New to ADHD Med Question

[onetime]

I have been recently diagnosed with ADHD and my doctor prescribed me with 20mg of Adderall XR once daily. I have never been on any type of medication and after reading this forum and reading articles by just searching adderall and adhd, I really became paranoid and stopped taking the med after 4 days. The first day of taking the med I noticed that everything was very clear and all the worrying thoughts and other hyperactive issues stopped. I didn't sleep the best the first night, but I didn't have too many sleeping issues the next three nights. The reason I stopped was I found that the medication worked awesome during work, but around 5 or 6 I noticed myself just reading articles about adhd and side affects for 4 hours and ignoring my family. I'm the type of person the reads about a health issue and then worries about either having it or getting it, so reading all these horrible reviews on the internet has made me think that adderall will eventually not work anymore and I will end up becoming dependant on something that will eventually stop working.

The day after I stopped taking it, I didn't notice any side affects, but the next day I had symptoms of an anxiety attack coming on out of no where. Now I find myself trying to read more reviews and I'm back to my constant worrying thoughts and wondering if I should either start back on the med and STAY AWAY from these forums and the internet or if I should talk with my Doc to see if I should start on something different or a lower dose.

Side effects during my 4 day usage:
Dry Mouth
Not Hungry
A little tired and moody around 6 and I took it at 730 am each day

Side effects that I'm not too sure if it was from anxiety from reading horrible outcomes with adderall or if it was the adderall:
Biting my lips at the end of the day
Constantly reading about adderall issuesBladder pain and slow urination - I've had this for the past few years after or during really stressful situations, so not too sure if it's the adderall or getting anxiety thinking i'm going to become dependant or reading all the horrible reviews.

I have a follow up appointment with my doctor in a few weeks, so I might try again tomorrow and take it for a few weeks and try not to think about the long-term side affects.

My questions:
Has anyone else on the forum had worry issues starting on these Stims like myself?

Do you think there are plenty of people out there that successfully take adderall and don't post on the web? It seems like only the people with issues post on the web.

[fracturedstory]

Stay away from the negative reviews. Just get a basic idea of side effects to look out for. My first Ritalin dose found me with a burning throat and a particularly weird head feeling, and then it stopped. I've never had that again.

I was nervous about taking them too as I am with any medication that will change me, even if for the better.

You will crash when the medication wears off and be tired and moody for a little while. To avoid this you can take a half dose 15 minutes before it happens. With me I just let it happen and stop working on whatever I'm working on.

The side effects sound like anxiety. I get dry mouth too and appetite suppression, but I just drink water and stick at a dose where I can still eat.

The medication can even prolong hyper focus and it takes some mental effort to pull away from it. You've got to still decide for yourself what to concentrate on, and sometimes it's more time wasting then you would like. Why don't you look up some positive reviews of ADHD medication? I could give you a testimony.

[ToneTone]

Onetime,

Chill brother. Chill.

Overall, sounds like you had a good response.

You might be hyperfocusing and aloof at the end of the end of the day because your medicine has worn off. Talk to your doctor about this. He might can adjust it so you can more (though maybe lighter) coverage later into the day. This is totally normal.

FYI: part of coming to terms with ADHD is compulsively reading about the condition. It's huge new part of your identity to have a diagnosis and to be on medication. We all go through the phase of reading online for hours and hours. But this is normal as we're coming to terms with a new way of seeing ourselves and seeing the world.

So don't be too hard on yourself for the reading.

Overall, sounds like the med was working well for you. Just for the record, stimulants have used since early in the 20th century. They are not a new or untested medicine.

Every medicine has side effects, each and every one. Some side effects decrease after a few weeks as our body, an ecosystem, gets used to the new life that's been added to the ecosystem. Your initial side effects seem mild though I can't speak for you obviously.

I know this is an impossible request: but slow down ... Analyzing every minute of your existence isn't going to help you figure this out. Focus on the big picture of what's happening ... Take a journal on it. Ask your spouse about what they are noticing about you while you're on the med.

Then share it all with the doctor. No need to panic.

Tone

[Flip_Horrorshow]

Yay! Someone who takes the exact med as me (and has questions about it).
Pretty much, sounds like you are getting all worked up over the negative side effects. Plus, if you take Adderall, and stop all of the sudden, you will go through about a week or two of withdrawal (depending on how long you have been taking it). For me, one day was depression, next was almost like a mania, halfway through that day it felt like my body had some sort of Anxiety Energy (if that is possible to imagine). The rest of the week was Hell to pay.
Those side effects are normal, Adderall is a stimulant, so being not hungry is normal, and crashing around 6 is normal as well (body coming down from the adderall). The dry mouth is a normal symptom, I just don't have an explanation for it.
But here are some other things to keep in mind:

Don't take adderall with any acidic food/ beverage- That will weaken the Adderall ions (makes it less effective)

Don't take Tums with Adderall- You will only get a 'cracked out' feeling, and it will shorten the long term (positive) effects of Adderall.

It is best if you eat an hour before taking your pill, or two hours after the pill.

Don't freak out if your Adderall seems to become less effective over time- this is normal. Our brain builds a tolerance towards Dextroamphetamine. The stupid part is that the brain also begins to rely on the boost dopamine it gets from Adderall.

So take 'Pill Vacations' once in a while (research this though). 'Vacate' as in 'Abstain from taking your Adderall'.

[sarahsweets]

The negative review usually come from scientologists or naturalists.

[gizmo1]

The Internet is full of people who have nothing to say about anything. The world of user reviews has created an outlet for people to speak about every negative thing they have that they perceive is the result of a medication.

You have to find good sites like this one that offer sound advice, rather than the "Adderallisthedevilsmed.com" websites.

Remember, you will not have every side effect you read about (because no person is alike) and the side effects you may experience almost always go always after a week or so. You are taking a major mental med, you need to allow your mind and body time to adjust to it.

As for the Anxiety attack, that may or may not have been related to the adderall. Normally you have anxiety attacks either right during or when the med wears off, or after youve taken it for a lot longer than 4 days and stop. I have an anxiety disorder, and I stopped adderall after taking it for 35 days and had no side effects from stopping. I took 60 mg IR a day.