Aderrall 20 mg ER....

[lovedogs51511]

Hi there! I just took first dose of the 20 mg ER but it made me super depressed and so lethargic I could barely move. Is this normal?? I text my psych nurse and he said give it a couple days so that's all I can do!!! Anyone have a similar experience??? Any of your experiences would be greatly appreciated!!! Have a great night!!!

[-Poetic2]

20 mg is a low dose...ADHD? Sometimes my higher dose makes me sleepy if I don’t eat and get out and about.

[lovedogs51511 in reply to -Poetic2]

Oh I know!! I think its a super low dose too! I told him that but he wants to just keep inching me up till it works. I don't think its legal to jump me up to 60 mg. I know I'm going to need that dose cause I take max doses of all my meds. Ill take that info about eating something. Thanks so much. I really appreciate your advice!! Have a great day😊☺😄

[-Poetic2 in reply to lovedogs51511]

Arf Arf Lol

[cjnolet]

I don't have much to add in terms of knowledge of medications, but one thing I can say is that when I was in middle school (many years ago), they put me on dexadrine and experienced a depression like I've never experienced before. It was instant- I spent the entire school day crying about a guinea pig of mine that died several years prior. I'm not a depressed person, which is why it was so odd. They took me off the medication immediately and I hadn't experienced depression like that ever again in my life.

Earlier this year I was put on Topamax for my migraines. Immediate anxiety. After a month on that stuff, I was getting psychosis. I mean literally sleeping with a knife in my bed, thought everyone at work was trying to get me fired type of psychosis. Apparently only 0.05% of the tested population had this happen and they determined that wasn't a sufficient size to be alarmed.

Sorry this happened to you. I also had an issue as a late teen when they determined I grew out of my ADHD and put me on bipolar meds. Since I'm not bipolar, those meds really didn't work well- they actually made me appear to be bipolar. I'm convinced that when you alter someone's seratonin or dopamine with these medications, the same effect happens as when you give someone too many vitamins- they end up with either a deficiency or too much abundance, making them appear to have a chemical imbalance that was really just the result of the medications.

[lovedogs51511 in reply to cjnolet]

Omg I'm so sorry you went thru all of that!! I took topomax for facial tic but never had any bad reaction thankfully. Again I'm sorry you've had such horrific experiences with those meds. I'm actually back happy again but do get tired when I drink coffee. But yesterday my first dose made me really depressed. I text Dr and he said to give it a few days. Its already getting better today. Just hope to stay away from overeating but so far so good which is nice!!! Hope your doing much better!! I totally agree when you take to much that yea that stuff happens! Have a really great day😄😄

[cjnolet in reply to lovedogs51511]

Thank you! I’m definitely doing much better too. Vyvanse was the secret for me. I guess that means I really am ADHD? Not that there was ever a question, lol.

Vyvanse has me able to hold a conversation and not cracking stupid irrelevant jokes for he shear fact that my mind wanders while having conversations with people. It’s also helped me stop binge eating out of boredom (and chasing stimulants like sugar).

It’s not a panacea but it is definitely helping. I’m also more generally able to deal with my kids and their own imperfections without impulsively snapping quite as a quickly when the emotional flooding hits.

Hope this medication does work out for you! Vyvanse is a newer form of adderall (same company, slightly different formula) and it’s changed my life completely.

[juli1357 in reply to cjnolet]

Curious, did you start on Adderall then change to Vyvanse? If so, how would you compare the two? I am on Adderall and I've been very happy with it.

[cjnolet in reply to juli1357]

After the bipolar meds I was fed as a teen, I told my psychiatrist to take a hike after I graduated high school. I guess my hyperactivity, hyperfocus/obsessive personality was more acceptable before I had kids. When I had kids, I found out how bad I was at dealing with stress- especially since I'm the only one that works. I mostly went to get help because of how bad my stress and general impatience had gotten with everyone around me.

So for that reason, the only ADHD medications I did were Ritalin when I was about 6 years old and Dexadrine when I hit middle school. By high school, I was on those God-forsaken bipolar meds. I started on Vyvanse officially back in Feb/March of this year. I read that it's supposed to make one feel less jittery than Adderall. Apparently it's also supposed to last longer and is harder to overdose on. Not sure about adderall, but I definitely get a small energy boost from it as well. I can definitely tell when it kicks in every morning.

I'm a little worried though, reading that it's effects are short lived and that eventually everyone builds up a tolerance to it.

[juli1357 in reply to cjnolet]

My mom had Bipolar Disorder. She passed away a few years ago. I can understand how a physician might yes diagnose someone with ADHD as Bipolar. I know there are some with ADHD who may have a coexisting diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, but there is nothing you have shared that makes me think that is the case for you.

Adderall does not make me feel jittery except for the one time that I forgot I had already taken a dose and took another 10 mg. Until I realized what had happened, I honestly thought I was experiencing my first panic attack and/or was going to stroke out.

I get a small energy boost from my Adderall as well. And I can definitely tell when it's kicking in. Mine always kicks in 40 minutes after I've taken it. I am grateful for the energy boost because like a lot of folks with ADHD, I am a night owl who has to function in a world that seems to be built around morning people. Monday through Friday, I'm usually operating on a sleep deficit and even on the best of days, I am the furthest thing from a morning person, so that energy boost comes in handy.

It's true, everyone does develop a tolerance over time, but there is a way to manage that tolerance. I was only diagnosed with ADHD in 2015 (I am 55) and I knew nothing about stimulant medications and tolerance until I experienced it for myself. About a year after I begin taking Adderall, I noticed that I was not getting the same result from my medication, which is when I began doing research and learned about tolerance. My understanding is that experiencing tolerance a year into taking stimulants is a fairly normal experience and that most address this by requesting an increase in the dosage, which most physicians will do. The problem with this approach is that one will eventually develop a tolerance to that higher dosage as well and there will come a day when one's physician will not increase one's dosage. I didn't want to get caught up in that cycle. In addition, prior to taking Adderall my blood pressure was borderline. But the Adderall pushed me over into the lower limits of high blood pressure, so I had to begin addressing this with medication. Even though I am overweight, I am unbelievably healthy and all other aspects. I attribute this to good genes, not drinking or smoking and generally living a pretty healthy lifestyle with the exception of been too sedentary due to my job ( like most Americans, I spent too much time sitting). Like many women, I am a stress eater ( as a child welfare social worker of 28 years, I have a very stressful job) but the majority of the food I eat is actually quite healthy. I have since learned that there may be a link between my disordered eating and ADHD, in that there may be times that I'm eating out of boredom. I find that shocking because I think of myself as a person who is never bored. Perhaps it's more fair to say that my disordered eating may have a connection with being distracted.

Sorry to get off track there, but I am on a very low dose of Adderall today because I have the day off so I just have 5 mg in my system compared to the normal 10 mg.

Long story short, I did a lot of research about tolerance. Based on what I had read, I decided to start to try to address this by switching my medications, as some have recommended. I went from Adderall to Focalin. I thought Focalin was OK, but it did not work as well as Adderall for me personally. I also learned that it's not really very effective to address tolerance by switching from one stimulant medication to another stimulant medication. A stimulant is still a stimulant.

So then I decided to go completely off of Adderall (and Focalin) for two months. The first 4 to 5 days off of stimulants, I felt more lethargic and dull-witted then I ever have before in my life. I felt like my brain was wrapped in cotton. It was like trying to function after you've taken NyQuil. Then the fog lifted and I was back to functioning with my normal energy level. Because I have inadvertently learn so many coping mechanisms over the course of my life, those two months were not so bad.

When I resumed taking Adderall, I started at the smallest dosage (5 mg.). But this time around, instead of titrating my dosage upwards at my doctor's suggestion, I took my time and did my best to not increase it until I absolutely need it to do so. I also decided not to resume taking ER. Instead, I stayed with 10 mg pills that I can break in half with my thumb so I can take as little as 5 mg when I need to. I also decided to start to take medication holidays on the weekends as a way of addressing my tolerance, rather than have to stop taking it for a couple of months at a time every year or so. Over time, I have learned that it is best for me to reduce my dosage on the weekends rather than go completely off of it because when I do not take it at all, I am so lethargic that I spend way too much time on the weekend sleeping and during my waking hours, I get nothing done.

For the past two years, my typical dosage Monday through Friday has been 10 mg three times per day, though if I am particularly sleep deprived, I might bump my first dosage up to 15 mg. On the weekends and/or any day I am not working, I take 5 mg twice a day. The only exception to this is that if I am on vacation and taking a road trip, which is my preferred way to travel. I stick to my normal dosage. You don't want to feel low energy and/or unfocused when you are driving long-distance is. The good news is that taking the lower dosage of Adderall on the weekends has kept me from increasing my tolerance and it is a much less painful way to address this issue then going completely off Adderall for two months at a time.

I hope you find this helpful. Please be sure to let me know if you have any questions.

Take care,

Juli

[lovedogs51511 in reply to juli1357]

I just upped from 10 mg adderall IR to 20 mg ER but had shaking, breathing problems, numbing limbs last night. I'm thinking I should keep taking it cause a lot of these side effects have gone away in just a few days. I've only been able to really focus that 1st day on aderrall. After that I start falling asleep or get sleepy. Never tried vyvanse. I loved that first day but even the 20 mg ER doesn't help me focus. Not sure what to do!!

[juli1357 in reply to cjnolet]

I meant to say misdiagnose instead of yes diagnose.

[juli1357 in reply to juli1357]

I meant to include the information that during my first year of taking Adderall, I worked my way up to taking 30 mg ER Plus plus an additional 10 mg per day after that word off, so that I would have 12 hours of coverage. So, taking 30 to 35 mg per day now on Monday through Friday and 10 mg per day on the week is a significant reduction. I feel just as good on this lower dose as I did on the higher dose because of the reduced dosage I'm taking on the weekends.

[daybyday365]

I would try a lower dose. Maybe 10mg xr. I take 10mg xr . Everyone is different.

[DrChaos]

Lethargy, depression...are you sure you are not taking too much? I think those are common reactions for people with hyperactivity taking too much of a stimulant. What is the lowest dose of ER? Maybe ask your provider if you can start there. Also look up Dr. Charles Parker on YouTube. He has insight into medications IMO. I am not so sure about his alternative treatmnt strategies; I would urge caution there. But I think he understands the ins and outs of meds better than most of those prescibing them. He has abook on ADHD medications that I have been meaning to read forever.

[lovedogs51511 in reply to DrChaos]

Ok I had to stop the 20 mg ER cause I had weird symptoms last night including shaking, hard to breathe, numbness in limbs but it was only the 2nd day taking it. I'm an ex meth crack addict so its not the 20 mg. 10 mg IR worked for first day super well. After that I got sleepy never focused on anything. Just like the 20 mg. Still can't focus. I would love to take 10 mg IR in the am and another 10 ir 4 hours later would be absolutely perfect. Ill look up the guy you mentioned. Can't wait to see what he says. Thanks

[Nick1913]

Hi,

I usually don’t say much, but I felt compelled to say something.....

Once the XR form is taken it takes about 8-12 hours to release in your system. Creeping the dose up ensures you don’t get over dosed for the 12 hours.

Keep notes as to how the medication affects you every day.... the first couple of days I was on Adderall I was fine, but then I started getting angry, then angrier to the point I was starting to feel enraged at things I use to ignore.... my wife told me she noticed it also... when I looked at my journal I could see it clearly.... not only my words that I chose, but also my writing itself.(pen pressed so hard it indented several pages through).

Keeping a daily journal of your feelings and events I feel is vital.

Good Luck

[lovedogs51511 in reply to Nick1913]

Thanks I took 2nd dose of 20 mg ER and last night had a reaction to it. My limbs went numb, couldn't breathe, shaking. So I didn't take it today. I calmed down after taking some cbd. I'm going to try it again once my cbd oil comes tomorrow or Sunday. I'm an ex meth and crack addict so 20 mg isn't anything. I also had serious rage from 10 mg IR. That went away just like the itching so maybe ill get thru this side effect too. I did the same on my phone I journaled everything like you did. That helps!! Thanks for sharing your experience that's awesome. What dose do you take now?

[juli1357 in reply to lovedogs51511]

Based on the symptoms you're describing, your dose is way too high. In addition, people who have a history of addiction to methamphetamine are generally not prescribe stimulants for ADHD. There are non-stimulant options. I would encourage you to share your history of addiction with your doctor so they can keep that in mind when prescribing you medications.

[lovedogs51511 in reply to juli1357]

I've always been honest my whole life and never got any damn help for adhd. My moms the one who got me to lie. I'm now getting the help I needed. I'm not an addict anymore. I've got 11 years off drugs 7 off of alcohol! Adderall isn't addicting to me at all. That is my past. The only time adderall at 10 mg IR worked for one day really awesome then made me sleepy pretty much right away. I've tried non stimulants which REALLY don't work. I think taking 1 0 mg IR in The am and one in the pm would be just right. The 20 mg ER isn't helping me focus whatsoever so two 10 mg IR would work perfectly. So as far as telling him about my addiction that will not happen. I got no help from him for anxiety using Propranylol and I wasn't willing to go back on benzos. So I'm taking cbd oil and I've never felt better. Just need help focusing. I'm taking the no thc by the way. Cause I'm not looking to ever be an addict again. So I'm sticking with my story☺😊

[juli1357]

I forgot to mention, it is not typical to start someone on ER stimulants. Usually one moves to ER after it has been determined the dosage that works best for you. I did ER for a period of time, but ultimately chose to go back to 10 mg pills that I can break in half with my thumbnail so I can take as little as 5 mg at a time, because it is important to me to only take the amount required given the circumstances. I do this because I understand how drug tolerance works and I do not wanna put myself in a situation where I have to keep increasing my dosage to get the same effect. Monday through Friday, if I'm working, are usually take 30 - 35 mg a day (3 10 mg pills), but on the weekends, I take 10 mg a day ( two 5 mg dosages). This allows me to have a more robust response to my dosage at the beginning of the week and to manage my tolerance. With stimulants, less really is more.

[lovedogs51511 in reply to juli1357]

Well I'm hoping to stick to 10 mg IR twice a day. See what he says. Everybody's different. Thanks

[Nick1913]

With your reaction to the Adderall, I would if I were you contact the doctor before taking any more. See what his advise is.

I stopped taking mine. I was lucky to notice the anger buildup before any rage explosions that hurt anyone. Which is why I feel journaling is so important...

Good Luck