I started Adderall XR in October 2006 and now I'm up to 20mg twice a day. I am really concerned because the effects of the pill are not as good as before and I have to keep increasing my dose every month. The last time I've seen my doctor she told me she wouldn't increase my dose because 40 mg each day is the highest dose she can give. Because of that I decided to take only 20 mg on one day and take 40 mg on another day. That way I think my body wont be as addicted to the pill and I wont need an higher dose.

I know I'm not a doctor and I'm only experiencing here to see how my body will react to the medication. I really need Adderall to cope with my daily activities and I'm trying everything I can to have the most out of this medication.

Can anyone tell me if what I'm doing is alright? Should I keep taking Adderall XR 20mg twice a day as my doctor prescribe because I heard the amount of medication I have in my body should be the same each day so the benefit of Adderall will work better?

If someone can answer my questions I'll greatly appreciate it!

Brigette

You should ALWAYS take any medications AS PRESCRIBED!

Ok, what you should do is talk to your doctor about your ideas...there is no harm in doing this. Tell her that you just want the medication to continue benefiting you, and in an attempt to keep your tolerance low, you want to try cycling 20mg on one day, and 40mg the next. See how she feels. Just dont use the word "addicted"--it doesnt sound good. Say "tolerance" instead.

My doctor gives the freedom to take Adderall 'as needed' Between 20-40mg a day. Some days I take none at all....He has absolutely no problem with me making the choices. So what you are considering is far from unheard of...

Thanks Justin for your reply, I appreciate it. I'm glad to hear other people take Adderall the same way I do so it wont built tolerence. I will talk about it with my doctor next time I see her.

Brigette

Brigette0615 - Look up info on drug holidays/reverse tolerance

Yeah I would also look up info on supplements such as magnesium, vitamin b6, and what seems to help me the most, tyrosine. Besides supplements I switched from 60mg XR adderall to IR, so I can break the pills in half (they come in pressed tablets instead of capsules). I dont need 60 every day, so some days I just take 45. Might wanna give that a try.

Hey Chad---when is it that you take the Tyrosine supplements? Because I tried doing this, taking the tyrosine about 2 hours before Adderall, and I didnt notice any difference. If anything, it seemed less effective.
So im curious as to when your taking it.

I started Adderall XR in October 2006 and now I'm up to 20mg twice a day. I am really concerned because the effects of the pill are not as good as before and I have to keep increasing my dose every month. The last time I've seen my doctor she told me she wouldn't increase my dose because 40 mg each day is the highest dose she can give.

Brigette

Why can't she prescribe higher than 40 mg xr? My doctor said that 40mg xr is the highest the FDA recommends but she said it will not hurt me if I am on a higher dose. I was on adderall for the past 3 months and by the third week I was already on 60mg xr and it still didn't seem to help in a lot of ways.

I saw my doctor yesterday and she let me switch to concerta 36mg twice a day. Maybe you should try a different ADD med because everyone responds differently to each med.

I don't feel any different really with the concerta so far but I just started today. Hopefully it will help because I have so much going on in my life, the last thing I need is to be ADD! Next time I go to my doc she said she will probably add an IR if I need it, which I'm sure I will.

I hope you find your answer!

Why can't she prescribe higher than 40 mg xr? My doctor said that 40mg xr is the highest the FDA recommends but she said it will not hurt me if I am on a higher dose.
I don't know why my doctor can't prescribe higher then 40mg. When talking with her it seems to me she don't know much about Adderall.

I am kind of scare to try another ADD medication. I will stick with Adderall XR for a while and keep my fingers cross it will work for a longer periode this time.

Good luck Danigus with Concerta! I hope it will work for you.

Chad, I already take Magnesium vitamins, I heard it helps the body to absorbe Adderall.

Thanks Optimum00 for the info, I will definately look up holidays/reverse tolerance.

Brigette

I think we need to remember that medication is an aid not a cure. I have come to the conclusion that medication isn't going to eliminate my adhd only help me cope with it.