Hello everyone,

I've been on a generic Adderall type stimulant for about 4 days now. I started at 2 x 5 mg and yesterday went up to 3 x 5 mg per day.

This is what I've been noticing:

1. I'm generally more motivated, although at times I feel extremely relaxed and mellow (too mellow?)

2. The dose tends to poop out at about the 3.5 to 4 hour mark.

3. Some slight hand shakes, especially after my first dose, although not as extreme as it was on Wellbutrin.

4. I find I tend to be more serious. One of my strongest attributes was my sense of humor throughout my life. I hope this gets better.

5. I sleep better - i think. At least when I wake up in the morning I don't immediately feel frustrated and depressed, with that "the world will end soon" feeling. I generally feel calmer and more peaceful (without the depression).

6. I can focus better , but not on multiple tasks. I tend to lock in a little more, but I guess that's better than being so multi-aware that I can't focus on one thing.

7. I find I get brain lock sometimes; not often, but enough to notice. It's not the Brain Fog that I experienced almost daily before. It's more like "lock" hmmm?..I don't think I can find a better way of describing it. It doesn't last long, but it does feel a little like when I used to smoke pot and felt the paranoia coming on. By the way, pot never relaxed me, although I kept using it to get what everyone else was experiencing. It always made me hyper and paranoid. Anyone else have this reaction??

8. I'm definitely less frustrated throughout the day, but I do have some nervousness that comes and goes, but its more like a distant nervousness.

9. I'm an artist, and my art has improved drastically. Before, I would feel like every day I was starting over. My mind and body couldn't seem to build upon the previous days experience, but now each day I'm getting better, and retain the body an perception memory form the day before.

In general I would say I feel more relaxed and clear and less frustrated, depressed, and "brain fogged".

I haven't been formally diagnosed with ADD. I took some tests given to me by a Psychiatrist friend which showed moderate add , and I've taken numerous tests on line that showed the same thing (scored 65 on one test, on Amen test it said I most likely had add with my subtypoe scores listed below).

ADD Combined Type-Not Probable
ADD Inattentive Type -Highly Probable
Cingulate System Hyperactivity - May be possible
Limbic System Hyperactivity - Highly Probable
Basal Ganglia Hyperactivity - Probable
Temporal Lobe System - May be possible

I don't have insurance, so getting tested in a facility is too expensive right now.

I originally went to my local doctor because I thought I might be diabetic or have low thioroid, which both turned up negative.

I'm taking on line college courses, and I was finding it almost impossible to study. I could read a page 8 to 10 times or more and have no idea what I read. I would look at the page and that's all it would be; just a page of symbols. Throughout the day, whenever I had to concentrate for long periods of time on anything, I would end up "blipping" out; "nodding off mentally". and it seemed the harder I tried to focus the duller I got.

I was also suffering from chronic low-grade depression and severe frustration. Most days were a process of depressed try, fail, severe frustration, and then depression.

Sorry for the long post :o. I probably should have put some of this in another forum.

The doctor first put me on wellbutrin, which helped, but made me really irritable and short-fused.

So, now were on to Adderall.

Thanks for being here everyone,

LUNARFROG

i read this and i thought i was writing it wow.............. brain lock it sucks and it usually is when im talking to someone one on one, i think im concentrating to much i dont know. I was like this before meds but sometimes worse with meds. i concentrate better and am real creative for the most part....i can start things and finish if i want to and have gotten better. i am best at and have more fun starting 10 things at once and someday getting one finished but after a while this works on the mind because then it seems like will never get anything done. im doing better also at least now i understand why i had to read a page and get halfway through it and start over again cause i didnt remember how i got there. reading really sucked for that reason and for some reason nobody listened to me or just didnt understand adhd.. yeah i feel ya over and out dont know if this helps or confuses u more

Thanks Lor...

It does help, just to know your'e not alone.

Yeah, Brain Lock does really suck:mad:.

How long have you been on meds? Has your reading comprehension improved?

Lunar...

Wow luna, I feel the same way. It's a lot better than the way I used to be that's for sure hehe! I would rather hyperfocus than have brain fog though. It works great for when i am at work or reading. I can read a whole book in a day now.

I wouldn't be too quick to judge anything until after the first month. For me, the brain lock went away after a while. Brain fog is gone entirely, but it was a trade off for

completely uncontrolable hyperfocus for a while. The only two long term side effects I've got at this point are peroids of being excessively angry for no real reason, and skin

problems (cuts heal really slow, can get freezer burn from soda cans...). Experienced all sorts of strange side effects at first though.

:) Can totally relate to all of the symptoms. After reading this post, I don't feel so alone. Thanks.

Honeymoons over already???

It's Day 5

I woke up more tired than usual, took my 5 mg and nothing much. Can a tolerance build that fast. The past 4 days I would feel a comfortable warmth and enthusiasm to start the day about 30 minutes after taking it, but today I feel only slightly more awake, a little irritable, and had some trouble keeping my mind on track.

Maybe its just a bad morning??:(


Lunar...


Empty Set ....Good to meet another Cheesehead;) on the forums.
Kfabulous....Thanks for the info about the reading improvement.

5mg isn't much, and I can tell you in my experience your body can adapt "build up tollerance to it" in that amount of time. The first time I started on Adderall my beginning dosage was 20mg (mind you that my major symptom was chronic fatigue; especially in the morning). The 20mg changed my life drastically for the first 2 1/2 weeks. I was sleeping normally. I woke up feeling wide awake, refreshed, and enthusiastic about starting the day, with a positive non-irritable clear headed freedom. By the end of the 2 1/2 weeks I slowly began to feel more and more tired, irritable, foggy, and more like myself prior to Adderall. At this point I increased my medication to 20mg in the morning, and 10-15mg in near mid-day. That made all the difference.

So talk to your doctor, and tell him exactly how you are feeling. There's a good chance that you will need to increase your dosage. 5mg isn't much at all, especially for an adult.

Lunarfrog...........ive been on meds i think 3-4yrs . i started out at a low dose 10mg 3x a day and it did me good but i didnt like it cause i was always looking at watch wonder if its time to take my meds yet.....so i went on the 20mg xr which worked great exept around 3 or 4 i would loose focus and be dead when i got home oh and i also was having social anxiety again. Docter said if i increase my med may last longer maybe this is true but i am on 60mg know and after 3 or 4 im dead. i think i should have stayed on the reg adderall maybe 20mg 3x a day or if they would let me 20mg xr 2x a day.... i have been taking one 30mg xr around 6am and another when i get home from work at 4:30 and this does me good i wish i would have tryed this on a lower dose at first cause my tolerance is up there pretty good. oh as far as reading a book i dont know i have no interest in doing that. Postes i can read if im iinterested an seem to retain. My advice would be stay on as low dose as u can if 10 works good but wears off in after noon try 2x or 3x a day good luck

There are still bad days from time to time. A short series of early morning frustrations can dump a whole day just like in the times before treatment. However, I now have better ability to deal with this by taking a time out and reformat my situation.

Remember to never give any person enough power to wreck your day.

Ejom,

Thanks for the advice. I'll talk to my doctor about it, but there's definitely no increase in dose for at least a week--he made this clear.

Lor,

Thanks for the info. I'm definitely going to stay on as low a dose as I can while still getting the benefits.

HugoinTN,

Yes, I have to remember that medication is just an aide not a cure.

Question:

I take 15 mg a day: 5 on rising, 5 before lunch, and 5 around 4. Would it be more effective to take 10 on rising and 5 after lunch?

I have to admit, I'm a little apprehensive about the whole stimulant thing. It seems from reading posts on the forum that tolerance builds fairly fast. After a person finds their correct dose, how long can the benefits last before having to increase again??

months? years?:confused:


Thanks,
Lunar....

yea lunarfrog, i though i had brain damage i felt so dumb while on certain amphetamine based meds for ADD and you know what i did...? i switched to a different manufacturer and all was better within a week max (my problem was i couldnt rememebr names and small stuff (as if it was like the 'pot haze')) but i switched to diff company and all better again! good luck and there is more than one generic to adderall try switching it up good luck again

Ok....

This is starting to get annoying. This morning I took 7.5 mg of adderall. I felt a little more awake right away(just a little), but in about an hour I felt like I was on a muscle relaxant (extremely mellow, but not very alert). I have very early morning tasks I have to complete, and I found myself more forgetful and less connected. It took about 3 cups of coffee for me to feel more alert.

Does this verify that I'm ADD. Would a non-ADD person have this reaction??

I mean, If I was having trouble sleeping, this would definitely be the cure.

I actually felt more alert on Bupropion (Wellbutrin), but maybe it was because it was so irritating, and uncomfortable in my system??? I really didn't like the way I felt on it, but it kept me from being complacent.

:confused: Lunar....

I'm not exaclty sure, but I understand more of where you are coming from now. I always thought that if you take Adderall and feel mellowed out to a ceratain degree it somehow proves you have ADD. Because otherwise you'd feel like you were on speed. Not sure if that's accurate though. Because I also suffered with chronic fatigue and Adderall corrects that, so I feel more awake and mellower at the same time.

I definately find that caffein especially coffee acts as a type of catalyst for Adderall. In other words, for me it causes the Adderall to "kick-in" and effects how well it works for me. I get somewhat of a rush within 20-30 minutes of taking 20mg of Adderall in the morning, and within the next hour it tapers off and I feel that mellow or muscle relaxant feeling you describe. It's not until I have my coffee that I feel it kick-in again and then I'm good to early afternoon. Luckily I have a 35 minute drive to work.

How early do you have to get up? How much time between taking your dose and having to work do you have? Is it possible for you to wake up earlier and get a cup or two of coffee in before you need maximum concentration?


Oh and two your questions:
I must of misread and thought you were only taking 5mg. I see now that it's 5mg three times a day. And sorry, I didn't mean that you should take my advice over your Doctor's. It's just for me and my condition I could tell you that 5mg in the morning would not have the desired effect. I would talk to your doctor, but I think you would be better taking a little larger dose in the morning. Either 10mg or 15mg. Obviously you want to increase slowly, and you only want to increase if it's necessary.

It's really not that unusual to feel the opposite effect at a small dose. Nicotine is a stimulant, yet people feel relaxed when they smoke. Alcohol is a depressant yet people sometimes feel more active and energetic while drinking.

It may all just be a little fine tuning. For me 5mg wouldn't be enough in the morning, but 30mg would be uncomfortable. For someone else 30mg may feel perfectly fine in one dose. Right now, 20mg in the morning and 10mg at mid-day early afternoon seems to work out just about right.

Thanks for the info Ejom! Nice to hear someone else has some of the same experience with Adderall.

I have to get up between 5 and 6 am every morning. I don't have the option of coffee before my morning duties. I belong to a religious group, and we fast before our early morning services. I can take the adderall with water because it is medicine. I think I'll try the 10 mg of adderall in the morning and then take 5 mg in the afternoon, using coffee for now to get me thru until I can see my doctor. I'll still only be taking the 15 mgs the doctor recommended.

By the way I smoked from the time I was 14, and thinking back to when I quit at 25, That may have been when the ADD started to worsen. Hmm? Interesting.

Thanks,
Lunar.........

I started smoking my first year in college because it helped me concentrate, at least for a short period of time. Twenty-five years later when I started to quit my concentration really gave way. My job was in jepardy because I was making mistakes in math and typos on the keyboard. Within a couple of months after quiting I got back enough focus to survive. Thirteen years later I started to smoke again. No mental benefit this time and I'm stuck with the habit once more. I started ADD treatment about four months after I resumed the nasty habit. I plan to quit agin when I can make it a realistic goal.

I smoked (cigarettes) from the age of 14 as well. I really took to it, and to be honest, it did help with my concnetration. I too quit at around 25. I think it's part of the self medicating before diagnosis.

I don't think that the smoking caused the ADD, but it was a coping mechanism. They have done studies that show that nicotine heightens short term memory. And since my brain got used to it, it was miserable for me (just like everyone else) to get off of it.

I'm not sure that anyone fully knows the long term effects that all the chemicals in cigarettes has on the brains wiring.

I think that ADD left untreated in adolesence has a devestating impact on one's adult life. It seems to really catch up with people by the early to mid twenties. Even though I believe I have had ADD my whole life, It was around 23 that it really became a serious problem.

I was only able to quit smoking after starting Adderall. It still wasn't easy, but it didn't feel like my world was coming to an end when I couldn't have one (Started around 13,

ended at 21).

I'm honestly surprised there aren't more of us Wisconsinites here :). Good to see I'm not alone though.

I'm not sure why there aren't more Wisconsinites. Maybe its the rugged farmer individualism and stoicism;)

Continuing my Med Thread:

Today I took 10 mg in the morning for the first time.

It was quite a difference from 5mg. I actually had some sort of mini-anxiety attack. Nothing real serious (no excessive heart pounding or anything), but I could tell if I focused too much on what I was feeling it was going to be a problem. A little like pot paranoia. I'm guessing that this will be less tomorrow. Luckily in my past life I had a fair amount of training talking myself down;).

I also noticed a little dry mouth, and colder extremities.

I had to give a talk this morning while this was going on---Not recommended!

Today I feel more sped up and a little edgy, but again I'm hoping this will be more of an alert calmness tomorrow.

Lunar.....

"but I could tell if I focused too much on what I was feeling it was going to be a problem"

I found that to be important. It's sort of a paradox we're in sometimes. You are trying a new/increased medication so you need to be in tune with how you feel, yet your state of mind can cause everything to intensify. It's quite easy to start giving yourself a panic attack.

I usually try new doses/ new meds on the weekends, It gives me at least two days to adjust to it. I know it's not always possible, but the extra anxiety of knowing you have to be in front of people has a tendancy to increase unwanted effects (for me).

Hopefully things will settle down in the next couple of days. Keep us posted.

I still get cotton mouth sometimes. I haven't noticed the colder extremities but I think Adderall makes me sweat more. I had to change my deodorant to an Extreme Sport deodorant/anti-perspirant brand.

had to give a talk this morning while this was going on---Not recommended!

I'm more at ease in that situation, but I'd better have some water near by.

Ok,

The main side effect for today is irritabilty and some spaciness. I went back to 5 mg 3 times per day.

The irritability is moderately severe. Smiling is a real effort. This is about day 8. How long will this last???

Thanks,
Lunar.....

Lunar,

The effect I felt from Adderall changed a lot in the first month. Make sure you give this med some time and realize that the effects can change. The first week I took Adderall, I felt euphoric, then as I increased the dose I got headaches for a couple days. After these first couple weeks I started really noticing the benefits of Adderall. I went through like 3 or 4 phases of the drug where it felt different in my system. After a couple months or so the side effects of the drug began to wear off slowly. I've now been on Adderall (without missing one day) at 10 mg IR (Shire) 3 times a day for 4 1/2 months and the effects are still changing, though not nearly as much as before. Adderall has definitely been a lifesaver for me. It wasn't until a couple weeks ago that most of my insomnia went away. For some people their body adjusts and they develop a tolerance relatively quickly, but everybody's different....

Different doses work for different people but I'd say that 5 mgs 3 times a day is a very reasonable dose to be starting out on. I've seen people on this board starting with 20 MG of XR twice a day and that's just too much IMO. Infact from what I've read here, the dose I take is still slightly lower than average. That said, maybe try 10 a couple more times and see how it goes. Find a safe place to take it where you aren't having to perform in front of people. Maybe try 10 on a Saturday/Sunday and see how it goes.

Still having irritability issues. I'm really thinking about switching meds (if my doctor will let me). Its been about 10 days since I started. I know this may be rash, but now without increasing my dose I'm becoming almost constantly irritable, and I get pressure headaches 4 hours after any dose. The headaches are pretty strong.

Would ritalin be drastically different than this?

Searching for a solution,

Lunar....

The thing that bothers me is that the adderall has helped my concentration and motor coordination so much, but maybe Ritalin would do the same. I'm hesitant to try Strattera and wait 4 to 6 weeks for it to just start working.

....to other issues. I really identified with your initial post, having scored similarly on the AMEN tests. I found it interesting that the AMEN test took a good look at overall anxiety and depression.....I think that this is a major factor in many cases of ADD. Without getting on the :soapbox: about the depression factor, I guess I would suggest taking a look at your other life changes besides the medication.

Are you getting enough sleep to realistically expect to wake up early?
Is it "quality" sleep?
Are there other concerns that may be weighing on you right now?
Have you done anything/spoken to anyone about the signs of depression?

I think that ADD, like any other disorder, requires at least a two pronged approach.....medication and contemplation. The latter can occur in the form of self help books, time for reflection, family/friend support, or counseling. Just because you might now have the energy to face problems or challenges doesn't mean that you can really go it alone.

So, without knowing more about the situation, I'd consider taking a look at the other changes you've made to accomodate your new medication and approach to a "better" life.

Thanks for the advice Yogi.

I think your probably right. I do need to look at other factors and a possible comorbid condition.

I was on prozac once, but I really hated it. I couldn't stand the plastic feeling.

Lunar.....

Hello everyone,

I think I may have come upon something. For the last two days I have been taking the adderall with food, which has seemed to somehow slow the onset process, which seems to help the anxiety.

Today I spaced my doses about 6 hours apart, which seemed to help immensely. Before this I was trying to space them 4 hours apart. On the 3rd dose I didn't feel any anxiety, only a calm well-being and alertness.

It was nice for a change.

I just thought I'd throw in some positive posts to offset my negative ones ;).

Lunar...

I was just reading through here and I have been taking Ritalin rather than Adderal but I what works for me in the morning is to set my alarm for about an hour before I actually want to get up- take my ritalin- go back to sleep for an hour or so. By the time I actually get out of bed the meds have had a chance to sort of kick in.
I definitely agree that some coffee or caffeine after I am up seem to accentuate the meds as well but if that isn't an option maybe the pre-wake-up dose might help you.

and for the most absolutely INSANE reason.

I posted this on another thread, and I ask everyone to go read it as a form of 'Please don't let this happen to you!' http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32706

But, long story short, my beloved 4 legged kid Fonzi somehow got ahold of one of my 20mg Adderall tablets (I assume I dropped it on the floor). The whole story is there, (he's doing as well as can be expected at this point) so I won't rehash.

However, as I was driving him to the overnight care facility, I realized I had such an 'on point' reaction during the day. As you can probably tell by my avatar, that silly little dog is very important to me. I love him like crazy, and his last trip to the vet, pre Adderall, was a horrible day for me, and it wasn't remotely as bad as today in terms of his health, I was just beside myself. Confused and scatty, I just couldn't seem to keep the anxiety in check as the Dr. performed a rather minor, yet painful for the little guy procedure to alleviate an infection. It wasn't life threatening, but you wouldn't know it by my reaction at the time.

Today, however, the Dr. called me after he had a seizure to check on what he got ahold of. The Dr. explained what I needed to look for in the house, I followed his instructions with clarity while I was on the phone with him. It didn't dawn on me how 'functional' I was during a life-threatening-for-my-pet crisis until long after the crisis had passed.

I really handled the pressure well, didn't let the anxiety overwhelm me, and kept myself in relatively calm state without actively 'thinking' about keeping myself calm. Today was one of the first days I could really feel like my meds had a positive effect on me. (my dog, however, is definitely not a fan of adderall!)

I am in a very similar situation to what you describe. I also have 4 years of substance abuse research and a psych degree so hopefully something I might say is useful. I have taken Adderall before but never from an Rx. I have known for at least 5 years that I had some form of ADD due to the effects that dexedrine, ritalin, or adderall had on me. I went from an overwhelming feeling of confusion and frustration over trying to do 15 tasks at the same time and making careless mistakes in nearly all of them, to finally focusing on one thing until it's completion and feeling satisfied that the work was my best. I have been taking Wellbutrin XL for about a year at 300mg/day. I tried it a few years ago in college but it was for depression and didn't really seem to do anything at all. My honest opinion is that any depression I was ever diagnosed with was actually my own frustration over not being able to do or complete things that I knew I was capable of doing. That over time will make you quite depressed, getting lower grades, having a hard time studying anything at all, and even postponing grad school because I knew the work would overwhelm me. I smoked weed for at least 5 years on a more or less daily/all day long basis. The only thing it ever really did was make me relax, but it made me lethargic and destroyed my memory and cognitive abilities. I quit smoking and noticed a big difference, but my ADD did not go away. The Wellbutrin I take now in combination with 25mg of Adderall XR around 7am, and then a short acting 15mg of adderall later in the day when it stops working, usually around 3 or 4pm. My pdoc explained it like this: after a whole slew of pdocs saying they wouldn't even try me on stimulants without the $1000+ testing, I finally found a wonderful psychiatrist who still believes in trial and error. He started me with 5mg XR adderalls. His instructions were to take one the first day, and expect to feel nothing. The second day, take two. If that doesn't do anything take three the next day. I repeated this until day 5, at 25mg when I finally felt perfect. No side effects, not even loss of appetite. Everything was sharp and clear and I had energy and motivation to do what I wanted to do. I could wake up better in the morning and stay awake/pay attention more during the day. When I told him it only worked until about 3:30, but I need to keep working until around 8, he gave me the regular release, short acting adderalls with the same instruction. 15mg of that seems to do the trick. I responded to your post because your situations seem so similar. I am also an artist (that was actually my second degree) and before the adderall I would have 10 or more unfinished paintings laying about the house and even when I had the urge to paint something I felt incapable of continuing any of my pieces I'd already started. Now I paint almost every day, and I follow through with my vision from the days before when I started the painting. I read a lot of research articles at my job, and I used to read the same thing over and over again and still have no idea what I just read. Now I read something usually only once, and quickly, and maintain the important parts of it like a normal person would. Like you, most mornings were a very BLAH state of groaning over having to do anything, despite the fact that I love my job and am relatively happy with my life. Even taking a shower or driving my car just seemed like work because it was so hard to focus. Now I get up and do everything one is supposed to do in the morning, usually singing on the way to work along with my radio. I don't get irritated at everything the way I used to, because nothing seems that hard anymore. My suggestion to you is keep up contact with your doc. Let him know what changes you're experiencing and how they're affecting you. I found that by being specific with my doctor he seemed to have pretty good solutions. Like several others have said, the 15mg is relatively low and some people metabolize the drugs quicker. Some people actually take 90mg a day due to fast metabolizing. So just try to be very aware of yourself and how you feel compared to how you normally would feel without the meds. Hopefully the right combination will be found for you soon. Good luck!




Hello everyone,

I've been on a generic Adderall type stimulant for about 4 days now. I started at 2 x 5 mg and yesterday went up to 3 x 5 mg per day.

This is what I've been noticing:

1. I'm generally more motivated, although at times I feel extremely relaxed and mellow (too mellow?)

2. The dose tends to poop out at about the 3.5 to 4 hour mark.

3. Some slight hand shakes, especially after my first dose, although not as extreme as it was on Wellbutrin.

4. I find I tend to be more serious. One of my strongest attributes was my sense of humor throughout my life. I hope this gets better.

5. I sleep better - i think. At least when I wake up in the morning I don't immediately feel frustrated and depressed, with that "the world will end soon" feeling. I generally feel calmer and more peaceful (without the depression).

6. I can focus better , but not on multiple tasks. I tend to lock in a little more, but I guess that's better than being so multi-aware that I can't focus on one thing.

7. I find I get brain lock sometimes; not often, but enough to notice. It's not the Brain Fog that I experienced almost daily before. It's more like "lock" hmmm?..I don't think I can find a better way of describing it. It doesn't last long, but it does feel a little like when I used to smoke pot and felt the paranoia coming on. By the way, pot never relaxed me, although I kept using it to get what everyone else was experiencing. It always made me hyper and paranoid. Anyone else have this reaction??

8. I'm definitely less frustrated throughout the day, but I do have some nervousness that comes and goes, but its more like a distant nervousness.

9. I'm an artist, and my art has improved drastically. Before, I would feel like every day I was starting over. My mind and body couldn't seem to build upon the previous days experience, but now each day I'm getting better, and retain the body an perception memory form the day before.

In general I would say I feel more relaxed and clear and less frustrated, depressed, and "brain fogged".

I haven't been formally diagnosed with ADD. I took some tests given to me by a Psychiatrist friend which showed moderate add , and I've taken numerous tests on line that showed the same thing (scored 65 on one test, on Amen test it said I most likely had add with my subtypoe scores listed below).

ADD Combined Type-Not Probable
ADD Inattentive Type -Highly Probable
Cingulate System Hyperactivity - May be possible
Limbic System Hyperactivity - Highly Probable
Basal Ganglia Hyperactivity - Probable
Temporal Lobe System - May be possible

I don't have insurance, so getting tested in a facility is too expensive right now.

I originally went to my local doctor because I thought I might be diabetic or have low thioroid, which both turned up negative.

I'm taking on line college courses, and I was finding it almost impossible to study. I could read a page 8 to 10 times or more and have no idea what I read. I would look at the page and that's all it would be; just a page of symbols. Throughout the day, whenever I had to concentrate for long periods of time on anything, I would end up "blipping" out; "nodding off mentally". and it seemed the harder I tried to focus the duller I got.

I was also suffering from chronic low-grade depression and severe frustration. Most days were a process of depressed try, fail, severe frustration, and then depression.

Sorry for the long post :o. I probably should have put some of this in another forum.

The doctor first put me on wellbutrin, which helped, but made me really irritable and short-fused.

So, now were on to Adderall.

Thanks for being here everyone,

LUNARFROG

Thanks for all the continued replies everyone.

I can definitely relate Sar... Thank you for the advice.

Just an update:

I was able to get in touch with a medical psychiatrist who gave me a script for 15 mg xr. I'm supposed to take one in the morning and then substitute when needed with the generic 5 mg I have left in the afternoon and evening. She also said I could try 2 (15mg xr), one in the morning and one in the afternoon, if I thought that would work better.

First off, there's definitely is a difference between the XR and the generic. I don't know if it's just the delayed onset, but I feel so much better on the XR. I feel much more clear-headed and less-irritable.

Second, Its really great to have a Doctor that will work with me on this, instead of making me feel uncomfortable about openly asking about changing medications or upping a dose.

Lunar....