Adderal

[HereIam]

Greetings to all,

I've been living with knock down debilitating fatigue and cognitive dysfunction for so long, it's like normal to me. Last year I tried Adderal but hated the way it made me feel, so didn't stay long on it.

Last week I saw that little bottle on my shelf and decided to try again, this time at much lower dosage. Instead of the prescribed 10 mg 2 x a day, I am taking 5 mg with breakfast and 5 mg with lunch. And, it is making a difference, giving me just a bit more punch and clarity, but not turning me into a zombie or giving me a giant crash late in the day.

So, that's great! However, I'm not nuts about taking this drug, it's serious stuff and I don't want to get addicted or become psychotic or experience a personality change from it over time.

I'm looking for experience stories, good and bad, as I'm thinking of just living with what I've got and doing as well as I can rather than to live on this stuff.

[Ringer1319]

My experience with Adderall

So, prior to my diagnosis I was on adderall for "ADHD" due to not being able to concentrate on my school work.

Once I was diagnosed, my neuro took me off and put me on Nuvigil.... which later on, stopped working... I then went to Provigil... which later on, stopped working.

So my new Neuro put me on Adderral. I started off on a small dose, and have gone up to 30mg a day...

20 mg in the morning and 10mg at noon.

This has helped so much with my fatigue/concentration... however, on some days when I wake up late, I only take 10mg at noon...

Or if I want to go to bed "early"... I only take the 20mg in the morning...

I don't feel addicted to it, like I absolutely need it, but it has been a savior with me functioning with my day to day tasks. Because before I got back on Adderall I was always tired, and sleeping on and off throughout the day.

Hope my input helps..

[HereIam]

Hi Ashley and thank you for sharing your experience. With what a 10 mg dose does to me, I can't imagine taking the amount that works for you! However, I metabolize all meds in a very odd easy manner and am usually prescribed pediatric doses, regardless of the med, because I get drugged so easily.

Some days the Adderall makes me feel as if I'm still zonked tired, but am zipped on top of the fatigue, and am a nervous wreck as a result. I'll stick with it a bit longer to see if I get any relief.

It'd be nice to be able to live an 8 hour day, I am so used now to my day essentially ending at 1-2 p.m., and when others tell me all they did that day in the afternoon, I get jealous. Well, they aren't me, and I am doing the best I can.

[Lisasberry]

I was prescribed 30mg 3x a day and could not tolerate the dry mouth side effect - it was horrible. She then prescribed Ritalin, which is not effective at all.

I think I will go back to Adderall, and significant;y reduce the dosage. It did give me great energy and I felt well for the first time in ages, as far as fatigue was concerned. Your suggested dosage?

Lisa

[Ringer1319]

I found that not taking the full dose at once, helped with the side effects.

If you were having problems with the 30mg, maybe see about starting off on 10mg and go up from there if you need to. Of course discuss this with your neuro, but that's what my neuro and I did. I started off on 10mg & then went up... and we finally found the right fit.

[HereIam]

I'm not sure if Adderal is for me. Today when my doses wore off, which is a bit of a crash, I felt like I was returned to being "me," such as that it.

I'm only taking 5 mg breakfast and lunch, but this drug changes who I am... at least I think so. When it wears off, I can tell I am returning to me.

But, it does give me a bit enough of a kick to make me want to keep trying it.... but not.

I'm just not sure, obviously.

[Ringer1319]

Well this is for sure something that you need to look over the pros & cons.

Also, speak to your neuro about this as well.

I do think that they came out with Adderall Extended Release... Maybe ask about that?

I thought about asking about it as well... if I encountered any other problems with my dosage, but so far so good.

From my personal experience... I have always taken a larger dose in the morning, than the dose I took at noon. For me, it gives me that kick start for my day... and then the dosage at noon picks me up when I'm starting to fall.

But, with the smaller dose at noon'ish... it doesn't disrupt my sleep at night.

(yes I am posting late at night/early in the morning... but I just got done watching a movie lol)

[HereIam]

Well, the decision has been taken out of my hands. Started to experience some pretty horrid urinary symptoms overnight... that is, more horrid than my usual problems with my delightful bladder. Got worse and worse and good grief, who has stuck a chopstick up my ureter anyway.....

Called to the MS Center today to report in on that and the on-call asked if I'd changed up meds at all and I reported yes, have been back on Adderall for 6 days and he said, "not any more, you are officially done with that experiment."

The locked up screwed up bladder I already have apparently is not partnering well with Adderrall and it's not something that will take a period of adjustment but will just get worse.

Okey Dokey

[Peddler]

I've borrowed a few Adderall from my daughter and can't say I'm sorry I did. My neuro seems to think Provigil is some sort of wonder drug. It doesn't seem to do a thing for me. The fatigue still overtakes me and my life and prevents me from doing near as much as I get accomplished with the Adderall. I sleep the same amount during the day with Provigil as I do without it. What get me is that 5 mg of Adderal makes life that much better for me yet my neuro is totally against it for me.
I wonder why that is?

[HereIam]

Peddler, you'll need to talk with your neuro. Provigil also was pretty lousy for me, and my neuro acknowledged it does not work well for everyone and that's when we went to the adderral.

Please don't borrow any more adderall from your daughter, I assume that she needs it in order to focus and succeed. Since this drug is so closely prescribed, she will end up short at the end of the prescription and will not be able to get any more until the proper amount of time passes for a new prescription to be issued.

I hope that your neuro listens to you and helps solve this fatigue problem for you.

[HereIam]

Being off Adderall yesterday, due to the bladder issues over the weekend, was horrible! I knew I was having trouble with focus and fatigue, but after a number of "focused" days on Adderal and one day off, wow I can feel how much this med helped me. So, the doc recommended drinking buckets of water with it and give it a go.

And, that's what I'll do, because I'm tired of scrambled brain syndrome, which Adderall straightened out beautifully. After a week on it, I feel as if I'm addicted to it already, perhaps not physically but mentally. And, with that I'm afraid, is this going to be a great big problem? I'm only taking 5 mg 2 x a day.

[andeolus]

I take Adderall XR to get through the day. It's really made a huge difference in helping to combat the constant fatigue I deal with and also keeps me focused and sharp through the day.

The only side effect I've ever experienced was my heart would race the first few times I took it but that eventually stopped. I also occasionally suffer from restlessness if I'm not constantly engaged in something.

[HereIam]

I've disposed of my Adderall supply, after taking my dose this morning. It had been giving me just too many problems and today it has my body and mind speeding so badly I could not stop long enough to think anything through. That plus the bladder problems it was causing was enough for me to say "enough." I'd rather be myself, regardless of how pathetic that is, than to be the drugged version of myself.

Wish I could be one of those people who tolerates drugs well, I need relief from this fatigue, but it's just not who I am