I know I posted on this before but I will like more answers about my questions. I've been on Adderall XR since October 2006, I started at 10mg/day and now I'm on 30mg/day. Everytime I see my doctor, which is once a month, she have to increase my dose because I need more. The last time I've seen her though she didn't increase my dose she just told me to take 20mg in the morning and 10mg in the afternoon. She decided to do so because I asked her if I should switch to Adderall IR and take one part of the dose in the morning and the other one in the afternoon since Adderall was wearing off around 3pm when I used to take my 30mg dose in the morning. She told me that she don't want to prescribe me Adderall IR because it's stay too long in the body and it's better Adderall XR cause it's slowly built up in you. I don't know why it seems like doctors are scared to prescribe Adderall IR. I talked before to people who were on Adderall IR and they said the effects of the pill are much better then being on XR, they're able to have them right away and when it wears off they just take another one to finish the day.

Another thing I notice is Adderall is working much better on an empty stomach. Since I want the good effects of Adderall to stay as long as possible I barely eat during the day. Now I'm even scare to eat because I don't want Adderall to stop working. I'm getting so skinny it's very scary. I don't want to lose too much weight and be sick but I have so much to do during the day and I have two young kids to take care off that I need the full effects of Adderall to help me.

I really need some help on what should I do to make Adderall stay in my body as long as possible but still eat healthy. There's one thing I'm doing since being on Adderall that can't hurt me is drinking lots of water but other then that I don't know what should I eat.

Please can anyone help me?

Brigette

I have the same problem with Adderall and honestly? I am going back to Concerta ASAP. I cannot afford to mess about with my body and food and worry about the meds dying off like that.

She told me that she don't want to prescribe me Adderall IR because it's stay too long in the body and it's better Adderall XR cause it's slowly built up in you. I don't know why it seems like doctors are scared to prescribe Adderall IR.


That makes no sense whatsoever. Adderall XR is basically 2 Adderall IR doses packaged into a controlled release formulation. The first half is released when you take it, and the second half is released four hours later. So, basically, taking 20mg of XR is approximate to taking 10mg of IR adderall now and taking 10mg four hours later. There should be no significant difference in how long the drug lasts using either strategy. That's not to say that there's no variation whatsoever between the effects of IR and XR, as many have reported IR being more effective than XR at the same amount per day. But in theory, it should be the same.

The drug is not built up in you (at least not to a significant degree). You take it every day to get the effect. It does not increase over time. I think she might be referring to titration instead. Even in that case, it still would not matter, provided that you use an equivalent dose. 30mg XR == 30mg IR per day, split into smaller doses throughout the day. 30mg XR does not equal taking 30mg of IR at once!

I guess there could be a couple of reasons why some may be reluctant to prescribe IR meds. One may be possible increased abuse potential. Some extended release meds may be designed to inhibit crushing to hinder snorting them. Most IR meds are readily able to be crushed and snorted. Also, since you are more likely to have to take IR meds with you, they are more likely to be stolen or lost.

Thanks HighFunctioning for your reply, it's very helpful.

Crazy~Feet are you taking Concerta ASAP for ADD? If so are the benefits from the pill are like Adderall?

Brigette

Thanks HighFunctioning for your reply, it's very helpful.

Crazy~Feet are you taking Concerta ASAP for ADD? If so are the benefits from the pill are like Adderall?

BrigetteConcerta is also for ADHD like Adderall is. Its a unique, long-acting form of methylphenidate (Ritalin) as opposed to amphetamnine salts. The difference I have found between the two is that Concerta takes effect very rapidly (about 1/2 hour) and has a sustained release mechanism, no 50/50 split like Adderall XR. I can eat, I can sleep, I can drink whatever I want to and it does not effect Concerta (much, too much citric acid will effect it but I am allergic to citrus fruits so all I really have to watch is tomato-based foods).

I get the same clarity from Concerta that I got from Adderall and considering I had no lapses in effect, I would say it was the better choice for me. I see my doctor Thursday and plan to ask for my 81 mgs back and just change my evening booster medication to Dexadrine instead of IR Ritalin (too hard of a rebound on that stuff IMO).

ASAP == as soon as possible ;)

Good luck and keep us posted!

Thanks Crazy~Feet for your response it was very helpful. I will talk with my doctor about Concerta, maybe I'll switch to it and hopefully it will work well for me.

Brigette

If you are going to try a methylphendiate medication (i.e., Concerta or Ritalin or Focalin), perhaps you should try Daytrana, basically it's ritalin in a medicinal patch. Since it's a patch it does not rely on whats in your tummy to absorbe, unlike Adderall and other oral medications, which, like you said, may absorbe better if you have nothing in your tummy.
Also, Daytrana is a medicinal patch that you just put on your body in the morning and then take it off a few hours before you want it to stop working (btw, it's made by the same makers of Adderall XR, and if you go to the website, I think you can get a coupon for a free 1mounths supply of Daytrana, so bring that into your Dr if you're going to ask to switch to a methylphenidate based medication).

@ Brigette: I admit, you may give methylphenidate a try, although the functional effects of both amphetamine and methylphenidate are broadly similar (--- there's even a cross sensitization ).

But please don't do the same mistake like me: I always asked the doctor for a dose increase of methylphenidate ( because of hard time at school, lots of class tests and projects etc.) until he wanted to switch me from methylphenidate to atomoxetine ( with atomoxetine, you don't want a dose increase, cause there is no dopamine increase in the ventral striatum with it ---- but this increase is very important for focused attention and enhanced task-related neuronal firing ).

So an extended release form of methylphenidate or amphetamine is much better than pure noradrenaline uptake inhibitors or even nothing at all. ( Admittedly, germany is an ugly nation considering prescribing schedules! )

Furthermore, I think you could combine/augment your amphetamine or methylphenidate ER cocktail with a very small daily dose of reboxetine ( ca. 2 mg/d ), modafinil ( ca.25-50 mg/d) or selegiline ( in any case no more than 10 mg/d-----otherwise you mustn't combine it with psychostimulants ).
These meds all have the potential to increase the effects of add stimulants and guarantee a good effect over the long-term ( but only use them with caution and in very small dosages, of course you have to discuss it with your doc ).


Good luck!

I know what works for one can be the exact opposite experience for another. So, please keep this in mind when reading this post. I will tell you what seems to have worked for me however and thus thwart tolerance, and that is: I take drug vactaions! Personally, I think it's insane that many take stimulants back to back, seven days a week. I may be blessed however, since the benefits of adderall seems to last me beyond a day of taking a dose. (15mg XR daily) I remain fairly clear for at least 2-3 days afterwards, before I start to wind down. I average taking adderall roughly no more than 3-5 days a week, with two to three days of "drug vacations" in between. My ADD mind is not so unfuntional, that I can not go through a day without taking adderall. The "vacations" also allows for me to catch up on much needed (deep) sleep which in my opinion is essential for maximising the benefits of stimulant medications. The only down effects of "drug vacations" for me is that I always get a little euphoric with my first dose back on the medication. Many might find this a good side effect. If you have worked up to such a high dose however on a daily basis, I would not recomend that you try this without talking to your doctor first. I would imagine you would certainly have to reduce your dose gradually before trying to take a drug vacation. Another tip (which I got from this forum) that I think has done me wonders, is to excercise and eat healthy. With the help of Adderall, I now do 30 minuites of aerobic excercise (on my Noric Track) 5 days a week, and I eat healthier than ever. I eat several small meals throughout the day and drink lots of water. I think this also helps keeps me more in tune during my off days.

I admit, regular vigorous exercise is also extremely useful to achieve better work performance.
It may even allow you to lower your daily psychostimulant dose while retaining their positive effects.

I admit, regular vigorous exercise is also extremely useful to achieve better work performance.
It may even allow you to lower your daily psychostimulant dose while retaining their positive effects.
You know, as much as I want to believe this...it just does not hold true. For myself at least. I can run for 45 minutes, do yoga, or some resistance training, and i notice absolutely NOTHING different in how my medication works. Nothing. Except maybe feeling more tired. Great... :eyebrow:

Ya, I don't do any of that stuff because psychostimulants are supposed to be somewhat of a weight decreaser, so why would I want to decrease my weight even more,
but maybe my logic is flawed here, is it?

Shire is soon to be introducing a newer extended release version of Adderall in the form of Vyvanse. I take XR and it definitely does (in my case anyway, everyone's different) wear off in much less time than it is claimed to work. I'm also thinking of either switching to IR or just switching to Dexedrine instead. This is just my personal opinion, but I figure they wouldn't be revamping their extended release unless it had some issues that needed to be sorted. Granted, the generics are soon going to be available for XR and that might be their primary reasoning, but their IR has been around for how long?

Anyway, if you can't get IR, you might be in luck when Vyvanse comes around.

as far as the food goes, eat lots anyways. Your body will not function very well without nutrition. I know you want to have the full effects of the meds, but not eating will do more damage than good. Believe me, i'm doing two engineering degrees, i get the whole stress thing, but i guarantee that not eating hurts you badly. It doesn't really seem like it at the time, but it does.