I'm just started taking 20 mg of Adderall XR about a month ago. Prior to getting the perscription, I was given 20 mg of Adderall IR from my boyfriend to help me in my fast track summer class, and felt like it really helped.

I felt the Adderall XR for the first week or two but now, if I take them every day (I need to with school and work every day) I can hardly "feel" them. Also, they don't last me 8 hours like they're supposed to. When they do work, I take one at 8:00 am and it wears off only 4 or 5 hours later.

I was thinking of asking my doctor about getting perscribed Adderall IR. I was wondering how I should bring this up, since I was never perscribed IR and technically shouldn't know how fast works or how it feels. Any advice? OR do you think it would be better to request a higher dosage of the XR? If I end up with that, would a higher dosage of XR last me longer than the 20 mg I'm taking now?

Thanks in advance!

I would just tell your doc that the XR doesn't seem to get you through your day and you would like to switch over to the IR. Also, not sure about your insurance but the IR is usually cheaper too.

Thanks :)

Do you even have ADHD? You said your boyfriend gave you his meds, then you got your own from the Dr. :confused:

Do you even have ADHD? You said your boyfriend gave you his meds, then you got your own from the Dr. :confused:

Yes I do. I have been living with ADHD since I was young but was not diagnosed until just recently. My parents thought it unnecessary for me to take medication and thought I was going through a phase, and that I'd "outgrow it". I finally took charge of my life and my ADHA, after talking to my university's psychiatrist. Why would I post on this forum if I didn't have ADHD? I didn't think it was required to post my life story before asking a question. Also, I really don't think it's fair for you to judge me and go on assuming things when you have no knowledge of me or my life. :mad:

Anyway, thanks for you help in answering my question.

I was thinking of asking my doctor about getting perscribed Adderall IR. I was wondering how I should bring this up, since I was never perscribed IR and technically shouldn't know how fast works or how it feels. Any advice? OR do you think it would be better to request a higher dosage of the XR?


Just pretend that you don't know much about the IR, because you really don't know how the two directly compare yet. You could ask the doctor about his experience in prescribing XR or IR, and if one might be more effective. In fact, your doctor could be a really good source of information.

Just pretend that you don't know much about the IR, because you really don't know how the two directly compare yet. You could ask the doctor about his experience in prescribing XR or IR, and if one might be more effective. In fact, your doctor could be a really good source of information.

Thank you very much! :)

Why would I post on this forum if I didn't have ADHD? I didn't think it was required to post my life story before asking a question. Also, I really don't think it's fair for you to judge me and go on assuming things when you have no knowledge of me or my life. :mad:

Believe it or not there are people who post here that don't have ADHD. I don't think you were being judged, just asked. Taking someone elses medication is not condoned here, and really shouldn't be done. I'm sorry you took offense, but in the future if you feel that you were being treated unfairly, try sending a private message to the person. It usually will clarify things.

Good luck with the doctor.

Believe it or not there are people who post here that don't have ADHD. I don't think you were being judged, just asked. Taking someone elses medication is not condoned here, and really shouldn't be done. I'm sorry you took offense, but in the future if you feel that you were being treated unfairly, try sending a private message to the person. It usually will clarify things.

Good luck with the doctor.

Yeah, I was in a bit of a mood earlier. My apologies... and I understand taking someone else's meds shouldn't be done.

So, thanks for the luck....

OP,. what do you mean by "feel" ?

How do you think they should work for you?

OP,. what do you mean by "feel" ?

How do you think they should work for you?

As in.... when I took it for the first week or so I felt as if I could focus in class and get many things accomplished. Now when I take them, I "feel" exactly as I did before.... I don't "feel" focused, I don't "feel" like I can get many things accomplished, etc. That is what I mean. How do I think they should work for me? I think they should help me "feel" focused and "feel" like I can get things accomplished, obviously. :)

Does this mean my body has gotten used to the dosage my doctor has prescribed to me? I don't really understand.

Also discuss your diet with the doc. I've heard that the effectiveness rating done by the drug companies are based on a high-fat breakfast diet. I might have heard plain gossip, so if you find out - let us know!

Also, most ADD folk forget breakfast or eat very little in the am. I remember to eat & take the meds about 1 1/2 hours after I get up - usually after I realize I'm kind-of doofy.

As in.... when I took it for the first week or so I felt as if I could focus in class and get many things accomplished. Now when I take them, I "feel" exactly as I did before.... I don't "feel" focused, I don't "feel" like I can get many things accomplished, etc. That is what I mean. How do I think they should work for me? I think they should help me "feel" focused and "feel" like I can get things accomplished, obviously. :)

Does this mean my body has gotten used to the dosage my doctor has prescribed to me? I don't really understand.

Hi glamtrash!

When you first start taking meds, ANY meds for ADHD, you feel a "rush" or a "burst" or some other term for the "oh WOW, is THIS what I should feel like??? WOOHOO!"

This is the euphoria and the initial reaction of your brain to the new chemicals coming in...or rather, to the release of one neurotransmitter and the lessening of another because of it. I might not have that exactly right in how it works, but that gives the general idea.

Maybe a better way to put it: after years/decades of not being able to focus, suddenly in one dose you CAN focus, and your mind and brain and body go "OOOOOOOOOOOooooo....AAAAHHHHhhhhhhh..."

Once you have been on meds for a little while, the "rush" feeling wears off. This is when things get tricky. Without the ::boom:: of the meds kicking in, you may feel like they are not doing anything. Sometimes that means you are not on the right dose, and need a little more...or that you are not on the right med and need something else. Sometimes, it means you are used to the meds enough that you don't feel the ::boom:: "WOW!" kind of efect, but they are still working.

This is the tricky part: telling the difference. For me, this has meant not comparing what I feel right now to what I felt the first week on meds, but comparing what I feel right now to what I felt with NO meds. That first day/week/month can be a very seductive rush, and it is easy to believe it is what people feel like all the time. But it will not last; sometimes even people taking doses of meds far higher than yours still have trouble focusing. Some people on here are taking meds for years and can focus, but no longer feel the ::woosh:; of the initial kick-in.

The meds don't make you focus, they make it easier for you to focus. If you have lived with ADD all this time, and never felt this before, you might not recognize that you actually have to work at it. People without ADHD are able to learn over their lifetime how to focus and what it means to pull back into something. People with ADHD have to learn it in a new and more conscious way.

I don't mean this as a judgement, I speak from experience. My first prescribed med was Adderall IR 10 mg; I took it on a random weekend at home, and suddenly I was SuperWoman! By the end of that week, that sensation was gone. However, when I concentrated, I could see my focus was better than before. Now I still have to struggle to concentrate at times, but I can recognize it: "I am tired...I don't want to do this..I am upset about something and it is distracting me..." In listening to people around me, I realize this is NORMAL. Noone is 100% focused 100% of the time. It's my ability to recognize this that I need to work on, so I can acknowledge what is happening for me.

XR is an awesome concept, but it does not work for everyone. I found a sharp drop off in the mid-afternoon, and a distinct cranky vibe afterwards. Some folks, however, do so well on this med once they get used to it. Ennio'smom is right, check your diet and see if you are taking anything with the meds that will interfere (like OJ or grapefruit juice) or if you are skipping meals. Ramp up the protein!

Keep asking questions, it's the best way to learn. And remember, we are going to be honest, bit it's not personal. Some folks come on here not knowing anything, or looking for advice on how to take meds when they are not prescribed. The more complete your story, the better...but if somebody needs more detail, they will ask, and they are asking so they can be complete, not because they think you are doing something wrong.

Good luck!