My son was having issues and ADHD was suggested as a possibility. Through this, I found that I have many of the symptoms as well. I filled out a checklist and took it to my doctor who diagnosed me with ADHD and prescribed Adderall XR 20mg. At first, it was wonderful. I felt like I could finally function clearly. But then after a few months, it didn't seem to be working anymore.

I was feeling irritable and impatient. I had a zillion thoughts bouncing around in my head and was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. The dr. upped my Prozac and i made modifications to reduce stress. A month later -no difference. So she increased my Adderall XR to 25 mg.

I still don't feel any different. I get tons of thoughts in my head, and before I can even act on one, I get another one that sends me off in another direction entirely. I feel like I'm spinning in circles - and then I get tired and feel overwhelmed. The only way I can seem to shut off my head and relax is to sleep -- but even then I have really odd dreams and I wake up feeling like I've never slept. I'm very tired. I feel irritable, ineffectual and I'm having a hard time keeping up with daily responsibilities.

I tend to get something in my head and then I want to research it or look it up, and I feel very tense if I can't. I worry about a zillion different things - some of which are pointless because they're pretty unlikely to happen (like I've been bruising easily so I wonder if maybe I have leukemia or some other serious illness that's been undetected and then I feel compelled to look up symptoms on the internet.)

Is it possible that the Adderall is making this worse? Maybe its not ADHD and is anxiety or something entirely different and the medications are exaccerbating it (because it does feel worse than it did)? I feel like I want to stop all meds for a few days and see what happens. Has anyone else had any similar problem with Adderall?

Adderall can make anxiety worse, yes. It definitely does that. But since you're Rx'd prozac, I'm surprised it isn't helping to reduce the anxiety.

How long have you been on prozac and what strength is your Rx? Sounds like the Adderall was helping you at first, so perhaps you need to adjust the dosage. Maybe the prozac isn't the best to help you reduce stress? Ask your doc what can best manage your anxiety.

My dr. Rx'd Lexapro 10 mg to manage my anxiety so that I could start my Adderall again. I went off the Adderall for 2 weeks, started the Lexapro and just reintroduced the Adderall again. This was my preference because my anxiety was so intense. I also was Rx'd Xanax .5 mg which I take only as needed when I am overwhelmed with tension. So far, I haven't had to take very many. I'm hoping the Lexapro will manage the anxiety enough on it's own.

I'm sorry you're having to go through this. Just keep working with your dr. and I'm sure you'll find the right combination for you. Good luck!

Some of your story sounds familiar.

When I first started on adderall I noticed a number of rebound side effects. The worst effects were afternoon irritability and muscle tension. I attribute most of these effects to widespread inflammation which occurs as the adderall is waning.

Adderall XR generally lasts 7-9 hours so if your noticing these effects in the afternoon that could be the cause. I found a 3x/day IR dosage (whith a higher first dose) worked best to decrease rebound effects. 2x/day XR may work as well, but tended to impact my sleep.

On a positive note these side effects generally decrease over time. They can be avoided by a slower titration up eg 5mg/day to 10mg/day to 20mg/day vs jumping in @ 20mg.

BobC

You said: " I attribute most of these effects to widespread inflammation which occurs as the adderall is waning."


Can you explain a bit more about the inflammation? I'd like to read up on that. Thanks.

Yeah try taking a break. Its not good for you to take it everyday. A lot of people cycle meds.

I think people have different side-effect:benefits ratios. Phosphatidyl Serine is supposed to help clear some people's minds.