I am mostly Inattentive ADD.

I was on Ritalin fast acting. 10mg up to 5x a day, as needed.
Ritalin really sucked, and I ended up hating it.

I went to my doc, and asked to try DEX.
So he put me on it 3 days ago.


My experience. (5mg 2x day)

Ist pill.... made me super tired, I actually had to curl up and take a nap I was sooooo tired.
2nd Pill (4 hours later) NO REBOUNDS!!! Its amazing. I cant feel it kick in or leave. It made me want to do hw, and get things finished.

SECOND DAY:
I actually woke up BEFORE my alarm clock and felt RESTED!!! I couldnt believe it.. I normally need 15 hours of sleep and I still feel exhausted. I woke up before my alarm!!! I was so excited... but I dont understand why?!


1st dose that day: Felt calm, confident, and capable. The brain fog seemed to lift and I was able to think outside the box (something I COULD NOT DO on RITALIN)
I even had a free flowing conversationg with my teacher, and had no problem trying to think of what to say.
Felt sleepy when I stopped for awhile. Like if I sit for awhile, I would get sleepy.

Second DOSE:
Felt sleepy again, read over some stuff for a quiz. (didnt have to spend so much time as I normally do to study)

THIRD DAY:
WOKE UP AGAIN BEFORE ALARM CLOCK!!!! WASNT EXHAUSTED!!

1st Dose: My brain felt "intelligently aware, and eager to accept ideas"
NO REBOUND! Felt Less Tired

Second DOSE: I had a test,and was struggling and about the time that the DEX kicked in, I was suddenly able to solve the little problem I was struggling with.


Pros: No cravings for sweets, sugars, alcohol, or anything that is bad for me, In fact all I want to eat is Veggies, and Fruit..... wow!

Overall a great Improvement. I would never go back to Ritalin.

I am shocked that ritalin made things so much worse for me...it literally made me seriously dumb, and inside the box thinking.


So, for my first times with DEX, is this a NORMAL experience?

I know I am on a small dose, so far, and I feel like if I go up (in time, I am in no rush) things might just get better?!


Advice, replies, Comments, WELCOME! :D

excellent news V :-) excellent..I hope it continues to be so effective. I remember feeling the same way, like *wow*I can SIT STILL..LOL
I still struggled with learning, but, I'm getting there..

wow..that's the first post of the day, and it's put a huge grin on my face. I know you were struggling with the ritalin ...

happy happy joy joy
xxxxhugsxxx

Yes.

As my Doctor told me before starting Dexedrine, "it is smoother".

eg. less stimulation when it starts working, and less sleepiness/fatigue when it wears off.

Ritalin and Adderall are very brain stimulating, and the wear-off rebound was extreme for me. (eg. dangerously sleepy and exhausted)

It is too bad that Dexedrine has a reputation as an abusable drug, and prescribing is so limited by doctors -- i think that among those on a low dose, it is very safe and has much lower side effects than other stimulants.

NB. If you go to a higher dose, you will get stronger "rebound" (sleepiness) when it wears off. I take 5 mg three times/day, MAX.

You may even want to try taking 1/2 a pill (2.5 mg), esp if you use caffeine products.

Isn't it awesome? ;D

Man, I hope I never forget what it was like for me before dexedrine. When I first started taking this, I was amazed at how long I could concentrate! I remember the really weird feeling of going to the library and not wanting to leave! *lol* In all my years, I've never had that sensation before. I could never concentrate on something long enough to "enjoy" it.

I told my therapist the amount of coffee I drank was dramatically reduced. He mentioned it was probably because I was trying to kick start my brain! And yes, all the cravings for the crappy foods.. gone! Well almost! ;)

I hope you keep at it! :) Right now I'm on 12.5 mg of dex twice a day.

Dex is a good drug with low side effects. I'm getting overly tired on it however. The ritalin just feels only slightly better than caffine.

Since I started taking Dex, I have been needing to sleep less, and actually waking up wide awake, and eager to get up.... this is so weird to me.

Usually, I MUST sleep 15hrs or more a night, and have to drag myself out of bed exhausted.

I grew up always needing to sleep more, but, I have to wonder about the ritalin cause it seemed to make the sleeping worse for me.

Sleeping 15 hrs a day makes me thing you might have a sleep disorder, Veighen.

Does your Doctor know this???

I wrote this before in another post...

When I was younger when I would sleep on my back, i would wake up in the middle of the night because I felt like I would stop breathing. I would jolt awake and have to take a hude deep breath. I almost wondered sometimes if I was just dreaming that I was really stopping to breath, but, at the same time I was scared one time I wouldnt wake up in time, and die in my sleep.

My mom said she use to worry when I was a baby, I had done this, and she had jumped out of bed to check and wake me up because of it.

I have always needed to sleep along time, and when I was younger my mom even took me to the doctor because I always needed to sleep.

I wonder, I dont do this so much anymore, I tend to sleep on my side now.

I wonder if DEX is helping me get a better sleep.. and if thats why I am waking up feeling rested? But at the same time.. I wonder how taking my 2 doses of dex earlier in the day would have any effect on me getting a good sleep, and waking up feeling rested?

I cant see it carrying over...? Maybe this is just a coincedence?

At least the tired feeling after taking DEX is going away. The first time I took it, I had to take a nap ! :D

Veighen, your sleep habits are more indicative of sleep apnea. Waking up tired, needing lots of sleep, less problems when you sleep on your side. You need lots of sleep because the sleep you are getting is ineffective, not giving you real rest. You should speak to your doctor about this, and see a sleep specialist.

I agree with SuperSam that it sounds like sleep apnea, but could also be narcolepsy and maybe even sleep paralysis. I have all three, but my apnea seemed to go away when I started taking medication for the narcolepsy/sleep paralysis. I also take dex during the day for narcolepsy, and I think I started sleeping better (more sound) at night because of the fact that I was finally staying awake for most of the day. Definitely see a sleep specialist if you suspect apnea - severe cases can have long term affects on your heart health.

How's it going now V??

Dex has a much longer half life than Ritalin. Ive have both and I don't take them every day only when I feel I really need them which allows me to know what I'm normally like and how they work for me. When I wake up in the morning and I've had Dex the day before it is definitely still working in my body, my head feels totally clear and I can concentrate straight away. This is probably what's happening with you as well. I always think I've had a great night sleep eventhough I may or may not have.

I was just put on Focalin, and being that it's another form for Ritalin, I'm finding that it's very very difficult to think outside the box and get out of this brain fog that it puts me in. I am a software developer, and absolutly HAVE to be able to think. I can focus more, I just can't think. I'm glad to hear i'm not the only one who has had this problem.

I'm glad the dexadrine is working out for you. I can't take dexadrine because it would interact with the zoloft.

I am mostly Inattentive ADD.

I was on Ritalin fast acting. 10mg up to 5x a day, as needed.
Ritalin really sucked, and I ended up hating it.

I went to my doc, and asked to try DEX.
So he put me on it 3 days ago.


My experience. (5mg 2x day)

Ist pill.... made me super tired, I actually had to curl up and take a nap I was sooooo tired.
2nd Pill (4 hours later) NO REBOUNDS!!! Its amazing. I cant feel it kick in or leave. It made me want to do hw, and get things finished.

SECOND DAY:
I actually woke up BEFORE my alarm clock and felt RESTED!!! I couldnt believe it.. I normally need 15 hours of sleep and I still feel exhausted. I woke up before my alarm!!! I was so excited... but I dont understand why?!


1st dose that day: Felt calm, confident, and capable. The brain fog seemed to lift and I was able to think outside the box (something I COULD NOT DO on RITALIN)
I even had a free flowing conversationg with my teacher, and had no problem trying to think of what to say.
Felt sleepy when I stopped for awhile. Like if I sit for awhile, I would get sleepy.

Second DOSE:
Felt sleepy again, read over some stuff for a quiz. (didnt have to spend so much time as I normally do to study)

THIRD DAY:
WOKE UP AGAIN BEFORE ALARM CLOCK!!!! WASNT EXHAUSTED!!

1st Dose: My brain felt "intelligently aware, and eager to accept ideas"
NO REBOUND! Felt Less Tired

Second DOSE: I had a test,and was struggling and about the time that the DEX kicked in, I was suddenly able to solve the little problem I was struggling with.


Pros: No cravings for sweets, sugars, alcohol, or anything that is bad for me, In fact all I want to eat is Veggies, and Fruit..... wow!

Overall a great Improvement. I would never go back to Ritalin.

I am shocked that ritalin made things so much worse for me...it literally made me seriously dumb, and inside the box thinking.


So, for my first times with DEX, is this a NORMAL experience?

I know I am on a small dose, so far, and I feel like if I go up (in time, I am in no rush) things might just get better?!


Advice, replies, Comments, WELCOME! :D

Why would Dexadrine interact with Zoloft?

I haven't heard of any interactions of this nature....

<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" height="20" valign="top">Moderate Drug-Drug Interaction: Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) and Zoloft (sertraline) <hr> </td></tr> <tr><td valign="top">
</td></tr> <tr><td> GENERALLY AVOID: Several case reports suggest that patients treated with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) may exhibit an increased sensitivity to sympathomimetic agents. The mechanism of interaction is unclear. The reaction has been reported when fluoxetine was used concomitantly with phentermine, amphetamine, or phenylpropanolamine. Additionally, some sympathomimetic agents (e.g., amphetamines) may possess serotonergic activity and should generally not be administered with SRIs because of the additive risk of serotonin syndrome, which is a rare but serious and potentially fatal condition thought to result from hyperstimulation of brainstem 5-HT1A receptors. The interaction occurred in a patient treated with dexamphetamine approximately 2 weeks after the addition of venlafaxine. The medications were discontinued and the patient was given cyproheptadine for suspected serotonin syndrome, whereupon symptoms promptly resolved. A second episode occurred when dexamphetamine was subsequently resumed and citalopram added. The patient improved following cessation of citalopram on his own, and residual symptoms were successfully treated with cyproheptadine. MANAGEMENT: In general, amphetamines should not be combined with serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Close monitoring for enhanced sympathomimetic effects is recommended if these agents must be used together. Patients should also be monitored for signs and symptoms of excessive serotonergic activity such as CNS irritability, altered consciousness, confusion, myoclonus, ataxia, abdominal cramping, hyperpyrexia, shivering, pupillary dilation, diaphoresis, hypertension, and tachycardia.


</td></tr></tbody></table>

I don't know what the above means but that's what I found when I did a search with zoloft and dexadrine together...

I'm just curious, how were you before you started taking any meds for your ADD?