hi. i have been prescribed adderall before, but the only downfall for me is the comedown. I get all jittery and generally just feel bad.. my friend who is prescribed dexedrine recommended me dexedrine, he says because it is pure dextroamphetamine and that there are no salts that the comedown isn't as harsh, is this true? i really wanna try this stuff out for my adhd, so how would i go about telling my doctor i would like to try it so i dont end up sounding like i just want drugs to get high, idk i guess just throwing drugs out there that i want to be prescribed would kind of sound suspicious to me if i was a doctor? anyone with experience for both medications please post. should i just tell my doctor about the salt thing or should i just tell him my friend is prescribed it and it works for him and adderall didn't? is the comedown even less harsh than adderall?
thank you

hi. i have been prescribed adderall before, but the only downfall for me is the comedown. I get all jittery and generally just feel bad..I would tell the doctor just what you wrote here.

^ ok but should i say that i'm interested in dexedrine after i tell him about the comedown feeling? because if i dont i dont want him to give me some other crappy med, like strattera or something. should i mention anything about the amphetamine salts having to do with the comedown or anythign about dexedrine working for my friend?
thank you

Tell him exactly whats on your mind, as in everything you have said here. Tell him the med you are interested in trying and the reasoning behind your interest. Don't worry about being 100% accurate with sharing things you have read about or heard. You dont have to be 100% knowledgeable, your the patient not the doctor. Some doctors are appreciative that you are doing some homework about your meds (as all should be) and are happy to let you try the med you've suggested. Others have a big ego and get defensive about a patient even making a suggestion. Either way, they may have additional insight/experience to offer about the med your interested in which will further help you make a decision for or against trying it. If your doc is completely close minded about information or interests you bring to the table then fire him/her immediately and get a new one. I have wasted years of my life trying to talk sense into ignorant doctors who wouldn't listen to me or the medically proven facts I brought to the table that related to my treatment and meds. Whatever their reasons for the lack of ability for productive behavior, do yourself a huge favor and don't waste your time with doctors or people like that.

I am going through something similar as I posted how to deal with coming down. I just told my doctor I would like to try Dex because I read that it was less aggressive then the Adderall. I take it for a sleep disorder. I am now on my second week of Dex. I can only take these meds 5 days a week because my body builds a quick tolerance. I am finding I am having the same side effects but they aren't as strong. I am also noticing that they are not as effective as the Adderall was probably for that reason. I am fortunate to have a doctor who is willing to work with me until I find something I am comfortable with. If your doctor is not open to finding what is right for you, then I would find another doctor.

Alright, I was in the same boat as you about a month and a half ago.

Basically, you've got to be straight forward with your doc. Just tell him about the whole jittery, nervous feeling you got with Adderall. I went ahead and told my doc that Adderall worked well for the first 6 hours (XR), but after that it gave me unwanted side effects. I told him that I researched the topic a bit and found that Dexedrine did not contain the Levo isomer, so it shouldn't have as harsh of 'wearing off' effects ('come down' comes across as too druggie-like in my opinion).

If you have a friend who takes it, tell your doctor about his success with Dexedrine too.

Keep in mind, your doctor's purpose is to essentially improve your quality of life(!). If Adderall is bringing down your quality of life, it is his responsibility to do whatever is in his power to change that whether it be prescribing a different med or directing you to a specialist.

The last thing you want to do, however, is tell him how it is and correct him on things. Let him lead the convo, and interject the above in when you feel it is right.

Don't go telling the pilot how to fly the airplane, it may come off as offensive even if you have good intentions. :)

Oh and edit - make sure you mention that Adderall works well for you (if it does of course), but after the useful effects wear off the side effects are driving you mad. This will ensure that your doc knows that Dexamp is effective in treating your disorder, otherwise he might try to prescribe you crappy strattera or something else.

Good luck!

I agree with Jubb, especially with using certain words when discussing how your medication is working. IMO words such as come-down and tolerance could throw up red flags to some doctors. It's probably best to just talk about how things are going, be honest, and after your doctor lays out his/her plan- if you believe another option may be more beneficial or worth noting, let them know what's on your mind.