Hey guys,

I was recently prescribed Dexedine 5mg twice a day. I was previously on 30mg Adderall XR and 15mg Adderall IR. How does Dexedine compare in terms of its potency to other stimulant drugs? Also, what is the half-life of a typical dosage of Dexedine? Is a common dosage for Dexedrine twice daily as opposed to 3-4 times daily as with many other IR stimulant drugs (e.g. Ritalin, Adderall)?

I can't comment on the other meds, but I take dexedrine twice a day. Once with breakfast (7:30am) and once with lunch (1pm). I find it has fully worn off around 7pm.

I get the "come down" around 6pm, where I am grumpy and irritable.

I take 10mg twice a day, but I am gradually upping the dose as the side effects subside.

I am also prescribed to take it twice a day. The thing is, I find that if I take a dose at 8am and another dose at 1pm, both have worn off by 6-7pm. As someone who continues to do work until around 11pm, I think a third dosage may be necessary. However, based upon the message board postings, it seems that dosing twice a day is a more accepted protocol for Dexedrine. Does it differ in its physical potency compared to the other stimulant meds?

However, based upon the message board postings, it seems that dosing twice a day is a more accepted protocol for Dexedrine. Does it differ in its physical potency compared to the other stimulant meds?Hey goinggone, and welcome to the forums. I have been taking Dexedrine for years, and I take 20mg 3 times a day. Before I took Dexedrine I would also dose 3 times a day on what ever other stimulant I was prescribed at the time, unless it happend to be an extended release version of something.

Concerning Dexedrine's potency compared to other stimulants, it's important to note that what is stimulating to one person can actually cause another person to fall asleep. That being said, dextroamphetamine is considered more potent than traditional amphetamine in the same way that dexmethylphenidate is considered more potent than methylphenidate.

The reason for it being considered more potent is due to the fact that the right isomer (hence the prefix dex) provides much more stimulation to the CNS (central nervous system), than the left isomer (levoamphetamine) of the drug is able to do. The left isomer of both amphetamine, and methylphenidate are considerably more pronounced in their ability to stimulate the PNS (peripheral nervous system) than the dex is able to do.

I hope this helps more than confuses the issue. Sometimes I tend to make things more complicated than necessary. :o

I also take dex ;-) 10mg , 3 times a day...7am, 11am and 3-4 pm ish..
I find it lasts well with this timetable, but if/when I can feel it wearing off, I promptly take the next dose, so they overlap..

I also combine 1 x 10 mg tablet of ritalin with every 10mg dose of dex..

Hey goinggone, and welcome to the forums. I have been taking Dexedrine for years, and I take 20mg 3 times a day. Before I took Dexedrine I would also dose 3 times a day on what ever other stimulant I was prescribed at the time, unless it happend to be an extended release version of something.

Concerning Dexedrine's potency compared to other stimulants, it's important to note that what is stimulating to one person can actually cause another person to fall asleep. That being said, dextroamphetamine is considered more potent than traditional amphetamine in the same way that dexmethylphenidate is considered more potent than methylphenidate.

The reason for it being considered more potent is due to the fact that the right isomer (hence the prefix dex) provides much more stimulation to the CNS (central nervous system), than the left isomer (levoamphetamine) of the drug is able to do. The left isomer of both amphetamine, and methylphenidate are considerably more pronounced in their ability to stimulate the PNS (peripheral nervous system) than the dex is able to do.

I hope this helps more than confuses the issue. Sometimes I tend to make things more complicated than necessary. :oThanks man, that's great! Would you recommend any sites where I could read up on Dexedrine? I would really appreciate all of the information that I can get on this topic, regardless of how dense it may be to some.

Perhaps some threads here can help you some more:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34569

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35183

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35603

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30195

I'm sorry I can't give more pertinent advice.

Hey guys,

I was recently prescribed Dexedine 5mg twice a day. I was previously on 30mg Adderall XR and 15mg Adderall IR. How does Dexedine compare in terms of its potency to other stimulant drugs? Also, what is the half-life of a typical dosage of Dexedine? Is a common dosage for Dexedrine twice daily as opposed to 3-4 times daily as with many other IR stimulant drugs (e.g. Ritalin, Adderall)?I've read from other posters here on the forums that dexadrine is the right side of the amphetamine, similar to Focalin being the right side of the methalphenidate. I would think that the doctor is 'easing' you into the dexadrine to make it easier to deal with the side effects or prevent them alltogether. The dosage probably be tritrated up since 5mg IMO couldn't equal 30 XR and 15 IR. But everyone is different and you may respond better to dexadrine. They do make Dexadrine ER that only needs to be taken 1-2 times a day. I belive it lasts 6 to 8 hours depending on the person. Just make sure to speak to the doctor first before making any med adjustments. I never took dexadrine before but my grandma took a low dose for weight loss and it worked for her...

I have two concerns with Dex. First, I've been on Dex for a year now (30mg twice a day) and it's not working as well as it used to. Should I ask my doctore to increase the dose? What is the maximum doseage?

And second, I find it only lasts 5 hours - not the 8 hours my doctor told me. I am concerned about raising both of these issues as my doctor may feel that I am developing an addition.

Any thoughts?

I've been on Dex for a year now (30mg twice a day) and it's not working as well as it used to. Should I ask my doctore to increase the dose? What is the maximum doseage?


Any thoughts?

It's possible that dexadrine may be ineffective at that dose for you. I think the maximum dosage according to the PDR (If I remember Correctly) is 40 - 80mg per day... Make sure you are taking the right dexadrine. There is an IR and an ER form. The IR is supposed to last 4 - 6 hours and the ER 8 - 12 hours...

I have two concerns with Dex. First, I've been on Dex for a year now (30mg twice a day) and it's not working as well as it used to. Should I ask my doctore to increase the dose? What is the maximum doseage?

And second, I find it only lasts 5 hours - not the 8 hours my doctor told me. I am concerned about raising both of these issues as my doctor may feel that I am developing an addition.

Any thoughts?
I have a thought. Have you tried different generics yet or have you just been on the same version of dextroamphetamine for the past year?

The reason I ask is because there are several different generic dextroamphetamine tablets out there, and most people notice a difference among them. I have found there to be quite a difference between each of the generics & the brand name.

I have found it beneficial over the years to try as many of the generic versions of a particular drug as possible before I switch to another drug. This is something that takes some time to do, but I found it to be well worth my time. It took me years to find the right drug, and then awhile longer to find the right dose, and then even longer to try as many of the generics that were available.

Yea. Like lars is saying, different generics will work differently for you too. You have to 'experiment' before you find the right med at the right dose. That's what tritration is all about...

I have two concerns with Dex. First, I've been on Dex for a year now (30mg twice a day) and it's not working as well as it used to. Should I ask my doctore to increase the dose? What is the maximum doseage?

And second, I find it only lasts 5 hours - not the 8 hours my doctor told me. I am concerned about raising both of these issues as my doctor may feel that I am developing an addition.

Any thoughts?That happened to me as well. I started taking just 5 mg a day, and after a couple years I was taking 30-35, and that still wasn't working that well. I've often read that you shouldn't go above 40mg, but I think it's different for different people.

No more d's, but you get the drift (hah!). My psychiatrist says the highest dose is the one that works for me. There was a mixup on my prescription one time and the pharmacist said that the dosage shown on the (incorrect) script was "a really high dosage." My response was, "My dosage is twice that." But the Dex had only marginal effect until my doctor got me up to that dosage.

I am pretty stable at my current rate. I take a first dose with breakfast (6-ish), and another at lunch (1-ish). It wears off around 5-6. The only side effect I have is that as it wears off late in the day I get really, really thirsty. If I don't take it with food it doesn't last near as long.

Apparently my dosage is relatively high. Relative is the key word. High relative to others, but just right for me. I don't know anything about the formulation, how it works, or how Barr capsules compare to other manufacturers' versions. I do know that dexedrine is the first med to work for me. If you find a med and a dosage that works for you, then that is what your med & dosage should be.

Be careful to not get into some kind of dosage contest, with others or with yourself. Drugs or dosages don't make someone 'more ADD' than others, it just reflects the diversity of differences in our bodies and ADD types. Good luck.

I take it 3x/day (2.5-5mg). (E.G. 7.5-15 mg/day)

P.S. Whoever said 30 mg day 2x/day, or 60 mg/day.
--> Gosh, no wonder you are TIRED. The more you take of a Stimulant med, the more Exhausted you will be when it wears off, eh?

What goes up (in energy level), must come down (cRaSh).
=:O