Maboose
09-30-09, 03:30 PM
Hi everybody. :)
I'm 19, 5'8", and weigh 145 lbs. I attend a community college, where I take multiple core classes. I have been taking Adderall XR for a little over a year. I started on 10mg capsules then moved up to 15mg capsules a while after that.
I recently switched from Adderall XR 15mg capsules once a day (30 per month) to Adderall IR 10mg tablets twice a day (60 per month). At first it worked great and I've been motivated and focused, staying ahead on all my school work. But now, 5 weeks into it, I feel as if it's barely working at all. (Even an hour after I take it I still feel the mental fog and inability to focus on my school work. I feel like I can barely get anything done.) Although I have been noticing some side effects, such as irritability as it's wearing off, increased heart rate and blood pressure while I'm on it, and occasional anxiety.
I saw my family practice doctor earlier this week to discuss these side effects. I did some research before seeing him, and found that most people felt Dexedrine gave them less of those side effects and felt that it was generally "smoother".
Apparently this is because Dexedrine is the same active ingredient as in Adderall, but without the Levo- isomer. And, although not proven to have any beneficial effects, causes many of the unwanted side effects in Adderall, such as sweating, racing/irregular heartbeat, social phobia and anxiety. It also acts primarily on the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the fight or flight response (and release of adrenaline).
This made me think that perhaps it was the Levo- isomer in Adderall that was causing my unwanted side effects. I was also thinking that if I could get the same or similar effectiveness in treating my ADD symptoms with a lesser effect on my cardiovascular system, then that would be the way to go. I mean, wouldn't having increased heart rate and blood pressure be bad for your cardiovascular system over time?
Anyway, when I saw my doctor I told him that I wanted to try Dexedrine. He said it only came in 5mg pills, which I said was alright. And he asked me how often I usually took my Adderall, and I said that once a day is sufficient for most days, although many days I need to take it twice, because the first dose wears off so quickly. He then prescribed me 40 5mg tablets of Dexedrine for a month, to take once or twice daily.
That seems like kind of a weird number to me. I mean, even though I wouldn't take my Adderall twice a day every day, it's still nice to have 60 tablets. And true, it does last me more than 30 days usually, but I don't have to worry about running out if doesn't last 45 days (60/45 days = 40/30 days).
The work load from school is starting to increase, and for the past couple weeks I've needed to take my Adderall twice a day on most days. I have also heard that Dexedrine doesn't last quite as long as Adderall, and I am worried that taking one tablet will wear off before I finish my school work on most days.
I am also worried about the dosage. If my Adderall dosage hasn't been working for the past week, then how should the Dexedrine compare to that? Is 5mg Dexedrine stronger than 10mg Adderall?
The pharmacy is still dealing with some insurance stuff, and I haven't gotten the Dexedrine yet, so I'm not sure yet how long it will last for me. I guess I will just try it out for a month and evaluate how it's working for me. Then I should know if the dosage is high enough, and if taking it once a day will last me through my school work on most days. Then I'll make a follow up appointment with my Doctor and talk to him about how it's working for me, and whether or not I need an increased dosage and/or increased frequency.
Does all this sound right? I'm kind of uncomfortable in dealing with Doctors, and last time I saw him I didn't have my thoughts well organized enough. I feel like I couldn't convey what I was trying to say accurately enough, or explain why I wanted to switch to Dexedrine as well as I could have. I'm also kind of nervous about going back to him to ask for an increased dosage or quantity and having him think I'm trying to get high or something.
I also think I might have mild social anxiety, and that Adderall might exacerbate that. And I took my Adderall that morning before I went in to see him (as I was doing school work before and after the appointment). I got anxious and it made it much harder for me to talk to him about everything. When I get anxious it's harder to look people in the eye and explain what I want to say in detail. What I end up doing is simplifying everything so I can finish talking sooner.
Taking my Adderall that morning was probably not the best idea, looking back on it. But it does reinforce my idea that Dexedrine might work better for me (as it causes much less anxiety than Adderall).
P.S. I am only taking my medications exactly as prescribed. I have never exceeded the prescribed dosage, have never taken more than two tablets in a day, and have always taken my second dose at least 4 hours after my first.
P.P.S. Also considering taking a "vacation" from medication one day a week. Hopefully this will cause the medication to work better for me without having to increase dosage. We'll see.
P.P.P.S. The Adderall I've been taking is a generic preparation made by CorePharma. The Dexedrine I will be getting is going to be generic too, although I don't know who it's made by yet.
I'm 19, 5'8", and weigh 145 lbs. I attend a community college, where I take multiple core classes. I have been taking Adderall XR for a little over a year. I started on 10mg capsules then moved up to 15mg capsules a while after that.
I recently switched from Adderall XR 15mg capsules once a day (30 per month) to Adderall IR 10mg tablets twice a day (60 per month). At first it worked great and I've been motivated and focused, staying ahead on all my school work. But now, 5 weeks into it, I feel as if it's barely working at all. (Even an hour after I take it I still feel the mental fog and inability to focus on my school work. I feel like I can barely get anything done.) Although I have been noticing some side effects, such as irritability as it's wearing off, increased heart rate and blood pressure while I'm on it, and occasional anxiety.
I saw my family practice doctor earlier this week to discuss these side effects. I did some research before seeing him, and found that most people felt Dexedrine gave them less of those side effects and felt that it was generally "smoother".
Apparently this is because Dexedrine is the same active ingredient as in Adderall, but without the Levo- isomer. And, although not proven to have any beneficial effects, causes many of the unwanted side effects in Adderall, such as sweating, racing/irregular heartbeat, social phobia and anxiety. It also acts primarily on the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the fight or flight response (and release of adrenaline).
This made me think that perhaps it was the Levo- isomer in Adderall that was causing my unwanted side effects. I was also thinking that if I could get the same or similar effectiveness in treating my ADD symptoms with a lesser effect on my cardiovascular system, then that would be the way to go. I mean, wouldn't having increased heart rate and blood pressure be bad for your cardiovascular system over time?
Anyway, when I saw my doctor I told him that I wanted to try Dexedrine. He said it only came in 5mg pills, which I said was alright. And he asked me how often I usually took my Adderall, and I said that once a day is sufficient for most days, although many days I need to take it twice, because the first dose wears off so quickly. He then prescribed me 40 5mg tablets of Dexedrine for a month, to take once or twice daily.
That seems like kind of a weird number to me. I mean, even though I wouldn't take my Adderall twice a day every day, it's still nice to have 60 tablets. And true, it does last me more than 30 days usually, but I don't have to worry about running out if doesn't last 45 days (60/45 days = 40/30 days).
The work load from school is starting to increase, and for the past couple weeks I've needed to take my Adderall twice a day on most days. I have also heard that Dexedrine doesn't last quite as long as Adderall, and I am worried that taking one tablet will wear off before I finish my school work on most days.
I am also worried about the dosage. If my Adderall dosage hasn't been working for the past week, then how should the Dexedrine compare to that? Is 5mg Dexedrine stronger than 10mg Adderall?
The pharmacy is still dealing with some insurance stuff, and I haven't gotten the Dexedrine yet, so I'm not sure yet how long it will last for me. I guess I will just try it out for a month and evaluate how it's working for me. Then I should know if the dosage is high enough, and if taking it once a day will last me through my school work on most days. Then I'll make a follow up appointment with my Doctor and talk to him about how it's working for me, and whether or not I need an increased dosage and/or increased frequency.
Does all this sound right? I'm kind of uncomfortable in dealing with Doctors, and last time I saw him I didn't have my thoughts well organized enough. I feel like I couldn't convey what I was trying to say accurately enough, or explain why I wanted to switch to Dexedrine as well as I could have. I'm also kind of nervous about going back to him to ask for an increased dosage or quantity and having him think I'm trying to get high or something.
I also think I might have mild social anxiety, and that Adderall might exacerbate that. And I took my Adderall that morning before I went in to see him (as I was doing school work before and after the appointment). I got anxious and it made it much harder for me to talk to him about everything. When I get anxious it's harder to look people in the eye and explain what I want to say in detail. What I end up doing is simplifying everything so I can finish talking sooner.
Taking my Adderall that morning was probably not the best idea, looking back on it. But it does reinforce my idea that Dexedrine might work better for me (as it causes much less anxiety than Adderall).
P.S. I am only taking my medications exactly as prescribed. I have never exceeded the prescribed dosage, have never taken more than two tablets in a day, and have always taken my second dose at least 4 hours after my first.
P.P.S. Also considering taking a "vacation" from medication one day a week. Hopefully this will cause the medication to work better for me without having to increase dosage. We'll see.
P.P.P.S. The Adderall I've been taking is a generic preparation made by CorePharma. The Dexedrine I will be getting is going to be generic too, although I don't know who it's made by yet.