Hi, i would like to post, but ill try to make it short. TO start, I dont think im "addicted" to adderall. I though think i depend on it because it works so good, better than any other perscribed medication did. I started at 20mg, then bumped up to 30mg 2x daily. Then i found out 2 things. First, it wears off in 5 hrs, needing another dose. So then i end up with 10 hrs of full effect, and im out 6 hrs. So yes, i have taken a third dose JUST BECAUSE Of the wearing off effect. I never doubled my dose, or just took the 3rd dose becuase i wanted to. I cannot take adderall xr becuase my insurance wont pay for it.

Iv tried to take amino acids precursors, and other dopamine precursors, but not much luck. I took 10 days off adderall. It was not to good. I sleept for abour 3-4 days, then the next 4 i was a mope, just laying in bed. NOthing got done, i could not work out. NOw the thing is adderall does not make me high. NOt like oxy not like alcohol or other drugs. JUst motivated, semi social, very concetrative and makes things NOT boring. I aslo need less sleep.

ONe problem i have though and it is my fault . For the past few days, well last week, when i started up the adderall again, i felt so good that i stayed up all night inot the next. So my sleep got messed up. I can stay up 24 hrs easily. But if i dont take that 3rd dose, well, i may just fall asleep earlier right. BUt the main problem is that i wake up about 10am. I take 30mg of adderall regualar. Then by 5 i need another dose. So then by 10pm, when im eaither going to go out, stay home on my computer and o alot of work or have a few friends over, without that last dose, i dont feel like doing anything.

SO, i figured this. I have acess to ritalin. 20mg. I have taken it before and it seemed to work ok, it caused more anxiety, but kept me up and not sleeping,an i still got that motivated concentration.

Question is, and this is just a long shot, instead of taking that 3rd dose, take 20mg of Ritalin. BUt making sure a good solid 5-6 hrs goes by. If i want to sleep, thats not problem., i have enought klonpin and remeron for that. I actually did fall asleep a few times on adderall, because it does not wire me up that much, a cup of coffee seesm to wire me up more.

Now i know some of you will say, no dont mix meds. Ok, then how about taking say one week of adderall, then stoping for 2-3 days to let my body rest , and take just enought ritalin so im not sleeping?

Or if you think about it, dysoxin, methamphetamine is both a dopamine reuptake and releaser. Now if i took 15mg of adderall and 20mg of ritalin, would this be a problem? Im cutting the dose down, and due to the different mechanism ritalin has, it might just help me out more. If i try it and runinot a problem, i lljust stop.

I have been researching this for a month now. ONe person tells me to stop adderall and swtich to straterra. Well, not to be rude, but no way, hose' Will not work. Welbutrin , on the onther hand, an adderall user told me that he takes welbutrin with his adderall which helps it perform better.

THen there is always nootropic meds, some which are and act like psychostimulants. SUch as Bromocriptine, or another dopamine agaonist.

I just dont like the fact of tolerance. Plus, i plan on taking a break every 2 weeks, for like a few days, and i dont want to do it without something that will hold me over. Caffiene , even ephedrine did not work.

LIke i said , the most iv been doing is taking L-Tyrose and Dopa Poppers, which are natrual catacolamine precursors. But so far nothing much. Yes this gets very complicated. And telling someone , oh just stop or switch to a lesser med, i just wont do because adderrall works so well.

thank you

What do you mean by "I have access to Ritalin", and does your Dr. know you are taking 90mg of Adderall?

I know what you mean about the third dose. I take a third dose of dexedrine in the early PM because if I don't, I eat and eat and eat. It's not the fact that the dex is an appetite supressant - I'd eat even though I'm not hungry - it's an impulse control thing. I also like to get stuff done in the evening, if possible and I get very bad "couch lock" when I don't take my meds - I used to be able to waste a day like nobody's business - a dozen things to do but starting and finishing one task still didn't happen. It's due to the dopamine and noradrenaline shortage in my brain when it's in it's "natural" state.
30mg of Adderall at a time is a fair bit, but it's not excessive - some people need more than others. I doubt that you are actually dependant on it - more likely you are more aware of your ADD symptoms when you don't take it - now that you know what it's like to have enough dopamine and noradrenaline your symptoms stand out when you stopped taking the Adderall - does that sound about right? I presume that your doctor does know how much you are taking, since he/she is writing the scrips, right?
I don't think that taking a bit of ritalin at the end of the day is a real problem - some people do this. Since it is shorter acting, it would make a good choice since it won't hurt your sleep as much. As long as your not taking them at the same time and effectively doubling your stimulant load. You should also tell your doctor what you are doing, if he doesn't already know.
Tolerance does sometimes build for Adderall. The effects on appetite and the stimulanting feeling/euphoria do go away to some extent, with time, but the effects on focus, implulse control and sleep do not - at least according to my ADD doctor, and he is an expert. I figure I'll be taking dexedrine for a long time, and the thought of that doesn't bother me at all, since it greatly improves my quality of life!

Couch lock!!!! oh... did I laugh! I'll be using that one! omg my gut hurts..

I too have experiened the dreaded "couch lock".... hahhheooohhehhe

Gregstor, thank you for your advise. I posted such on another forum, and 2 people rushed to say ADDICT ADDICT, abuse abuse. Stop while you can. Well i dont need to hear that first, even if i was taking 200mg, anyway, i rather an informatable answer. YOu seem to hit it on the head. When i stop, i find out that Dopamine/Na function is the problem.
Now it not like stopping say oxycontins. They were 10x more addictive, causes alot more euphoria, and plus was not perscribed it, and if i did run out, i was sick as heck.
THis med i feel i need, because the outcome is positive. More work, concentration, slight mood enhancement, Not euphoric, but a scence of mental energy and clarity. I know tolererance is a big issue.
I started at 10mg 4 months ago. Went up to 20mg , then 30mg for last 2months. My doctor , knows i used to abuse oxycontin, and actually asked me that i may have add because i explained to him what i felt. Well he gave me the add test and i failed , and perscribed me adderall.
The day i started taking it, i felt it working, i became more motivated, more inspiration to do things and not bored laying around, More mental effects than just popping ephedrine, plus i dont eat as much. Second, the reason i take the 3rd dose is because i stay up about 16-18 hrs. So the first dose covers me for 5 hrs, then next dose 5, so thats only 10, at tops 12. so there is 6-8 hrs of awaking time without peak levels working on me. I dont just go to bed at 10pm. Plus if i need to get to sleep, i have ambien and klonopin an dthere is no problem taking them to sleep.
And if i was asked why did i use opiates and alcohol, for the last 5 yrs, i would say 80 percent was for social ability, and for oxys, i would have to say motivation, energy, and not bored all the time. THis alone caused me to relapse. Now that im taking adderall, along with a low dose of klonopin, like .5mg if i get a bit anxiouis, My cravings for opiates are down about 90 percent. SO its benifiting me in different ways.

The only negative way i can see is staying up longer than i should, causing lack of sleep, which i have done, becuase i just did not want to stop doing work online.

What is the most a doc can perscribe you? I would imagine 30mg i know, but 3x daily or 90 a month? Even if he writes me 30/30 20 ill be happy. BUt when i have to take an extra 60, this is why i have to get ritalin from a friend. He gives me like 20-40 month because he gets 200 or so monthly! Perscribed. So i was asking again, if i took adderall 2x daily at 60mg, then my last dose was a ritalin, 20mg, which i took and did not feel like adderall, or potent, but gave me enought ADD effect to keep doing things.

After reading some post that people take 90-120, i dont feel like im abusing it. I NEVER take more than 30mg at a time, which is probably the more abusing way, instead of just adding a dose, 5 hrs later. I once took i believe an adderall 20mg and a ritalin 20mg, with 1mg of klonopin , and did not have any problems, but i felt more anxious. ,thus i had to take that 1mg of Klonopin.

Another statement, i may be wrong, is that dysoxin, sometimes persribed for severe narcolepsy, which is meth, is sorta like taking a ritalin and adderall together? You get both the release and reuptake. But i know meth last longer, and im not sure how powerfull a dose would be , like 30 or 60mg of adderall, per dose. But as a guess, i would say a mod dose of meth is at least like taking 30mg of adderal and 30mg of ritalin at the same time, or more. Maybe 60. But i dont need meth or will attempt to get it. Now dexedrine sounds better , from what i read, pure dexro causes less anxiet and more mental stimulation and social interaction. But Adderall is fine.


THe only way i can see to improve the tolerance is taking dopamine agonist, naturally, like L-Tyrosine, or Munuca Prurrriens sold by pinnicle as dopa poppers. Some claims its 15% l-dopa, but who knows if natural supps are crossing the BBB. L-Theanine, NaDH, CDP-Choline and Phosphotydlserine also claim to increase Da.

A step above that would be taking A nootropic like bromocriptine, or someting like welbutrin or Amineptine. SOme meds you can order have either dopamine blocking reuptake or release properties. THen you have maois.

Well write back with any opinons you have.