I've been taking Provigil (off-label) for ADD for 6 weeks now along with low dose Abilify (2mg's off-label - 2 months) and am switching to Adderall 5mg IR x2 tomorrow becuase the Provigil (100-200mg's/day) has stopped working it's magic. In the beginning it worked well (good energy, better focus, longer attention span etc.) but lately, I feel like it works for about 1-2 hours in the morning and the rest of the day is one big "crash" with side-effects.

Does anyone know if the 5mg IR "brand name" tabs are better than generic? I've heard the IR form lasts ~ 6 hrs and the XR ~ 12 hrs? Is it common to get anxiety from Adderall? Many say it produces a nice calm focus. Is there a way to avoid the afternoon "crash" by timing the doses right? Is 5mg IR X2 the basic starting dose? My Pdoc said I could ramp up the next day if I wasn't getting the desired effect. Sorry so many question's! Thanks.

Any input or advice would greatly appreciated:)

Btw, I was wondering if I should give the Provigil a day to clear my system (12-15 hour half-life)? This morning I only took 50mg's (1/4 of normal dose) and I asked my Pdoc. if I could switch Provigil to Adderall right away and he said yes. Just curious if anyone had any thoughts on this?

Thanks again :)

Ya you can switch right away go for it (5mg of Adderall is a light dose for most so any possible interactions between the two drugs I'd expect to most likely be very minimal), I know of any reason to let Provigil clear your system

Does anyone know if I should start with the "Brand name" of Adderall or is the generic just as good? I'm getting my rx filled in a couple of hours and want to start out with the BEST Adderall if possible.

Thanks guys:)

I was wondering how you will judge Provigil's or Adderall's effect, if you are ALSO taking Abilify.

Adding a confound (eg another drug) complicates things like judging outcomes.

People might say that Ritalin or other stimulants cause side effects, BUT, they are ALSO taking another drug (eg an SSRI, etc).

*something to keep in mind*

I'm curious if anyone can tell me how long 5mg IR Adderall lasts. In other words, if I dose at 9am how long should I wait until my next 5mg's? It's the end of day 3 and I must say my a.m. dose (5mg's) doesn't seem to help me all that much but after my second dose (5mg's) I feel better focus, can filter out what people are saying, more confidant and I'm able to multi-task better (all very mild though). I feel like my dose(s) lasts ~ 4 hours tops. My Pdoc said if I didn't notice much after my a.m. dose(s) than I "could/should" take a whole 10mg's in the afternoon but I'm scared of building a tolerance so if anyone has any experience or advice I would greatly appreciate it :)

Thanks...

ir typically lasts about 3-4 hours. When I take it, my first dose is around 830a and I take my 2nd dose by noon at the latest.

From what I understand (my psychiatrist told me) 20mgs is the typical IR dose (which is what I take).
I've been on Adderall IR for 8 years, btw. Tolerance has never been a problem for me with this med.

Hey Living,

I thought my liver was eliminating Adderall a bit quickly but I guess not? Today I took 5 mg's at ~ 10am and by 2:30 I was crashing so I took another 5 mg's and within 45mins. I felt much better (energized, alert, focused and ready to go)! Since I'm awake 16 hrs/day should I take another 5mg's later in the day (like ~ 6ish)? Or should I take 10 mg's in the afternoon? I don't even feel my am dose (haven't the first 4 mornings - strange) but the second dose is like night and day?

I'm also having a hard time figuring out when to eat? Should I eat when I get up and wait to dose or dose and then eat later? Any experience would be greatly appreciated:D

Thanks...

My Pdoc told me to up my dose from 5mg IR x2/day to 5 mg x3/day. I'm very new to Adderall (5th day) and want to stay at the lowest possible effective dose but 5 & 5 only last me about 7 hours tops. I guess I'm thinking, should I give my body more time to adjust or go ahead and take a 3rd 5? I feel like I could benifiet from it?

Thanks in advance for any input/advice/experience.

I've been taking 5mg's 3x/day (~ 5-5.5hrs. apart) for the last 8 out of 10 days (first 2 days took 5mg x2) and feel like I need to throw in another 5mg's for better coverage (20mg's total). My question: would dosing every 4 hrs/day (5mg IR) be better than just taking 10mg's IR x2/day? I've never taken 10 mg's before but am curious if anyone has played with their dose and found that 2 bigger doses were better than 3 or 4 small ones? My Pdoc said it was ok to play with my dose but am I being too careful?

Thanks for any input :D

For a while I was taking 2x 10 mgs in the AM and 1x 10mgs in the PM. When I moved to 20mgs I didn't notice a difference. I would be surprised if you did if you go to the 10mgs.

I'm confused. Are you taking 10mgs per dose? or 5mgs per dose? I understand you are taking the 5mg pills . .. but what's the dose?



EDIT:
no longer as confused.

Ok. I re-read your last 2 posts. 10mgs lasts as long as 5mgs lasts, so that part doesn't make a difference. if you want a longer lasting med you could try Adderall XR.

Sorry if that was confusing :confused: I'm taking 15mg's/day "total". I take 5mg by breaking the 10mg tablets in half (3x/day). I'm curious if dosing 4 times/day (5mg x4) closer together would eliminate some of the "crash effect" I get? Or would 10mg twice/day be a better option? If your saying 10mg's doesn't last any longer than 5mg than would taking 10mg's instead of 5mg's provide a better level of focus and concentration during that 3-4 hour period? Have you taken XR before? My Dr. said he prefers to rx IR because you can manipulate the doses easier. Should I try 10mg am and 10 mg pm and see how I do?

Thanks in advance :D

Sorry if that was confusing :confused: I'm taking 15mg's/day "total". I take 5mg by breaking the 10mg tablets in half (3x/day). I'm curious if dosing 4 times/day (5mg x4) closer together would eliminate some of the "crash effect" I get? Or would 10mg twice/day be a better option? If your saying 10mg's doesn't last any longer than 5mg than would taking 10mg's instead of 5mg's provide a better level of focus and concentration during that 3-4 hour period? Have you taken XR before? My Dr. said he prefers to rx IR because you can manipulate the doses easier. Should I try 10mg am and 10 mg pm and see how I do?

Thanks in advance :DAs long as you aren't going way off-kilter with your dosage (i.e. taking 40 mgs a day when only prescribed 20), experimentation is going to be the key in determining what works best for you. There are so many variables that come into play with these types of drugs, and it's your duty as a patient to work around these variables to help the doctor determine the dosing schedule that works best for you. All the doctor can do is give you basic guidelines, and as long as you follow these you should be OK.

Remember these are high abuse potential drugs, so notify your doctor before you decide to tinker with dosages so he/she knows your plans, and be sure you follow your plans safely.

By the way, my personal experience with XR was OK at first, but soon became riddled with side effects because of my metabolization. I have since been using the IR to much greater effect. XR is worth a shot, it just didn't work for me.

dsc6072,

Thanks for the reply! I'm going to try 5mg's x4 (every 4 hrs.) today. Btw, I spend alot of time doing yardwork (kicking up pollen) and have been getting "hay fever" (allergy attacks) alot lately and was wondering what allergy med. is best to take along with Adderall? I'm trying to deal with em' but they have become pretty annoying...ugh!

Thanks again :D

I've never taken XR. I really like IR. I don't get crashes, so it's nice to not have to worry about it. If your doc is open w/ you putzing w/ your meds a bit and you're wondering how you'd do on 10mgs then try it.

As for allergy meds, I think it's ok to take any of them w/ Adderall. Talk w/ your physician about that and just make sure to tell him/her you're on Adderall.

Well, I chickened out yesterday and stuck to 5mg IR x3(instead of 10 & 10). This morning I was going to take 10mg's upon waking but stayed with 5mg's. However, for my second dose(today) I took 10mg's (15mins ago) and am hoping for better focus, deeper concentration and attention. I'll be back for an update soon :D

Ackkk! I just lost my update! Anyway, It's been almost 2 hours since I took 10mg's and I definitely notice a difference! I'm able to stay on task and concentrate much better. Everything seems a bit brighter(more alert?) and my thought's are more linear.
It took longer to start working so maybe the effects will stay with me a bit longer? Either way, this is good news :D

Any comments/experience would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks :)

My advice FWIW: unless your Dr gave you permission to increase the dosage, don't increase it any hire than you have, and next time you have a meeting with him/her tell him how much better 10mg worked, and ask if you can change all your dosages to 10mg.

Hey Edward,

I was told to play with my dosage(up to 20mg's/day) and I've called my Dr. both times I've gone up. a 10mg dose compared to a 5 is like night and day. I have a feeling my target dose will be 25-30mg's/day IR. I've been worried about tolerance so thats why I said I chickened out earlier. I've had the green light to go up but have felt the need to be very careful at the same time. Now I think I'll just take 10 and 10 since he gave me 10's to start off with(was taking 5mg's 3 times a day).

Thanks for the reply :)

cool :) ya just didn't want you to avoid trouble

it's great to hear that it's working well for you, nameste!

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your support!

Btw, I live in a very pollen infested area lol and was wondering if "Alevert" is ok to take with Adderall? I can't go outside without my allergies acting up(VERY HIGH grass pollen count right now).

Thanks :D

I started out taking 5 mg IR x2 for the first 4 days then my Dr. told me to up my dose to 5 mg x3 for better coverage. I then felt I needed an increase and spoke with my Dr. 3 days ago and was told to take a full 10 mg's (5-10-5) which seemed to work pretty well the first day but has been pretty dissapointing since then.

The first day I took a 10 (3 days ago) I had already taken 5mg's upon waking (was told to do it this way) then another 5mg's after dinner. So yesterday, I dosed the same way (5 -10-5 = 20mg total) but today I started out with 10mg's (instead of 5) and felt some focus for about 30-45mins. tops :confused:

Now I'm not sure if I should take 5 mg's now and 5 later or take another 10mg's? I have a feeling that I'll crash by 7 pm if I take a full 10mg's instead of spiltting my dose (5 now and 5 later). Can anyone help me figure this out?

Also, I take the generic IR (BARR) and feel like each dose is different (pretty good - good - decent - ok - sugar pill)? Whats up with that? I feel like most of the tablets are 50-80% Adderall (maybe my dose is too low?). I see my Dr. in 2 days, should I ask for an increase and the Brand name? Is Sandoz (EON) a GOOD generic? I've read that one should try the Brand at least once to see how they respond? I've got a lot on my plate right now and need to be attentive, focused and alert.

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ANY INPUT AND/OR EXPERIENCE!!!

THANKS :D

For me personally, I prefer to take smaller doses more frequently than larger doses farther apart. My Dr said I could take the IR up to 4-5 times a day (as long as I don't exceed the daily mg allowed) because my metabolism is really fast so the IR lasts only like 2.5-3 hours for me. So I do a lot of splitting the tablets and taking them every 2.5 hours. That way there isn't as much of an up and down. Also, i feel like sometimes the tablets differ too!! But maybe it's because of other factors like how much sleep you got the night before or how much you ate that day etc...? who knows. Frustrating!! Trying the brand name is worth a try if cost isn't an issue. I've read a lot of posts that say it works better for some people. Good Luck!! :)

Hey Nicky,

Thanks for replying :) I ended up splitting my afternoon dose and took 5 & 5 for a total of 20mg's. It seems like my doses start to fade in about 2.5 hours too! So tomorrow I'm going to take 5mg's every 3 (4 5's) hours giving me roughly 12 hours coverage (hopefully). If you don't mind, how much do you take and do you take drug holidays?

Thanks :D

I called almost every pharmacy in town today looking for something other than BARR Adderall and found EON (which I've read is very close to Shire?). I Had it filled a few hrs. ago and will give an update tomorrow. Also, my dose was upped from 20mg's/day to 30-35mg's/day to find the dose that best suits me.

So, has anyone taken EON before? If so, how did/do you like it compared to other generics including "brand name" IR Adderall (duration, potency, focus, concentration etc.)?

Any experience and/or input would be greatly appreciated :D

Thanks!

Day 1 (10mg 3x/day EON)

There are many threads dedicated to comparing one generic IR to another so I will be brief in explaining how I feel EON is different or better than BARR (for me).

1) EON: Smooth clean and predictable.
2) BARR: releases too fast IMO, producing a scattered-like surge of energy that lasts for roughly 1.5 hrs..
3) EON: releases slower producing better focus, concentration, attention and energy.
4) BARR: seems inconsistant making it difficult to time doses.
5) EON: lasts longer than BARR.
6) BARR: too soft and doesn't always break evenly.
7) EON: splits well and is double scored for accurate dosing.
8) EON: works better overall (for me).

I wanted to post my experience with EON for anyone having problems and/or struggling with BARR and is looking for a different or better generic. So many Dr.s and Pharmacists say there is absolutely NO difference between generic brands (not true) but from my experience there is! I want to try "Shire" at some point but my insurance wants $208.93 for #90 10mg tabs :eek: but for any generic it only costs me $8.00.

Thanks for any input/experience in advance :D

You can always write on the prescription "per patient No generics by Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc" then sign your signature below that, just make sure you don't write over any of your Doctor's handwriting (I've written something ilke this specifically requesting the brand in a little bubble to the side to keep it distinct from my psychiatrists writing)

Day 1 (10mg 3x/day EON)

There are many threads dedicated to comparing one generic IR to another so I will be brief in explaining how I feel EON is different or better than BARR (for me).

1) EON: Smooth clean and predictable.
2) BARR: releases too fast IMO, producing a scattered-like surge of energy that lasts for roughly 1.5 hrs..
3) EON: releases slower producing better focus, concentration, attention and energy.
4) BARR: seems inconsistant making it difficult to time doses.
5) EON: lasts longer than BARR.
6) BARR: too soft and doesn't always break evenly.
7) EON: splits well and is double scored for accurate dosing.
8) EON: works better overall (for me).

I wanted to post my experience with EON for anyone having problems and/or struggling with BARR and is looking for a different or better generic. So many Dr.s and Pharmacists say there is absolutely NO difference between generic brands (not true) but from my experience there is! I want to try "Shire" at some point but my insurance wants $208.93 for #90 10mg tabs :eek: but for any generic it only costs me $8.00.

Thanks for any input/experience in advance :D

Hi namaste'

Just to throw in some additional experience:

I've taken the EON labs version, and for the most part, I was fairly impressed with it. It was very consistent in duration of action. I thought it seemed to work better, mg. per mg. than Adderall XR (though the difference was not that great). Concerning BARR (which I currently take), I don't really have a huge problem with it. I have noticed that it is more inconsistent in the duration of action. Some days, it seemed to last 3 hours, while others it will last 4.5. For the most part, though, the standard devation here is quite low, and usually makes the 4 hour target.

As far as the pricing... the last time I looked, generic Adderall for me anyway was fairly expensive. I think the last time I looked, for me, it was approximately $50 for 30 tablets, which I think is not that much less than the price for brand name (90 tablets for you ... $50 * 3 == $150 (the pricing goes by the pill, not necessarily by the total drug quantity)). I do think I am getting ripped off though, as I have investigated pricing and I have found *much* lower prices online (at legitamate insurance-company driven mail-order pharmacutical supply).

I'm curious if anyone that has taken generic IR Adderall has had problems finding their dose? My morning dose (currently) is 15mg, early afternoon dose is 10mg and my third dose is 10mg. I've been on IR for about 3 weeks and the only thing I can figure out is that my last dose seems to be the most productive for me (calm, focused, attentive and able to concentrate). The first dose (15mg's) works ok but fades pretty fast depending on what and when I eat. The second dose is usually better (more focus etc.) and lasts about 3-4 hours. The last 10mg's produces a much more intense focus, confidence, brighter mood, more energy with lower heart-rate, very calm, multi-tasking is easy, can stay on task for hours and lasts 4+ hrs.. I don't want to go any higher than I need to but I feel like this dose (range) is only helping me later in the night. I've been crashing in the daytime after my 2nd dose napping sometimes.

I was taking BARR (started at 5 & 5 then up to 5-5-5, then 10 & 10) but got a refill and switched to EON labs and my dose was upped to 35mg's/day - 15-10-10) which seemed smoother and more consistant at first but now I'm not sure which brand is best for me because I never took the BARR at the 35mg level. I still have enough BARR for 2 days at 35mg's should I try that and see how that works or is this more of a "dosage issue"? I feel like the EON works very well late in the day like its releasing too slow or something? BARR always came on pretty fast but I needed to take it more often which was fine so I guess I'm just frustrated and a bit confused :confused:

Bottom line...

More IR (so far) closer together seems to yield better results but if EON releases slower than maybe I just need more? Would breaking the pill up into 1/4's make it release faster or too fast creating rebound sooner? Rebound sucks :( SORRY SO MANY QUESTION'S! I WOULD "REALLY" APPRECIATE ANY INPUT AND/OR EXPERIENCE :D

I just filled a free trial of Adderall XR (10 mg capsules) and have been instructed to take 2-3 10mg caps. in the am for now. Should I expect the XR to last more than 8-9 hours at 20-30mg's? How does XR compare to IR for those of you that have tried both?

The only reason I don't want to switch right now is because I still have some IR left and like being able to control my dosing. I've read that some people respond better to XR though so maybe I should give it a shot.

Any advice or experience would be appreciated :D

I just took (2) 10mg XR capsules and am curious if they will release in the same manner as (1) 20 mg XR? Also, does anyone know when the best times to eat are while taking Addearll XR?

Thank you.

I'm curious if anyone can tell me how long 5mg IR Adderall lasts. In other words, if I dose at 9am how long should I wait until my next 5mg's? It's the end of day 3 and I must say my a.m. dose (5mg's) doesn't seem to help me all that much but after my second dose (5mg's) I feel better focus, can filter out what people are saying, more confidant and I'm able to multi-task better (all very mild though). I feel like my dose(s) lasts ~ 4 hours tops. My Pdoc said if I didn't notice much after my a.m. dose(s) than I "could/should" take a whole 10mg's in the afternoon but I'm scared of building a tolerance so if anyone has any experience or advice I would greatly appreciate it :)

Thanks...
I was the same way; i.e., 5 mg. lasted about 4 hours, and my first dose didn't do much. So I went from 5 mg. x 3 to 10 mg. x 2. When I take 10 mg., it seems to last about an hour longer. In my experience, generic was not as good as brand name. The generic I used was Barr. Ironically, Barr now makes brand-name Adderall (they bought the rights from Shire) as well as their own crappy generic. No experience with the other generics.