I've been on Adderall for a month now, and I'd like to thank everyone on this board for helping me through that journey! :D

I had a psych appt. today, and while the doc was glad to hear that my mood had improved, he didn't like the fact that coming down from the drug was making me depressed. He also feels that something different could help boost my concentration level, which really was not affected.

So now I'm going on Focalin. I know diff. meds are diff. for everyone, but I'm curious to hear if anyone can compare these two drugs firsthand. Any experiences?

Try Dexedrine. It is not moody and intense in wear off like Adderall.

Focalin is pretty darn potent. You may do fine on it. You could also ask the doc about moving over to Vyvanse. Smoother and longer lasting than Adderall.



J

And the search continues.. best of luck Bethany! :)

No idea about Focalin, but hope to hear about how it works for you.

Good luck finding what works for you. The Vyvanse suggestion might be a good idea if the Focalin is not for you, since Vyvanse is more closely related to Adderall so maybe you can get similar positive effects with fewer side effects. I haven't taken it myself so I can't say for sure but it's what my doc suggested when I went in to discuss switching off of Adderall. I told him I'd consider it in the future if need be but I really wanted to give Dexedrine a go first.

So far, two thumbs up. Soooo much smoother than Adderall.

Sorry I don't have any info to share on Focalin.

Thanks, everyone!

Yes, Vyvanse and Dexedrine have been suggested to me on this board quite a bit. I will mention these to my doctor if the Focalin doesn't work for me. It's silly, but I feel weird asking him to put me on a specific type of pill. I guess I have a fear of being "bossy."

Hi Bethany,

Good luck with the Focalin! Are you going to be taking IR or XR? What dose are you starting on? My best friend is on Focalin IR and has had great results!

Sorry to hear about your come down probelsm with the adderall. Did you request to change off Adderall? I just wonder because the "low, depressed, come down, moodiness" are all fairly common side effects with Adderall, but a lot of times doctors will prescribe more than one dose a day, and typically a smaller dose, and then maybe even a smaller dose after that to ease the transitioin. Did your doctor not want to try an IR Adderall later in the day or evening? From what I read from your other posts, looks like you were talking 40MG XR once a day?

I hope if you had really good results with the Adderall, and you find the Focalin not as helpful, you consider switching back to Adderall, and trying to fine tune what dose/s work best for you, and find something that you are comfortable with!

I have seen some mention Vyvanse, and say it was more similar to Adderall, which it is than Focalin etc, but Vyvanse a prodrug consisting of dextroamphetamine and some type of aminio acid, and my understanding is that main drug is the same, just absorbed slower and longer etc.

I might give Dex a try before you try that though.

Anyway, like I said, if you dont' like the Focalin, and the Adderall did help some things, it might be worth exploring other doses, and spreading them out some. I take dex IR, and take it several times a day, and 1 or 2 smaller doses later afternoon/early evening, and I don't notice any comedown at all. The IR usually allows people more control over there coverage, and some respond to it much better than XR pills, you just have to be ok taking pills a few times a day etc etc.

And FINALLY ;-) One last thing, DONT FEEL WEIRD ASKING YOUR DOC TO TRY DIFFERENT MEDS/DOSES!!!!

Most doctors who understand ADD/ADHD understand that some medicines work for some, and some for another, and doses very from person to person, so it really is very individual, so don't hesitate telling him what you think might work for your body, as he can't know how you feel inside. Generally it's about understanding what works, and what doesn't for you, and talking with your doc, and usually they are open to trying different doses/pills etc, the end result is what's important, High Theraputic Result, Low Side Effect, and there can be a lot of trial and error in between.

If Adderall helped a lot minus the comedown, seriously consider Dex, as it doesn't usually have the same comedown effect as Adderall!

Good luck!! Keep us posted!

Thanks so much, adderman, your response was very helpful and encouraging.

If nothing else seems to work for me, I would be more than happy to go back to the Adderall and I am holding on to that as a possibility. I think my doctor was more concerned about the fact that Adderall seemed to help my mood, but did not help me to focus at all. He would like to find a drug that is going to help me in more areas.

We'll see how it goes, and I'll make sure to speak up at my psych visits. ;)

Did you ever try more than 40MG XR a day? Maybe it was helping with the mood, but it wasn't enough to really help with the focus? I don't know, just throwing it out there, but maybe increasing the Adderall XR and/or spreading it out, plus an afternoon IR, might help? Again, just throwing it out there, as obviously I'm not a Doc, but have gained some insight through trial and error, friends and the forum!

I know some on the Forum (or at least one) Lars takes a combo of Dex and Focalin. The amphetamines (dex, adderall) and the methylphenidate's/Dexmethylphenidate (ritalin, focalin) even though they are both CNS, act differently on the brain, and some have had great success using both, and actually being able to take a lower total dose, because the combined use helped a lot.

I tried Focalin XR and IR by themselves and also combo with Adderall.

Did not work for me and Ritalin based meds do not work for me.

That's just me, everyone has different responses to meds.

It doesn't hurt to try different things and dosages as long as your doc approves.

For me Adderall works great but it took some time and a higher dosage of XR before I reached a theraputic level.

My first month was not very good either but I'm glad that my doc understood that I needed a higher dosage and didn't give up on it.

Thanks so much, adderman, your response was very helpful and encouraging.

If nothing else seems to work for me, I would be more than happy to go back to the Adderall and I am holding on to that as a possibility. I think my doctor was more concerned about the fact that Adderall seemed to help my mood, but did not help me to focus at all. He would like to find a drug that is going to help me in more areas.

We'll see how it goes, and I'll make sure to speak up at my psych visits. ;)Glad to hear all is well;)

The beauty of ADD is that we have SO MANY treatment options available - stimulants, anti-depressants, etc.

Hopefully you'll find one that fits you well;)

Thanks again, everyone. Hm, I don't think I should go above 40mgs because I'm having withdrawal symptoms and my doc thinks that's due to the dose being so high. I'm willing to give this Focalin a shot. But I'm going to keep Adderall as a permanent plan B as I go through this trying out meds thing because it did do something positive for me!

Hey Bethany keep us updated Id like to know what you think worked best thanks hun!

I can't really offer advice, but I can say, on a related note, that I've noticed that taking 20 mg of XR leaves me feeling very depressed when I come off of it, but taking 40 mg of XR doesn't result in any depression whatsoever.

Have you ever tried 20 mg? Does it have about the same level of depression, is it better, worse?

Suly, I will let you guys know what my experience is. Haven't started yet, but will probably get that scrip filled tomorrow.

Arktor, yes, I have tried 20 mgs and coming down for that dose was better in terms of depression, but I would find myself feeling very, very tired.

Weird stuff, these ADD meds.