Don't worry, I won't bore you with a daily update forever. This is really just to get my thoughts out there and maybe see if I'm on the right track.

I got a late start today. Took first dose at 9:30. I start work late in the morning, so taking it earlier than 8:30 will be rare. I mention this because it affects the timing of my second dose.

While I read the effects of the IR should be worn off in 3-4 hours, that is not the case for me. I get about 6-7 hours before I feel it wearing.

While I feel an almost immediate buzzing sensation that goes away after a few minutes, the effect on my ability to concentrate and work comes on after about an hour. This goes strong for about 4-5 more hours.

Important side note - Last night I was wide awake at 2am. Not too much of a problem because I'm usually up until 1am anyway and was happy to actually be somewhat alert. Though I wasn't feeling particularly sleepy, I didn't notice any significant difficulty falling asleep or getting back up at my normal time. I actually think I woke a little easier than usual. Yesterday I took dose 2 at about 2:15.

I mention that because I figured today I would try skipping the second dose because I took the first one so late. I did not want to take dose 2 so late that I'm up until 4am.

But by 4PM I caught myself completely zoned off into outer space. I felt the headache coming on (had it pretty bad last night), and realized I wanted a nap. I took the second dose at 4:30. I'm still waiting for it to pick up. I have one more hour left of work and then a long evening planned.

I am happy with the results so far. My productivity is up even though I still get distracted. Those distractions are fewer and shorter than they have been. I did not yet notice a significant improvement in my ability to listen during a conversation. My mind still wandered off and I had to pull it back where it belonged. :o

I had similare experiances the first time I took it. I remember the first time I took the stuff I just didn't sleep until 4:00 in the morning (I took XR though). I repaired a broken computer in my house. It got easier and easier to get to sleep. When I eat has to do with how well I sleep, and also how productive I am, but things may not be the same for you.

Eating I find can exacerbate that zoning out effect. Sometimes I daydream / don't think at all 80% of my day. At this point it becomes the returns on doing productive things are no longer worth the effort, so I do most of my learning / reading early, and later on do things like clean and complete simple tasks that don't require too much though.

After prolonged use of the drugs (a week or so), I never get that morning rush of productivity at all so I take a break from it all (3-5 days). After the resting period when I get back to the sugar my daydreaming is back under control for a while. This has gotten me by for 5 or so years. One year I tried taking it consistantly and I think it turned out ok but I don't have the journals to prove that to myself =/

How have you been eating lately, btw?

It is great reading about other people's experiences with adderall. This is my first day with adderall.

I think it would be a good idea to keep a mini-journal of your experience. That way you can look back over it to notice improvements and other things. Sometimes in the day to day stuff, the improvements may not be as obvious but if you look at it after about a week or so, you can notice improvement/changes that occurred.

I would like to keep a journal. But, LOL, I'd have trouble remembering to write stuff down.

I would cut your 2nd dose in half, and take it an hour before your 1st dose wears off. Also, you could try restructuring your day some, or just taking the Adderall a little later.

I find, that I can pay attention better in the morning and I am fairly productive. But, I begin to lose focus as the day goes on, and get more stressed. Dextroamphetamine (one of amphetamine salts in adderall) is anxolytic, and helps me focus, so I take it around 10:00, and an IR dose lasts me the rest of the work day.

I think anonone has an excellent idea to restructure your work day some. This will probably prove a great long term solution for me. In fact, I found I mostly used dex when I really needed it, and on other days I could do alright without it. I could plan more intense work on the dex days.

Thanks for the feedback. I am keeping a journal. The first day, I took notes all day. The second day, I just summarized everything at the end of the day. LOL! I was quite busy at work. Thanks for the half dose suggestion. It seems the first dose is fine. The second one is a little more than I need to finish the day.

I'm eating as usual. no significant changes other than my attempt to cut out sugar. My appetite is the same. When I took Concerta three years ago, I completely lost my appetite. I quit taking it after only two months and didn't bother trying something else until now. I was actually afraid to. Plus I'm good at putting things off.