Long-term adderall use

[mimi865]

I'm a 38 y/0 female and I take 15mg of adderall twice daily and have been on this dose for about a year (before that I took 12.5 for about 6 months and before that 10 for about a year). It's late-this is confusing. I've been on the medication for about 2 1/2 years total and it's the only med I've ever been prescribed. I'm starting to feel like the dose needs to be upped again, but I'm not sure whether more is the answer or whether I should try a different med. Strattera seems scary from all I've read. My doctor is a GP and means well, but she's resistant to increasing dosage--mostly because I'm on the "small" side weight-wise--and she wants me to try the non-stimulant Strattera. I have an extremely hectic life which includes 3 pre-teen kids, 2 with ADD (one on AdderallXR, one on Concerta) and a very busy husband, and I don't think I we could survive a month of lethargy, mood swings, and depression. I'm wondering what others' experiences have been with prolonged use/tolerance to stimulants and if anyone has any suggestions or comments??? Thanks

[Gregster]

Try taking both drugs - they are not mutually exclusive, you can take them at the same time. Suggest to your Dr that you take them both and after the Strattera has been given a chance to work - 1 or 2 weeks - stop the adderall and see what happens. Adderall is short acting (vs drugs like Strattera) so when you stop taking them, the effects go away quickly. You'll know the next day if the Strattera will work for you. Also read the thread below - it deals with abuse potential of the stimulant Ritalin.
http://www.addforums.com/forums/show...&threadid=5199
It basically says that at the doses used for ADD/ADHD and taken orally (vs crushing and snorting the drug) there is very low risk of abuse or addiction. Children have taken these drugs for years and there is no evidence of long term effects.
It would also be worth trying another stimulant if Adderall doesn't agree with you - side effects are different for each person - another drug may be easier on you.
Good luck and let us know what happens.
Regards,
Greg

[enoina]

Mimi,

I have been on Adderall for about a year now. I was on concerta but switched and like the results (and few side effects) on adderall. I am taking 30 mg early morning and 20 in mid afternoon. You may ask the GP if she can put you on a small p.m. dose as well instead of goingto a higher single dose. If you do a higher single dose, you will have the same effect time, just more of it vs. a longer effect time with the two doses (albeit different amounts in a.m. versus p. m.)

I also think that there is a point where my body and system adaptto what is taken. about every six months, I tend to juststop taking it for 3-4 weeks just to take a "drug holiday". This is often done with many psycho tropic drugs. I feel a big difference.

Hope this helps some,

enoina

[akiss4u]

All of our bodies can develop a tolerance to drugs of any kind if taken for very long periods. As we adjust to the continual dosing over time we may think our medication is not working, we have just developed a tolerance. It is still working but we require more for the same effects that we initially experienced.

I read this in the Encyclopedia:
Drug tolerance is basically the body's ability to adapt to the presence of a drug. The magnitude of the body's response to a particular drug depends on two factors:
*Concentration of the drug at its site of action
*Sensitivity of the target site to the drug
The sensitivity of the target cells is governed by genetic factors and adaptive changes by the body. Adaptive changes occur in response to the repeated exposure to a particular drug. The result is usually a loss of sensitivity to the drug. This decreased response is called tolerance
Tolerance may be defined as a state of progressively decreased responsiveness to a drug as a result of which a larger dose of the drug is needed to achieve the effect originally obtained by a smaller dose.

I hope this helps.

[BenFoldsNerd]

Hi Mimi,

I'm under the impression that doctors are supposed to try and "phase out" the controlled substance stimulants, and encourage use of the non-stimulant drugs... perhaps this is his/her reason for wanting to switch you? I know the medicine affects everyone differently, but I'm little too (sub-100lbs.), and I take 60mg Adderall XR per day with little/no problem. Hopefully this info can be of some help. :-)

-Julie

[jimfish]

I think adderall is really an incredible drug that can really help people with ADHD. It is very powerful and therefore needs to be used responsibly. I just graduated from college and there it was used alot for recreational purposes such as partying. At night I do have troub;e sleeping sometimes but...