I'm approaching my second week of taking Adderall XR, and about 5 days at 30mg daily.

There have been a lot of pros so far:

Increased energy/Drive to finish things.
More effort involved in projects, or simply studying.
Enjoyment in studying or like activities.
No more impulse spending or decision making.
Better at speaking. (I say what I mean more often now).
Also better at handling verbal directions.


As for cons, there really aren't any for me. The only thing I notice is it hasn't really helped in my ability to pay attention to the fine details of certain things I'm not as interested in. I still seem to make simple mistakes that I often would have before taking Adderall. Example, would be say a math problem. While doing a math problem, for some reason I'd write 2 when the number is 1, etc. Something simple like that which makes the entire problem wrong?

Am I maybe asking to much from Adderall? Or asking for to much too soon? I still have 10 mg more to increase if I desire per doctors instructions, but I'm attempting to keep the dosage as low as possible.

Just a quick question, are you seeing any changes in your sleep patterns from the Adderall? The reason being, some stimulant meds interfere with sleep patterns (i.e. amount of time spent in R.E.M. states) and the like. The most obvious is trouble falling asleep, but some of these meds can interfere with some of the less obvious sleep factors. Generally, methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Daytrana, etc.) can actually help regulate these less obvious sleep disturbances (http://adhd-treatment-options.blogspot.com/2009/03/methylphenidate-vs-atomoxetine-adhd.html), but I'm not sure about Adderall or other amphetamines.

Finally, the actual process of writing can be a huge chore for ADHD'ers, due to deficits in both the organization, to the actual fine motor movements of the physical writing process (dysgraphia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphia)). Methylphenidate can work well for this too, but again, I'm not sure about Adderall. Here's a study summary on methylphenidate for handwriting (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17982901).

Interestingly, it says that methylphenidate, which is a stimulant drug like Adderall, resulted in better handwriting, but actually decreased the "fluency" or ability to integrate the writing process into one's thoughts.

The following is just a stab, but I'm guessing, that possibly, the writing process involved in working out a math problem, which does require some divided attention from the brain (part is working out the problem while another is involved in the recording/writing process itself) is actually hampered by the ADHD drug. In other words, the methylphenidate (or in your case, Adderall), may help you stay focused on working the problem out in your head, but may become too overfocused in this aspect, that it crowds out and neglects the recording (writing) process itself. As a result, what is going on in your head and what goes down on the paper can be 2 different things.

I'm not sure if that's exactly what's going on, but several things do require a divided attention, and ADHD stimulant medications, which improve one's focus on one task may actually compromise or even jeopardize some of these processes.

My sleeping has been fairly good so far. I had a few nights where I tossed and turned, but I have been getting about as much or if not more sleep since I started XR. (The crash wipes me out).

For falling asleep, Id say I fall asleep much easier now since taking Adderall. I normally used to just lay there and think about random junk and fidget. Now I just lay down and go to sleep.

Interesting theory on the focusing with math, maybe thats what it is.. Maybe I am spending to much time thinking about one aspect of the math and working through it while neglecting the finer details. It would make sense. I was just hoping that Adderall would help me in that area.. In the work place it's neglect of fine details that tended to get me into most trouble.

But there has been tons of positives from this medication so far, so I guess I am just getting greedy.

For me the effect of Adderall is somewhat subtle. Yah, sometimes the stimulant effect is there and noticeable. But the effect on my work and overall life is more subtle. I still hate reading, studying or anything of the like.

But I've noticed that when I do read or study, I'm MUCH MORE effective. I'm much better at organizing data and information.