just started adderall ir 12.5mg-need advice!

[leana]

yesterday was my first day of starting adderall ir 12.5mg,made by barr.before that i was taking 50mg vyvanse in the morning,and half of a 20mg adderall ir{10mg} around 3pm or so as a booster.i started feeling very tired all the time,so he told me to try taking just adderall ir 3 times a day.i was a little nervous about it,so i took half a dose in the morning,then the other half about 3 hours later.then at 3pm,i tried taking the whole pill.i still felt tired all day,and maybe even a little worse,because vyvanse would at least give me a little kick in the morning,and the adderall doesnt do that at all.at about 9;30 last night,it must of wore off, because all of the sudden i felt horrible.i felt nausiated,and had these horrible knots in my gut,i didnt like that feeling at all!i cant go thru that everynight,or i dont want to take the adderall.today,i realized,it was only the first day,so i am trying again.im just not sure about the dosing thing.if i was taking 50mg vyvanse before,and a 10mg adderall booster,is taking all 3 of the 12.5mg adderall a day the same,or more??. yesterday,i ended up only taking 2 for the whole day,but 9;30 was too late to take even another half.how can i give this medicine a fair chance,before i throw in the towel on it?? im thinking the whole pill{12.5} might be too strong to take all at once,because when i took the whole one yesterday,i felt strange,it felt like all my recepters were full,if that makes scense, and i couldnt really drink my coffee,it was making me not feel right.can someone please give me some advice on how i should take these?and if i do just take half a pill,how many hours a part should it be??

[Henri J]

I just started Adderall today. I tried Ritalin first and it didn't seem to be working, plus I was eating everything in sight. Hungry all of the time especially at night when it had worn off.

After I spoke with my doctor about switching, I worried that I might not have given the Ritalin enough time to do its job and my body enough time to get used to it. I was only on it for two weeks.

I was worried that Adderall won't work either, but I think by worrying about it I am not allowing it to work. I am not giving my body time to adjust. I am not giving my mind time to be a peace with the medication.

I decided yesterday that I would give the Adderall two weeks at the current dose and if that doesn't work to try a higher dose. But over all, I decided I would give the medication an entire month to settle in. My anxiety is much reduced today after having made that deal with myself.

It is entirely possible that this isn't the right medication for me or for you, but I am not going to decide that preemptively. I have learned that I am hard on myself and have very high expectations and that is a hindrance to me. So, I gave myself permission to give myself a break.

Let's give it time. I'll share my experience with you daily, if you like and we can work it out together. What do you think?

H

[Henri J]

Yesterday, I felt sort of strange all day. I didn't get any work done, but spent hours here on this forum reading and responding to posts. So, I guess you could say I was able to focus on one thing, just not the thing I needed to get done. Oh well. I did manage to turn off my computer and go to school and get some other things done, so It wasn't so bad.

Day 2: I didn't sleep much last night. Not sure it was the Adderall or general anxiety about an assignment I have due today but am having difficulty with. I took my Adderall around 9. It seems to have kicked in now. I feel a slight buzz all over my body and feel a little more clear headed. Hope to get some work done, although the anxiety about not understanding my lab work makes it hard to want to work on it.

I hope you are well today. Let me know.

H

[CptNemo]

Originally Posted by leana

if i was taking 50mg vyvanse before,and a 10mg adderall booster,is taking all 3 of the 12.5mg adderall a day the same,or more?

For the ratio:70mg Vyvanse = 30mg Adderall IR

Its not quite that simple,as they are not the same chemical makeup.There is some more info here:
www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70818

For the rest of your questions,I am in a similar quandry,so only two bits of advice,and my sympathies.

Sandoz/Eon is regarded as a superior generic than Barr,for *most* people. Less side effects is a major point.

If you knew how much I enjoy my coffee,you would appreciate how hard it is for me to say this:

Coffee is another stimulant,and according to the experts plus my personal experience,is probably skewing your results. I found that my coffee did add to my anxiety level from the adderall.Usually coffee has the opposite effect on me,within reason.

Disclaimer: I am drinking my first cup of coffee,with beans recommended by Novagal,extraction via my french press,and really savoring every ounce.

I take the adderall as prescribed 20mg x 2 (Sandoz IR),usually about 3 or four hours apart,to try to judge what a higher dose might be like during the overlap period.

I have also taken it like you,10mg,10mg,20mg,and all I know is that the more I have in me,the worse I feel and very little benefit.

Actually I'd prefer lightly toasted horse dung,but that's just an assumption.

In my situation,I believe it is because of increased anxiety.fwiw,Concerta,titrated up to 54mg/day,had a placebo effect except for maybe drowsiness.Only took for one week due to impatience and my limited understanding on its properties.

Anyway,everyone is different,good luck to you,and I will continue to give my meds enough time to do their thing each day,then just say 'screw it',another day wasted,and comfort myself with a cup of coffee.

[CptNemo]

Coffee concern update:

Tigger...you're so good

"Dannie, the headache is from caffeine withdrawal. Try having a single cup of coffee about an hour after you take the med. If the headache returns, take a single Excedrin- they are aspirin with caffeine. As Kalib notes above, the only way to discontinue caffeine is to taper off. My trick was to mix caffeinated and decaf coffee grounds 50/50. After a week, I reduced the caffeine by half and so on."

This is from:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74940

[Henri J]

Update: Day 3

I finished out the day by hyper focusing on cleaning and rearranging my living room after getting a couch. I ate a small lunch and dinner, but generally was not hungry. I took some Benadryl around 10:30 and slept soundly all night. I didn't want to risk not sleeping again.

Today, I took my Adderall around 8:30 and waited an hour to have my morning coffee. I wanted to see if the "body buzzing" sensation I was caused by the caffeine, but, it isn't. The buzzing started before I had the coffee. I am hoping that sensation will diminish as my body gets used to the medication.

Overall, I feel pretty good. The general weirdness I was feeling on Friday has diminished. I am wondering if the does may be too high, but I am going to give it the two weeks like I promised myself.

Leana, How are you?

H

[leana]

im still hangin in there.i did find a routine that works,at least for now.i only take 1/2 a pill at a time.about every 3 hours apart.this seems so far to work the best for me.that first night,after having that major crash was enough for me to make a change.as the days go by,i am getting used to it,and i actually am not that "dead" tired,like i was when i was taking vyvanse and adderall together.maybe it was the vyvanse wearing off in the early afternoon that made me so tired the rest of the day.i still dont get that "kick" in the morning that i used to get on the vyvanse and ritalin,but as long as i take it every 3 hours,its working ok.today i was about an hour late taking my afternoon dose,and boy did i feel the withdrawl!i got sweaty,flushed,and nervous feeling.within 15 minutes after taking my dose,i now feel much better,and focused enough to get on my computer.one side effect i did notice,i get to sleep ok,but wake up too early,and cant go back to sleep.maybe i just dont need as much sleep on this med.im still not taking all 3 pills a day yet,i figure if i dont need them,dont take them.yesterday i took about 28mg for the whole day.