Hi everyone!

I've just started posting tonight, and gave a big long intro in the introduction forums. I'm 39, female, and although I think I have been ADD since childhood, I was only recently diagnosed and given meds for it. I've been taking Adderall, and although it works very well for me in some respects, I'm having some trouble and would like to hear some feedback, if you don't mind.

I was initially prescribed 10 mg 1 to 2 times daily, and on the first day 10 mg was incredible. My DH saw how I acted, and also saw the slump in energy and ability to focus after about 6 hours. I tried it for the next few days, but the side effects were scary. I felt like my heart was jumping, and had an ache flowing up through my left jawline and down my left arm. I got very scared and cut back to 5 mg. I had the same thing happen, so cut back to 2.5 mg. That did absolutely nothing.

I talked with my prescribing psychiatrist, and he suggested an EKG on the 5 mg to see if there were any cardio issues. There were none, and my primary care doc also did one on 10 mg with the same results. I also noted it was a very anxiety provoking few weeks at work during this time, and when I am anxious I can feel my pulse pound a lot. So, with things calmed down, we agreed on 10 mg AM (around 7-8) and 5 mg PM (around 1-2.)

Things were fine on that dose, except that at around 8 PM at night my symptoms seem to come back in more than full force! I start gabbing on the phone while surfing the net, reading a book while the TV is on and I flip channels and listen to my IPod. I was cranky and irritable and wanted to pace incessantly. During those few weeks, I was getting about 4 hours of sleep a night on average. The only thing that helped me to wind down was booze. Instead of a glass of wine a few nights a week, I was drinking 3-5 glasses a night.

My psychiatrist suggested that my sympoms could be "rebounding" as the meds wore off, and prescribed Adderall XR 20 mg in the AM, and Adderall 5 mg at about 5 PM to get me through the evening. I made the switch while I had a few days off from work so I could see how things work out. I've tried it for 3 days, and I do notice I am able to concentrate in the evenings better, and can get to sleep. However, I'm also noticing that around 1-2 PM I get a "head rush" feeling, and then shortly after that I have difficulty concentrating and feel very irritable for about 2 hours or so.

I'm wondering if I should wait a bit longer on the XR, or if there is something else I can bring to my doc as a suggestion? It's nice to have only one pill, but I feel like it's wearing off just when I need it to get through the day. If you have an idea or experience, I would love to hear it.

Thanks in advance,
Emmie

Ask your doctor if Adderall is right for you. I had all those side effects when I was on Dexedrine (10mg spansules). I felt it come on, give me massive headaches, and wear off to the point I almost passed out in work/school/at the gym/in traffic. Had the heart pumping feeling, the dizziness and uncomfortable feeling.

He switched me to Adderall XR (20mg) and other than a few initial side effects that ultimately went away, I have no ZERO issues. I don't feel it hit, last and wear off, but I know it's working. I sleep like a baby at night and wake up with little difficulty.

I know it sucks to be a guinea pig. Adjusting to increased doses and side effects can be very frustrating. I actually called my doc about half way and told him I quit. Sometimes you just have suck it up for a few weeks. If nothing gets better, then you have to try, try, try again.

Thanks, that does help! I might have to suck it up and deal with the effects. I've got something going right here, so I can wait it out if I must. The rush from regular Adderall was far worse than the one from XR, so that is something to note. The idea that another med might be better for me is something I should look into, thank you!

Any further thoughts are welcome!

Emmie

When I first started XR I didn't like it. Compared to the instant release it was slower to take effect and I would feel a sudden slight increase in my heart rate 3-4hrs after the initial dose and again 3-4hrs from that. There were also a few times when I felt a momentary jolt of euphoria...I usually describe it as fairies sprinkling magic dust over my head, hehe.

After about 5 daily doses I didn't really notice the heart rate increases and there are no fairies sprinkling dust over me.

Overall, the medication doesn't help me as much as I would like, but it helps quite a bit and is better than nothing. When I first started the instant release and titrated up to 20mg 2x daily I had uncomfortable side effects...racing HR, feeling worn-out. My doc switched me to Ritalin which was a nightmare for me! So I decided that a lower dose Adderall wasn't so bad afterall.

Thanks, Pauligirl! That is important feedback, and I am very happy to get it.

I'm feeling a bit better now after another two days. I made a huge error in writing down appointments, and this morning I realized on my way to work that I was going to miss a meeting. I had one HUGE heart pump, one flip of my tummy, and then I was able to focus and make the phone calls I needed to make. This is huge for me; a few months ago I would have been so confused about what to do that I would have frozen in place. On the regular Adderall, this kind of scenario made my heart pound. I must admit, I felt more productive on the 10 mg in the AM. However, today I noticed that my 1-3 PM slump did not occur. So, maybe it's working for me. I think I need more time, though.

Any other thoughts?

MECMR - I am currently taking the same ride you are in trying to get the meds figured out and worked out.

My Short Story - Diagnosed about a month ago. Started on 10mg XR in the mornings. Last two weeks have been doing 10mg IR at 7AM, 10mg XR at noon-ish and another 10mg IR at 5PM. Have had MANY of the same experiences as you so far. I am feeling lazy at this hour of the morning, so if you really want the deatails on a day by day blow for comparison purposes, you can read it here (http://www.dority-ca.com). It's my blog and the ADHD section started as a daily journal of the whole experience, but that lasted about a week! DOH! May go back this morning and update...then again, may not! :rolleyes:

I've now been scouring the forums and broader internet for any solid info on combining Strattera with the Adderall since I have heard some people reap the best of both by doing that. As of right now, my mornings and evening are almost consistently good regarding focus and energy, but the middle of the day lags, so maybe a higher dose noon time XR would help that. Thing is, focus and energy are about all I am getting and it sounds like there is more to be got. I am therapist hunting now so I can get some non-chemical treatment going as well, but I want more from my meds because I have heard other stories of those who are getting more. Know what I mean?

Good luck in your journey!

ya take a 1/2 of one at rebound/crashing time and make a smooth transition

bdority - I read part of your blog and it is very good stuff! Great detailed account of what one might expect. Thanks.

Thanks, everyone!

I'm starting to notice the afternoon is not so cool on XR as it was on the IR. :( I had a meeting with my boss today at 2 PM, about 6 hours into the XR dose, and I was having trouble making my point. It felt like "unmedicated me" a little too much for my comfort. However, I got a lousy night's sleep last night, so maybe that was it? 2-6 PM has always been a bad time for me, meds or no.

I'm noticing that a few people take XR and IR together. That's interesting. Do you have increased side effects? Is it only once in a while, or all the time? If you have to do that every day, then why take XR at all? I'm curious.

Butch, thank you VERY much for this post! I did read your blog, and it sounds like a lot of what you have gone through with your meds matches my situation. My DH is even starting to pick up on when the meds wear off. Tonight, we were having a really cool conversation, he left for ten minutes...and when he came back, I was zoning again. :rolleyes:

I know what you mean about getting more, but I also get what you mention on your blog about the meds not being the be-all, end-all. After years of being told it's ALL my fault because I don't "discipline" myself, I am realizing..I have to discipline myself. :o Some of the way to find out the best mix, at least for me, will be in figuring out what I can now do even on the down side of the meds that I never used to even attempt because I knew deep down that it was an exercise in futility. Does that make sense?

Good luck to you, I look forward to hearing more about your experience!

Emmie




MECMR - I am currently taking the same ride you are in trying to get the meds figured out and worked out.

My Short Story - Diagnosed about a month ago. Started on 10mg XR in the mornings. Last two weeks have been doing 10mg IR at 7AM, 10mg XR at noon-ish and another 10mg IR at 5PM. Have had MANY of the same experiences as you so far. I am feeling lazy at this hour of the morning, so if you really want the deatails on a day by day blow for comparison purposes, you can read it here (http://www.dority-ca.com). It's my blog and the ADHD section started as a daily journal of the whole experience, but that lasted about a week! DOH! May go back this morning and update...then again, may not! :rolleyes:

I've now been scouring the forums and broader internet for any solid info on combining Strattera with the Adderall since I have heard some people reap the best of both by doing that. As of right now, my mornings and evening are almost consistently good regarding focus and energy, but the middle of the day lags, so maybe a higher dose noon time XR would help that. Thing is, focus and energy are about all I am getting and it sounds like there is more to be got. I am therapist hunting now so I can get some non-chemical treatment going as well, but I want more from my meds because I have heard other stories of those who are getting more. Know what I mean?

Good luck in your journey!

Emmie,

Thanks for the reply. Nice to know all that writing went to some good use for somebody other than myself. I didn't add anything this morning. No surprise there. I think what has happened is that I had a good run on the writing during week one, but then as soon as I let it slip, it started to feel like I had already gone through too many things in just another week to ever get caught up, so I feel like all my good intentions were for naught. I am going to go with a different approach and simply write what I feel like writing and not put the pressure on myself to make it a detailed day by day thing. There's no rule that says I now have to remember the details of every day I didn't write. Gawd, this is all new stuff I am learning at what feels like such a late stage in life. Better get over it and get on with it, huh?

More inconsistencies today with the meds. I'm there, then I'm not. Seems just too unpredictable to consider it real progress. Put in an email to a therapist friend of mine today to get recommendations on others in his profession since he already knows me personally and also doesn't accept insurance...DOH!:mad: He gave me names of those he likes that do accept my PPO and I put in calls to them. Will wait to see what I hear back. I really feel like I have to get more than just the 15 minute "how's it going?" meds check in that I get from my pdoc right now. Need to spend some serious time talking with somebody who can articulate what it is I should be experiencing so I can better judge the results of what I get from what I take. Know what I mean?

More as the story develops...

Oh, and sorry to be thick, but what is your DH? Dumb Husband?!?!:D

Oh, and sorry to be thick, but what is your DH? Dumb Husband?!?!:D

LOL!!!! It's Dear Husband, although I have moments where I wonder...:p

I got the ADD diagnosis after being in therapy for a year without meds. I was trying to work on some really deep stuff, and a lot of anxiety, but I just could not keep focused. My therapist suggested meds to help me so I could get through it. It was a tossup between anxiety and attention, but when I at and thought about it with the shrink, I realized I was always anxious because I could not concentrate and think. The meds ahve been a huge help even in the few weeks I've tried them, and therapy is progressing. Which means I'm crying and remembering things, which sucks. :rolleyes: It's all part of the healing. Good luck to you in finding someone!

Hmmm, XR 20 mg at 7 AM today, and here at 1 PM I'm getting a throb behind my eyes and a sluggish feeling. I don't know that the second half of the XR is really kicking in for me. More research to follow: try going up to 30 mg, or add a bit of IR in the afternoon? Hmmm.....

Good news, though: rebound seemed to be less last night. Instead of wide awake and "puttering" till 3, I was slowing down at around midnight ("put-puttering"? :D) and dozed off on the couch...I was in bed just after 1:30. The evening dose may be really helping, and maybe my body is adjusting.

Emmie

My doc recently prescribed XR and IR. The idea is that the 30mg XR is taken in the morning and the 10mg IR is taken in the late afternoon. I don't work a 9-5 job and keep an irregular schedule so this med routine isn't going to work for me.

My doc gave me the option of just using the IR but I'm still trying to give XR a try. But I have a feeling that I'll probably end up using the 10mg IR two or three times a day. I have absolutely no side effects when taking anything under 20mg of IR at a time. The XR just doesn't seem as smooth. I don't know how to explain it, it just isn't as comfortable.

And for me, I'm definately beginning to think less is more. I can be happy with subtle improvements from the medication. I first started Adderall three months ago and I'm still trying to determine what dosage is effective with the least amount of side effects.

So I guess it all just takes time and a lot of patience.

Emmie,

I FINALLY got around to writing more on the blog (http://www.dority-ca.com) and thought you might be interested. It's more on the subject we covered in this thread, but I wanted to write it there because that way I can also share it with some people who read that and are not on this forum. Plus, as you might imagine, it's a little lengthy. Just hit the home page and scroll on down to where you left off last, ok?:D

I identify difficulty concentrating and irritablility with rebound. I believe XR lasts ~ 8 hours so taking it at 7-8am it should last till ~ 3-4pm.

If the XR is wearing off ~6-7 hours you might talk to your doctor about moving the IR dose up a bit or increasing the amount of XR you take.

I had problems sleeping when I took IR Adderall after 4-5pm.

adderall consists of d-amp and l-amp. The d-amp specificly helps with concentration/focus. The l-amp effects mood/energy more. I also believe the l-amp effects last longer then the d-amp ~12 hours vs ~8hours.

BobC

I really feel like I have to get more than just the 15 minute "how's it going?" meds check in that I get from my pdoc right now. Need to spend some serious time talking with somebody who can articulate what it is I should be experiencing so I can better judge the results of what I get from what I take. Know what I mean?




MAYBE I can help here? I"ll try, anyway. I had four great days on Adderall and then it all went south. I'm trying to find my way back there, but I feel blessed that I had the experience to begin with. I know what I'm looking for, at least. :o

I felt.... calm. very calm. everything was quiet. someone had turned off that infernal racket in my head. I could be 'in the moment' while washing dishes, to the point that I actually enjoyed the process. I didn't feel rushed or hurried. I felt like I had time to do whatever I was doing. I didn't have my list of One Million Things To Do playing in the background. I could sort through the massive pile of papers in my office and know what needed to be filed and what should be thrown away. I could hear the nuances in music. I noticed when I went to bed that my jaw was not tight, my shoulders were relaxed. I slept better than I ever have. I woke up at 7am and WANTED to get out of bed. (that's never happened before).... I did an hour of yoga because I enjoyed the practice, I was fully involved in the moment, my mind was not wandering. I've never done more than 30 minutes and I usually rush through that. I was at peace. I can't tell you how much I miss that, but at the same time I'm lucky enough to know what can be achieved. My husband has been on Adderall for 4 years and didn't understand what I meant until he tried Vyvanse. NOW he gets it. It's truly remarkable, if you can find it.

I really liked my experience with Adderral. I felt the most "normal" than I have felt since I do not know when. I was tired all of the time I would get up and three or four hours, I went back to sleep as I had no choice. Finally after going through this for a few weeks, I decided I wanted to go get some cigarettes. I had quit almost four years ago. So I walked a mile to the General Store and bought four packs of cigareetes. Smoking the cigarettes for some reason made me feel better for some reason. The next day I saw my counselor and asked her to call my doctor for me. I had an appointment the next day. I saw my doctor the next day and she handed me an Rx for Adderral Xl 10mg. once daily. As she handed me the Rx she said that I might or I probably would need a higher dose. As usual she was correct. The next morning I took 2 10mg. capsules and then it did make a difference. It even helped with my depression which I already take 60mg. of daily. I did not take three or four naps a day like I had been doing. I could concentrate and focus a lot better. I started reading again, I love to read but got frustrated because of my lack of concentration, losing my place constantly and spending 10 minutes to get one page read. Then I tried 3 20mg. capsules the next day and it was still even better. The only thing I did not like is that they wore off in six to eight hours tops. I wa starting to run out of pills so I called her office and talked to her about wanting an earlier appt. because I had three or four pills left for the reasons I already mentioned. She told me that I had been told not to take anymore than what she prescribed and she was booked up all week and could not get me in untill May 28th about a week before I am scheduled to see her anyway. I told her nobody had told me that I was not supposed to take anymore than one a day, because nobody ever had. I was so angrywhen I got off the phone that I figured out I had plenty of food to get through untill payday, so I walked back to the General Store and wrote a check for a carton of Came lights hoping that would last me until I get my check. That was also the last day I took anymore of Adderral. Each day I am steadily going straight down hill. I quit reaking again. I was hoping that I would not smoke much longer. This is just Friday night and I feel depressed and like crap. Every single day I feel worse. The Adderal was real nice for the short period I got to take it. It really was the difference between night and day. I wish I had been given a decent dose to start with or they would have at the very least worked me in, I told them I was willing to come and sit in the waiting room untill they could work me in. This really sucks badly. I have to get through this weekend and Monday and TTuellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lli

Maurice, hang in there! I'm sorry to hear that things are so frustrating right now. Hopefully the doctor's office will call you with a cancellation or something. When you go in, work with your doc about a schedule of how much you can take when. My doctor does this with me, and it's helped. We agree I will take x per day, and can try y, but no more than that until I see him again. That way I have enough pills. I hope that makes sense. Sometimes it takes a lot of fiddling to get the right dose.

Hannahsmom, thank you! Your symptoms sound a lot like mine, and your experience with the meds at first does also. I hope you can get onto something that helps you feel that again. I'm hoping to get that back soon myself. :(

The 20 mg XR does not make me feel as clear and organized as the 10 mg IR and 5 mg IR did. The literature says that 20 mg XR once a day should be the same as 10 mg IR twice a day, but I'm not finding that at all. At 1 or 2 PM I'm noticing a sharp decrease in concentration and focus, and my "puttering" starts creeping in, along with the noise in my head. It keeps up until the 5 mg IR kicks in around 4 or 5 PM. I'm not sure if a higher dose of XR would make a difference or not. Has anyone else tried a higher dose of XR and found it worked better, or does it seem like there is always something "lacking" in the afternoon?

I could switch back to 10 mg IR in the AM and 5 mg IR in the afternoon, but I really find the 5 mg at 5 PM to be helpful, and I don't want to add that without consulting my doctor. My next appointment is on June 10, and while what I am on is not the best of all I've tried, it's helpful and I can live with it. I'm leaning towards sticking with this and "gathering data" for my next appointment, and making a decision from there.

Butch, I read your post, and your blog, but forgot to tell you until now! Forgive me, please, and the vagaries of my mind? I'm sure you understand. ;) By the way, your blog is awesome! How are you doing?

BobC, thank you for that explanation. The longer I am on the XR, the shorter I feel it works for. I still cannot go to bed at a decent hour to get sleep, and after that it is worse. I need to figure that out. I don't know that it is the meds, I feel like some of this is still "habit" for me. Night time is my surfing and silliness time,and my schedule is full of things that make sense to my pre-med self to stay busy and try to focus until I tire myself out and can sleep. Somehow that is not moving up for me, and I need to talk with my doc to see if I should do anything different.