Adderall IR causing fatigue, no motivation! What next?

[GimmeShelter]

Hi, I have been taking adderall at diiferent doses and brands etc.. for awhile. About two months. At first I had more energy and motivation. I have hit a wall. I have started to feel like I don't want to do anything. I have tried dex by itself and as a booster. That was nothing but an expensive waste of time. I have got to get on with life. I need advice from someone who has experienced this and found an answer. Is there a medicine that I can combine with adderall that will decrease the drowsy and fogginess? I've felt how adderall can work for add and I miss that hope!

I should say that the XR meds don't work for me. And that my insurance won't cover add meds. They've never paid a dime for any type of stimulant.

I see my very expensive add doc in less than 2 days. I want to have some suggestions or be armed with info before I go in.

I've taken every dosage. That's not the problem. I've gone from 10 mg's all the way up to 30 mg 3-4 times a day. I really can't take more than that. In fact I would love to decrease my dose. But I need to function. The other side effects are the usual players. Insomnia at night, loss of appetite, hyperfocusing.

I'm afraid my doctor will want to experiment with all kinds of drugs and stop the adderall. But it worked at one time.

Here's what I need help with. What medicine could be combined safely with adderall that would counteract the negative side effects? And if anyone has had this experience and found the perfect add drug please let me know. I know everyone is different. I just want some choices.

Thanks for any and all help anyone can give. This med rollercoaster is awful!

[CptNemo]

I'm afraid you're gonna see cobwebs forming on your post before you get an answer on the perfect drug.

We're on the same ride,and the only suggestion I can make is find the pharmacies that have the cheapest prices for the short list of stims that are commonly prescribed.

Note that Costco does not require a membership,for their pharmacy.

Also,I priced the generic ritalin at Walmart at 5mg x 30 for $5 or so.
Wellbutrin at 300 mg/day for $14,I was told (once daily)

Currently I get 75 mg x 120 at Longs(one time $20 fee) for ~$8.
They are the IR kind,so I take 4/day(300mg),but will switchover to the once/day Walmart when I run out.
I take the 75mg x4/day because that size dose is where the discount is.

Wellbutrin might be something to look into,if you haven't tried it yet.
It is not an adhd drug per se,but it is commonly used for depression,and is touted as a drug that helps the range of the adderall.

[GimmeShelter]

I love the cobweb joke! So true usually when people are describing the perfect medicine they are in the first week of treatment.

I have heard of combining wellbutrin with adderall. I think my doctor may have talked about that at our first appt.

Do you happen to know what my current dose of adderall IR would transfer to in an XR form? it's at 30 mg 3-4 times a day. If I could afford the XR I would like to take it twice a day. I've tried it once before (generic barr) at 20 mg once a day. It never worked and nothing lasts 8-10 hours for me. My doctor gave me a script for vyvance to boost the dex I was trying at one time. But I heard of the cost and so many side effects. I kind of shelved that idea.

Well thanks for the input. I am open to ideas at this point.

I heard that taking wellbutrin with a stimulant helps with mood elevation and energy. Some people hate it. Any success or horror stories are welcome. Just remember that I'm kinda exhausted and need some light at the end of this tunnel So please back any horror stories up with a suggestion of what might help

thanks cptnemo and to anyone else who has advice. I'll be checking back regularly today. Appt. Tomorrow!

[CptNemo]

I can't speak from experience on any of that.
Everything is so subjective that I usually do searches,and play the odds.
Do some searches for wellbutrin adderall and bubropion adderall.

Seems like odds are that wellbutrin extends the duration of the adderall.
Lots of speculation on the timing of the doses,too.
Best of luck!

[Waitingame]

I take Wellbutrin and Adderall IR (& took Aplenzin- bupropion hydrobromide - when I had samples from my doc, liked it just fine but can't afford on self-pay). At the correct dose, somewhere between 200-300 mg/day for me, it seems that W & A do work very well in concert.

Hoped the Adderall would be the 100% answer for me & titrated my Wellbutrin dose down, but no, got fuzzy-brain and the agitated depression I always get when my Wellbutrin gets low, so it's the magic pair for me (for now).

The Wellbutrin helps with the clarity, although a too high dose on the Adderall will put me into a worse fuzzy/confused/unfocused condition. Staying hydrated, eating more protein than sugar, getting enough rest, all those things you read here are 100% true for me to get the best window of efficacy from the Adderall. I seem to be eating a bite of something every 2 hours or so because my temperamental blood sugar has a whopping effect on the Adderall when it gets out of wack.

I like the Adderall IR - a few bad days on Concerta makes the control factor important and I haven't tried XR.

Keep in mind the Wellbutrin will take a little while (couple weeks?) to build up in your system. And unfortunately, even the power combo of Wellbutrin and Adderall are not impervious to hormone fluctuations - although it seems like I fared a little better this month after stopping my oral contraceptives (stopping them made me feel better overall).

Wellbutrin has been good to me - I've been on it since 1999 in various forms, in concert with a host of other meds and by itself and despite some low-lows, I'm still here. Have taken it with Adderall just a little over a month.

I should mention that I eeked by on Wellbutrin for several years before I discovered that exercising at least 3x week got 100% better results from the meds than just taking the pills every day. Holymoly, several psychs had harped and harped at me to exercise, but a depressed person just isn't inclined to slap on the leg-warmers and do her Jane Fondas.

I'm 100% with you on the "find the perfect med" expedition! There's such hope when you get a diagnosis and then so much trial and more trial to follow. And then some days you ask yourself, "Really? Is this as good as it gets?" For me, a non-medicated, fuzzy, fighting uphill in my houseslippers day is enough to refocus my efforts on dosing and doing what I can to make it work.

I hope you soon find a suitable regimen and even more so, peace of mind. Sometimes the search for the "cure" is so consuming we can neglect the parts of us that were well all along. I did, and hate that I lost those months!

[adhdishere01]

Hey Gimmeshelter - here is the real thing.

Def. take Wellbutrin - try Instant Release 75 mg twice daily for 1 week then 75 mg x 2 (150 mg) at once in the AM and the same process (150 mg or 2 75 mg pills at a time) around early afternoon. Instant Release Wellbutrin (bupropion hcl) will kick in the fastest of all Wellbutrin versions (IR, SR and XL) and is by far the cheapest. This is just a "possible" answer to your question and I make no medical decision re: your choices I must say!

Then, this will bring back the "magic" of Adderall (whether IR or XR) because your brain will be pretty much constantly flooded with Dopamine and Norepinephrine. It will be very stimulating which I have a feeling is really what you are saying you have "lost". Adderall XR if you dont have insurance and you want to try two capsules a day is going to be VERY expensive. Adderall IR tabs will be your best bet for price and "control".

In addition, Wellbutrin smoothes the HELL out of the "crash" from Adderall esp. later in the day (or whatever your schedule is) and you will generally be more upbeat since you will not feel like dextroamphetamine/amphetamine totally sucked out all your nutrients with the Wellbutrin added. Wellbutrin is amazing stuff - its all in a class of its own.

There is the new Aplenzin (which by the way is free as almost all psychs have the samples still and from what I understand there are not a lot of people wanting to convert from Wellbutrin HCL to Aplenzin HBR because of insurance issues. I take Aplenzin HBR 522 mg (equal to 450 mg of regular Wellbutrin HCL) and feel like I have won the lottery over and over again. And that is JUST the Aplenzin, without Dexedrine and Adderall on days that I do not take a stimulant. How about that as an answer?

Either way, the synergistic effects of huge dopamine rushes combined with increased norepinephrine levels from Wellbutrin added with Adderall (IR and XR) are confirmed by many including me. The amps (no matter what brand name) will never be fabulous from a mood perspective. Just won't happen IMO. So why not be happy, have more energy, not worry about things you shouldn't worry about and superfocus all the time in a good way to get things done. The amazing part of Wellbutrin (no matter what version) is that self-examination generally comes out and you just might find out more about your internal self than you EVER knew! Have fun and keep it real!

[Waitingame]

Originally Posted by adhdishere01

try Instant Release 75 mg twice daily for 1 week then 75 mg x 2 (150 mg) at once in the AM and the same process (150 mg or 2 75 mg pills at a time) around early afternoon.

I haven't tried IR Wellbutrin in years- may be the way to go in my insurance-less state. Sounds like you're seeing a big stimulant effect from it - I take my XL at night (obviously very little stim effect there! )

Thanks for the heads-up!

[adhdishere01]

Yes very stimulating! You are totally welcome pal! Thx for the compliment!

[GimmeShelter]

Thank you so very much for all the info. It means so much that I have support in my struggle. I am taking all advice and will talk to my doctor. I'm sure with all these suggestions and his help I'll get it figured out eventually. I'll report back if I ever get to a place where I am not constantly focusing on mess. That's when I'll know they are working.
Thanks so much

[GimmeShelter]

Meant to say meds not mess

[adhdishere01]

Hey, thats what we do right? Help each other. That is the only reason I come on here. I love to help others and if you ever want me to throwdown some fierce medical information and my experiences with exactly what you have been experiencing (i have been using Adderall, Dexedrine, all kinds of meds for over 7 years now and know several pharmacists as friends) PM me and I will def. talk to you. Its all about love in this lifetime to one another. Don't be afraid to ask either if you want to PM, I ALWAYS help. Always.