I'm almost 25 and newly dx'ed. I've been prescribed 10 mg Adderall (dispensed as generic amphetamine salts) 2x/day. So far, so good.

My doctor has said that I can increase the dose to 30 mg/day, which I'd like to experiment with - but I have a couple of questions about this:

1. I have noticed that the meds make my heart feel like it's beating really hard. Would increasing the dose make this more pronounced?

2. Is it true that doctors are only allowed to write one script a month? If so, I can't increase to 3x/day because I'd run out of meds altogether before the end of the month with my current prescription!

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

i'm on adderall 20mgs of the extended release per day (brandname, which normally i wouldn't bother to mention, but from my reading of other's comments this might make somewhat of a difference)
and i also take 300mgs of wellbutrin. when i first started taking adderall i don't think i ever noticed much of a heart rate increase, and if i did - it faded pretty quickly.
i think if you feel that your heart beating rapidly is pronounced or persists, you should definitely proceed with speaking to your doc about it.
as for the 30mgs and experimenting, save that for the time that you actually know that this is going to be a safe drug for you in terms of the reaction from your heart, and at least figure out if your body can phase out of a possibly initial adjustment with the drug....

i agree. if your heart is reacting at the initial dose, i wouldn't make a change just now. it may be nothing, it may be something. so i would play it safe and wait to see the doc. good luck!

My heart isn't beating fast - I checked my pulse and it was around 75-80 BPM. It just feels like it's beating harder than normal. This seems to peak 2-3 hours after a dose, then tapers off.

hmmmm, it may just be a case of adjusting to the meds then. i'm sorry i must have misunderstood your post. i can tell you that i experienced what i now realize you're talking about for several weeks after first starting meds, but it tapered off and isn't a problem anymore. in my case, i think part of it was that i got freaked out when it happened and sent myself into an anxiety attack!!!

I think I know what you are talking about - I have felt that same feeling, I think. As long as it is not palpitations, or "skipping a beat" or racing, or painful, your heart should be OK. And as long as your BP is OK as well - I think it's the increased BP that you really feel? Did the doctor do any kind of ECG? It's not a bad idea to rule out certain problems (conduction problems, I think) that the amphetamine could exacerbate (Ever heard of otherwise fit people having heart attacks from cocaine or other simulants? That kind of problem!). These problems are rare, but an ECG is pretty easy to do! And it'll help with any anxiety you have, at least it did for me. With time you'll find these side effects diminish - I do full out workouts while taking dexedrine and I don't find my heart rate is any higher than without - as measured by my heart rate monitor. Resting rate is a few BPM higher, but I don't notice it at all.

I bet it is my blood pressure increasing that I'm feeling. Since my normal blood pressure tends to run on the low side, it's probably not approaching dangerous levels.