Adderall and Insomnia?

[the crash dummy]

I was formally diagnosed with ADD about two weeks ago. I am now 21 and in college, and after taking Adderall I cannot understand how I have managed to do well in school without it! I am on a pretty small dose (my doc prescribed 20 mg per day, but I usually cut it in half) It helps me amazingly well! I can actually pay attention in class! And I can sit down and read textbooks and study without having to take a twenty-minute break every half hour (yes... you read that right...) I feel capable!
There is, however, a problem with it. It seems to be affecting my sleep cycle. Over the Christmas break, my boyfriend (who goes to college in CA) came home to the east coast, and I adjusted to the Pacific Time zone. Usually, it would be very easy for me to just go to bed early and wake up early a few days in a row and correct this problem, but I seem to be unable to do that. I have always enjoyed going to sleep between nine and ten and getting up early, because I require more sleep than most people (I need at least nine hours to function normally...ten is optimal). However, now I am lucky if I can go to sleep naturally before 2 am. And I wake up numerous times each night. This past week, I have been waking up for good between 4 and 6:30. I have been sleeping about six hours a night (if I am lucky!), and it is beginning to affect my mood...
I tried taking a Benadryl before bed every night, but while that usually knocks me out, it seems to only affect my body now... I will lie in bed for hours, physically drained, while my mind races. (Also, I just found out that antihistamines can quit giving you the drowsiness effect if you take them too often.) I have also tried melotonin, which helped me conquer insomnia before, and it helps some...instead of lying awake for four or five hours, I only lie awake for about two or three... But I still wake up very early... And when I wake up early, I want to get going! I want to study and do work! (Which isn't in and of itself isn't bad... in fact, I love waking up ready to conquer the world... I just hate waking up at 4 am after going to sleep at 1.)
Anyway, I hate taking medication to counter-act other medication's side effects... Does this get better? Is it just that I've been taking it for a very short period of time? Is there anything y'all would recommend??
Does such a small dose really stay in your system this long, or is this likely from something else? (I'm not taking XR.)

P.S. Sorry for the long message! It is currently 6:40 am, and I've been awake for two and a half hours... My brain is way too active!

[FlakeyGirl]

You are in college? What are you doing on the net, STUDY! Kidding. This happened to me and I tried the benadryl and it turned out to be a bad idea. It takes a few days to clear out a benadryl hangover, in my experience.

Try it w/o the benadryl for a few days. What may be happening is with the Adderal, you may just be getting better quality sleep; therefore requiring less of it. The beneficial effects of your usual nine hours is now compressed into six or seven. Do you feel well rested, body and mind? If you do, then you've just added a few awake years to your life.

Also, trust your doc. If he gives you 20 mg, try taking it as prescribed. Sometimes it takes more of it to quiet your brain down. I do not beleive they go by weight on this as I am small and take 40mg minimum a day (any less and the late-late movie goes on all night long). I know several people who are much larger than myself and take less. I think they go by what it takes to calm your individual brain.

[flvampgirl]

I'm 37 and just found out I have ADD and they have me on Adderall and Wellbutrin. I had been on Wellbutrin for a while now for depression. My doc started me out on Adderall XR 30mg once a day at first. I found on me that it worked pretty good, but didn't seem to last long enough most days for me. Now I'm on a generic form of Adderall that's a tablet form twice a day. It's 20 mg and I take one when I first wake and then my second at 1 pm.

I also have been having problems with lying awake at night with my mind racing, even though I might be tired. I was awake until 4:30 am for a couple of nights recently. I finally resorted to taking a sleeping pill otherwise I believe I would never have gotten to sleep. But I hate doing that because it seems I'm taking one medicine to help me be more alert and focused and then another to 'bring me down'.

I started cutting the tablet in half for the afternoon dose and I still have trouble sleeping. I had problems sleeping before I was on Adderall, but it's worse now. I haven't been on it that long though, so I'm going to see how it is after a while because I keep reading that the 'speed like' side effects will decrease in time. Now after reading this, I'm wondering if I should cut the tablet in half for the afternoon, or if I should take a whole one as recommended to begin with?

I also seemed to work best with 9 hrs of sleep, but hardly ever get that. I can't really tell how less sleep is affecting me because I haven't been on the medication that long, and it DOES help wake me up in the morning. My psychiatrist said that a lot of ADD people do better and actually need less sleep than non ADD people, and that if you get too much sleep, you will be lethargic even worse than a non ADD person would be. That goes against what I've done all my life, as I always thought I needed more sleep than most people to function well. But of course it could've been the ADD all along. My doc also wanted me to start waking up early every day around the same time and then see when I get sleepy and fall asleep at night. But of course my problem is that even if I get up early, I still have the problem sleeping and lie awake for hours at night, and the more I lie awake and think, the more upset I get that I'm not going to get the sleep I need to wake up early. It's a vicious cycle. I really don't want to resort to sleeping pills either, so I've been trying to stay away from them, even though whenever I knew I needed to sleep before a big day or just knew I was going to have problems getting to sleep, I'd take one. I just worry now that I'm on the Adderall about taking sleeping pills to get myself 'down' off the Adderall.

Anyhow, one thing I've found that helps SOME is to keep something by your bed to write in (day planner, diary, etc). If your mind races like mine, I'm always thinking of things late at night and then I'm worried I'll forget. So I try to put everything down I need to do the next day and go over it. Then if I think of something else, I have a way to write it down right there and hopefully get it out of my brain.

I also have a clock radio that has different soothing sounds on it, like ocean waves and such. I use that to help me try to get to sleep, plus a fan on. I have to have some kind of 'noise' otherwise I hear EVERYTHING. I hear neighbor's TV, people talking, bugs, dogs barking, breathing next to me, cats in the litter box. So if's TOO quiet, I can't sleep either.

Reading or playing a video game sometimes helps to unwind as well as it gets your mind off other things for a little while.

Meditation of some sort can help as well. I'm really new to meditation and don't do it very well, but sometimes I can. I try to visualize something peaceful and calming, like being on the beach, etc., and concentrate on breathing for a little while. Sometimes I meditate in a hot bath with some candles and New Age type music. The hot bath helps relax you some and you can meditate on a candle while listening to music.

So maybe some of those things might help you. It seems we are both in the same boat about the sleep thing. Another thing I noticed is that I will get tired and maybe feel like I can sleep at night, but if I don't get myself into bed within a small time frame window when I feel that way, that I will get a 'second wind', and then be wide awake. I try to get into bed and lights out before I get that second wind, but it's not always possible.

I hope this helps you some.

[Gregster]

Wellbutrin sometimes causes insomnia. It's half-life in the body is something like 36 hours, so it's not like you can just take it in the morning, so it might not just be the Adderall that is effecting your sleep.
Has your doctor made any suggestions on how to deal with your insomnia?
ADDers are prone to insomnia - simulants or not. I'm not on stimulants but I take Remeron for anxiety and insomnia and it work wonders - for me at least.
Good luck
Greg

[AdamSkullHead]

flvampgirl, crash dummy, your problems sound just like mine! One thing I find is that after a big day of being really productive, it takes more than just a few minutes to get into the 'bed' mindset. I find a need a few hours before I want to be sleeping to relax, maybe take a shower, watch some tv. Having a beer at night seems to help. But I'm not talking four beers! That would probably have the opposite effect! I wish I had some methods to add, but really, I can't sleep worth crap. If anyone else has some ideas, please share.

[neuroangel]

I had insomnia since I was 11, now I'm 20 and started wellbutrin about 5 weeks ago. I still lie awake for about 2 hours or so before I fall asleep, and then I wake up three or four hours later; the only difference is, I don't feel tired when I first wake up. It takes until around 11am for me to start getting sleepy.

I'm also on lexapro and I drink enough caffeine for three people...since the wellbutrin and caffeine, I've been feeling better, but I'm still not getting anything done and I feel like I'm "climbing the walls" (same as before)...so I am going to talk to my doc about adderal xr either with or instead of the wellbutrin.

Cyndi (neuroangel)

[emtchick]

I just changed my Adderall dose and noticed I'm sleeping less too...we'll see if that evens out...

To get to sleep, not to go all new-agey on you, have you tried meditation? It really can help...focus on breathing and stuff.

Also, try chamomile tea, putting lavendar essential oil on your sheets or lavendar scented things near your bed. It's very soothing.

Also, avoid exercising near bed, and try not to consume too much caffiene or sugar in the afternoon/evening. Warm milk actually kinda helps me sleep too...

Yeah, can we tell I'm a chronic insomniac?

[Penultimate]

I take both Adderall and Welbutrin. I have had the same trouble sleeping as you but hell, I had trouble sleeping with no meds. You folks need to understand that these problems go away after a few months. Give it time. It will be fine.

[runner]

As another dedicated insomniac, I have found the following to be of of great help on nights that my Wellbutrin XL (& Adderall before that) keeps me from the 'arms of Morpheus'
-Melatonan pills (I get 'em at Wall Mart)
-Valerian root (found in OTC pill form & in Celestial Seasoning's 'Tension Tamer' tea)
- a simple glass of milk (calcium is supposed to help calm the nervous system).

Several suggestions for a good night's sleep I've read about (in addition to the great suggestions already posted by others).
- try to retire at approx. the same time every night
-set a 'standard ritual' (brushing teeth, setting alarm, etc.) at bedtime every night.
-don't watch 'upsetting/violent' or 'action' TV shows right before bedtime - they tend to stimulate the nervous system.
-ditto with loud, faced paced rock music.
-don't eat a heavy meal before bedtime.
-try a CD that promotes sleep/relaxation, these can be found in most audio departments. .
I've used all of these supplements & techniques, several in combination, and all have helped.

[JimboOmega]

I have had similar problems with dexedrine.... I guess the stimulants are pretty similar

What I would recommend is talking to your doctor about ambien. It is way way better than any other sleep meds that I've heard of, and everybody I know who has taken it speaks very highly of it. There's no hangover, and I haven't particularly had problems with rebound insomnia when I don't take it (or my medication). Generally it puts me out like a light when I take it. Things can get funny if you try to stay up after taking it, but generally, very fast acting, puts you to sleep, no side effects, no hangovers, no nonsense. Only real problem is it's not good for napping, designed to last 7-8 hours (more like 6 for me though =\), so you can only take it when going to bed for the night.

Naturally, the 6 hour thing is a complete pain for me, becasue I always am waking up before i feel rested, and can't pop one to go back to sleep. Otherwise, having trouble going to sleep at night, I highly recommend.

[BobbyK]

Well for me it doesnt matter how much sleep I get I still wake up at least ten times a night and I never seem rested I am always tired I take Concerta 36MG right now but I am going to ask to be changed to Adderall tomorrow to see if it will help me get a better nights sleep plus I dont feel like Concerta is working for me and I felyt the same way about ritalin so it may just be the fact that I am not getting the sleep that I should get I know the few nights I do get a good nights sleep I feel like the meds are working but thoes nights come far and few

[coolwoman]

Before I was diagnosed with ADD, I had severe insomnia for over 3 years. During that time 2 different Drs prescribed Ambien which worked less than 50% of the time. Finally dr. prescribed Desyrel (generic - Trazodone) at bedtime, whic is an antidepressant, great for aiding sleep, and not addictive like Ambien. I am now taking 20 mg of Adderall a day and Desyrel and have no trouble sleeping.

[paulbf]

Hmm, Desyrel sounds interesting. That's an unusual one. Here's a couple write-ups on it: http://www.crazymeds.org/desyrel.html
http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-d03.html

Do you take it 2-3 times a day for depression or just at night for sleep?

[medeski]

Desyrel is what I am currently taking for my Insomnia as well,...my doctor informed me that Ambien could be quite difficult to stop using should I want to as you mentioned, mainly due to it's addictive nature.

[coolwoman]

Paul, I just take it at night because it does make most people sleepy. I read one of urls you posted and there have been complaints of hangovers. I would recommend that anyone take the lowest dose possible to avoid a hangover. During a crisis 5 years ago I was on probably 300 mg. Now I take only 75 mg. Pills are scored so one can take only 50mg if desired. The generic I used to get was a larger triangular pill with corners that I sometimes had trouble swallowing. What I get now is much smaller.