I've been really frustrated I can't find a reputable source on how long Adderall IR (the instant release that's available in both brand-name and generic forms) lasts. My doctor said 8-10 hours but most people seem to say 3-4 hours.

I get up at 6:30 am and go to bed at 11:00 pm, and I need the medication from 7:00-11:00 pm, that's a time period of 16 hours. If the medication lasts only for 3-4 hours, then I'll need to take the medication 4 times a day...

So do I really need it only twice a day, as it's prescribed now, or do I need it 4 times a day?? Thanks!

A dose of Adderall IR's effects last about 4-6 hours.

IR medication is definitely not supposed to last 8-10 hours. Your doc must have been talking about XR. Usually, a dose of Adderall IR lasts 4-6 hours, like Scarletta said. Some people can feel it wearing off after 3 hours, while some people can get 6.5 hours out of it. I can usually get 4-5 hours from one dose, provided I'm getting enough sleep at night.

Even if you're awake from 6:30 am to 11:00 pm, do you really need full coverage from your meds that whole time? It's usually best to let yourself wind down for about 2 hours before you go to bed, so if your last dose wears off around 9:00 or 9:30, that would be fine. And in the morning, you probably don't need the meds to kick in until you start work or school, so time your first dose about 45 minutes before the start of work or school.

Like, I have a really long day because my commute to work is 1.5 hours each way. So I wake up at 5:30, leave the house at 6:15, and arrive at work at 7:45. I don't take my first dose until 7:15, which is usually when I arrive at the metro. Then I have a 30-minute metro ride, which gives my meds time to kick in. By the time I get to work, I'm just starting to feel it. After all, I really don't need my meds when I'm just getting dressed and driving to the metro.

You might need 3 doses a day (many people take 2 regular doses and then a 3rd smaller dose later in the day, so it doesn't keep them awake at night), but it's not likely that you'd need 4 doses every day.

I see! Thanks a lot for the quick response. :)

Are the following "symptoms" normal for a person who has ADHD (hyperactive and impulsive AND inattention)
-it's really easy for me to focus when I'm in class and listening to lecture (but I MUST be sitting near the front)
-on the other hand, it's really hard to focus when I am by myself trying to study/do my homework

I think this is why I didn't find out about my ADHD until so late. I have an IQ in the range of ~155 (155 deviation, 170 ratio), so school came pretty naturally to me. I struggled mightily with getting homework, essays, projects done but I had virtually no problems when I was PHYSICALLY in school... I think it's because I needed external stimulation in order to focus - if the external source of stimulation goes away (being by myself), THEN my ADHD symptoms start to show up and I can't concentrate (is this normal?) Because I didn't really show ADHD symptoms in the classroom, ADHD was never suspected. Even worse, because I was so physically active/played lots of sports growing up, my hyperactivity and inattention was all manifested outside the classroom during recess and after school activities/sports, so when I was inside the classroom, my energies were already "expended" and I calmed down. (When I didn't exercise/play sports, there was a definite spike in ADHD symptoms and vice versa; exercise isn't a cure for me, but it helps tremendously!!)

In other words, ADHD symptoms showed in the classroom ONLY when I didn't play sports/wasn't active outside the classroom, but ADHD symptoms ALWAYS were there outside school (when doing homework, at home, etc.) Seems like I need the medication only when I'm outside class. =))

Does everything that I have described above seem within the normal range for ADHD?

Also a question: are people with ADHD (both hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention) more extroverted? Or is the extroversion-introversion dimension independent of whether one has ADHD? Sometimes, it seems to be that ADHD is pathological extroversion...

I get a whole day out of one 10mg IR dose in the morning. Its obviously worn off by about 5 hours into the day, but it leaves behind residual effects that keep me going for the rest of the day.

I workout everyday so I have to be careful about my heart rate approaching my max HR when I go for runs so I don't redose during the day. But exercise can help it last longer, so will eating healthy, having plenty of protein and complex carbohydrates in your diet, etc.

yoonjb, all of that sounds normal for someone with ADHD. When you're in class, the teacher and your seat near the front force you to sit still and pay attention, so it makes sense that your symptoms are easier to control in class. And when you're alone, there's nothing to direct your thoughts, so of course your mind wanders. A lot of ADHD people can't study or do their homework unless they have music playing or the TV on in the background. Like you said, they need external stimulation to help them focus. It kind of blocks out the racing thoughts.

I think people with ADHD tend to be more extroverted (it's hard not to be when you're bouncing off the walls, lol) but people with inattentive ADD tend to be more introverted (since they're usually daydreaming, lost in their own thoughts). I can only use myself as an example, but I'm 100% inattentive type, and I'm definitely an introvert. I'm perfectly fine socially; no one would describe me as shy. But I'm quiet and reserved, not effusive like many ADHD people are. You're a combination type, but many combo people lean more towards the hyperactive side. Or maybe the hyperactive symptoms are just more obvious and harder to control.

I take IR four times a day - roughly at 6 a.m., 10, 2 and 5 or 5:30. It tends to become less effective as the day goes on, at least for me, so that's why the last doses are closer together. I go to bed pretty early and it's just wearing off at that point.

I think "they" say it will last up to 6 hours, but 3 1/2 to 4 is much more common, from what I've gathered.

Not everyone needs it all day long, it just depends on how you were functioning in different areas of your life before. For me, everything was mess - work, housework, creative pursuits, even just pure leisure time. Basically my symptoms were so severe I wasn't functioning well in any area, thus the morning till bedtime med schedule. Thankfully my doc understood this and is supportive of me taking it four times a day. If I stayed up later I'd probably need even one more dose, but I am fanatical about getting 8 or 9 hours a night.