Hi,
Sorry I keep posting threads but I'm having some really bad side effects from this Adderall. First off, in case you haven't read my other posts, I'm prescribed 60mg by taking 2 30mg... I had a real bad reaction the first day(you can read the post about social anxiety). I planned on taking only 30mg, which I did, dividing the one dose into two and I just had a really bad anxiety attack, it was 4pm when I took the 15mg and I took the first 15mg at 10am. It wasn't till a few minutes ago(9pm, five hours later) that my heart just started POUNDING really hard and fast for no apparent reason and I wasn't even anxious about anything during the occurance but it just BAM came out of nowhere. I still have some Ritalin left from taking last summer off so I'm gonna have to take that only when absolutely needed and just try to take the whole summer off again even though I have 2 classes to take. I switched back to Adderall because the Ritalin gave out one me and had terrible side effects. I kept getting up and walking around, I DIDN'T know WHAT TO DO, i was SERIOUSLY about to go to the hospital so instead of cutting these pills and trying to figure out a dose, I don't care, I don't ever want to go through that again! I immediately flushed these stupid pills down the toilet and said a prayer and I was INSTANTLY relieved, it was so magical! I don't care, I actually do like my ADD self and once I take this break, the ritalin should be effective for my LAST semster of nursing. I'm just taking a 2 credit course right now and i have philosophy the second half of summer. I feel fine now! I wouldn't have been able to give them back to the pharmacy right? I don't think they would take them back, correct me if i'm wrong. Did anyone else ever have something like this, it was BAD, I'm DONE with this med for good!!! I will continue yoga and exercise(which i was afraid to do the past few days on this), meditate, take fish oil, cal mag, b vits, and rhosioa rosea and I think i'm gonna pick up some ginko...somebody mentioned that it helps. Thanks for listening.

I'm prescribed 60mg by taking 2 30mg... Well, if you are stated on 60mg of Adderall a day - then you have a seriously bad Dr. Perhaps you need to have tried more like 5 or 10mg 2x a day. It seems seroiusly irresponsible to start someone that high. I'm not suprised that you have anxiety attacks.

I'm really sorry for the trouble youre having but thats an awfully large dose to start. Has this Dr ever treated anyone with Adderall before?

It sounds like you were a bit overdosed.

Try getting your doc's permission to take 20 mg/day for starters.

ME :D

Hi,
Sorry I keep posting threads but I'm having some really bad side effects from this Adderall. First off, in case you haven't read my other posts, I'm prescribed 60mg by taking 2 30mg... I had a real bad reaction the first day(you can read the post about social anxiety). I planned on taking only 30mg, which I did, dividing the one dose into two and I just had a really bad anxiety attack, it was 4pm when I took the 15mg and I took the first 15mg at 10am. It wasn't till a few minutes ago(9pm, five hours later) that my heart just started POUNDING really hard and fast for no apparent reason and I wasn't even anxious about anything during the occurance but it just BAM came out of nowhere. I still have some Ritalin left from taking last summer off so I'm gonna have to take that only when absolutely needed and just try to take the whole summer off again even though I have 2 classes to take. I switched back to Adderall because the Ritalin gave out one me and had terrible side effects. I kept getting up and walking around, I DIDN'T know WHAT TO DO, i was SERIOUSLY about to go to the hospital so instead of cutting these pills and trying to figure out a dose, I don't care, I don't ever want to go through that again! I immediately flushed these stupid pills down the toilet and said a prayer and I was INSTANTLY relieved, it was so magical! I don't care, I actually do like my ADD self and once I take this break, the ritalin should be effective for my LAST semster of nursing. I'm just taking a 2 credit course right now and i have philosophy the second half of summer. I feel fine now! I wouldn't have been able to give them back to the pharmacy right? I don't think they would take them back, correct me if i'm wrong. Did anyone else ever have something like this, it was BAD, I'm DONE with this med for good!!! I will continue yoga and exercise(which i was afraid to do the past few days on this), meditate, take fish oil, cal mag, b vits, and rhosioa rosea and I think i'm gonna pick up some ginko...somebody mentioned that it helps. Thanks for listening.

Sixty is extremely high. I am not a doctor but I wonder if the doctor thought that there should be a one to one correspondence between the dose of ritilin and adderal. I have heard that 20 milligrams at any one time is the highest effective dose. Apparantly effectiveness doesn't go up after 20mgs. And I am sure it varies depending on the individual.

Thanks a lot for your responses. I'm sorry that I didn't mention this but I did in my last post about how i was prescribed ritalin for almost a year and a half starting at 40mg then tried adderall xr30mg for a month(within this year and a half) and decided ritalin worked better. After the adderall, I went back on ritalin and stayed on the 40mg for about a year and my doc increased it to 60mg for about 5 or 6 months but i didn't take the full 60mg everyday but I guess he figured since I was used to the 60mg that I would be okay with the adderall cause he thinks the both of them are the same. Like, he thinks that Adderall and Ritalin at the SAME doseages elicits the same effect or strenght. Do you think that if I would have taken them back to the pharmacy that they would have accepted them?
Oh, and i was off last summer but still got my prescription refilled and got alot left so if i really need to focus, i'll just take that.

60mg??? YIKES, no wonder your heart was pumping.. :(. The first day I tried Adderall my doc put me on 20mg xr and I had a similar reaction and didn't sleep for 24 hours straight. I was a bit panicky, but my doc assured me it would go away, and it did. I haven't had a problem like that since, even when he upped my dose to 25mg XR. But, gosh, 60.. eek. I hope you find something that works for you.

But remember, I only took 30mg today and that sitll happened;) . Hopefully i was clear in my post. I'm feeling a lot better now and I think i'm gonna continue with my rhosiola rosea supplement. It's supposed to be effective for a lot of things. Has anyone ever heard of it?

If I had experienced those side effects I would have called my doctor right away. I take 30 mg twice a day but I've been taking Adderall for about 5 or 6 years. I've only had a problem with jitters when I take it with caffine. Which is just dumb anyways. Did you drink anything with caffine in it during the day? Remember Adderall is extended release. And I don't think that the caplets should be split open. I'm not sure how the XR part works. If you want to quit taking your meds you should talk to your doctor. Be assertive, persistant, annoying, whatever. Tell them you are having withdrawls if you are. I just quit adderall for awhile last year and I toughed it out but I didn't like the way I was without it. I smoked cigarettes constantly and drank a gallon of coffee a day.

If I had experienced those side effects I would have called my doctor right away. I take 30 mg twice a day but I've been taking Adderall for about 5 or 6 years. I've only had a problem with jitters when I take it with caffine. Which is just dumb anyways. Did you drink anything with caffine in it during the day? Remember Adderall is extended release. And I don't think that the caplets should be split open. I'm not sure how the XR part works. If you want to quit taking your meds you should talk to your doctor. Be assertive, persistant, annoying, whatever. Tell them you are having withdrawls if you are. I just quit adderall for awhile last year and I toughed it out but I didn't like the way I was without it. I smoked cigarettes constantly and drank a gallon of coffee a day.Well I'm glad that it works for you, and I wish it did for me. I was quiet, withdrawn, slightly irritable(and i'm a nice person), but VERY hyperfocused on my computer for hours and HOURS!!lol But I guess what works for one doesn't work for the other. I did drink 2 cups of green tea double baged, which equals 4 cups(it's mixed with white tea). But I avoided my morning coffee which I will greatfully enjoy tomorrow!!:D Good luck with your treatment....i'm searching for natural alternatives, which do not reveal to be promising as much as stimulants.:( Why do we have to resort to these stupid (I don't want to say dangerous and p*** anyone off), but I want to say....potentially dangerous stimulants. I'm sure they are safe for many, but I don't think that my chemistry was cut out for them, nooooo way. THat was SOOOOOO scary and thought I was gonna die!!!!!:faint:

Like, he thinks that Adderall and Ritalin at the SAME doseages elicits the same effect or strenght. Well, then my suspicions are confirmed - your Dr. is an idiot. Ditzy, I would really find a Dr. that knows what he or she is doing before you give up on meds altogether. Like most people have said here, 60mg is an extremely high dose (especially to start with), 30mg is still quite high. Many people never get to that high of a dose even with tolerance, etc.

Stimulants can work if dosed appropriately. If you drink enough green tea, etc - you will end up with panic attacks anyways.

60 mg to start is high, although i ended up higher before i stopped but my issue was a matter of years of success on Dexedrine when I was younger and a doctor who thought they were the "same drug". The point is that drug formulation itself was the issue for me and i developed obssessive traits(hand washing) and was afraid to leave my house also and I don't have that problem without medication so it was clear that problem was the medication... even the slight differences.

Well I'm glad that it works for you, and I wish it did for me. I was quiet, withdrawn, slightly irritable(and i'm a nice person), but VERY hyperfocused on my computer for hours and HOURS!!lol But I guess what works for one doesn't work for the other. I did drink 2 cups of green tea double baged, which equals 4 cups(it's mixed with white tea). But I avoided my morning coffee which I will greatfully enjoy tomorrow!!:D Good luck with your treatment....i'm searching for natural alternatives, which do not reveal to be promising as much as stimulants.:( Why do we have to resort to these stupid (I don't want to say dangerous and p*** anyone off), but I want to say....potentially dangerous stimulants. I'm sure they are safe for many, but I don't think that my chemistry was cut out for them, nooooo way. THat was SOOOOOO scary and thought I was gonna die!!!!!:faint:That reminds me, my first day of Adderall I had a really strong cup of a tea called White Earl Grey which is a mix of white tea, earl grey, etc. I had no idea you weren't supposed to have any caffeine with this med.:rolleyes: That was part of the heart-racing problem...

What's rhosio rosea BTW???

That reminds me, my first day of Adderall I had a really strong cup of a tea called White Earl Grey which is a mix of white tea, earl grey, etc. I had no idea you weren't supposed to have any caffeine with this med.:rolleyes: That was part of the heart-racing problem...

What's rhosio rosea BTW??? See, I read that 30mg of Adderall is like 60mg of Ritalin, however, I did take about a 2 week break from all meds in between the transition so that could be the culprit. My point is, when I would take ritalin at 60mg, I drank green tea all day and my heart never raced EVER with ritalin. I mainly drink green tea for the health benefits and one tea bag is 1/3 as much caffeine that a cup of coffee contains....you would have to drink 3 cups of tea to yield as much caffeine as coffee but I double bagged mine so it was like drinking about a cup and a half of coffee and I can't believe that happpened and it did happen after drinking my second cup of tea about 2 hours apart(again, both double baged).

What's rhodiola rosea(i wrote this on my notebook from another site and I don't know how you guys copy pages or quotes from other sites, my husband doesn't even know how to do that,lol).
Traditional Folk Medicine used R. Rosea to:
INCREASE PHYSICAL ENDURANCE which is a bonus cause I workout howver not much in the last few weeks cause I was so low of energy, I think cause my body was used to stimulants for so many months, plus I was crabby and I do notice a HUGE improvement in my cognition when I workout)
FATIGUE
ANEMIA
IMPOTENCE
GI AILMENTS
INFECTIONS
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDERS
WORK PRODUCTIVITY
LONGEVITY
RESISTANCE TO HIGH ALTITIUDES
SICKNESS
MEMORY AND COGNITION
R. Rosea stimulates norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin and enhances the effects of these neurotransmitters in the brain by increasing permeability of the blood brain barrier to precursors of dopamine and serotonin.

I'm gonne usel this in combination with ginko, l-tyrosine, fish oil(i'm increasing my intake to 2 teaspoons instead of one), cal mag, b vits and exercise.

I also bought these "brain entrainment" cd's from dr. Mercola's site which is supposed to TRAIN the brain and promote new brain connections through listening and meditating to these sounds. I know it sounds ludicros but I'm giving it a shot, what the heck. He says it's just as good as Holosync(which is more expensive).
All this in combination, and my 4 or 5 cups of coffee a day should help and if it does, I quit meds all together. I'm more along the lines of the "inattentive" Add type with just bad short term memory problems and YES stimulants(ritalin) DO really work but my body gave up on ritalin and Adderall scared the crap out of me! However, my mind feels so much clearer today after being on Adderall for days, I feel SO much better...I feel like i'm me!!:D I may or may not resort back to ritalin after the summer, we will see. Good luck everyone, I know this treatment stuff can be stressful!

Oh and I also wanted to include in the last post that some of my body chemistry may be the underlying issue of my "inattentiveness" and not necessarily ADD. I just needed a quick fix(cause I know the natural route seems to be costly and a pain in the a** but I'm working more now that its summer)cause I was in a VERY demanding program(nursing) and I only have one semester to go and so I have to say that RItalin WAS doing it's job very well and I'm all for anything that will improve one's quality of life cause suffering with this condition is way worse than the worry about taking stimulants, which HAS been proven to be very safe and was doing it's job. However, my doctor did tell me I that I was slightly anemic and I do have some anxiety when it comes to any kind of performance that requires concentration which yields stress which can alter memory, and this herb is known as an adaptogen which is used mainly for stress because stress can cause ALOT of problems.

As for these Cd's, I think I need to change my way of thinking and get rid of FEAR that I seem to have with many things and sitting quietly and trying to bring certain aspects of how I think during these times to my awareness sometimes is effective if not the most effective method of healing certain things.. I think going the natural route requires patience and determination, all of which I have problems with in the first place LOL but now I'm more determined because I really WANT to fix this cause I don't want to take meds the rest of my life. So this is just my plan and I hope it works, and I'm not trying to encourage the natural route but just in case your interested cause I did spend many hours researching this stuff and believe me, I'm not so sure about this but I think our brain chemistry is influenced by our thoughts and If I think "No this ain't gonna work" then it AIN'T.....it least that's how I feel.
THANK you SOOOOO much for reading, I know it's long, LOL. Any comments would be appreciated, or criticism, I don't care!:p

If I had experienced those side effects I would have called my doctor right away. I take 30 mg twice a day but I've been taking Adderall for about 5 or 6 years. I've only had a problem with jitters when I take it with caffine. Which is just dumb anyways. Did you drink anything with caffine in it during the day? Remember Adderall is extended release. And I don't think that the caplets should be split open. I'm not sure how the XR part works. If you want to quit taking your meds you should talk to your doctor. Be assertive, persistant, annoying, whatever. Tell them you are having withdrawls if you are. I just quit adderall for awhile last year and I toughed it out but I didn't like the way I was without it. I smoked cigarettes constantly and drank a gallon of coffee a day.No, I was taking the IR which was the Barr generic brand in which I read on here that many people have adverse reactions to. Soooooo, I don't know, but I do know it didnt' work out for me either!

The reason why I don't want to quit adderall is because I'm afraid I will become fatigued, lethargic, and gain weight. I've already gained plenty of weight when I was on adderall. So it's not like I use it to supress my appetite I eat regular. But in my experience of coming off I don't like how my body feels. The first effect I feel from not taking adderall is that my knees hurt. Then I feel all bulgey and fidgety and basically like I could come out of my skin. It's just an internal uncomfortable feeling that has always been there but somehow my adderall supresses it. I'm going to get my thyroid checked but someone mentioned to me to see a neurologist. I don't know if that's such a good idea. My intention of getting my thyroid checked was to look at areas other than my brain and rule them out.

Kudos to you ditzygirl for going aunatural you must really begin to feel a mind body connection. Those are good tips, keep up the good work.

The reason why I don't want to quit adderall is because I'm afraid I will become fatigued, lethargic, and gain weight. I've already gained plenty of weight when I was on adderall. So it's not like I use it to supress my appetite I eat regular. But in my experience of coming off I don't like how my body feels. The first effect I feel from not taking adderall is that my knees hurt. Then I feel all bulgey and fidgety and basically like I could come out of my skin. It's just an internal uncomfortable feeling that has always been there but somehow my adderall supresses it. I'm going to get my thyroid checked but someone mentioned to me to see a neurologist. I don't know if that's such a good idea. My intention of getting my thyroid checked was to look at areas other than my brain and rule them out.

Kudos to you ditzygirl for going aunatural you must really begin to feel a mind body connection. Those are good tips, keep up the good work.I love your siggy jane!
Anyhow, what makes you even think of going off of it? I do feel kinda fatigue today, but i was feeling like this for the few weeks off ritalin. I at first lowered my dose(first few days) and just quit cause even low doses were causing me headaches. I think it's a good idea to take breaks from theses stimulants based on my experience cause my body just couldn't take them anymore. Maybe others can, who knows.

They used to recommend "pill holidays" which means you should take breaks from your medication. I guess that way you know whether you still need them or not. I think I understand where you are coming from when you say your body couldn't take them anymore.

I wore myself out overfocusing last semester and my body was literally shot. I had to drop my classes because I forgot to take care of myself. I had a total lack of structure in my lifestyle at the time.

Usually, when I decide to stop taking my pills is when I actually feel better. I have a mood component with my ADD. When I look at my history it looks like I have bipolar disorder but I think it's just because I decide impulsively that I don't need meds anymore and then I crash and burn.

They used to recommend "pill holidays" which means you should take breaks from your medication. I guess that way you know whether you still need them or not. I think I understand where you are coming from when you say your body couldn't take them anymore.

I wore myself out overfocusing last semester and my body was literally shot. I had to drop my classes because I forgot to take care of myself. I had a total lack of structure in my lifestyle at the time.

Usually, when I decide to stop taking my pills is when I actually feel better. I have a mood component with my ADD. When I look at my history it looks like I have bipolar disorder but I think it's just because I decide impulsively that I don't need meds anymore and then I crash and burn.BiPolar and ADHD can easily coexist in one person. Have you ever talked to your doc about the bipolar aspects of your condition?
Personally, I take a mood stabilizer all the time and the adderall as needed and I find this to be the best combo I've come across, for me. Maybe you're similar?

Also, pill holidays are rarely suggested to "see if you still need them." They're usually either to take a break from side effects (like sexual side effects with SSRIs) or to help lower a built up tolerance or prevent too much of a tolerance. Any changes in the way you take or don't take you medication should be run by your doctor.

Then again if I had a doctor like the original poster's who threw me right onto 60mg of Adderall, I'd find a new one stat, then talk to the new doc about it.

What kind of mood stabilizer do you take? And do you take anything else with the adderall?

I would lower the dose to at least half if your gunna try again.

Heh, I took 80mgs of Strattera for 2 years, switched to Adderall, got put on 10mgXR 1 time a day, then doc bumped me up to 20mgXR a week later, then 30mgXR, and finally 2 30mgXR's a day. Works like a charm. However, I accidently took one last night around 5:30 because I had assumed my classes/homework was going to keep me up late. Turns out I couldn't get to sleep until 4 in the morning :( But, gotta' take the good with the bad :)

(Did you ever think it wasn't an anxiety attack but just the way adderall makes you feel until your body gets used to it?)

BiPolar and ADHD can easily coexist in one person. Have you ever talked to your doc about the bipolar aspects of your condition?
Personally, I take a mood stabilizer all the time and the adderall as needed and I find this to be the best combo I've come across, for me. Maybe you're similar?

Also, pill holidays are rarely suggested to "see if you still need them." They're usually either to take a break from side effects (like sexual side effects with SSRIs) or to help lower a built up tolerance or prevent too much of a tolerance. Any changes in the way you take or don't take you medication should be run by your doctor.

Then again if I had a doctor like the original poster's who threw me right onto 60mg of Adderall, I'd find a new one stat, then talk to the new doc about it.
I'm really curious about what your mood stabilizer is. I already take wellbutrin as well as adderall. I just always assumed that the adderall made me a little edgy.

I have seen a psychologist recently who evaluated me thoroughly. She said I answered six of the seven questions as a "kind of" that would give me a bipolar diagnosis.
It scares me that I might have it but then I think about all the pharmas I've been on and maybe it's just that.
I am an art student and I remember a year or more ago how talkative I was in critique and I was the only one who would talk. Then about mid semester I just stopped. God everyone must have noticed and thought what's going on with this girl.
Then I missed a few days of class because I was sick and I must have typed something really off the wall to my professor because he wrote me back a quote in french.

I'm on Lamictal now and I love it. Those are the only 2 psych meds I'm on now. The Lamictal handles my mood swings and depression and the Adderall helps my ADHD. I've found that with all of that more under control my anxiety is lessened overall.
I haven't experienced any side effects from the Lamictal at all. I've tried and hated other stabilizers in the past (depakote in various forms and neurontin, mainly) but this one is certainly the best for me. I find that I don't need an anti-depressant with the Lamictal. I took Welbutrin for a number of years and it was good but the Lamictal controls my depression as well if not better.

We can't really figure out if I'm "technically" bipolar or not. I have a lot of bipolar traits/tendencies but if you seperate my other problems and look at the cycling it doesn't add up to the DSM IV criteria for bipolar I or II really. I've been diagnosed both at different points and told I was neither as well. The bipolar diagnosis is partially why my ADHD wasn't recognized until recently.
I've decieded that for now I've found a treatment that works and I'm doing well in therapy so how well I do or don't fit into whatever disgnosis is really a moot point. I have my own special blend of crazies and as long as they're under control, I'm good with that. ;)

They are two totally different medications why would anyone think that they can be interchanged like that?

Ritalin was totally harsh for me and would make me cry. Concerta makes me a super b**ch. Both of those were tried at low dosages. What if they had given them to me at the dosage I am now with my adderal? I probably would have wanted to kill myself on the ritalin and someoen else on the concerta.

You need a different doctor.