adderall as new med

[dede2012]

so my gp prescribed adderall for me 20 mg, never been on adderall before, would like to get some input as when is best time to take it, if i will crash in the afternoon, take it with food or whatever experiences you guys have, kind of scared a little but maybe it is the answer to all my problems that depression meds are not helping with, struggling with huge anxiety too

[BlessedLady]

Take it after you eat. Is it extended release or immediate release? Some patients have more of a problem crashing when they take Adderall XR than when they take immediate release or add a dose of immediate release later in the day

[dede2012 in reply to BlessedLady]

it is immediate release

[BlessedLady in reply to dede2012]

Don't be upset if you find it does not last all day. It can take a little while to find the right dosage

[Phianoposis33]

Are you on any other meds?

Just another perspective

While not immediate release, my son was on Adderal XR- he kept telling his doctor it wasn't working so he kept raising it.(up to 60 mg) He started to have anger issues so doc added abilify, then anxiety so he added hydroxyline and guafacine.

The only thing I can tell you is be careful of the doseage. While it's a great med, if it's not working for you and you have to keep raising it, if you start to have other side effects like anger/irritability or anxiety, don't start adding more meds to counteract the side effects. Try a new ADHD med. This all had my kid have a mental breakdown of sorts and things didn't go good in the ER- He was on the psych floor for about 2 weeks and the very first thing they did was take him off the adderal, guafacine and hydroxyzine. Social worker told me they see alot of patients come in with anger/irritability issues on adderal.We are slowly weaning off the abilify from 30mg and now down to 20mg after 4 months.

That doesn't mean it isn't a good med for you. Just something to watch.

Good luck!

Hope you have great results

[dede2012 in reply to Phianoposis33]

when i experienced such a bad anxiety attack that i had to go to the emergency room, before any adhd meds, they gave me hydroxizine, and it counteracted, so instead calming my anxiety, it made it worse

[Laurabb]

jot down notes as to your feelings during different times of the day so you can track how the Med is working for you! I put mine on my nightstand and alarm my clock for early am, take meds amd go back to sleep u til the second alarm. Then if needed take a second dose after lunch but that tends to keep me up too late at night. It’s an experiment to figure out what will work for you

[Phianoposis33 in reply to Laurabb]

Interesting.. I wonder if the hydroxyzine did the same for my son. He was a mess..but then he was on 3 other meds so who could tell which was causing the bad side effects.

Hope the adderal works for you

[Huntress94]

When I was prescribed the meds, I took it two times a day. Half in the morning and half at lunch time. But then again, I haven’t been on the meds since I was a young girl

[It_is_me-I_am_she]

Hello! I have been on Adderall for some time now. It messed with my appetite for the first couple weeks so take after you eat, and I don't "crash" but it does wear off after awhile so I take half in the morning and half in the afternoon, but not too late or it messes with my sleep. You will eventually get a tolerance to your dose, so my Dr suggests taking "holidays" on days I can afford to be less focused etc. It kind of helps.

[HCStymie]

20 mg sounds like too big a dose to start with. I'd take half that in the morning and see how you feel. Maybe just take 1/4 the first day and see how you respond. If nothing in a few hours take the other quarter. It should help for roughly 6 to 12 hours depending on dosage and other factors such as what you eat. Some people get by on only 5 to 10 mg a day.

I was on the max dose of ritalin and it wasn't working well anymore. Based on that, my shrink put me on 30mg adderall XR which was way way too high a dose to start with. I don't know what the initial dose is when XR starts, but I imagine it could be less than equivalent to 20 mg. I'd try ritalin first. Adderall tends to be worse for most people with side effects.

Also, have you seen a psychiatrist. Much better idea to use a doctor trained to help with your specific issues. I don't see why a gp is prescribing an ADHD med for Depression and Anxiety unless it is being caused by ADHD issues. Better to get a psychiatrist and work with them to find the right medication and dosage for you.

Also, go online and find out what brand it is if you take a generic. Generic brands have a huge difference between them. They are not supposed to, but they do. From experience, Aurobindo/Aurolife , Accord / Instas, Sun are all horrible. NorthStar is a subsidiary of Sun and has had more than 1 formulary including 1 identical to Sun. So I wouldn't trust theirs. Bad reviews for Alvogen, Camber, and Epic brands.

Good brands from experience, Shire now part of Takeda, Barr which I think is owned by Teva now. Teva currently makes the name brand adderall and a generic. But the generic is a different formulary so I don't know how they compare. But the generic is good. Corepharma is good. Mallinckrodt was good but not as good as the others I listed.

These had mostly good reviews but never tried. Prasco, Sandoze, Lannett. There are 13 other generics I have seen listed but don't know anything about them. Many of these brands may not be making it any more. It constantly changes. Plus there is a shortage of Adderall and generics right now. Not a good time to start on them if you have other options.

[dede2012]

thank you all so much for advice and comments, so the manufacturer is epic pharm, something teva, so i took just 1/4 of the pill because i also thought it was too much, did not had any reaction to it, even drank cup of coffee, i know with this meds you have to be careful, now is four hours later, and i'm calm in a way, "organized" and not scattered, i will read all your comments piece by piece, i'm also taking effexor 75 and remeron 15 for sleep, that's why i posted here to get advice from you guys who are the best

[Redpanda5]

In addition, I recommend keeping track of how the Adderall is affecting you. Things like when do you take it (time of day / before or after eating). How long after taking it does it kick in? What is your mood after it kicks in? Are you feeling depressed / angry? Also pay attention to physical side effects that are bothersome to you.

All of this information will help your doctor to help you!

Our experience. My college son hated Adderall 10mg quick release. He said it hit him with an uncomfortable jolt after 30 minutes and only lasted for 3.5 hours. It also made him agitated. My high school daughter takes 10mg Adderall and it kicks in around 30 minutes and lasts the short 3.5 hours but at least she’s not losing weight this way. She developed anorexia nervosa while taking Vyvanse.

It a process or trial and error.

[51whatnow]

I kept a daily log for the first few months I tried adhd meds and it helped me figure out what worked best. For me I ate some protein, like nuts or yogurt with my med in the morning then did something physical for 20 minutes like working out, going for a walk, stretching or cleaning. Then I ate more for breakfast. It avoided the feeling of it kicking in suddenly. I burn through the regular kind in a few hours. When you take it really depends on when you need it to work for you. I work with my gp too. I found that treating my adhd took care of my other issues. Anxiety was developed in me from fighting so hard against undiagnosed adhd. Once I started taking meds and talking to a coach my anxiety eased. This was a great book that helped me managed stress. smile.amazon.com/gp/product...

[DrHypno]

I am currently taking adderall IR in addition to other meds for major depressive disorder. It truly helps, even thought it's only for a couple of hours. I take 15mg 2x a day am and afternoon. The crash is a downside but well worth it for me. 20 mg seems a little high to start with though.