I have finally been prescribed Adderall for my ADD and I took my first dose (10mg) a few minutes ago. I am hopeful that it will be a good experience for me.

Can anyone give me any pointers as to how long you should wait between doses to reduce rebound? I am on the old fashioned kind of Adderall, not the XR as I cannot afford the extended release.

Also, do you see results immediately or is it like anti depressants and take a month or so? Not a lot about this in all the books I have read.

Thank you!

Lenore (who is just too sensitive)

You get results with the first dose.

Usually the doctor starts off with a small dose and works up to a full dose over time. This is to avoid side effects. In any case you might or might not see much or any effect at the initial dose because the dose is small. A lot depends on your metabolism.

ME :D

I'm on Xr but I think the inital release is still the same. BY 45 minutes you should definately notice a difference... if not then you may need a stronger dose.

Please be aware on the regular, it will be normal to feel the crash in about 4 hours. Just know you will grow an immunity to this, so don't dispair.
Good Luck.

Hey, I'm glad you got your meds! Yay!!!!

I started on 10 mg IR the first time I took it. I took it at noon, by 1 PM I was checking email and zooming through it (signing on for me usually means "puttering" for hours), then by 1:30 I was cleaning my kitchen and prepping dinner.

At 6:15 PM, when my husband asked me a question I turned to him and said "Um.....huh?" He repeated it: did I want a glass of wine? "Um......huh? Uh, come back later I...what was I doing?" At the time it annoyed us both, but now it seems pretty funny!

I found I needed a good two or three weeks before I found the right timing of doses. I can take them 5 1/2 to 6 hours apart and be fine. On a morning following insomnia (less than 4 hours of sleep) I find they only seem to last about 4 hours, but I try not to take them that close.

Not everyone rebounds, some folks just notice that things get slower....or a little harder to concentrate on, and they feel a bit tired. To me, "rebound" means the ADD symptoms come on full force, and I get cranky and scattered and confused and cannot shut my brain off.

As my doc and I have experimented, we have found I do better if I take a 5 mg "booster" at about 5 PM. Any later than that and it interferes with my sleep, but if I take it then I can get through the evening (dinner, errands, straightening up the house, chatting with my husband, etc.) and really don't have a rebound. By 11 PM or 12 AM I am really sleepy and go to bed.

By the way, I took XR for almost a month, and had "rebound" with it much more than with IR. XR is nice for many reasons, but it does not work for everyone, just like IR doesn't work for everyone. So, if this works for you, don't worry about not being able to afford XR or feeling like you are missing something. :)

I'd keep a log as much as you can, a diary of sorts, and let your doc know what you notice at your next appointment. Any info, on how it does good OR bad for you, can help fine tune your dose or med. (And if you don't mind me getting a bit personal, track your cycle with it...some women note that PMS and their menstrual cycle effect the way the meds work. During PMS, my doses shift around a bit to compensate; other women take a different med then, still others have no issues.)

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Thank you all for replying!!

I got confused and thought another post was mine, and replied to it- so it certainly doesn't do much for my inattention in that respect!! lol.

I do feel different, in a way I cannot describe. I will have to give it a few days to put it into words, I guess. My bf just asked me if I was OK because I was sitting still reading a book in the middle of the day. Usually I can't sit still and read until we go to bed, usually because I have insomnia anyway and it is a good time to get some reading in. :rolleyes: (though I have to say that something in the book will inevitably lead me to thinking about other things and before I know it, it's 3am and I am daydreaming, still on the same page of the book!)

I am a little worried about some things I have read about having alcohol while on this medication- I am by no means an alcoholic but I do enjoy a glass of wine or a Cape Cod when I am out socializing- but I certainly don't want to throw up!! Does anyone have any feedback on this?:confused:

On an up note, I went to practice today and felt very energetic, didn't feel like quitting after an hour (which is usually the case) and wanted to keep on skating even after it was time to leave!!

Also there are some people starting to pop out of the woodwork around me who are telling me that they suspect they have ADD as well- I am directing them to this forum and am wondering if I should start a local thread for us? I know I should not try and do too much at once, but I feel the need to advocate for this disorder, as it is so maligned and misunderstood in the "real world".

Thank you all so much!!

Lenore
(who is just too sensitive)

I have been on IR 30-40mg a day for the past month or so. I have not had any issues after drinking. Like you, I don't drink often but the glass of wine and mixed drink or two that I have had has not bothered me.

Thank you! that is a relief to hear!

Update on the meds-

I had trouble falling asleep last night (seemed my symptoms were in overdrive, same line from the same song playing over in my head, racing thoughts, etc)

I slept pretty deeply when I did fall out, but I woke up at 5:30am!!!

That is WAY too early. I couldn't fall back asleep so I just lay there staring at the ceiling for three hours until my bf woke up.

I took my first dose right before I ate breakfast, so I would have some food in me (wasn't hungry AT ALL yesterday)

I am a little concerned about the sleeping thing, I have practice tonight at 6 and don't want to a.) be too tired to skate or b.) be overly energetic and hurt myself....also I always have a hard time falling asleep on the nights I have practice, most normal people would just fall out exhausted but it seems to make me hyper.

Yesterday I practiced in the morning so it didn't really make much difference.

I REALLY appreciate all the feedback.

You guys rock!!

Lenore
(who is just too sensitive)

I took Adderall IR (old kind) a few times... 10 mg I think. The first few times I took it I felt euphoric and I could finally get things done. I then crashed after 4 hours. You'll find that if you do experience the euphoria it will go away pretty quick and you'll just be more focused and have a bit more motivation.

Symptoms in overdrive? That is what I feel like on "rebound". Like my ADD is trying to make up for lost time. :D

After some time it gets better, because you get more used to DOING things, and can concentrate better. Even after the meds wear off now, I feel I have better focus. The racing thoughts are easier to catch, and far fewer.

Your brain is learning a new way of thinking, and you have to practice it and note what is going on. For example, I find I can now make lists, but after 30-odd years of not being able to, I rarely think of it automatically. I have to consciously think "Make a list and prioritize it, then cross things off as they get done." As you practice new things, note what works well and what does not.

I found that an increase in my dose helped the rebound effect. However, it takes time to figure that out. My doc insists on 2 weeks as a marker before making a decision, unless something is drastically wrong in one way or another. (One day with heart palpitations, he lowered my dose. One week on Adderall XR and I felt more cranky and irritable, he switched me back to IR.)


Give yourself a few days, and then maybe start looking at books like "Organizing Your Life the ADD Way" (or similar title, I cannot find it right now.) And start right now keeping a diary of how things feel and when. The book reading is, in my opinion, a good sign of how the meds are helping. The insomnia might be a sign things need fiddling. But fiddling where: move the time up of the dose, increase, decrease, split it, try a different med? Only time will help you and your doc to figure it out.

Talking about it on here helps. It helps others, too! Someone new to the med may read this and get help. I'm reading this and thinking about things I have not thought of for a while, which is good because I see my doc on Tuesday for a discussion about "tweaking". Thanks a lot for getting this going!


Thank you! that is a relief to hear!

Update on the meds-

I had trouble falling asleep last night (seemed my symptoms were in overdrive, same line from the same song playing over in my head, racing thoughts, etc)

I slept pretty deeply when I did fall out, but I woke up at 5:30am!!!

That is WAY too early. I couldn't fall back asleep so I just lay there staring at the ceiling for three hours until my bf woke up.

I took my first dose right before I ate breakfast, so I would have some food in me (wasn't hungry AT ALL yesterday)

I am a little concerned about the sleeping thing, I have practice tonight at 6 and don't want to a.) be too tired to skate or b.) be overly energetic and hurt myself....also I always have a hard time falling asleep on the nights I have practice, most normal people would just fall out exhausted but it seems to make me hyper.

Yesterday I practiced in the morning so it didn't really make much difference.

I REALLY appreciate all the feedback.

You guys rock!!

Lenore
(who is just too sensitive)

The differences in my children could be seen the same day. Their affects work on my kids within 30 minutes. If you can at all afford the XR, I TRULY recommend doing so. It can be easy to forget the second does and highs and lows are not uncommon and can be very difficult to manage.

It works differently for different people..and you may find two 10mg doses is too much or not enough...but all in all, you should reach for a level that makes you feel "normal" this is exactly how my kids describe how they feel on a good dose for them...not wired, not lethargic, not zombie like...a normal functional feel.

Day two is drawing to a close...and I am very hyper right now. It is 10:30 at night and I am jittery and don't know how I will ever fall asleep!

A few hours ago I was all zen and calm, having a long and coherent conversation with my boyfriend. We watched an episode of Wonder Woman and now I am hopped up like I had 3 cups of coffee or something!

Also, I have not been hungry AT ALL. I ate a tiny bit of chicken just to get something in my system but I had to practically force myself to eat it.

I am worried about this, as I am in a pretty physically demanding sport and I need to eat.

Any pointers?

The hyper part:

Either time the med so it is out of your system by about 3 hours before you go to bed, OR try something I read by acciednt on one of the parenting forums: go to bed while you are still on the med.

Odd, huh? But the parent who posted it had a point...their child was able to focus on going to bed and going to sleep. Plus, the meds over time feel less stimulating somehow..I can now take a nap an hour after taking 12.5 mg of Adderall. It's an hour, and not a deep sleep, but that is fine. It is, actually, what a nap should be!

The eating: that's a bit tougher. I get no physical cues that I am hungry, so I forget to eat. I have to schedule it. "This is 12:30 PM, it is lunchtime, I must eat." With your physical demands, you might feel differently after a while. Schedule time to eat, and don't be surprised if you feel full after about 1/2 your normal amount. High protein seems to help a lot of folks, and get lots of fresh veggies. Avoid citrus or citric acid (soda, etc.) for an hour before or after the meds at least. (They can interfere with absorption.)

Some folks say they feel ill on Adderall and cannot eat at all. I find my portions are just smaller, and I have to remember to eat. I feel like I did when I was 14, 15, or so, and racing around on adrenaline.

Still tapping your foot? Have you tried herb tea, like chamomile? Deep breaths, and try to focus on what you can do, instead of how odd everything feels. It does get better, at least it did for me!

Please be aware on the regular, it will be normal to feel the crash in about 4 hours. Just know you will grow an immunity to this, so don't dispair.
Good Luck.

Some people don't grow a tolerance to Adderall. I have been takign 10mg for over a year and the effectiveness is always good.