I was recently diagnosed with ADHD (i'm 23) and my doctor built me up slowly to 20mg of XR per day (first 5, then 10, then 15 etc). I find that 20 mg keeps me focused until mid evening ... around 8pm, but I often need to keep working much later than that on school work etc. The problem is, even with only 20mg of XR taken at 8am I still find it somewhat difficult to fall asleep and i find i can still somewhat feel the effects the next morning. i dont feel like i have gotten a particularly deep sleep on it.

i'm wondering if there is any merit to the idea of taking a stronger dose of instant release in the morning followed my a smaller one later in the day, or a smaller dose of XR followed by a dose of IR later in the day. i find that if i take 15 or even 10 mg of the XR i feel fine for the morning and part of the afternoon, so would it make sense to take another 5-10 mg of Ir midday sometime? or would that just be mimicking the effects of XR with the added hassle of taking two pills.

i just want to maximize the effects all day and still be able to sleep.

I take 60 mg. XR am. My dr. prescribes me an additional 40 mg. of IR. I usually take the XR around 8 am and it lasts roughly 8 hrs. If I'm having a super-ADD day, I take an additional 10 mg. of IR around noon when I start work. I usually take more IR around 4pm.-- anywhere from 20-30 mgs., depending upon what I'm doing. I average about 90 mg. total a day, but sometimes will take an extra 10 mg. later in the evening (for a daily total of 100mg), (especially if I have to go to a lecture or any type of event which might involve sitting still).

I'm used to this schedule and don't have trouble falling asleep. If you find taking IR in the late afternoon keeps you up, you could try taking it a little earlier before the XR wears off completely and see how that works.

I take 20mg XR every morning, and I'm also prescribed 20mg IR, which I sometimes break in half and just have a half if I still need to stay in the game. On days where I wake up late, I take the IR instead.

I take XR in the morning and then take IR in the late afternoon. Going up higher on the XR dose isn't an option for me. I tried it and felt sick and my head was foggy -- not the effect I was looking for.

i thought Adderall IR was n/a in Canada?!

Yup! (Well, actually... Not anymore since I can no longer afford Adderall XR.)

But anyway, during my first ever psychiatrist appointment (nearly 4 years ago), my doc prescribed 20mg Adderall XR, one capsule daily. A couple of weeks later on the second appointment, I told him that it wasn't lasting long enough throughout the day. So, he added 20mg IR to use in the afternoons if I needed it. :) He would write out two separate prescriptions and they were treated that way- just like two separate prescriptions. Hope this helps. :)

Call your doctor to discuss your options. See if they'll at least do it on a trial run to see how it works.

I am prescribed a 20 mg XR in the morning and a 10 mg IR at about 4:00 in the afternoon. I just started this new routine yesterday and it seems to be working much better than just IR.

I just started taking Adderall two weeks ago at 10 mg once a day, then after a week the doc moved me up to 10 mg twice a day (once at about 7:00 and once at about 2:00), but that was not working well for me because I had this huge block in the middle of the day where I felt crappy.

Yesterday and today I'm really liking the XR, but have a bit of a problem almost exactly four hours after I take it. It seems to "wear off" and I get a kind of annoying headache and blah feeling. Then, I guess the next "part" of the dose kicks in about 30-60 minutes later and I feel good again. Do any of you know how to counteract this?

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD (i'm 23) and my doctor built me up slowly to 20mg of XR per day (first 5, then 10, then 15 etc). I find that 20 mg keeps me focused until mid evening ... around 8pm, but I often need to keep working much later than that on school work etc. The problem is, even with only 20mg of XR taken at 8am I still find it somewhat difficult to fall asleep and i find i can still somewhat feel the effects the next morning. i dont feel like i have gotten a particularly deep sleep on it.


8pm? When did you take it? (Ok, I notice now, 8am).

Adderall XR lasts me about 7 hours usually. Combined with adding a single dose of IR, I have 11 hours of coverage. Sometimes I have to take another booster, but that is only when I get forced into doing something for a long time (like a long day at work). 12 hours is quite some time for XR to last. Most aren't that lucky. I take 30mg of XR and 15mg IR tablets for additional coverage.

Perhaps a lower dosage IR booster may be appropriate for you. Perhaps a different medication might not produce this side effect as badly (Dexedrine, methylphenidate). As always, consult with your doctor.

I was a huge fan of Adderall XR, back when I was lucky enough to have prescription coverage.

Now I'm exclusively on Adderall IR (due to cost) and after getting used to it, I am very satisfied. I feel more in control with my doses on the IR. My doc is pretty open-minded and he gives me lot of freedom with my meds... so with the IR, it's nice to be able to take my doses a little closer together if I need it, or only take half a dose, or whatever. :)