So I've been suffering from ADHD for a while now. After seeing my doctor a couple times and trying a variety of non-prescription medications/treatments, he finally decided to start me on prescription medications.

Though I know it's a no-no, I did take some prescription medication a few times before I had my own. It was the generic version of Adderall IR (20mg), and it worked amazing for me: four to six hours of prime focus. Though it killed my appetite, there was virtually no crash afterwards and it worked great.

So first my doctor started me on 20mg Concerta; after taking it in different regiments for a month, I concluded it was not working at all and consulted my doctor.

Next my doctor started me on Adderall XR (25mg); after taking it for a bit I found it was working amazing - it allowed me to focus very well. However, the side effects were/are just too much to cope with sometimes. The crash I always recieved after made me feel hopeless, like life is pointless (never any suicidal thoughts), and just over-dulled and basically sh****. Additionally, I found myself unable to sleep the following night, despite picking my Melotonin (3-5mg) habit up again. I tried to eat/sleep/time it everywhich way, but nothing worked to allievate the the bad effects. I told my doctor about this, and he suggested I try a higher dose.

So I'm a week into Adderall XR (30mg) and I feel the same way. I don't know what to do, except maybe tell my doctor that I want Adderal IR.

So guess this whole story comes down to this (and I would be extremely grateful for any help/opintions):
1) What should I do: tell my doctor this switch to a higher dose was mistaken and I want IR?
2) Does anyone who has read/heard of/experienced this same thing have any suggestions on things (vitamins, food, anything) that could allievate this negative effects?

I definitely know how the crash feels... I've especially had problems with it recently. I am also prescribed 30 mg/xr per day. Sometimes I take two doses a day instead of only 1 in the morning. I've found that how bad I feel when it wears off mainly depends on what kind of day I had, how much I'm worried about crashing and how I am getting along with my boyfriend.

I have never tried Adderall IR, so I don't want to give advice about switching to it... I would just say whatever helps you focus the most for the longest amount of time is probably what's best for you. As far as eliminating the bad feelings at the end of the day, I've tried a thousand different things. Sometimes I'm fine at the end of the night... but when I do have a bad crash I've tried a lot of different things to ease it, if it's really that bad there's not much I can do and I pretty much try to deal with it until I go to bed. :( the best advice I have to avoid feeling like this is to eat during the day... the less I eat, the worse I feel. Also, try not to worry about how you'll feel when the adderall wears off... this is a problem I'm having.

I wish I could help more... I've been seeking advice for the same problems you are describing. Adderall really has helped me alot... too bad it has such crappy effects sometimes. :(

Im having this same problem too... Although its only my 3rd day on Adderall XR...

But today is the first day I noticed it. I started to feel sad tonite, and I dont know why. Two days ago, I was so happy I actually was calling my friends and singing into the phone!! Ive never done anything like that before heh. im assuming it was from the prozac which ive been on for 6 weeks was finally starting to kick in and help with my depression. So thats how I was feeling for the past few weeks - just good overall and not depressed anymore. But then tonight, after my 3rd day on Adderall XR, all of a sudden about 7-10 hours or so after my dose, I start to feel sad and depressed again. And I don't know why. I had been feeling so good for the past few weeks so it was weird. I tried to listen to the same music that made me so happy 2 days ago, but didn't help. I still felt sad and hopeless. Then I couldnt help it, so I just started to listen to sad songs... Im still feeling down right now and don't know why. I'm wondering if it's this "adderall crash" everyone talks about.. I really hope not, as I thought I had finally cured my depression with the Prozac. But if this Adderall is just giving to give me depression every-time it wears off.... then I don't know if it's worth it. Although I want to get rid of both my depression and help me focus... i guess the depression is more important to take care of. But I guess I should talk to my doctor perhaps about IR, or give the XR a few more days at least.

Ask if you can try Vyvanse, see if that will work better for you, if not then start working on adjusting your Adderall dosage.

I'm going through a similar situation... IR 20mg worked GREAT. XR 30mg is horrible. I've pretty much stopped taking it.
About 2 and a half hours after taking it, about 1/2 of the time, I can't seem to get enough air. It's extreme shortness of breath, and kinda scary when I'm an otherwise healthy 20yo. About 3 to 4hrs in, I crash...HARD...my limbs are dead weight and it's hard to move, much less stay awake. Sometimes I feel the second dose kick in, but most of the time I don't - or, often, it isn't enough to "mute" the crash.

Why is it that IR did not do this, but XR does?

Hi,

-I do believe it is because IR releases all the medicine at once so you go up to the level you need and when it is done you go back done to ground zero.

-XR on the other hand gets you up to a level and then down and then up and down etc. etc. until it is done fluctuating the **** out of your mood. This is because the beads in XR release slowly and in return don't give you the full amount that you really need. Half now/Half later.

-It works for some and not for others, plus there are a ton of other factors that play in the effectiveness of both medications.

-Trial and Error

Good luck :)

Twinch

This seems so simple to me, I don't even see where the conflict is. You get bad side effects and a bad crash from Adderall XR. You didn't with Adderall IR. This leads me to the conclusion that you should be on Adderall IR.

Tell your doc that Adderall XR makes you feel awful and you want to try Adderall IR (you don't have to tell him that you already have). It seems like he's pushing extended release meds on you because they're brand name drugs, and he probably gets a kickback for prescribing them. It p.isses me off when doctors do that. My own doctor has tried that, but I refuse to let her get away with it because IR meds work better for me than XR meds.