Hey guys,

I used to wonder why people post on this board every little effect/lack there of their medication. Well two weeks ago, I started on Adderall and now I know why people post: it's a good way to think out loud.

I have been on Wellbutrin for depression for 3 years now. It has been highly effective for me with minimal side effects. And just this year, I got diagnosed with adhd.

Anyway, started on 10mg Adderall XR two weeks ago and then a week ago, per doc's orders, went up to 20 a day (2 X 10mg). I feel different, though it's hard to put it in words. I notice a tiring at the end of day, but it doesn't come after some particular time of improved concentration--at least not that I'm aware of ....

I'm not particularly organized ... I've been procrastinating perhaps more than usual.

Just as a quick experiment, I went up to 30 mg today. Right now, I just feel sort of zoned out ... it's like my brain isn't thinking of anything when I pause for a moment. Like it's slower than usual. But it's not a slow that seems to be allowing me to get more good things done.

Anyway, got appointment with shrink in 10 days and I'm guessing he'll suggest I go up on the prescription.

Funny, this is not an unhappy feeling. This reminds me of when I was on Zoloft prior to Wellbutrin. On Zol, it was like, "Problems. No need to worry about problems. Just chill ...." On Wellbutrin, the effect was like,"Problem? What problem? Let's go kick @#s and take care of it.)

Anyone else feel the sort of spaced out thing on Adderall? Anyone felt this and then got better results on higher dosage.

I was hoping that Adderall would work and I wouldn't have to do the whole trial-and-error thing. But I'm definitely willing to do it, to try various combinations to get the optimal results.

Hi Tone!

I've been on 20 mg XR every AM for..a week or so? I'm noticing it's "softer" in the morning than the IR dose, and the afternoon is a complete crapshoot. The 5 mg IR I take in the evening has a more pronounced feeling of boost in concentration and focus.

Some of it could be adjusting to what the med does and how you feel. If you were constantly full of thoughts and energy before, then what you describe might mean the med is actually working to slow down your thoughts. I'm learning how to cope without the pressure of "gogogo" from my brain. The silence is sometimes strange, because I have never had it before.

However, it might also mean it is working against you a bit, at least at this dose or with this type. Can you list pros and cons? Does anything feel better? Does anything feel worse? Details might help you and your doc find the best dose.

Take care,
Emmie

That's a great question, the pros and cons. Thanks for asking--it's forcing me to really think.

This is really hard; it's only been about 16 days or so ....

Pros:

1.) Mind seems slower, less rushed.

2.) At times (and I can't swear to this) it seems like I'm really able to listen to people and to really lose myself in the moment without a lot of effort. (will continue to monitor this).

3.) I attend a support group and I've gone to several meetings in the past few days, and I feel really relaxed during the meetings. I am usually a good listener; the problem, I think, is that listening takes a lot of energy. On Adderall, listening and sitting seems easier.

Cons:

1.) Suppressed appetite (I don't totally mind this, but it seems my metabolish is really slowing on account of eating so little).

2.) Still procrastinating--perhaps procrastinating even more ......

3.) Feeling sort of zoned out, like my brain is heavy or slow .... yes, this could be the brain not racing, but not sure .....

4.) Feeling somewhat restless, not wanting to do work I've planned to do ... Ability to focus on the big picture and focus on intellectual tasks does not seem any better ....

5.) If anything, I want to "goof off" more and complete my work less. I work a lot at home and on weekends, so I've experienced this this weekend.

I think that is a really good list!

On the cons side, I have noticed something similar, I think...it's hard to say, because I am still adjusting. I have only taken Adderall IR and XR, so if I refer to meds, that is all I have experience with.

I know I have a hard time still figuring out what to do, but I am more aware that I am thinking "I don't know where to start."

I still procrastinate, but I realize that is what I am doing, and can try to think of why. My ability to think that has been up and down according to the med and dosage. On one it's better, on another, not so much.

I had no incentive to do ANYTHING today, and my husband had to point out to me it was okay, because it is a day off! I always feel so far behind, I always want to do something. (I can just never pick something and get it done without huge amounts of stress!)

Can you try something that never worked before, and see how it goes? For example, if you are sitting and feeling like you are procrastinating, could you try making a list? Can you ask why, and recognize "It is because I don't know which will be best to do right now"?

Maybe you cannot focus because you know you should do something else, or simply don't want to do it? (We with ADD are "blamed like this a lot, so I apologize if that sounds rude! It's just that sometimes we don't want to do something because we don't want to do it, and for me if I recognize that, it helps me a lot because I can move on instead of trying to force myself and feeling guilty.)

Another thing to bring to your doc would be if anything is WORSE now. The procrastination is one thing you mentioned, and your appetite. If you are on Wellbutrin for depression, is that any worse? Hopefully not, but it could be something to note if it is. It may indicate how the Adderall is working for you.

It could be the dose, but you should really ask your doctor before you change anything, for safety reasons. It could be the type, and maybe IR would be better? Maybe it is all how it interacts with Wellbutrin, in which case a change in dose or type could help, I would suppose.

Keep talking, this place is great and more folks will chime in I am sure! It's a holiday weekend, so it might be a little slow. I'm not sure, I'm new here myself. :)

Take care,
Emmie

Just want to add quickly - There's other meds that might work better than Adderall so don't give up if you don't find it helps much.


I'm not sure why Adderall is so popular...dexadrine is a much better med. all around IMO. More people can tolerate it and it doesn't have the physical side effects. Everyone is different though ;)

Ritalin based meds. can be a good option if you're not getting much from the Adderall/Dex. Maybe give Adderall another week then see your doctor, you can talk to him about it and see what he thinks.

I agree with Ozchris... although for me it was the opposite. I thought Dex would be my saviour, but I felt much like you do on your Adderall. I started adderall this week and someone just turned on the lights! I cleaned my bedroom for the first time in TWO YEARS!!! okay, ugh, that sounds gross. I DO vacuum and change the bed, but not much beyond that, and once every month or two was pretty good. :P My husband has been on Adderall for 4 years and thought it was okay, until he tried Vyvanse. NOW he understands. It's working much better for him. It sounds to me like Adderall might not be your 'thing'... Try the round of stims first (Vyvanse,Dex,ritalin) before you go to something else. You might also try the IR and XR versions because for me XR was a nightmare, but IR seems great. Wellbutrin might also be a part of the equation.. when I was taking XR and Wellbutrin together, I would have all kinds of funky side effects, like my arm jerking when I was holding a glass or bowl of cereal. NOT fun.

Thank all you guys for your wonderfully helpful and encouraging replies.

I really feel the benefit of this forum. I'm often on here giving advice, but in this case, I needed responses. Thank you so much.

I'm guessing that my shrink may wanna go up on adderall first and try that for a week or two .... then if that doesn't work, move on to drug #2. I'm optimistic about this ... I know stims don't work for everyone. But after waiting this long to be properly diagnosed and all (I'm 46), I can be patient as I experiment to find the right meds.

Thanks again for the great responses.

p.s. to Hannahsmom,
All kidding aside, I will know the med is working better when I feel more motivated to clean my room. I totally know where you're coming from.

Updating my experience with adderall.

It's been three weeks now on adderall xr 20mg once a day.

Today I doubled my dose to 40 mg. I feel like my brain is more quiet, but my room is still messy and I'm not really doing tedious tasks. But my brain is quieter ... so it's not like I notice that I can concentrate better, but it's definitely like someone has turned down the static in my brain and I can "hear" the focus part of the brain better. But the focus single is still kind of weak.

I see shrink this week and probably will switch to Concerta or Vyvanse ... we'll see.

I'm not liking the XR much either, Tone. It just doesn't seem to snap things into place very well.

I see my doc on Tuesday, and so tomorrow I'm going to try 10 mg IR 2x daily, and 5 mg in the evening. The IR seems better for me somehow. Have you ever tried it?

hey Mecmr,

No, I haven't tried the ir; you like that better huh?

I'm a little reluctant to try it because I do get spacey and I'm not convinced I'll remember to take it ... But maybe I will. I'm sure I will. I think I will cycle through the extended releases before I return to an ir.

I'm thinking I'll try concerta and vyvanse first--my shrink seems to prefer the xr's. When I met with him last month, he gave me option of concerta or adderall ... I chose adderall after reading good things about it in combination with wellbutrin .... but .... not really feeling it. I can feel my heart or my chest feels tighter.

But no real concentration.

Tone, are you still taking wellbutrin? if so what's your dosage? i take 300 mg and i started on focalin, then concerta and i had horrible side effects. i then tried adderall 20 mg IR and am now trying 20 mg XR - not sure yet but i think I like the IR better..i like having the option not to have that second dose kick in, but overall it's been much better for me than the ones before. i am going to go down to 150 mg WB when my supply of 300 mg runs out.

brew,

I'm on 450 mg of Wellbutrin XL. I was on 300 for two and a half years, but asked to go up when I went through a period when I needed some extra support. The 450 was amazing for the first 6 weeks. The effect was like the effects people report when the stims work for them.

Since then, the 450 has lost some of its power. I still think it's better than the 300 ... are you thinking the Wellbutrin could be interfering with the adderall?