I am a grown woman with three young boys. In researching ADD for my ten-year-old, I had a HUGE light bulb moment when I realized that the books about ADD were describing ME! In looking back, I have had ADD my whole life and didn't realize it - it's such a relief to realize that I'm not "scatterbrained", "lazy", "disorganized". . . insert your own adjective here.

My doctor started me on 10mg of Adderall once a day (to see how I react to the drug). She has me coming back in a week and we'll discuss my dosage and how it's working for me. After my research I see that this is the prudent and correct way to handle it.

My question is - how do I know when my dosage is high enough? I have already noticed a difference in my mornings. I'm no longer totally overwhelmed with the activity of my kids and I'm able to live "in the moment" instead of stressing out about what's coming up later in the day - it's a FABULOUS feeling. However, I'm TIRED. I'm not sure if it's that I'm calm (which is not normal for me) or really tired. Will a higher dosage help that? I'm not feeling motivated or totally focused -just less "frazzled" and overwhelmed.

Secondly, the effects wear off at about lunch time - bummer. I definitely will ask my Dr. to let me take more than one dose a day (now that we know how I will react to the meds), but I'm not sure if I should just ask to take XR. Any ideas?

Sorry for the long post and the open ended questions - I don't know anyone personally to talk to about this and want to make sure I make the right decisions. Thank you in advance for any help you all can give.

However, I'm TIRED. I'm not sure if it's that I'm calm (which is not normal for me) or really tired. Will a higher dosage help that?

I experienced this with Ritalin which was the first ADD medication I took, and it was relieved when my dosage was increased.



I didn't experience this with Adderall however the doctor did a straight across titration - in other wards my Adderall dosage was determined by what dosage of Ritalin I was on.




My question is - how do I know when my dosage is high enough?

I know my Adderall is working when I am able to concentrate on things I need to. I can hold a thought in my head long enough to find the words to communicate it. I can recognize an emotion before I react to it.

The motivation thing in all honesty my Adderall doesn't really make me what to figure out this weeks hours or expenses but I can sit down and do it because I know it has to be done. Yes I want to procrastinate because I really do hate doing it but sense I am able control my attention span better it is less trouble to actually sit down and get it over with then it is to fail to do the weekly expenses and end up trying to do an entire month at one time.

I am able to consciously foreground and back ground stimuli in the short term however when I need to focus on things in the longer term I still find it best to use external assistance.An example is I can background un-necessary stimuli long enough to answer your post by simply willing myself to however if I am going to be reading and responding to post for a couple of hours I am better able to remain focused if I wear head phones and play music.

I also know my medication are working because I am able to hold a mental picture in my head -

I am able to think about what I need to do today without being overwhelmed - I can easily see what needs to get done first and my activities seem to fit together logically.

I am able to begin one activity and complete it without getting a head ache.

I am able to back ground the constant chatter going on in my head long enough to hear the conversation going on outside of my head. . .

I am able to sit down for longer than five minutes with out it becoming physically uncomfortable

If I am distracted by some one or some thing I am better able to pick up where I left off because I can remember where in the stream of thought and activity I am thus the desire to strangle the offending person is less extreme.



I remember to remember things like I remember to remember where I parked my car at the mall - I remember to remember which store I entered through. Nothing like having to wander around a mall's huge parking lot looking for my car because I forgot to remember where I parked {if this makes sense then you may have ADD-LOL!}

The thing I do not go by is feelings - if you take a medication long enough you will no longer feel them working.


I hope this helps answer your questions . . . .

Thank you - your answer was GREAT. I'm hoping I'll just "know" when it is optimal for me. Of course we all want the "instant fix", but I need to be happy with the fact that I'm on my way to feeling better. . . ..

I can tell a difference even on this small, once-daily dosage (and so can my kids since I'm yelling less in the mornings). I hope that a bit higher dosage 2-3 times a day will correct the tiredness and give me a bit more focus - and extended relief.

Thanks again for the answer - it really is a relief to have this knowledge.

i took my first 10mg XR this morning, and when it came on i literally felt as if everything ( brain, body ) dropped into slow motion. Not creeping up on me, but just BAM!...there it was.

i took it at 830am, and by 10am i thought i was getting tired, but not sleepy. As it continued throughout the day i realized i wasn't tired, i was RELAXED. REALLY relaxed. No more noise in my head for the first time in YEARS.

Only adverse effects were persistant nausea ( i'm ok with it ), and started to get a headache this evening.

Was informed i would " crash " when it wore off, but it's 13 hours later and i'm just starting to yawn. But no crash.

Edge - I am glad you have found sucess with the XR - did you take the IR version before?

Let me know if you finally get tired or if the XR affects your ability to go to sleep in the evening. My doctor mentioned that after we see how Adderall affects me, then find the right dosage we might try the XR.

I'm going to keep searching through the boards to see how the XR works - I'm not sure which formula might be best for me.

i was surprised the XR lasted as long as it did ( 13 hrs ). i keep reading how other people's ewears off after 5-8 hours, so i kept waiting for it.

i take 10mg Ambien to sleep ( chronic insomnia ). Took it at 930pm, crashed right out, but was awake at 430am. Got back to sleep about 5am and slept till 630am. So, that's not too bad. If you find you can't sleep, doc says to try a multivitamin about 7-8pm ( the vitamins help move the Adderall through and out of the system faster ), and if not, maybe a benadryl will help.

Ok so im not crazy on believing that the 25mg adderall xr im taking lasts me more than 12 hours. The thing is, I ocassionally end up waking up every once a while during the night around 4am, but its not that much of a problem. I can finally wake up a lot easier now though. By the way, when your dosage is right or when you believe its right, are you typically more socially active?

[The thing I do not go by is feelings - if you take a medication long enough you will no longer feel them working.


I hope this helps answer your questions . . . .[/quote]

lol maybe I Should start a new thread but i will go here for now. I have been on adderral since well 5th grade i think so it has been at least five years I have been on almost every available dosage the highest was 40 2 20x in the am before school.I am currently on 30 one in the am .so my quisten is I guess if their really is one in this is that if you have been on meds for a while then how do you know that they are still working ? or is it basically the same ? and if you do not "feel " them working then that just means that you are accustomed to the right ?

Only adverse effects were persistant nausea ( i'm ok with it ), and started to get a headache this evening.

Was informed i would " crash " when it wore off, but it's 13 hours later and i'm just starting to yawn. But no crash.

Hi - Sorry, I'm hijacking this thread. :)

About your headaches, I used to get them too. A friend of mine suggested drinking water, and it really does help! Because Ritalin affected my eating patterns, I didn't drink enough water, and got dehydrated. Drink 6 glasses a day and see if your headaches go away.

About the crash thing? Do you experience it? It's really screwing with my life at the moment.


Thanks,


Rudolf

PS: http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=568248#post568248
I just started a thread about this year if you are interested.

Loved your answer meadd823. I am on my third week of twice a day 25mg XR and it is finally doing the job very nicely as described perfectly by meadd823; I have the exact same experience. First week was up and down, got tired a lot in the afternoon, a tired mind but the body was still awake. The only negative effect I exprience right now, that I started smoking cigarettes like an idiot. I never did before, maybe 2 or 3 a day max, now it's 15 to a pack. I don't like that. It's like my body wants another shot of dopamine. Anyone else experienced that?
Bedtime moved from 9:30pm to at least 10:30pm and wake up time went from 6:30am to 5:30am. I am thinking about taking weekend breaks or at least cut the dose in half. Other than than, it's nice... I finally don't procrastinate; I have the urge to get it done and get it done right, one thing at a time.
Relief!