hi, i've basically been reviewing everyone elses posts so I figured I might as well too. Last saturday, March, 8th I began taking Adderall XR 20mg.. First couple of days I was pretty tense, more jumpy blah blah you get my point...well after a couple of days I basically don't get much of anything out of it anymore. I'll take it right when i wake up around 7 AM before I eat anything..then while im getting ready ill eat breakfest..but after I take it im pretty awake and active and paying attention untill about 10:30 it I begin to not care anymore, I'm just like whatever I don't care to do this.,..I lose all my motivation and don't want to do a damn thing...So does this mean I need to have my dosage upped or should I try something else? I'm 18, a senior in high school and this is the first time i've tried anything like this. I wondering if I should take one in the morning, and then try another one in the afternoon to see if there really is improvement with my focus and attention spand... Another thing, do you want to take it before your eat, or after your on a full stomach? i've been doing it on an empty stomach so maybe thats why im not having the effects that i need. Let me know what you guys think..

I set my alarm one hour before I need to get up- take the med and then go back to sleep and when I am up an hour later the med is working proper. A lot of people say they take it with food and a lot dont. Now the rest of the day, since I take IR and take it over the course of the day, I am taking it with food or shortly after eating (and it doesnt work quite as well as the first taken on empty stomach).

If you take it with food it may not be as well absorbed or take longer to be absorbed. High fat meals delay the onset and the more acidity the stomach- lower pH the less adderall is absorbed. For instance if you drank a glass of oj and swallowed your pill it will not be as effective.

What you need to do is keep a little journal or notes such as when you take it, what is positive as well as negative; how long is the benefit lasting? Is everything fairly good but then at 1pm your symptoms return. After a few days or so maybe longer? touch base with your M.D. (BTW did he or she schedule a follow up or phone consult) and let them know what is going on and hopefully they will offer some insight and adjust the dose and/or frequency.

Good luck and keep us updated.

I try to take it after or while eating breakfast. If I wait to eat the Adderall kills my desire for food, which is bad, since I need breakfast to keep me thinking clearly. Avoid citrus juices (orange, grapefruit, etc.), as they lower the absorption of Adderall. Do you eat lunch? When taking Adderall I almost have to force myself to eat lunch. If I don't I'll get a bit messed up in the afternoon.

Other than that, I'd ask your MD and check the prescribing information (PDF) (http://www.adderallxr.com/assets/pdf/prescribing_information.pdf). It's actually pretty informative.

For me Adderall doesn't help change the target of my motivation that much. It helps me focus on what I'm already motivated to do and makes my motivation stronger. In your position I'd consider a lower dose before going higher. For me taking an XR in the afternoon means trouble sleeping, the peak blood plasma level of the drug is reached something like 8 hours after you take it. Again, talk to your doctor.

Adderall and other ADD medications are taken to give you conscious control of your direction of focus and length of your attention span your attention span - period. I don't feel my adderall I haven't in years but if I need to back ground the TV so I can focus on reading and responding to your post I can -

Adderall doesn't motivate me to go to work either fear of starvation does, adderall doesn't make me want to wash my cloths any more than I did before adderall however the idea of wearing smelly clothes is not very appealing so I wash clothes - none of my motivation comes from my ADD medications . In other wards Adderall and other ADD medications are only a part of ADD treatment they allow you to implement other modifications and design systems to help you remain on task - it doesn't matter what medication you take weather Adderall or morphine if you take it long enough your body and brain adjust to the chemical changes the medication causes thus the reason the feeling "wanes" after a while.

Just because you do not feel it doesn't mean the medication quit working it only means your body has adjusted to the chemical changes it causes. It may also take several adjustment in times and dosages to find which one is right for you talk to your doctor and let him know what is going on.

what he said^^^

Hello,
I take 15 mg's of XR in the morning than 15 regular adderall in the afternoon. It seems to work ok but the afternoon seems to be a little better when it comes to focusing. However, I get a small tick, if you can call it. I bite down really fast with my teeth together, really annoying sometimes.The 15 reg in the afternoon may be a little too much for me. I guess it would be like taking 30 mg's at one time. I did take 30 xr in the morning but it quit being as effective in the afternoon and it seemed that my blood pressure got a little high. Of course you are 25 years younger than I am. Your doctor should work with you in getting the correct dose.

Jackie
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Levah, how much are you taking? And are you taking XR or IR?

Levah, how much are you taking? And are you taking XR or IR?
I read your post again and I must have missed the part where you said 20mg Adderall XR. :rolleyes: Sorry about that!

Anyway, as others have mentioned, taking it with food may affect the absorption. Though, you need to eat breakfast, so... it's a double edged sword there.

I also started at 20mg XR, when I first started Adderall. When do you find it wearing off? This may be against what most people do, but I sometimes took my XR in the late morning- a couple hours after breakfast. However, you must be careful with this because it could affect your sleep at night.

Ultimately, you may need some adjusting in the dose and/or the timing of your dose to find out what works best for YOU. Since I've been on Adderall, I know how it effects me with food, caffeine, different times of day, etc. You kinda get a feel for how the drug works for you, once you've been on it a while.

Above all, please discuss your concerns with your doctor. Let us know how you're doing. Good luck! :D

well, now its about about seven days since i have started my Adderall. Yesterday was great, I took it in the morning a little bit after I ate my break fest, and I was calm as ever and I was focused.. But today was totally different. I took it just as I did yesterday and I didn't feel the same at all. I wasn't really focused, I still was off in never ever land and couldn't really keep my attention span at all. So my best guess is now, that when I go to my doctor here in the coming month I'm going to try and get my dosage upped in the morning, then have another IR dosage in the evening. That is what I am going to shoot for, not trying to boss my doctor around here, I'm just going to her some ideas of what we could try unless she recommends that I try something else.

So my best guess is now, that when I go to my doctor here in the coming month I'm going to try and get my dosage upped in the morning, then have another IR dosage in the evening. That is what I am going to shoot for, not trying to boss my doctor around here, I'm just going to her some ideas of what we could try unless she recommends that I try something else.

Be aware that some docs don't like prescribing the IR form. Luckily mine is not like that.

The 20 mg XR version is basically equivalent to one 10mg IR and another 4 hours later (look at the PI sheet). If you are going to get an evening IR anyways, you could ask about replacing the XR with 2 half-dose IRs. The IR allows you to play with the dose a lot more, it's easier to split tabs.

I personally have trouble sleeping for about 8 hours after taking an IR, watch out for that.

Adderall doesn't motivate me to go to work either fear of starvation does, adderall doesn't make me want to wash my cloths any more than I did before adderall however the idea of wearing smelly clothes is not very appealing so I wash clothes - none of my motivation comes from my ADD medications

It's funny you said that meadd. . . .Those of you who are married will get this one. I was diagnosed with ADD and started taking adderall a couple of weeks ago and it's amazing how much more I am able to get done - and want to do get done. I'm a stay-at-home mother of three boys, so most of my daily activities are kid-stuff (homework, activities) and housework. One day my husband came home and saw me sitting on the couch looking at a magazine and says to me, "Hey, did you not take your adderall today?" I look up and say, "Yeah, why?" He points to a pile of dirty laundry and says, "Well, why are you reading a magazine and not doing the laundry?" :eek: (YES, HE SAID THAT!)

After I restrained myself, I "calmly" explained to him that the adderall doesn't make me focus only on getting work done, it allows me to focus on what I choose to focus on (which at the time was a very interesting magazine article). I think he realized his mistake a few seconds too late and apologized and quickly left the room.

Funny.


(a disclaimer: my husband is really a good guy - sometimes he speaks before he thinks, though. Don't hold it against him.)

yeah i dont know what the hell i was thinking when i said that, up my 20mg XR and then take a afternoon IR? what the....i can't believe I really said that stupid of a thing...I think what I'll try is maybe switching to the IR were I take one in the morning and then one in the afternoon. Or just try a general dosage up once in the morning of the XR, I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

yeah i dont know what the hell i was thinking when i said that, up my 20mg XR and then take a afternoon IR? what the....i can't believe I really said that stupid of a thing...I think what I'll try is maybe switching to the IR were I take one in the morning and then one in the afternoon. Or just try a general dosage up once in the morning of the XR, I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

That is not a stupid thing at all......you will find that many of the members here take an XR doseage in morning to get 8 hours coverage and then an IR in the afternoon for another four. I do that (20mg XR AM, then one 10mg IR PM). Unfortunately you have to have - and pay for - two separate prescriptions. For those of us who need more than 8 hours, but less than 16 hours coverage it's the right answer, though.

Just talk to your doctor about what will work best in your schedule. Good luck!

one other thing...is the adderall making me more tense, like getting worked up easily over little nothing? I mean I should become a lot more calm and not worry about little things, but I can still focus and get done with what I am trying to accomplish. But for some reason, I get worked up easily and I am just ****ed off and don't want to talk to anyone...Is there anything you guys can suggest that calms you down?