Hi!
After going to counseling for what I thought was depression/anxiety, it's been determined that it could possibly be undiagnosed ADHD. I went to a NP yesterday and was prescribed Adderall IR 10-20 mg twice a day. I am not quite sure what to think...

I got it after I got home from work, just to make sure to take it in a secure environment...was not sure how it would react with body chemistry etc. I took 10 mg around 5:30 p.m. last night....and felt a strange sort of calm...focused, but almost a flat effect. I wasn't sure how to take it, but thought it would be okay for work...felt calm, but couldn't sleep very well.

Took 10 mg in the morning, felt more calm than normal, but not an extreme difference in focusing. Naturally, I didn't think one thing about food...and when I took my afternoon dose I felt like a raging ***** all afternoon!! Not cool! Not sure what to focus on with dosages, eating patterns, etc.

The calm feeling probably is a good indication that your doctor got the diagnosis correct. I definately felt calm when I first started taking it whereas a friend of mine who "borrowed" a pill from anther gal with ADD (not me!), because she was sure she was ADD too just about jumped out of her skin on Adderall -- it made her an anxious wreck until it was out of her system.

Eating enough and getting a good night's sleep is really important. My doctor told me if you don't eat enough the medicine can really mess you up -- it's stimulating your system and it needs something to draw on or you're tapping an empty tank. I know it's not easy to eat at first (though that should get easier) -- force yourself to eat something healthy anyway and drink plenty.

You might make a list of your problem symptoms and then keep a daily check list of whether they're improving or not -- it gives your doctor some valuable feedback as to dose, medication, etc.

If you weren't expecting to get the ADD label, you probably haven't read up on it much. Learning about ADD is as important as medication in my opinion. Driven to Distraction by Edward Hallowell and John Ratey is a good book for starters. I also like Attention Deficit Disorder the Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults by Thomas Brown and Adult AD/HD by Michele Novotni and Thomas Whiteman, and for women Sari Solden's book Women with Attention Deficit Disorder is an excellent choice.

I hope you get the results you're looking for and welcome to the forums!:)

Thank you for the help!! I think I am just going to make sure to take it with food....

May I suggest not taking stimulants (amphetamines, caffeine, methylphenidate, etc) after 2pm, unless urgent? They will keep you awake.

You say it made you hungrier whilst it was active? That's rather strange. It's possibly because you didn't eat, but technically, amphetamine is an appetite suppressant - which is why in children doctors monitor height and weight to ensure they're growing properly (eating enough).

As Scattered said, amphetamine stimulates your entire nervous system, meaning you burn up more nutrients and energy; you need food.

i get insanely hungry while on adderall if i forget to eat somedays

also if its just starting to wear off i get really hungry because of the above