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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by calamityjane on February 5, 2005, at 14:29:16
What is this?? I was on Ritalin for a long long time and it was great, but it started making me paranoid and tons of anxiety....was off all meds for awhile (about 11/2 months) and then decided to try Adderall. For 2 weeks Was taking 2 20 mg a day...worked BEAUTIfully! Then, all of a sudden I am EXTREMELY drowsy when I take it, especially the second dose of the day. So I get online find this site and see a post about too much Adderall possibly causes drowsiness, so I bumped it down a bit, but still I am pretty droswy after the second dose! What gives? I was on Ritalin for YEARS before I dealt with these kind of issues. And even if the drowsiness went away, the effects arent as good as they were a week ago.
Seems Adderall is way less predictable.
I paid 40 bucks for this (generic)bottle and I am very disappointed! Anybody here have suggestions or similar experiences with Adderall?
Thank-you for any help any of you wish to provide me with!!
Posted by alohashirt on February 5, 2005, at 15:28:12
In reply to Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishing!!, posted by calamityjane on February 5, 2005, at 14:29:16
I had a similar reaction recently that I believe
was due to accumulated lack of sleep and lack of exercise. A week by the beach fixed me. Now I'm going to attempt to get more sleep.
Posted by calamityjane on February 5, 2005, at 15:39:17
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi, posted by alohashirt on February 5, 2005, at 15:28:12
so did that fix the problem completely? I mean, after you rested up did the meds regain their original effects?
Posted by CareBear04 on February 5, 2005, at 18:40:31
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi, posted by calamityjane on February 5, 2005, at 15:39:17
maybe ritalin is just your thing, and since you've been off it for a few weeks, it'll be more effective if you go back on.
or else, since you're taking generic, i assume it's immediate release adderall? adderall IR doesn't do much for me morning or evening. adderall XR is much more potent and it lasts a decent amount of time, though nowhere near the 9-12 hours it's supposed to. i would try XR before giving up. i'm on concerta now to take a break from adderall, and i like ritalin all right, but adderall's more my thing. otherwise, some people swear by dexedrine, and maybe you would take to that better?
Posted by banga on February 5, 2005, at 18:58:33
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi » calamityjane, posted by CareBear04 on February 5, 2005, at 18:40:31
ON the other hand, do you take the second dose while the first one is still in your system? Then you may be getting more than you think at the time of the second dose--so again a higher dose and greater fatigue. Just a thought.....
Posted by calamityjane on February 5, 2005, at 19:10:43
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi, posted by banga on February 5, 2005, at 18:58:33
> ON the other hand, do you take the second dose while the first one is still in your system? Then you may be getting more than you think at the time of the second dose--so again a higher dose and greater fatigue. Just a thought.....
Yes Banga, this is true, especially in the past several days...so how long should you wait before you take your second dose? Adderall is so much more different than Ritalin.But even if I were to wait the effects would still be not so good....unless its true that my fatigue has worn me down and the meds can't work. But when I was tired with Ritalin it never affected me like this.
Care Bear, I think you are right, I need to go back to my tried and true first love! Ritalin!
Posted by lars1 on February 6, 2005, at 3:30:31
In reply to Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishing!!, posted by calamityjane on February 5, 2005, at 14:29:16
Hi c.j.!
Are you eating regularly and in your usual amounts? I'm not very hungry when I take Adderall, but I find that I feel much better if I eat anyway.
Also, how are you sleeping? Adderall has a longer duration of action than Ritalin, especially when you first start taking it, so it may be more likely to cause insomnia or poor quality of sleep. Maybe you could get a script for some Ambien while you are adjusting to the new med?
Finally, since you mention cost, you may be able to save money by having your doctor write for a smaller number of tablets of a larger dose (30 mg is the largest available), then splitting the tablets. The cost per tablet is usually about the same no matter what size tablet you buy, and Adderall is scored two ways so it is easy to divide even into quarters. Or you could try dextroamphetamine, which has similar effects but costs about a quarter as much per tab as generic Adderall.
Lars
Posted by CareBear04 on February 7, 2005, at 10:18:17
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishing!! » calamityjane, posted by lars1 on February 6, 2005, at 3:30:31
lars, does regular adderall (generic) come in 30mg tabs? i know that for xr, 30mg is the largest. i've never tried to get so high a dose in generic. i've gotten 5mg tabs and 10mgs tabs. in comparison, the 10mg are bigger and rounder. with generic, do you notice a different among manufacturers? thanks!
Posted by lars1 on February 7, 2005, at 16:49:55
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi » lars1, posted by CareBear04 on February 7, 2005, at 10:18:17
> lars, does regular adderall (generic) come in 30mg tabs? i know that for xr, 30mg is the largest. i've never tried to get so high a dose in generic. i've gotten 5mg tabs and 10mgs tabs. in comparison, the 10mg are bigger and rounder. with generic, do you notice a different among manufacturers? thanks!
Hi CB!
Yes, immediate-release Adderall (both brand and generic) comes in sizes up to 30mg. I've only ever tried one kind (from Eon Labs), so I can't compare it with the brand or other generics.
Lars
Posted by CareBear04 on February 7, 2005, at 19:35:12
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi » CareBear04, posted by lars1 on February 7, 2005, at 16:49:55
thanks for answering, Lars. have you compared them to the XR?
Posted by calamityjane on February 7, 2005, at 20:26:48
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi » CareBear04, posted by lars1 on February 7, 2005, at 16:49:55
I went to doc today and got some ritalin, and it did the SAME THING---it didn't work and it made me sleepy!!! I am so frustrated....Stimulants are putting me to sleep! I dont know what I'll do if my ADD meds quit on me b/c I am so dependent on them for productivity in my life.
Posted by CareBear04 on February 7, 2005, at 20:48:41
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi, posted by calamityjane on February 7, 2005, at 20:26:48
was regular ritalin what worked for you before? if so, i'm really sorry about the poop out. how about provigil or else the long-lasting ritalin or adderall? for some reason, i fare better with the long stuff.
Posted by calamityjane on February 7, 2005, at 20:52:35
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi » calamityjane, posted by CareBear04 on February 7, 2005, at 20:48:41
Yeah, it was regular ritalin....and it did have its days that it would sometimes not be as effective, but whatever is going on right now is strange! I think, as somebody already said, maybe I am tired...but that never did this before. I dont know what to think.
I think my next attempt will involve converta, but I dont know...I am hoping this is just a fluke and will get better once I get some good deep sleep. I hope so!
Posted by lars1 on February 8, 2005, at 6:09:25
In reply to Re: Just 21/2 wks ofAdderall and effects diminishi » lars1, posted by CareBear04 on February 7, 2005, at 19:35:12
> thanks for answering, Lars. have you compared them to the XR?
Yes. The prescribing info says that, for example, taking 20mg of the XR is equivalent to taking 10mg of immediate release (IR) and then another 10mg four hours later, and that's pretty much what it felt like. I could definitely feel the second dose kicking in sometimes. It wasn't a smooth continuous release through the day. Personally, I prefer the IR. With XR, you're pretty much stuck with that schedule, and it's also inconvenient to divide the capsules if you need to. With the IR, I had the flexibility to take, say, 10mg first thing in the morning, then 5mg three hours later, then 5mg another two hours later. That schedule seemed to work a little better to avoid "crashing," which for me was an unpleasant feeling of anxiety and dysphoria.
Lars
This is the end of the thread.
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