I think my adderall xr 20 mg that I take 2x daily stopped working after 2 months. I can't concentrate at ALL in school and I can't really study either.

Another thing I noticed is that after I take my adderall my heart rate INCREASES SOO MUCH! Its 120+ beats per min. I really don't notice it until I lay down to go to sleep or to take a nap. Is it weird to develop a side effect 2 months after taking the drug? Does this mean I don't have ADD Or something since I'm having caffeine like effects from it? Its not like I'm all hyped up and running around like a nut when I'm on adderall. Its like I'm relaxed, and think before I speak.

I also think it made me caffeiene senstiive. Before I could drink a bottle of mountain dew and go right to sleep. Now its like, if I even LOOK AT caffiene after 3 in the afternoon... I will be up until 1 am tossing and turning!

Does this mean my med stopped working? Is it possible for this to happen? Adderall used to be so great for me and it made me feel amazing, my add was controlled, I could study in class, and was able to focus and concentrate enough to study. I never had the side effects of not eating ... my appettite was just fine.

I was on ritalin for 8 yrs then I got off for 2 years and when I got back on it worked great but it gave me the inreased heart rate and insomnia affects. Then my doc switched me to concerta which did the same thing. Then I was on strattera for 2 years which I don't think helped at all or did anything to me. I was just put on adderall xr 20 mg two months ago and I thought I had found the drug that works for me. Im really dissapointed now!!

Did this happen to anyone else? I made an appointment to see my doc next week to figure out whats going on and if I need to change meds.

This is a two parter! I hope I can help ya cuz its tough when meds stop doing their thing.

First off, Adderall XR never properly worked for me either. It seemed to potently work one day, and hardly work the next. Some days it would work all day, some days for a few hours. I haven't read a ton about other people having similar effects, but if its happened to me, I'm convinced it could certainly happen to another person. It may be possible that you'd benefit from immediate release (IR) dosing. Ask your doc!

Second of all, there's a really tough situation with stimulant meds, and thats the feeling you get when they kick in, called a "rush". This really lets you know that they are going and working. This "rush" is often times what leads to abuse and misuse. It also wears off a lot faster than the actual effects of the meds. Try this (if you can) - Pick a day that you have absolutely nothing pressing to do. Some day you can sit around and get 0 done. Don't take any adderall. Get yourself a pen and paper. Write down how you feel. Write down what you do. See how different you feel. It'll give you something to compare and contrast to.

About the heart rate - yeah, if I've taken too much adderall and I stop moving, I can feel an elevated heart rate... its possible you've been on too much? I don't know, I don't know your specifics and I'm not a doc :(. Just some suggestions that have helped me in the past.

As far as caffiene, the most I get while on adderall (ritalin was different for me) is maybe a 20oz bottle of diet Coke a day. Coffee is just too much, but I guess thats because I've been off the bean for so long too.

Good luck with the doc!

I'm in my mid 40's and was diagnosed and been on meds (generic Ritalin due to no insurance for Adderall or Concerta) for about 3 months. My meds stopped working 2 weeks ago. It took me a week to realize it, and the second week I was extremely careful to take them on schedule, but still didn't help. I tried a day taking a little more and that made me feel a little strange (normal does is 20 mg TID (3 times day)).

Searching online I found a few mentions, including a the site of a psychiatrist who specializes in ADD (can't remember the url, email me if you need it) and they mentioned that switching the medicine didn't seem to help with those that occassionly the med stopped working but, the good news, is that they found by going 2 full days off the ADD med then back on as usual worked! It seems to give the brain a chance to clear out and reset to then get the normal affect once back on. I just did this and went back on this morning and I feel clear and focused again. While off of it I did suffer the ADD symptoms but very close to how I felt the last 2 weeks on the med when it wasn't working.

Hopefully this won't occur for a month or two or three, but I will be watching for it, and when it occurs I will plan a couple days off of it. Probably schedule that for a weekend where focus isn't needed or a time where increased creative - thinking outside the box - is needed.

Love to hear if this others have done this and find it works too (please reply to this post).

I've also learned that getting a good night sleep is very important, as is daily aerobic activity, and taking a high grade Omega 3 fish oil supplement pill (1000-2000 mg for kids, 2000-3000 for teens, 2000-4000 for adults). Although good for everyone, these things help concentration and mental alertness so the effects (good for doing, bad for not) have a more noticeable affect.

I'm wary of the natural cures. The my kid Joey was naturally cured only has testimonials from people that have no city, state, email, or other info, as well as no testimonials from any medical people. IE. not one verifiable source, and I see the Joey site that acts like its just an objective testimonial to the seller is in Pay Per Click listings all over the internet. That tells me the site is being backed by someone making a profit with the sales and not the objective source it claims to be, so beware. I also saw complaints that they automatically sign you up for a membership with a monthly billing to your credit card whether you sign up for it or not...so beware, you've been warned.

I also suggest checking with your doc before going off any meds.

Also, I just read the post at: http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62353&highlight=alkaline

and realized for the last 2 weeks when my meds weren't working well I was drinking alot of Tang (had 2 gallons in the fridge), and the post above mentions that taking high Vit. C things with the ADD meds can make them much less effective.

Other posts suggest if your body is too often in a urine acidic state it can cause ADD/ADHD symptoms. Fish oil, etc can help but must not be taken w/meds. Best to take supplements and vitamins (non meds) in evening before bed, and better to keep your body more alkaline...

Also, I just read the post at: http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62353&highlight=alkaline

and realized for the last 2 weeks when my meds weren't working well I was drinking alot of Tang (had 2 gallons in the fridge), and the post above mentions that taking high Vit. C things with the ADD meds can make them much less effective.

Other posts suggest if your body is too often in a urine acidic state it can cause ADD/ADHD symptoms. Fish oil, etc can help but must not be taken w/meds. Best to take supplements and vitamins (non meds) in evening before bed, and better to keep your body more alkaline...

Yup good advice. Had a similar issue, but Aderall just stopped working altogether... I started consuming a lot of Vit C after the fact.

I think my adderall xr 20 mg that I take 2x daily stopped working after 2 months. I can't concentrate at ALL in school and I can't really study either.

Does this mean my med stopped working? Is it possible for this to happen? Adderall used to be so great for me and it made me feel amazing, my add was controlled, I could study in class, and was able to focus and concentrate enough to study. I never had the side effects of not eating ... my appettite was just fine.



Sometimes adderall can make you feel amazing for the first couple weeks/months or so, this is short term. Increasing your dose would probably make this feeling return, but again - only temporary. It's a fairly normal effect but lots of people fall into the trap of increasing their dose often.

The med still might be working but since you're comparing it with the 'buzz' type feeling, it doesn't seem like it.

Ask your parents/teachers if they've noticed a difference with you in class recently, and if you've gotten worse. Sometimes it's hard to notice things going on in our own head/or our behaviors.

It could be something else though, good idea about going to your doc. to talk about this.

- has anything big happened in your life recently?

- any new medications?

- you mention you've had decreased appetite, has this been the whole time you've been on the adderall or just very recently when it stopped working? if you had this side effect it should happen as soon as you get put on the med, not 2 months after.

Have you been feeling run down, tired lately? has anyone at home or in class been sick lately?


Someone mentioned having 'med holidays' to help keep the effectiveness. I do this and it helps a lot, even if it's just on weekends. I didn't need to do this until almost a year of being on meds but I guess some people might have the loss of effectiveness sooner. 2 months just seems a bit too soon for this though. It couldn't hurt giving it a try but talk to your doc. about it.

I think my adderall xr 20 mg that I take 2x daily stopped working after 2 months. I can't concentrate at ALL in school and I can't really study either.

Another thing I noticed is that after I take my adderall my heart rate INCREASES SOO MUCH! Its 120+ beats per min. I really don't notice it until I lay down to go to sleep or to take a nap. Is it weird to develop a side effect 2 months after taking the drug? Does this mean I don't have ADD Or something since I'm having caffeine like effects from it? Its not like I'm all hyped up and running around like a nut when I'm on adderall. Its like I'm relaxed, and think before I speak.

I also think it made me caffeiene senstiive. Before I could drink a bottle of mountain dew and go right to sleep. Now its like, if I even LOOK AT caffiene after 3 in the afternoon... I will be up until 1 am tossing and turning!

Does this mean my med stopped working? Is it possible for this to happen? Adderall used to be so great for me and it made me feel amazing, my add was controlled, I could study in class, and was able to focus and concentrate enough to study. I never had the side effects of not eating ... my appettite was just fine.

I was on ritalin for 8 yrs then I got off for 2 years and when I got back on it worked great but it gave me the inreased heart rate and insomnia affects. Then my doc switched me to concerta which did the same thing. Then I was on strattera for 2 years which I don't think helped at all or did anything to me. I was just put on adderall xr 20 mg two months ago and I thought I had found the drug that works for me. Im really dissapointed now!!

Did this happen to anyone else? I made an appointment to see my doc next week to figure out whats going on and if I need to change meds.


I would have to agree with the person who said to switch to IR. I am doing that myself. There have been countless people complaining about the lack of help XR gives. After no luck with any other pill..I was given XR and at first XR was actually helping me. Then it stopped working incredibly fast. So I increased it and it began to work again...then it yet again stopped working completely. So finally I increased it once more to 60mg and it worked...and then it stopped working quickly. See a pattern? I would increase it and it would still only seem to work for a short period of time before it eventually does nothing. Fact is for most people it is not powerful stuff. I was on 60 mg which is said to be the highest dose, if not ONE of the highest...and I couldn't even read a long paragraph on this forum.

I've never experienced any heart rate increase though. I really didn't have many side effects at all from XR. I grind my teeth and that is the only side effect I get from it.

Sometimes adderall can make you feel amazing for the first couple weeks/months or so, this is short term. Increasing your dose would probably make this feeling return, but again - only temporary. It's a fairly normal effect but lots of people fall into the trap of increasing their dose often.

The med still might be working but since you're comparing it with the 'buzz' type feeling, it doesn't seem like it.

Ask your parents/teachers if they've noticed a difference with you in class recently, and if you've gotten worse. Sometimes it's hard to notice things going on in our own head/or our behaviors.

It could be something else though, good idea about going to your doc. to talk about this.

- has anything big happened in your life recently?

- any new medications?

- you mention you've had decreased appetite, has this been the whole time you've been on the adderall or just very recently when it stopped working? if you had this side effect it should happen as soon as you get put on the med, not 2 months after.

Have you been feeling run down, tired lately? has anyone at home or in class been sick lately?


Someone mentioned having 'med holidays' to help keep the effectiveness. I do this and it helps a lot, even if it's just on weekends. I didn't need to do this until almost a year of being on meds but I guess some people might have the loss of effectiveness sooner. 2 months just seems a bit too soon for this though. It couldn't hurt giving it a try but talk to your doc. about it.


This can be true, but isn't the case for some people including myself. I've never experienced that 'buzz' people talked about. It didn't do that to me. I didn't experience the appetite loss side effect either or the hyped up feeling. I was actually constantly tired and still am fairly tired for someone on this type of stimulant. I wasn't able to read anything remotely long..it just wasn't doing its job. This certainly isn't the first time someone has complained about the lack of effectiveness XR has. I cannot understand why this medication is so much money when it doesn't even do what IR does, at 3 times less the price. I want a stimulant where I can feel it working and feel it leaving. No more guessing games "is it working, ok it is..no now it isn't...ok now it kind of it..." It is so random and not reliable for a pill to sometimes do something, other times do nothing.

I'm having this problem but its been less then 2 monthes!!

I was taking 30mg of the XR for about a month with great results! I was so focused, and my work performance was improving and so was my mood. Yes I lost a little weight because of the appetite thing, but it just made me not think about food. If it was infront of me, I could have eaten.
Anyways-I thought I was in love. I felt like a better me...but then after a few weeks it just..stopped.? I played with my dosage, googled everything in the world and still Im clueless. I can't focus at all anymore, I'm eating everything in the world and hardly in a great mood. My biggest gripe is the focus thing though. Life at work has become horrible. I just stare at these stacks of files and do nothing.
I've tried vyvanse, concerta and all that, but none of thoughs helped. The first time I felt like "me" was on the XR.

No idea what to do at this point. The break thing isnt helping me much. Maybe my system just builds tolerance VERY VERY fast like yours might be doing.

It took me my entire first semester of grad school to realize that my meds stopped working also--adderall, 20mg, 2 tabs 2x a day. After 6 years with no problems, I can't believe I'm going through this. I can't get any work done and it is clearly showing. I've gone through school counseling and my counselor referred to a therapist because even though I'm still taking my meds, she's telling me that there are clearly signs in my conduct that are pointing towards the fact that my meds are probably failing. If another medication or a higher dose doesn't work, what should I do?

Have u been sleeping ok??? sometimes adderall stop working cause the fact that your body hasn't got some rest. Since the dopamine is the substance that adderall gives u and more, it has been shown that not getting sleep lowers your dopamine levels. That's what it has been happening to me this last month. So I start taking sleeping pills and little by little the adderal was losing its effect, until I found out it was the sleeping pills( bennadryll and melatonin) counterbalance the effects of the adderall as well! so I stopped taking these sleep pills and realize that someday I would crash and fall to sleep! and that's what happened ( I also realize that I rather get 3 hours of sleeping than taking those sleeping pills, I felt better the next day) I got into my shedule of waking up very early, do some exercise and all these thing we people with ADHD have to do. So my recomendation it to check these points. Check out what u have been doing differently these months too!!

good luck!!

Hope I could help

Adderall XR worked so good then stopped working till now.
I started gradually increasing Adderall dosage from 15mg going up 5mg every month. When I hit about 35mg it started working. My memory improved, I lost the headache and fogginess, I got the urge to study and learn, I can read and search for solutions without skipping lines. I started more projects and got a lot done. Got more organized, Very productive.
Then I am not sure when, hitting about 50mg, I had the days of my life. I had a supper memory, I was able to remember numbers, part numbers for 7 days without effort. I had clear thinking, I connected thing together. Got high self confidence I would tell my employee exactly what to do and I say: just do it, I know what I am doing. Only 2 weeks of this supper brain and it is gone. My doc upped the dosage slowly, till I reached 85mg without hitting that state again. I got all bad side effects with little concentration. 85mg XR did bother me, thinking all the time, anxiety, short temper, bad memory, bitter taste in the mouth, high BP, it burned me out.
So I went back to 50mg again 2 months ago and still no luck. I have good concentration now, but same old ADD memory and organization problem.

Well, before Adderall, Ritalin gave me only bad side effects.
Before that, Starattera, worked magic for 2 weeks with all beautiful state of mind and organization. Lost 10 pounds wight and still at 160 P till now.

Now I am looking for any hints to help me get the right dosage of Adderall. I have been reading and searching. I wonder if "saliva hormone tests" can help?

I am healthy male 45 years, no bad habits not taking any other medication.