Hello everyone. I have been dealing with my Add for many years now. I just turned 25. I have noticed that the older I get the less able I am to manage my symptoms. I took Ritalin 10mg in highschool, and stopped in college. Now fast forward 2 years-and I started XR ritalin 10...and got terrible anxiety attacks "which I never had before" and became almost incapable of going to work. I just wanted to sit and do nothing all day. It was like I was sitting and worried constantly. So my Doctor said lets try Focalin. Focalin 10mg...made me nuts. Like not mean nuts...like fussy and kinda eccentric to the point of weird. Then sometimes...MORE PANIC...or feelings of impending doom. HATED IT. So back to the doctor I go....this time it was Adderal. 10-15mg XR depending on the day and how I felt. Well this worked wonderfully...like WOW IM SO HAPPY AND BUSY! BUT! All of a sudden I would think I was having a heart attack and totally freak out. Not like on people...but I found myself constantly checking my blood pressure and Im really little like 5'6 115lbs and I eat very healthy and overtly concerned about living well...so I so totally shouldnt be worried of dying of a heart attack...but it makes me obsess about it, and keeps me up all darn night. So to help me go to bed...my Doc gave me .5MG XANEX...but allows me to take two if one doest put me down. So that seemed to be working well...then...BAM! PANIC AND SWEATING! I dont have any hair under my arms and I keep on putting on deo...no odor but just sweat sweat sweat. Then the girls I work with are like..WHOA...you are so intense. I AM! To the point that I am thinking of doing things way ahead of the order, so I just talk talk talk and then I get really nervous, Or I think I am about to DIE any second of some unknown brain disease or heart problem. Its like my brain wants me to worry, and my heart is at 130-140 beats because im freaking myself out more. Well I called my doctor today as was like...THIS IS SO NOT THE DEAL. So he says that Dexedrine is the answer now...low dose SR. I am so over these meds...I dont want them to make my life worse. Hell I was better before them...but maybe not. I am not sure...they do help...but they hurt too! My doctor said that Dexedrine wouldnt give me as much nervous coo coo feelings and some people dont even know they are taking it. Adderral..it just makes me want clean the bathroom in a frenzy..which is ok cause the cleaning lady think my place is so much better now, and she gets paid to clean not me.I just dont want these feelings of death and impending doom. It is so not good. So can you guys...help me? Why should I try Dexedrine...or why shouldnt I? WILL IT HELP...? I NEED FEEDBACK. Thanks alot for listening, and replying. :)

Hi,
My situation has been really similar to yours. I have had adhd since childhood and was put on ritalin at one point, and it helped me in school and stuff I guess. I only stayed on it for a year or so on and off, but went off of it because it stopped helping and made me anxious and shakey. Now that I'm in college my parents wanted me to go back to the doc to help me with my grades. Well, the doctor put my on adderall which really made a big difference but had lots of bad side effects. It made my mind and heart race all the time and would make me unsocial and feel crazy sometimes. ugh, I was so frustrated!!! I just want something to help without all the bs. So he ended up switching me to dexedrine 15and it has been a godsend. It helps me stay focused on what's important sort of like adderall but it doesn't make me feel like I want to jump out of my skin or something like adderall. It has really improved my life, and I really feel like myself. Good Luck:)

Heya CandyApples!

I was on 30mg of Adderall XR and it made me feel terrible. I've since switched to Dex and Dex Spansules and it's calmed me down to the point I can drive the speed limit or tune out the annoying things that would hit a nerve while on Adderall and the sweats are gone too!

There's some really good information comparing ADHD Drugs, dosages related to weight/age etc: http://www.caddra.ca/english/pdfs/Medication_17.pdf

People here have commented that Dex has boosted confidence but I think like most drugs the effect can very.

Hope things are going better!

After reading what you were talking about, I have come to the conclusion that you most definitly have been mis-diagnosed and do not have ADD/ADHD because when you take the medications you should get calm if you have ADD, and if you do not it makes you "clean the bathroom in a frenzy" "makes you anxious and have to check your pulse every 10 minutes to make sure you don't need to goto the hospital...

I think you should see another doctor, or ask yours if you can stop all the ADD medications and perhaps try a 3x daily benzodiazepine treatment along with a SNRI anti-depressant with it, which would help the benzodiazepines with the anxiety, and also help you concentrate better.. Just my opinion...

Good luck.

What are your ADD symptoms exactly? (You haven't described any other than your anxiety.)

Dexedrine is basically just dextroamphetamine sulfate, which is a significant portion of Adderall. Some people react better to one and not the other. I've had good luck with Dexedrine (only thing I've tried.) I've never had that euphoria, unnatural feelings of going insane, etc. etc., but I've never had those feelings to begin with so maybe I've just never been inclined towards it.

Are you seeing a general practitioner or a psychiatrist? If you continue to have failures with your current doctor, it may be in your best interest to get a second opinion. My first doctor sucked and misdiagnosed me. He put me on some medication that accomplished nothing. There are some disorders that are often confused for one another.

Oh yeah, and nobody is here to put you down :)

Also, if your heart is beating that fast, then stimulants are definitely not good, since they speed up your heart even more.

Annnnd last note. My doc said that I had GAD, but we figured it was a result of ADD, so we attacked ADD with meds first. It's worked out fine for me because my anxiety WAS a result of ADD. We started really slowly on dex, 5mg IR, and now spansules 10mg, working our way up to the right dosage. And I am 99% less stressed out. (Some stress in life isn't so bad :))

The thing about anxiety is that it was no where near as explosive as yours and doesn't make me intense or paranoid. Intensity of speech COULD BE bipolar (Once again, I cannot diagnose you, but my first doc said I was bipolar, which I am definitely not.) If you take stimulants and you are bipolar, you are only exacerbating your condition.

Hello everyone. I have been dealing with my Add for many years now. I just turned 25. I have noticed that the older I get the less able I am to manage my symptoms. I took Ritalin 10mg in highschool, and stopped in college. Now fast forward 2 years-and I started XR ritalin 10...and got terrible anxiety attacks "which I never had before" and became almost incapable of going to work. I just wanted to sit and do nothing all day. It was like I was sitting and worried constantly. So my Doctor said lets try Focalin. Focalin 10mg...made me nuts. Like not mean nuts...like fussy and kinda eccentric to the point of weird. Then sometimes...MORE PANIC...or feelings of impending doom. HATED IT. So back to the doctor I go....this time it was Adderal. 10-15mg XR depending on the day and how I felt. Well this worked wonderfully...like WOW IM SO HAPPY AND BUSY! BUT! All of a sudden I would think I was having a heart attack and totally freak out. Not like on people...but I found myself constantly checking my blood pressure and Im really little like 5'6 115lbs and I eat very healthy and overtly concerned about living well...so I so totally shouldnt be worried of dying of a heart attack...but it makes me obsess about it, and keeps me up all darn night. So to help me go to bed...my Doc gave me .5MG XANEX...but allows me to take two if one doest put me down. So that seemed to be working well...then...BAM! PANIC AND SWEATING! I dont have any hair under my arms and I keep on putting on deo...no odor but just sweat sweat sweat. Then the girls I work with are like..WHOA...you are so intense. I AM! To the point that I am thinking of doing things way ahead of the order, so I just talk talk talk and then I get really nervous, Or I think I am about to DIE any second of some unknown brain disease or heart problem. Its like my brain wants me to worry, and my heart is at 130-140 beats because im freaking myself out more. Well I called my doctor today as was like...THIS IS SO NOT THE DEAL. So he says that Dexedrine is the answer now...low dose SR. I am so over these meds...I dont want them to make my life worse. Hell I was better before them...but maybe not. I am not sure...they do help...but they hurt too! My doctor said that Dexedrine wouldnt give me as much nervous coo coo feelings and some people dont even know they are taking it. Adderral..it just makes me want clean the bathroom in a frenzy..which is ok cause the cleaning lady think my place is so much better now, and she gets paid to clean not me.I just dont want these feelings of death and impending doom. It is so not good. So can you guys...help me? Why should I try Dexedrine...or why shouldnt I? WILL IT HELP...? I NEED FEEDBACK. Thanks alot for listening, and replying. :)


Ok for starters you need to remember you are posting on a ADD forum... You need to break that text into seperate paragraphs... or we read 2 lines and skip to the end. Dont say u dont do that cause I kno you do ;)

The anxiety unfortuantely can come hand in hand with the medication. Its like a we were given a solution to our problems but it comes with a clause that everything cannot be rosey.

You could try small dosages of Zoloft daily. This will help calm the anxiety and will reduce the small attacks of OCD you seem to be having.

I have been to 3 shrinks in the last 2 years. Each of which diagnosed me with adhd. The stimulants do make me calm, but only for a short time. Once I take them for longer then I start getting the anxiety. Though I am a naturally anxious person, not a panic oriented person. I day dream at awkward times. I can not concentrate on anything other than my passions. I am hyper to an extent that is annoying. I have lots of accidents, driving, bodily etc. I think 4 or 5 things at one particular time. I cant concentrate on one particular thought. I can not keep up with pens, I have 25 spare care keys...I loose one a week usually. I cant remember to do simple tasks, rather I am trying to solve the mysteries of the universe. I have hired help just to help keep my life organized and pay bills because I can not organize anything it overwhelms me. I notice that I dont hear what people are talking about, I have a very difficult time listening to something other than what I specifically want to listen to. I twist my hair in circular motions till I cause breakage which means I have to get extensions regularly. I talk in a hyper overly exxagerated way with enthusiasm that takes people a bit aback. I hate to drive, cant concentrate that long. So now I have a hired driver via my parents. I go nuts when I have to wait for anything, I cant bear it. It is torture. I cant go to places that have lines because of my impatience. I have a perfect grade in one class and a failing grade in a less challenging class. I can not relax at all. I have tried benzos and they are the devil. I have seen 4 shrinks and they all said adhd. One thought ok lets try benzos and see...I couldnt even make it to class, I couldnt stop crying I got so depressed. I have no doubt I have adhd. I have been through the best of the best doctors wise. They have no doubt, and SINCE I started Dexedrine 5mg IR twice a day...no more anxiety attacks! Its been 2 weeks and I cant even tell I take it, and I enjoy work far more. It is very claming. It seems the side effects of RITALIN AND ADDERRALL ARE JUST SO HARSH!!!! This Dex feels like I havent even taken anything. So far so good. I am allergic to zoloft btw, and clonazepam. They make me break out in rashes. Xanex .5mg at night for sleep works well though. Seems this has been a really good combo so far. I have never responsed well in any capacity to anti d's They all make me very sad and cry. Ritalin like I said worked great for me in school as a kid, not as an adult, and adderral most certainly worked...but only short term, and caused terrible mood and anxiety disturbances week 2. Dex has not done this.

I'm so glad the Dex is working for you! I'll keep my fingers crossed. Not when i'm driving though.

Do you think you might be one of those people who are very sensitive to drugs?

I'm so glad the Dex is working for you! I'll keep my fingers crossed. Not when i'm driving though.

Do you think you might be one of those people who are very sensitive to drugs?


It really is amazing medication. I can not believe for the life of me why anyone would take adderral, or ritalin in comparison to dexedrine. It gives me a clarity of mind that is just a relief. My heart rate for example...was 130-145 a minute on adderrall. On dexadrine...95. That is a huge difference, and one I am thrilled about. I shouldnt have to feel like im in a shark cage being tossed off a cliff to go to work and school. It really helps me manage and organize my life too....Except I dont feel like I must. Adderrall would make me productive but only because I wanted my mind off the feelings it was giving me. I really appreciate your words of kindness. That really is very sweet of you.

You are right about my sensitivity to medication. I have noticed as have many of my doctors that most medications have a paradoxical effect on me. Even over the counter meds. Caffeine for example makes me so tired, and benadryl will give me horrible restless legs. Im very petite and thin so that may have something to do with it. I have a very small frame, and tend to bruise and such easily. I might just be a very delicate person. SSRI'S are awful for me. I have always been amazed that people can take them and live. They keep me awake and prevent sleep completely, make me cry and feel very unbalanced. I always explain ssri's like this...If you are behind your eyes and looking out imagining your internal self...ssri's make the view smaller and smaller and smaller till you are like omg I am not even me anymore....im just a zombie without emotion or empathy to others.

Anyway, Dexedrine works for me. I cant understand how anyone could think it was not effective. I feel like me. It is also so cheap! Cheap and highly effective are certainly a perfect combination.

Thanks again!

I don't have much time to reply. I had the same symptoms as you. Its common to have coexisting( spell) disorders. I developed anxiety due to living with add for 23 years before being diagnosed. I spent 2 years taking every stimulant but they all gave me panic attacks even at small dosages. I finally saw a specialist whom started treating my anxiety (Xanax/klonopin) first then my Add. The xanax worked for the short term but klonopin was much better for continued use. I was able to take my full dosage (30mg dex) After treating my anxiety. I don't like adderall as the L-amphetamines make myanxiety worse. Do some research on dex and adderall.
Sorry so short and vague but I hope this helps as I have been in your shoes