in diagnoses and excuses as well as medicines.

I am thankful though that I had the meds to help me realize alot of the problem. I may still be both. But the immaturity and rage and thought process is eliminating ADHD. or it may be a combination of all.

I recently switched from Adderall XR to Ritalin (Concerta) because I didn't like the Adderall side-effects.  I was feeling irritable and tired all of the time.  I was on 30mg of the XR.  Now I am using 54mg of Concerta each morning with excellent results.  I have read quite a few posts that say Adderall works best for some and Ritalin works best for others.  I asked my Dr. about Strattera and he said that so far he has not seen much from the Strattera so he prefers to rely on the stimulant meds.  Just my .02.

Amazing how the different meds work for different people eh?

I've been pretty good on Adderall XR 15mg (20mg now) myself, i was a wreck on Ritalin and Straterra didn't do ANYTHING for me :)

I still suggest taking magnesium as a supplement and, of course, multi-vitamin as well.

Bugzapper wrote--"You know your a molester so act like it and do it" 

Okay, I don't want to be judgemental here because I know you are going through alot, but that statement was quite disconcerting.   I would venture to say that a desire to molest is not a typical symptom of ADHD.  If you truly have this strong feelings then PLEASE seek help immediately.  Molestation is very serious and should not be taken lightly.  

unconditionaluv38489.5458680556

Hi Jeff,

You're post just broke my heart. I am so sorry that a med you thought was so helpful now has you thinking terrible things about yourself.

Please make an appt with your doctor and let him/her know what you are feeling. Perhaps now that the immediacy of your ADHD symptoms are fading under the control of the Adderall, there are other issues that have been buried underneath that can now surface and demand attention.

Please don't get discouraged. Work with your doc and maybe change meds, change dosage, or add another med for treatment of anxiety/depression. You are very new at this adult ADHD thing, and there is bound to be a period of adjustment until you find the best "cocktail" for you.

Look at these feelings as red flags. Trust your body to guide you in what meds are right or wrong for you. You are so fortunate to have the insight to recognize these effects in yourself!!! Many people have no concept of any "negative" effects or changes since starting new meds.

Keep a journal so that you have an accurate documentation of your moods and responses. Thank the stars that you have a loving family to help you ride this out.

Best of luck!! The fact that you found this forum and posted your experience tells me that you are capable and motivated to create a happy life!

Take care of yourself,

Lisa

 

Wonder Woman38487.6684027778 Let me drop you some background on me first.

 I was diagnosed with hyperactivity about 1976. I was on Ritalin for about 7 Years, then I was told my Dr. was retiring and I had to go to a "new" Dr.

In going to this new dr., he immediately took me off Ritalin and put me on Dexedrine spans. Which made me feel like what in the heck was happening to me. Then I went back to this new Dr. again 4 months later for refills and what not, and he told me I was through and wouldn't need anymore meds, and that I was outgrowing my being hyperactive. I was overjoyed. Told the world.

All I can say is,

WHAT A LIE!!

Fast forward to now.

I am 35 yrs old, I quit smoking 3yrs ago, and since I have quit, I now realize I have been suffering from being hyperactive for the last 21 yrs.
I feel so betrayed and am extremely ticked off. This condition has caused so many problems in my life and now I can't function without loosing focus and being very intolerant to anything, and being mean and despicable. I beat alot of stereotypes in that I have been at my job for 6 yrs and married for the last 10yrs and have no drug or other often associated problems. But, I cannot handle money or other " intricate" things of life, and I was growing worse in becoming a pure "space cowboy". 

That all changed the day I got ADDERALL XR.  The first day taking ADDERALL XR 30mg once in the morning, I was different. Totally. I worked better and had focus on my job and was completing things. But I was not paying attention to details, but I was doing better. That was 2 weeks ago. I find I am not doing so well and now I realize I am very abusive verbally and mean, ALL the time. I also am tired and aggressive as ever and am doing the voice in my head to myself and belittling myself to me, with everything. Such as telling myself , You know your a looser, so act like it. You know your a molester so act like it and do it. You know you want to commit suicide so do it.. Well I am none of these and won't do any of it ever, but it has me worried that there may be more wrong than the add and that it is now coming out since the Adderall is blocking some things. And since the Adderall xr seems to not be working as well, what should I tell my Dr? He seems to be pretty relaxed and knowledgeable and cares, but I don't always know how to describe things to him. I don't want to have to change drugs all the time, and the Adderall xr worked the first 12 days, but now it seems to be back to space cowboy time.

And mean as ever. I can imagine what my wife and kids think of me as I revert back slowly.

I feel like the Robert Deniro character in the movie Awakenings.

But I am not a molestor, or molestee so it is of no concern. And yes it is a characteristic of focus, it is called taking a thought presented before you and running with it. If I had no focus and now on adderall I have focus and a thought blips through my head. It is now being scrutinized and carried to extreme since the adderall is not compatible with me and makes me very angry, to the point of distraught and carrying things to extreme. I am aware enough to know it is all in my mind and not something I am or will ever be capable of. Same thing with self abuse as far as suicide. I have a will to live. It is stronger than ever. AS I have a will to not molest or be homosexual. You have to have lines and boundaries for yourself, I have those instilled in me. 

my son is 5 and has been taking adderall xr for a month now.. it seem like he is getting worse instead of better. his temper is worse. he crys out  and starts yelling for no reason at all. i had to have my parents take him for a while today because i couldnt control him. i cryed for 3 hours today becuse my nerves was a reck.  is this a bad reaction to the medicane or what?  should i call the doctor and get something else..  i am new to all this . will this wear off or what

any help is appriciated

may241994@yahoo.com 

thank you in advance

Stop the adderall, call the dr and get something else, your son is awful young, but anyway , he needs a different med. this is called a medical emergency.. 

thank you jeff..

he is young .. he has been very hyper from the beginning.. this year is in kindergarden and been introuble alot.. so we took him to doctor and they put him on adderall. helped for about  two weeks but now worse .. thanks for the info..

Jeff,

How have you been doing on Stratterra? I realize that it has only been about 3 days. I was curious to see if it was doing any better than the Adderall.

I want to congratulate you on all of your amazing accomplishments and your determination to succeed in life.

It is not easy for a child to cope with ADHD and could be even harder for adults to cope with. As you stated earlier, some people who are ADHD try to self medicate with drugs or alcohol. You were able to cope without those "crutches" and did the best possible thing you could do and that was to talk to your Dr. and begin a process towards a healthier outlook on life. Your concern for what your wife and kids deal with may your motivating force.

   I am the wife of a man who was (finally!) diagnosed as ADHD, and we have four children.Two are ADHD, one is ADD, and another was diagnosed as ADHD until she hit puberty. Her diagnosis was changed to Bi-Polar Disorder.

   We began dealing with ADHD about 12 years ago when our oldest son went to a popular preschool setting. The "teacher" was full of negative stories about our son everyday when I picked him up from school. We were told that he was smart but not that "smart" because at 4 years old he did not color inside the lines. This so-called teacher told us that she thought he might have something, (something wrong with him) but that she just could not remember what it was called. I kept asking her if she had ever remembered the name and was always given the same answer. "No" and then was told how horrible my son's day had been. All we wanted was a direction to go, someplace where we could find some answers. We were having problems at home also and did not know where to go or what to do.

When we finally heard about ADHD and what it was, we were so relieved. We finally had something to go on. But that is not the end of the story. I read everything I can about ADHD and what are called co-morbid conditions. Co-morbid is a fancy name for saying that other disorders may also be present. Other disorders such as depression, post tramatic stress diorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder.

I personally think that what Wonder Woman told you was good advice  and I just wanted to add that the best possible thing for you to do is to read as much as you can on Adult ADHD and co-morbid disorders. Find out as much as you possibly can and ask questions! The only dumb question is the one you never ask.

I knew that as soon as I read about what ADHD was that my husband was ADHD. It took me around 10 years to talk him into seeing a counselor so he could be referred to a phychyatrist for tratment of ADHD. I was unable to go with him to the appointment . The counselor told my husband that Dr.'s do not treat adult ADHD and that I was the one who was the problem.

My husband is now taking Stratterra and is doing much better. He has always battled depression and is also taking Lexapro. (He has had thoughts of harming himself in the past and even on meds. sometimes has difficult periods.)

If you get nothing else out of my rambling, I hope you will know that there are many ways to deal with how you feel and that I think you are dealing very nicely.

Good luck and don't stop trying!

                          Dooper  

  

 

Illrosario,

   You did not say what dosage your son is on, I would guess that it is a very low dose. Adderall is not a wonder drug and Dr.'s start patients off on what is called a starter dose. That is exactly what it means, it is a starting place to see if

     1. The patient responds to the medication at all.

     2.  The patient responds in a positive or negative way.

     3. If a patient responds to the lowest dose there is no need to increase the medication.

Sometimes the medications need to be changed, but usually the Dr. will try an increase before switching medications.

  When my oldest son was put on Ritlan, it was 5 mg once a day. We saw an immediate improvement in his behavior, for about 2 weeks. After 2 weeks his body had adjusted to the medication and a higher dosage was needed to have the same effect.

  Before you stop giving any prescription medication, especially medications that deal with brain chemistry, call your Dr. Sometimes abruptly stopping a medication can cause undesirable effects.

My son was supposed to go back for a med-check after about a month on the Ritlan. When he started having thae same behaviors I called the Dr. and the dosage was upped. This may need to be done sveral times before the correct dosage is found. (Dosaging is also based on weight of the child.)

  You also did not mention if your son's Dr. is a pediactric Dr., a general practioner, or a Dr. who specifically deals with ADD/ADHD. A general practioner may not be the best choice for dealing with ADHD.

Also individual counceling may be helpful along with medication.