So I was diagnosed with ADD a month or two ago. Since then my Doctor has prescribed Strattera (40mg), concentra (18mg), and focalin (5mg, which is equivalent to 10mg ritallin). The results with all of these drugs have been poor to disastrous. My father actually thought he would have to take me to the hospital after taking the Strattera because it made me extremely ill. The concerta made me into a zombie, and the focalin isin't much better either, huge hangover coming down.

I took Adderall a few times (low dosage) in college as many students do without a Rx and the results with Adderall were excellent with little visible side effects. So after taking the meds my doctor prescribed I asked if we could go ahead and try the Adderall since I showed such positive results. He basically said he was against adderall since it has such a tendancy for abuse and since people just end up giving them to their friends. Should I seek another opinion or should I just do whatever my doc says? Opinions...

I have no history of drug or alcohol abuse.

Well, I can see a few things you could do here. One is that you do have some other options with meds other than Adderall, such as Wellbutrin, Provigil, Phentermine, or Dexedrine. I'm not real sure he would go for Dex, since it's essentially pharmaceutical grade amphetamine, as opposed to Adderall's mixture of amphetamine and amphetamine salts. Some docs are probably not familiar with using Phentermine or Provigil for ADD, either.

Another option is to find another doc, since you already know the Adderall will probably work. IMO, I would decide based on how much you like and trust this particular doctor. Is he your family doctor or a psychiatrist? It may be easier for you to switch if he's a psychiatrist you are seeing specifically for the ADD and not your family doc who you'll need to see at least once a year for a physical anyway.

BTW, I see this is your first post. Welcome to the forums.

of course you should go see a new doctor. Concerta alwo made me feel like a zombie. Ritalin was too hard on the come down. Now I'm on dexedrine and its working perfectly. Your doctor shouldn't hold you back from trying adderall or dexedrine...that makes no sense, especially since you have no history of drug or alcohol abuse.

2 months isn't a lot of time to have tried three different meds - you couldn't have tried much variation in dosage on either the Concerta or Focalin. 18mg of Concerta turned you into a "zombie", huh - That sounds a bit odd? Did you try any other dosages? You may find that a larger dose would be more effective - did your doctor suggest this at all?
You may have a difficult time convincing your doctor to try you on Adderall, given what he has said. The fact that Adderall IS commonly abused on college campuses and that you have admitted using it yourself without a scrip aren't going to work in your favour. Doctors are scrutinized by the FDA on all schedule II drugs they prescribe, and your situation would definately raise "red flags" with them - male college student, newly diagnosed with ADD, has used Adderall without a scrip, and is requesting Adderall specifically....... Any doctor is going to be very wary in prescribing Adderall given this set of circumstances. It's not just you, we all have problems in varying degrees with getting and filling scrips - blame those who sell and use the drug illegally for this!
Your best bet is to follow your doctor's advise - let him know how the drug you are currently taking is working and let him come up with possible solutions to whatever shortcomings you are expeiencing. It may take some time to find a solution, and don't be suprised if it seems as if you are being made to pass some kind of test of sincerity that your doctor is giving you. We have all had to "jump through hoops" to some extent, to convince our doctors that we are sincere and not just trying to score some stimulants - it's frustrating, but it's a fact of life. It took me several months before I felt I was getting the right drug at the right dosage - you have to be patient.
Good luck,
Greg

Thanks people. I understand what your saying about the 'red flags', greg. Its just that the drugs he's been recommending have been totally knocking me out and basically make me worthless for days and days...and the fact that I know that there is something out there that I'm almost positive works for me makes it even more frustrating. I obviously want this to work and will take any medicine that makes it happen. Yes patience, I know...
Lately, from what I've been reading, Wellbutrim seems like an interesting non-stimulant solution, but my doctor says he wants to monitor me for about 6 months before putting me on it. I think he wants to try out all of the stimulants first before trying wellbutrim, which is a second-line drug for treating ADD. I don't know how many more stimulants i can take though...