Skipping doses?

[DeafGuy]

What is the effect of skipping several doses in a row?

I've a three day weekend, and I'm feeling very much like blowing off the Adderall for the whole weekend, just to relax for a bit before I hit the school grind again next week. But I still don't know quite what to expect with this drug, and just missing a single dose can really mess up my day...

[Andrew]

Given that this is the first time you're doing this, my recommendation would be to check with your doctor. Ask him what you might experience, what too look out for, etc.

[Wheel1975]

I have recently taken to breaking the little blue ovals into half, sometimes half again.

that means I'm taking very little sometimes, but it is enough. the little tiny bumps don't knock me around like the biger doses sometimes do.

Check with your doctor. stay on for the first weekend. Get used to yourself on the drugs.

[DeafGuy]

My doc is unfortunately rather unhelpful. I asked him a month ago about skipping doses on the weekend and he basically shrugged and said "yeah, whatever you want". But what will it actually do? He didn't have an answer.

That's my problem, I want to get an idea of what I can expect if I do this or that and such. Should I take it earlier or later? Closer together or farther apart? Etc. And my doc is clueless, so he can't give me any answers.

Anyhow, I went ahead and skipped. Most of the day Saturday, I was hopping around quite a bit but today I was worn out. Just kicked back and relaxed, which was quite nice, actually.

[Andrew]

Perhaps you should tell your doc to get online more often? lol

Glad to hear that your med vacation was uneventful.

[Wheel1975]

Originally posted by DeafGuy
My doc is unfortunately rather unhelpful. I asked him a month ago about skipping doses on the weekend and he basically shrugged and said "yeah, whatever you want". But what will it actually do? He didn't have an answer.

That's my problem, I want to get an idea of what I can expect if I do this or that and such. Should I take it earlier or later? Closer together or farther apart? Etc. And my doc is clueless, so he can't give me any answers.

Anyhow, I went ahead and skipped. Most of the day Saturday, I was hopping around quite a bit but today I was worn out. Just kicked back and relaxed, which was quite nice, actually.

I think you are discovering:

1) Doctors know about the effects on populations afterwards, not individuals before it happens.

2) As long as you don't overdose, or go cold turkey off a drug that MUST be ramped down, or operate heavy machinery before you have a chance to know whether that would be a good or bad idea, the only other guidance is to indicate how much you might need to take to start getting benefit.

Beyond that, it is up to you to figure out what works... with guidance, and not the level of direction that we sometimes want or need.

Good luck to you figuring out the puzzle that you are!

David

[DeafGuy]

I know that everyone is individual, that results will vary according to unpredictable factors. I never expected that someone could tell me exactly what will happen if I do such and such.

But still, there are surely general patterns, right? Is there any kind of trend in what happens if people on Adderall skip their weekend doses and such?

I mean, heck, I'm in college right now, and what I'm doing has an immediate and often, significant impact on how I'm doing in class and with homework. If I try something that screws things up, that screws up my schoolwork, too.

Hence, I'm not really wanting to experiment too much--I'd rather get some idea of GOOD things to try based on what other people have experienced already rather than blindly risking messing up my studies too much.

[Wheel1975]

IMHO, you are expecting that your body structure and chemistry are simpler systems than they are.

This is what is sometimes called an "over determined system" which means that there are more controling factors and paths of interaction than can be currently identified and mapped.

sorry, but your millage will vary from the experiences of EVERYONE else here. (At least that is my guess!)

You'll hear from others on this too (I certainly expect!). good luck finding what you are seeking, or learning to seek what you need. : )

So, yep. you ARE asking for the impossible. Try the question against other listeners, or repeat it, or change it. Its your move! : )

Take what you like and leave the rest.

David

[Mz_Desz]

My son takes 30mg of Adderrall XR. He doesn't use it on the week-ends, holidays, or durning the summer.

I haven't seen any big change in his behavior except he becomes more talkative and plays a little more....he's 11.

He hasn't complained of any side affects/discomforts when returning back to the meds. But he has never had any side affects at all that I'm aware of.

My son isn't being treated by a doctor...when his prescriptions is almost finish I take him in for a 5 minute appt with a physchiratist...who asks how is he doing...without actually listening for an answer...writse out the prescription and I'm on my way....maybe the appt is only about 2 mins.

edited to say that my son is an honor roll student and takes advance classes in math and science....so the no meds on week-ends hasn't effected his school performance.