i was in the hospital the other day when my wife was deliverying our first baby. after nearly 12 hours into the process. i took a dose of Adderall IR to keep me going. the dosage is equivalent to my XR and what i used to take when i was on IR.

now i have been on XR for a few weeks now, the reason i took the IR was because i had some on hand. anyway, what happened 15mins later was that i felt very very light headed, almost to the point of fainting. i managed to lie down and rested on a couch. cold sweat was dripping out of my body. the nurse who was attending to my wife gave me some fluid and commented that my face looks extremely pale.

after 10 mins or so, i was normal again.

did i faint because :

1) switching from XR->IR
2) too stressed and exhausted from all the activity
3) dad always faints in delivery room.

i had strange thoughts while i was light headed, i thought, "oh dear, is this the end? i may never see my baby.."

anyway, baby came out fine and mom is also fine.

I'll go with number 3 :D .

Just kidding, I don't know what happened to you, but congratulations on the new baby. Welcome to the world of hardcore sleep deprivation. :p

I agree--it's probably because you took the Adderall to stay awake when your body was exhausted...

I've heard it's a really bad idea to use it like No-Doz because it's so harsh on your system...I would even choose coffee in lieu of Adderall to keep someone awake when they are sleep deprived.

Be careful!

And congrats on your baby, by the way! You'll have plenty more sleepless nights to look forward to, but no more taking Adderall!!!!!! :)

Were you getting enough to eat? That could certainly do it, if you haven't been eating, have low blood sugar and little energy, and then take a drug that tells your body to start burning energy faster.

Also, remember when switching from XR to IR to cut the dose in half. An XR dose of 20mg, for instance, is meant to be the equivalent of taking a 10mg IR dose twice a day.

I also had a near fainting incident the second week I was on IR. Basically, I had gotten almost no sleep the night before, popped an IR and didn't have time to eat. I was so sick and dizzy by afternoon that I had to leave work and come hope and lie down.

The incident has never repeated itself. I think it must have had something to do with taking Adderall when completely exhausted. It sounds somewhat similar to your situation.

MTMT, it does sound like my situation.

Hyperion, thanks for the explanation, it does sound like that was what happened.

I vote for "all of the above". I'd be willing to bet that any one of the events wouldn't have been a problem but that is a stressful combination by any standards!

You were probably dehydrated, too. Adderall can do that to you, and because it kills your appetite it makes it hard to make it a priority to drink enough. Throw the birth of your child into the mix and drinking water is going to be about the last thing on your mind!

Anyhow, congrats to you and your wife. I wish you much joy and at least a little sleep. :-)

I also had a near fainting incident the second week I was on IR. Basically, I had gotten almost no sleep the night before, popped an IR and didn't have time to eat. I was so sick and dizzy by afternoon that I had to leave work and come hope and lie down.

The incident has never repeated itself. I think it must have had something to do with taking Adderall when completely exhausted. It sounds somewhat similar to your situation. Definately!

I made the mistake of taking my Ritalin LA on no sleep and going to a job orientation, with no food. The first 2 hours were fine, but after that I started really spacing out, and getting very anxious. Everything got all intense and loud, and I probably had the mental capacity of a chimpanzee. People kept asking if I was alright.

I ended up making it out okay, went and packed down a couple burritos, and went straight to bed when I got home. I literally felt like I was falling out of reality :eek:

I've got two rules of thumb when taking stimulants:
1. Always eat SOMETHING, preferably alot, but at least some protien and carbs.
2. Always get AT LEAST 5 hours of sleep! Preferably 8-9.
Follow those and even though you'll have good and bad days, you'll avoid some major pains!