Hi, I'm new to this Forum (adding this here b/c I was too impatient to look for some answers).

I am Female, 31 & diagnosed this past Monday w/ ADD. I began seeing my Psychiatrist 3 months ago for what I had thought was PP Anxiety. I was medicated w/ Prozac & Ativan, though I've taken the meds as instructed I've seen no marked improvement. He's played w/ dose which only caused me more anxiety, more so physical jitters b/c the Prozac was too high.

I'd given up hoping the meds would work (this I did not tell my Dr) but continued to take them & goto appointments. I had promised my husband I would follow through w/ the 6 month regimin my Dr & I originally planned. It meant a lot to him, especially b/c I don't usually finish everything I begin. Basically, I'd come to the conclusion I was just going to feel like this forever. I've always been high strung, flighty, unable to articulate well what I'm feeling b/c so many thoughts go through my head at once, figured everyone was like this, some just coped better.

To make a long story short (sorry guys), at my last appointment for some reason I mentioned I hadn't felt like this since high school. Immediatly, the Dr began asking me a ton of questions, I gave answers, blah, blah, blah (keeping this short now).

He told me I had ADD. Admittedly, my life had been reckless & w/ no responsibilities up until my marriage & birth of my daughter. I find it almost completly impossible to concentrate on anything (again), can't multi task for the life of me & tell myself over & over again, "You just need to keep the baby alive." See, Anxiety!

***Here's the question!

He prescribed Adderall IR, 2 10mg doses a day & told me to schedule an appointment in 4 weeks. I was skeptical of the med but took it regardless & in almost an hour things weren't so "loud" if that makes sense. I felt like I might be able to keep up & focus on the right now. This was Monday. It's Thursday now & the feeling hasn't changed (which is good). But, now it's anticipation, I'm on the cusp of something I didn't know people felt! I wanted to double my dose this AM. I called the Dr's office to see what he thought, but he wasn't in. He will call tomorrow. That's fine.

I'm a little worried now, though. Am I being pushy? How long does it usually take for Adderall to take full effect? I was just so excited to feel something I haven't my entire life...

OK. Enough, rambling... Should I still ask the Dr when he calls back tomorrow or will that throw up a red flag? See, my mind's still trying to work out every scenerio.

Help!

Why are you so interested to up your dosage so soon? It sounds like your current dose is having a positive impact. I don't think doubling your dose necessarily means you will double the positive impact.

I also just started on Adderall XR last week and will go back to my doctor in 4 weeks. So far, so good for me. Unless it suddenly takes a turn for the worse, I figure I will stick with this dosage and monitor it until I meet with the Dr. next time. But, you are right to have called your doctor.

Good luck.

I'm interested to know how soon Adderall takes to reach it's most positive results. I have never contemplated this drug before, nor feeling "normalcy," even the little bit it's provided. So, perhaps I am being pushy. Was just excited & happy this could happen I wanted to make up for 30 plus years right now!

Hmm thats amazing... i wonder if i can get diagnosed without spending thousands of dollarshttp://www.webmasterquotes.com/godaddy/client/img/2269/t08j1110iyaz/cool.gif

Subrosa, there are a bunch of answers to what you are asking. I am female and 46. I take 20 mg Adderall IR twice daily.

First- it's pretty amazing to experience what the med does for the first time. Enjoy that feeling.

ADDers tend to want to do everything all at once. The fact that you are feeling that way is normal. Try to not do that if you can though. It could easily lead to feeling overwhelmed.

I have to remind my partner that the pill isn't magic. I don't become "normal" just because I remembered to take it. The noise level turns down and I can actually think. But there are things that still challenge me, times that I have to remember that the goal is progress, not perfection, behaviors that come with ADHD that won't all be alleviated by the med. While it is new and amazing to you right now, you will still forget things, you aren't going to be suddenly comfortable in social situations, you may still have inattentive moments. That's okay.

Take some time and learn something about ADD/ADHD. Look at the symptoms that were bothersome for you. Then ask yourself if that symptom is still present or if it has been reduced. If it has been reduced, by how much? 50%? 20%? 90%? This feedback can help your doctor to settle on the correct dose.

During your menstrual cycle it may seem like the med isn't working or that it isn't working as well. If this happens, make sure that you let your doctor know. We all seem to get that and there are a variety of things that you and your doctor can do for it.

Most of all, take it slow. It can take months to get dialed in on the right dose for you. Try to be patient and enjoy the experience of feeling like you actually fit in your own skin for awhile.

Welcome. You will find this a nurturing place to be.

Hi Subrosa, I'm new here too, and am close in age/diagnosis to you (turn 30 on Feb. 4th, only diagnosed 5 months ago).

I just thought I'd throw in that when I first went on 30 mg Vyvanse daily, I experienced that same feeling of being on the "cusp" of something very positive and different. I also knew the dose wasn't sufficient.

The thing I've read and experienced about ADD/ADHD versus other disorders requiring medication is that medication makes a huge and immediate difference with the ADD, for many people. Getting on the right dose as soon as possible shouldn't be construed as drug-seeking behavior by your doc, provided you explain to the doctor what exactly you feel is lacking. Probably just the way you said it here, "on the cusp" of something!

For me, the initial dose I tried sort of half-focused me, in an almost frustrating way, and when I asked about it, my psychiatrist said she had expected I would need a larger dose and put me on one immediately-- 60 mg Vyvanse daily. Then there quickly arose the issue of a strong crash-effect after 11-12 hours-- and how many of us have a day that lasts only 11-12 hours? ;)-- so I went from 10, then to 20 mg of instant release Adderall in addition to the Vyvanse, and it works fine for me. I haven't needed more than 20 mg of Adderall in additon to the Vyvanse.

Docs just like to try to find the smallest effective dose, which is a good thing, imagine the reverse! But I wouldn't feel funny bringing it up to your doctor-- I think it's better to open the dialogue right away. In my opinion, 10 mg of Adderall twice a day is a very conservative start.

Just my thoughts garnered from my own experience/research.

Happy recovery! :)

Thank you for the replies, even the slight.

Again, my questions were really about the med (Adderall), how long it took to "work", if it built up gradually, or if it was only meant as a tool to help you realize you're thinking too much, fast, loudly & unable to store these thoughts in seperate compartments for: "mundane" "pressing" "interesting" "get on top of that" "stay in the moment." B/c that's what Adderall has done for me (at least 5 days of it), it's let me know I'm easily distractible by even myself, I find it very difficult to concentrate on one idea, task, etc. one at a time, all the instructions mixed in w/ the other tracks.

So, is Adderall a medication that says, "Ha ha, I'll neaten you up just enough so to realise why you've been frustrated, anxious, thought you were dumb..." Is it only a tool to behaviour modification? Or could it get better, clearer, could I really reign & sort my thoughts... Could I concentrate on one thing at a time? Is this even "normal"?

My Psychiatrist called earlier this AM. I let him know my previous call to his office wasn't an emergency, I wasn't in crisis, only a couple questions re: the medication. I didn't ask any when I was there for my last appointment & he did explain some things, but I don't remember exactly as this diagnosis is one I never imagined. He said no problem. I asked my questions & received sufficient answers w/out feeling like I was putting him out. Then he asked a few, I also answered him w/ some of what I've typed here & the 3 PM sadness, agitation. He told me to come in, & we'd discuss a change in dose & probably an extra in the late afternoon. I did not mention wanting to add 10mg yesterday until he said that, I didn't want to feel like I was being sneaky or lying some how.

But, after all that, I think I'm going to wait -- wait at least another week & see if anything changes. If I still can't concentrate I'll go in.

I need to get used to the idea of ADD, anyway.

Blah, blah, blah, Thanks for pseudo listening.

Adderall IR is a quick acting med that leaves your system, generally up to 12 hours after it's taken. Unlike some of the longer acting meds, it doesn't have a "ramp up" period. What I have noticed is that the longer I have been at the correct therapeutic dose, I am able to function on it better and better every day. It's as if my brain is learning to function better every time it is allowed to function well. I know, I didn't say that well.

I take a second dose at around 2:00 p.m. because the morning dose has worn off by that time. Because it CAN cause sleep disturbance, finding the best time for that afternoon dose can be tricky. I may take it as early as 1:00 or as late as 3:00.

I have the Devil's own time trying to explain how the med works to my partner. He sees me take a pill and expects that the pill will make me "normal". I wish! What it does is give me a chance to concentrate on a boring task, prioritize things sensibly, track conversations, and manage my frustration a bit better. Initially, I had the same effect that you are describing. It just let me see what a mess I was. I couldn't really DO anything about the mess, but I knew it was there. After about three months on the correct dose- 40 mg/day with a 10 mg booster during PMS- I can see more marked improvement. I still need some noise in my environment in order to concentrate on dull tasks but not to the same degree as before. I am actually recalling things at all. I hope that becomes easier some day! But I will take what I can get.

If I were to guess, I would say that you likely will increase from the 20 mg you are currently taking. It sounds like it is trying to, but not quite, getting you where you want to be.

Unfortunately, this is a process. You'll get there. Promise.

Adderall is not like the antidepressants that you were prescribed. They do not need a "ramp up" period. Adderall will usually take effect an hour or so of taking the first dose. How long the effects of the dose will work is really an individual result. It is my experience that Adderall wears off more evenly than the Ritalin based meds, but here again that can be an individual result. You will know if your dose is too high, because it will start to cause some of the side effects of over stimulation (mood changes, jittery feelings, etc.) The great thing about Adderall IR is that the dose can be divided up in various ways and the tablets can be split along the scores to allow a very individualized dose. Good luck and i am glad that you have found the Adderall so effective!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

I've the same issue. I am on 10 mg of IR release twice a day, and only on the first day I took it did I feel 'happier' and more physically motivated but not mentally... I still get distracted and don't concentrate very well. I get pretty drowsy on it too... I don't want to take too much of it, I'm a pretty small woman myself.

So its kind of weird because I can "feel" it working but not how its supposed to... it has only been a week so I guess I will just have to give it more time.

I'm so impatient! :(

I'm so impatient! :(

Me too! But I can't see anything wrong with being impatient to get the treatment you need. :)

Me too! But I can't see anything wrong with being impatient to get the treatment you need. :)

True that! I've already been through a year of treating anxiety with 6 different meds (that were allllll terriblet) and now instead of throwing me another ball, they put me in a whole different court.... !

I suppose personal growth is a process, and processes take time... :)