Posted by katalina on September 19, 2004, at 17:26:32
In reply to Adderall medication advice, posted by bigdaddy on September 18, 2004, at 23:29:19
Hi there,
I've been taking Adderall for about 3 years now and have obviously experienced a tolerance by now.
Firstly, from what I have researched and my own neurologist's opinion as well, is that body weight/size is not indicative of a "proper" dose. I am 5'4" and weigh under 100 lbs. and have 90 mgs. of Adderall XR per day at certain points during the past year. I usually take 30 XR in the a.m., like Matt said an hour or so before knowing I have to get up. This makes an enormous difference in my ability to rise and "shine". I am not a morning person and have two daughters 4 & 5 to get ready for preschool, which can be daunting on anyone, no matter how cheerful they are. I then take 20 IR (regular) Adderall at around noon and am good for the day.
I take 1.5 mgs. klonopin at night for sleep, which is losing it's effectiveness (I know it's not meant for sleep long term, but take it anyway to mellow out for those couple hours before bed).
I took 1 month off from Adderall at one point (cold turkey, no withdrawal, just back to my original unmotivated, bored with everything self) which allowed me to restart with taking the 90 mg. dose. I think the bottom line is that too many people continue to chase the dragon; to re-create that initial "zing" they got from the first few times they took Adderall. It doesn't come back, isn't prescribed to make ADD'ers act like speed freaks and talk a mile a minute about every little thing and clean your car with a q-tip. It's just meant to help non-functioning, disorganized people, function normally and create some order out of the chaos that everyone has in their life from time to time. Adderall still works for me, it just doesn't make me feel like it did in the beginning, which is why it's a Schedule II drug. JMHO.
Anyway, I would second Matt's advice on the dosing. The earlier doses are always more effective it seems. When I first started adding a second dose, I would almost forget some days because I would still be "high" from everything I accomplished in the morning and that would be enough to carry me through. It's easy to get greedy, I have done it many times, and like the saying goes "what comes up, must go down."
Good Luck - Katalina
poster:katalina
thread:392493
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040915/msgs/392709.html