Hello all! I have been reading these posts but so far I haven't found the answer to my question so I figured I just start a new thread...

I take 20mg pills (not XR), and usually no more than 2 per day. (Sometimes just one.) I am a morning person, and can concentrate pretty well in the AM, so I dont take the first pill until midmorning or noon. I know that the directions say to take the next pill 4-6 hours later, but if I take the first one at noon, then I take the second at 4, I will be up all night! So....

My question is: How soon after the first dose can you take the second? Is 4 hours written in stone? The first dose usually wears off sooner than the second one, and I always feel like I could take my second dose after about 3 hours. Sometimes sooner.

Any advice would be most appreciated!

if I take the first one at noon, then I take the second at 4, I will be up all night! So....

My question is: How soon after the first dose can you take the second? Is 4 hours written in stone?

Hi,

To begin with, you ought to ask your prescribing doctor this question.

Having said that, I take regular Ritalin (not an amphetamine, but a stimulent), immediate release, at varying times during the day, depending on what I have to accomplish (or not). I have no problem with this, since the useful dosage is rather short-lived. My doc thinks such variable dosing is fine.

Adderall, which is a mixture of amphetamine salts, is supposed to provide a sustained dosage of the drug over a longer period of time. However, that period of time varies from person to person.

Four hours is not written in stone because the metablism and effective dose of a drug can differ greatly from person to person. My four hours is not your three hours of effectiveness.

The only way to find out is to try a different dosing schedule. If you take the doses of adderall too close together, you will find the overlapping dose to be too high for your purposes.

Cheers,

Hello,

I am on 40 mg, Adderall a day, I take 30 mg first thing in the morning and a second 10 mg at 12 noon. I was told that the effects can wear off as you build up immunity to it. I was noticing less change at 30mg after taking it for 6 months so they increased it and have said they may have to again. Recommended time in between my first pill and second was 6 hours.

Definitely talk to your prescribing doc about it, but . . . . mine told me I could take my next dose about two hours after the first. 20mg is a low dose.

The length of time the medication lasts depends on the person. Check with your doctor to be sure, but I would say it's OK to take another dose after 4 hours - the 6 hour time figure is a maximum, really, I don't think you'll find too many people that'll tell you it actually last 6 hours!

I take generic version of Adderall (NOT XR) at maybe 8 or 9 and then between 2 and 4, and it seems to do something for me at least until 10pm or later. But I can go to sleep at 11 or so. I think there's a lot of variation in this.

Opps, I didn't read your post carefully enough, you want to take the second dose earlier than 4 hours. Again, the timing of the dose is dependant on your metabolism - if you need it sooner, then you should be taking it sooner. The problem is that the second dose might be too strong if taken early, since there will be more active drug in your body from the first dose if you take it an hour earlier. You might want to take your first dose a bit earlier as one way of dealing with this, or you might take a smaller second dose - I do this all the time, when I feel that I need a bit more to compete a task or lengthen my day, etc. I take one or two more tablets later on - and the obverse is true too - I often skip a dose or take less if I feel I don't need the whole dose - this is one reason I like the regular release formulations, you can do this easily.
Check with your doctor before doing this, however - my doctor doesn't have a problem with me doing this, but your doctor may feel differently and I am not qualified to give medical advice of any kind!!!