I have been on Adderall for about 6 months now. I started out taking 10mg intant release generic pills(3 a day) at first. The first few days on the meds were great I felt like i was living the life I deserved, that i was supposed to be living all along, and then.... well, it seems that most of you know what happened after a few weeks. It didn't seem to work as well as it did in the beginning, I reacted by taking more than 3 every day, and the results were quite shaky. Some days i felt good, some days i felt terrible, but the effects were never the way they were when i first started taking it.

I tried to get my doctor to prescibe me a larger dosage for the last few months in vain.

Now I'm supposed to be taking one 20mg Adderall XR in the morning and one 10mg IR adderall at 4 pm.... and the results are very different every day.
I was sticking to that for a few days but it never really achieved the effects I wanted, the effects I had in the beginning.

Now, I almost stopped taking it completely, I usually take one 10mg IR late in the day when i feel I should be getting things accomplished....why, cause i can't really feel it working anymore.

so I guess these are my questions:

1) what should I do regarding my meds? switch to regular IR's and up the dosage? should I get higher dosage XR tabs or should i switch meds altogether.

2)How can I achieve the effects of my first few weeks of adderall treatment? or get close....

3) What are things that might be hindering the Adderall from working properly?

4) What should/can I do to increase the effect of the Adderall or decrease it's side effects?

....I know that this thread is definetely long and I'm not asking easy questions here, but I'm desperate to get a grip on my ADD. Any help is appreciated.

PS.my first thread/post

Maybe you should consider upping your dose of the XR. Maybe mixing the two together is having an adverse reaction on you. Here's what I did: Quit taking the adderall altogether for about 2 or 3 days. See how you feel. After that, take just one of the XR, no IR, and see how you feel. Then do a day of only IR, no XR. Write down any differences you see and maybe you can figure out what works best for you.

Oh, also, I've heard that taking a Vitamin C or drinking citrus juices really affects the way adderall is absorbed. This is VERY true. I was taking a Vitamin C every night before bed and it was affecting the way my adderall was working all of the next day. Since I stopped taking the Vitamin C, I feel so much better. I hope this helps.

I can't say this would be a solution for you, because in the medicine world, everyone is different. I can relate to your story very well however, as I somewhat went through the same thing. I finally stopped taking Adderall every day and would only take it 3-4 times a week. So far this has been a life saver for me! I am able to get better sleep when I am off the drug, and when I get back on it, I am sharp as a tac! Being ADD for a few days out of the week has not been a problem for me so far. I find that I still get a little benefit the day after a dose anyways. The only issue I've had so far with taking several off days from adderall, which many might consider a benefit, is that I get euphoric each time I start back on it. I want to talk to everyone and I say whatever is on my mind without much reprehension. I can't say this will WORK for you, and I would certainly ask my doctor about it before trying such. At least taper down before going cold turkey.

I am finding, for myself, that taking the Adderall (XR) before eating helps a lot. Regardless, the effect has changed. The euphoria, the energy - those are the initial reaction.

My doctor told me that the drug interactions are very, very important. When I said to him that Concerta hadn't worked nearly as well for me, he pointed out that I was on Paxil at the time, and now I'm taking Cymbalta. The norepinephrine boost from the Cymbalta, combined with the Adderal, is a more powerful combination, and undoubtedly is a better mix for my particular brain chemistry. There are enough medications on the market that if one isn't working for you, you have a lot of other options (single meds or combinations). Try keeping a journal for a few days, record what you ate and when, when you took the Adderall, when you took any other medications, what you did, and how you felt. It'll help you to recognize patterns, and will give your doctor some insight into what changes might have to be made.

What a classy photo Faylen!

1) what should I do regarding my meds? switch to regular IR's and up the dosage? should I get higher dosage XR tabs or should i switch meds altogether.

2)How can I achieve the effects of my first few weeks of adderall treatment? or get close....

3) What are things that might be hindering the Adderall from working properly?

4) What should/can I do to increase the effect of the Adderall or decrease it's side effects?
I guess first off, I want to say: There is no wonder drug. No one little pill is going to correct EVERY aspect of your problem, at least not permanently.

Upping dosage will work for only so long until your body's natural tolerance catches up and you're back to square one, so to speak. As with most drugs (especially those as notorious as the powerful stimulants we are treated with), those first two weeks will always be the most theraputic and productive. This is because you are feeling the full-on effects of the drug. You won't feel that way ever again most likely, unless you take regular "drug holidays" relieving your body of its tolerance slightly.

The thing hindering the effects is your brain's regulation of the new serotonin and dopamine levels that have been flooding in due to the levo and d-amphetamine compound that is Adderall.

Also, on the subject of decreasing side effects: I believe most negative side effects come from the aforementioned levo-amphetamine which is responsible for most of the edginess or grittiness that comes with Adderall treatment. Medication such as dextrostat that consist of only d-amp are known to feel much "smoother." But the l-amp is believed to help treat ADHD symptoms.

I hope this isn't too heart-breaking, but it is the truth. You may have thought you'd found the miracle substance, but it is short-lived. This is especially true if you begin seeking those first effects by taking more than prescribed. After all, Adderall is made to make you concentrate and its effects are supposed to become subtle; it's not to make you some sort of super-human, creative, work-horse robot. :)

Hope this helps!

Drew

Hi Pero....

I have been on Adderall short acting before..and am now on Adderall XR (max dosage, 40mg for me).
I can obviously only share what happend with me.....and help perhaps answer your questions?




1) what should I do regarding my meds? switch to regular IR's and up the dosage? should I get higher dosage XR tabs or should i switch meds altogether.

Well is my first question is...your doc gonna be open to these...because you don't want to up them yourself? Unless he's given you the okay. I do that now,,,only because I have been on ADD meds for years.
I mean up or down the dose...within the rage he gave.( I will explain more...in a minute...)
If he is open. Why don't you try one then the other? See if he will try you on the IR at a higher dose for a month? Which is usually enough time for most of the side effects to discipate and time for you to see what's not working?
And then try the XR in a higher dose? same way?
I dind't like the short acting..because of the hills and valley's...or "brick" wall effect between doses.

I love the Adderall XR for that reason..and not having to remember to take them 3 times a day.
I vary them as well. If I am at home...i take the regular dose and that's it.
If I am working ..and it's a "work week" at home..meaning kids/homework, routine...I take 20mg XR in the moring about 7-8ish..then take another 20mg about 11am or so...not too late or no sleeping without..um my sleep aide...
But that gives me enough of the meds to make it through work/home...
I don't ever....take more than 40mg. I just modify within my allowed dosage. And my doctor is aware I am doing it. I never upped my short acting without asking the doctor....

If he refuses to adjust or offer other meds, and if you are not just being impatient (like we ADD'ers tend to be) and you are not "expecting" a pill to "cure" you...then you might want to explore another doctor....or a second opinion,.

I would recommend....using a med journal..or just plain old spiral notebook and track how both are working...and let him know. THis might help him and you both out....it's hard for most of us to remember what happened this morning wiht all our distractions...but to go a month and remember how you feel on a regular basis...and see what is what is almost impossible for a non-ADD person...for us..umm almost impossible? ;)

2)How can I achieve the effects of my first few weeks of adderall treatment? or get close....
hmm sorry, what effects specifically are you talking about?

3) What are things that might be hindering the Adderall from working properly?
Many things...diet, supplemnts, other meds, metabolism, not enough dosage, wrong meds for you?

4) What should/can I do to increase the effect of the Adderall or decrease it's side effects?
Some side effects go away with time. I know mine decreased within the first couple of weeks. Like the "euphoria" , jitters, complete loss of appetite, headache. You body initially does treat "stimulants" physcially just for what they are (amphetimes),,,until you adjust. Your brain work's like it's supposed to..but the body is still going to have the effects? Make sense? Some of the minor side-effects stay? For me it's the "dry, bad taste in my mouth, that has never gone away. (drink lots of water, chew mints, gum..hard candy?)The appetite is not completely back..but it's enough where I don't have a drastic weight loss..I tend to be a little heavy anyway, since kids...so it's not a bad thing. I just try eat healther and even if I am not hungry....I eat small "snacks" ....


If the side-effects are extreme or seem to be to you. Let the doctor know.you might need to try soemthing else. For example. I have tried Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin (early days Wellbutrin)...several of these had such severe side-effects I had to stop, some didn't work at all?
If the side-effects are ok..you have to weigh...the cure vs the illness?


Well my post is long too..LOL


And btw..

Welcome!

Hope