Okay, I'm desperate for ANY advice on this matter!! Here's my situation: I've been in treatment for ADHD for a little over five months now. I've been on stimulant therapy and once weekly counseling. First stimulant tried was Concerta-18mgs. This did nothing, except nasty side effects. Went back to doc and asked to try Vyvanse, which I heard great things about. At this time I knew that Adderall worked wonders for controlling my symptom and generally increasing the overall quality to my life. A close friend with ADD convinced me to try her meds. She had extra because she takes vacations from meds. She gave me the recommended dose for her which is 30mg 3x's daily. It was the clearest, happiest, and most productive few days in my entire life. That's alot of the reason I asked for Vyvanse in the first place. I was under the impression that it was a new formulation of Adderall XR. It's not at all the same, even close. I've been on Vyvanse for over 3 months now and my dose has been increased. It worked okay for about two weeks. I'm so worried that if I don't speak up that it my take forever to get there. I know this is the perfect med for me, but I cannot tell doc about my not so legal experience. Some docs are hardcore on us ADHDers about the drug abuse-impulsive behaviors. I have a history of impulsive behavior. I go back in a few days and this is really weighing heavy on my already scattered mind. Just need to get over it and out right ask for what I need I guess. The worst that could happen is a "no". I just wish Adderall didn't get such a bum rap. Any drug can be abused. It's just not fair what the recreational users and scammers that sell their script every month do to mess it up or at least complicate it for those of us who actually need this type of medication. The first time I went to the doc, after he handed me my script,he asked me about methamphetamine abuse and snorting or injecting medicine!! I found his a little disturbing. Needless to say, all this makes it hard to muster up the courage to ask for Adderall!

It's funny: I'm not sure how a doc would react if you told him you took Adderall for a few days. They might not freak out.

But ... what you can do if you don't wanna do that is simply tell the doctor that you've been reading a lot on a adhd forum and "I'd like to try adderall."

If you're nervous, you'll want to practice a few lines ahead of time.
"I know Vyvanse and Adderall are similar, but I've read that some people have much better results with one than with the other. I really want to try Adderall."

"Also, I have a friend who has adhd and he/she has had really good results on Adderall." ....

If you want to add a little white lie in here, you can say, "I have a friend who has had a much better result on adderall than he/she had on Vyvanse. I'm wondering if that would be true for me as well. Is it possible I could try adderall?"

Basically, I think you're in the clear here more than you think. Vyvanse is an amphetamine, so asking for adderall isn't some radical move. Not at all.

Good luck.

I agree with ToneTone, and I'll go a bit further with it... if getting a 'buzz' was what I was after, I would be on Vyvanse. That's all I got and I hated it. I like Adderall because it CALMS me. So I have to laugh when a pdoc tries to work around some theory that one drug is more abuseable than another. It's just plain different for everyone.

I completely have the same results! That's so funny that you mention that. The higher/effective does of Vyvanse actually dose feel really speedy to me and I don't care for it. It actually is so intense that it cramps the muscles in my back, neck, and shoulders. I mentioned this to doc last month and he wanted to keep me at 50mg to see if I'd adjust. My mind adjusted to much and the med wasn't beneficial, only speedy and physically tiring. The Adderall on the other hand was relaxing, but also helped me be clear, focused, productive, and I fell asleep easier and slept better than ever in my entire life. I wish I could explain my experience, although I'm not sure how open-minded to this doc would be. Thanks for the advice. It makes me feel better about just mentioning the Adderall as an alternative to Vyvanse.

I agree with Tone and Hannahsmom, ask about it in that manner and your doc need be none the wiser this time. Once you get it, be honest about how it works and it will all be fine.

Then resolve to never try somebody else's meds again, so you don't have to worry anymore. ;)

Good luck!

Hey, you can tell your pdoc I'M the friend who has tried both and had better results with Adderall... how's that? :)

by the way, my experience withVyvanse was exactly like yours. My neck/back/jaw were so tense I was having to take a pain reliever, which I thought was just stupid. Like my liver doesn't have enough to do. :P

[quote=airhead05;598747]Some docs are hardcore on us ADHDers about the drug abuse-impulsive behaviors. I have a history of impulsive behavior. [quote]

Ummmmm.... isn't that WHY you are trying to get medicated?!!? Impulsive behavior is a classic ADHD symptom. *sigh* I wonder about some doctors' judgement sometimes....If we feel good, we don't NEED to self-medicate.....

So true, and unfortunate for us. Doctors and mental health services are suppose to be there to help us cope with dysfunction, not judge us for it. But, again many health care professionals and mental health professionals don't seem to see it this way. Most of my impulsive behavior was reckless driving, thrill-seeking type behaviors. Not that I didn't experiment with illicit drugs, but I never was more than experimenting as a teenager. I Fortunately, I never had an actually substance abuse problem. I guess that's all part of ADHD being untreated as an adolescent. But, I'm trying my best to be a responsible mother, college student, and take care of a household. Yea, sure it's chaotic and unstructured, but that's why I'm in treatment. Not to get a buzz!!

I had the same fear when asking my pdoc for Adderall. As previously stated, just mention that you have been doing some reading on this forum and would like to see if Adderall is more effective for you. Also talk about your negative experience with Vyvanse. (not sure if you should mention taking your friend's meds)
Once I asked, doc had no problems letting me try Adderall. It has done wonders for me.
Good luck.

Thanks. The support really helps me feel less apprehensive about the matter all together. I'm really happy to hear that someone else has had the same anxiety. I'm aware that Adderall is very commonly prescribed and very successful at treating many folks with ADHD. I suppose I just shouldn't sweat it too much. And, I will certainly not be informing pdoc about actually trying the medicine. How did you bring up the topic with your pdoc? Thanks for all the input!

After the usual small talk, my doc asks how the meds are doing. At my last visit, I told him that Ritalin was hit and miss. Worked sometimes but also brought on its share of side effects like racing heart, gasping for air, etc. It also didn't last very long - IR lasted about 2 hours for me. I wasn't sure if Adderall would work for me so I didn't want to say too much bad stuff since I wanted a way to go back (something's better than nothing, right!). So after that, I said that I found a great site where people discuss their trials through different meds, etc. I told him that I noticed many seem to do well with Adderall and that it's supposed to last longer than Ritalin (which was one of my complaints). I said I wanted to do a one month trail on Adderall to see if I got the same great results I kept reading about. He didn't hesitate or ask any questions. It was MUCH simpler than I thought. He put me on IR 10mg 3 times a day. Just say you want a trial to see.

FYI - if you get instant release, then go for the Barr made generic. There's plenty of discussions here on that. I know Target carries it.