It was only 2 years ago (At age 32) that I was fianally diagnosed with ADD (not ADHD). I am currently on Adderall. It has certianly been helpful for me at work. However, I'm not completely satified with the improvement. I get the sense that Adderall is only a part of the solution to my ADD symptoms. Some days are great.. others are not. I feel the need to take other steps to enhance my level of improvement. It's either that or perhaps I have a condition in addition to ADD. Some personal observations: * Even with Adderall, I often feel a bit "foggy" until noon. The "fog" gradually eases throughout the morning and typically is gone after I have eaten lunch. (Sleep and/or nutrition factors?) * My clarity seems to be at it's best in the late afternoon / evening, sometimes even after the Adderall should have worn off. * I have caffine drinks throughout the day. My understanding is that caffine can have lingering effects that might account for how I feel later in the day. * One of my best days (a day I recall having a very high level of clarity) was a day I had a really bad cold and was taking Sudifed. I assume it was the stimulant in the cold meds in combination with the Adderall that worked really really well. I’m beginning to wonder if I should be on a caffine-like stimulant in combination with / instead of the Adderall. Does any of this sound familar? If so, I'd like to hear your story. I plan to explore the nutrition angle, I'm hopeful I can find the right treatment plan for me. Any thoughts are appreciated. Please don’t be shy. Thanks.
I have found that taking two gelcaps of fish oil per day has helpled even out my life. I am on Dexidrine did not get treatment till I was 38. So I know what it is like being treated later in life.
Your note is the second time I've seen that suggestion. I may give it a try, although it feels a bit contradictory since it seems like caffine actually helps me. However, I did read somewhere that caffine does provide a short-term benefit, but in the longer-term it is detrimental, and enhances ADD traits.
Not sure if everybody agrees with that view or not. Something to try. Thanks again.
I thought I would let you know of my situation. I believe you'll be able to relate. I have the exact same symptom that you're describing. Now, you may think this is a little off, but I take Wellbutrin SR. It has totally removed the "fog" from my day. I would recommend Wellbutrin SR to anyone. It's worth a try right? Right!! I am looking into a few other meds right now as well, and I'll keep everyone posted on the results of my quest. You should also know that I find that Wellbutrin SR has a stimulant effect. This is not the most common side effect, but it is fairly oftenly reported. I like the side effect personally, but that's up to you whether you need that extra boost or not...Good Luck!!
Maybe it is phenylalanine. That is in sudafed. It is also in aspartame if you're drinking diet drinks. I think that it is in some non-presciption ADHD remedies too.
I can think much better if I avoid sugar. I have insulin resistance. My thinking becomes very foggy the day after eating lots of sugar. I try to avoid it altogether but it is what I turn to when I'm stressed out. Too many carbs and low protein will do the same thing to me.
Sudafed is the brand name for psuedoephedrine which, unquestionably, has stimulating properties. Caffeine and Welbutrin are also stimulating.
A word of caution if you decide to "self-medicate" with any of the above in combination with your Adderall is to watch your blood pressure. All of these drugs carry the risk of elevating it.
I thought I would let you know of my situation. I believe you'll be able to relate. I have the exact same symptom that you're describing. Now, you may think this is a little off, but I take Wellbutrin SR. It has totally removed the "fog" from my day. I would recommend Wellbutrin SR to anyone. It's worth a try right? Right!! I am looking into a few other meds right now as well, and I'll keep everyone posted on the results of my quest. You should also know that I find that Wellbutrin SR has a stimulant effect. This is not the most common side effect, but it is fairly oftenly reported. I like the side effect personally, but that's up to you whether you need that extra boost or not...Good Luck!!
Thanks for your post. A follow-up question: has Adderall ever been part of your treatment plan? If so, were the results similar to what I described?
First post on this site. I started taking 20mg of Adderall XR sometime around mid December 2003. I experienced almost a high feeling for a couple of hours during the first two days. I still on occassion can feel a little lift when the Adderall kicks in. I also had dry mouth most days, but that has since subsided. After the first week I had adjusted to the few side effects and started thinking that the Adderall was not working any longer because I was not feeling that little high that I was used to feeling. So as a test I stopped taking Adderall for a couple of days and I found that it had indeed been helping. For those two days, I was more distracted and less patient than had been for weeks.
I went back to my Dr., and told him that I thought the Adderall was helping, but that I seem to run out of steam and get headaches around 2-3 pm. I am guessing this is the "crash" I have heard associated with Adderall.
I have now started taking 30mg in the morning and 10mg in the late afternoon as I have to work during the day and attend classes in the evening. I hope the increased dosage will help.
On another note, I had heard that I should try to avoid caffeine products as it countered the Adderall. I had not however heard anything about citrus. I drink a bottle of O.J. every morning. I will stop and see what changes occur if any. Can anyone tell me how the citrus products degraded the Adderall?
I have found that taking two gelcaps of fish oil per day has helpled even out my life. I am on Dexidrine did not get treatment till I was 38. So I know what it is like being treated later in life.
Hi! I never noticed that I had a problem when I was young, but at around age 40, I was really noticing problems focusing, staying on track, not beaming out while driving and being excessivly sleepy. After many tests including a sleep thingy overnite in the hosptial, nothing really showed up in tests that was alarming. My doc put me on ritalin to see if it would help and it helped tremendously. However, I had to keep upping the dose and would forget to take the afternoon dose and be up the creek for the nights I worked. Then I switched to Adderal for the longer lasting effect but it did not seem to work any better than the Ritalin. I am now taking Dexidrine which definately has helped but I am still fighting with an excessive sleepiness problem. I have recently added Provigil to the Dexidrine which is a drug for Narcolepsy but it does not seem to be helping. Does anyone else have an extreme desire to sleep while taking any of these meds to help focus?
pattibuckle
I'm an adult who has been diagnosed with ADD / bi-polar / depression and wanted to share with you the protocol I've used to cure myself of depression, mood swings and ADD. Yes, cure. I no longer have to take Adderall and feel great! The side effects from taking Adderall were terrible. I found it to be addictive and it wasn't worth the possible long term consequences of using it.
I cannot recommend enough the book "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross. I've worked with Julia and her Recovery Systems staff and have been wonderfully pleased with the results.
In a nutshell, the keys to my condition were caused by:
I've since been able to make major headway through changes in diet, lifestyle, using nutritional supplementation, and taking a temporary thyroid protocol to virtually eliminate my symptoms. It's important to note that all the symptoms of ADD can be found in the symptoms of Wilson's thyroid syndrome (a reversible thyroid condition) and can be exacerbated by all the other conditions, so that it's crucial to look at all the possibilities for the underlying causes of ADD symptoms. It's been nothing short of amazing. Check out this book. It's full of useful information and may be a life saver.
i am 18 and have had adhd since i was in the thrid grade. i stopped taking my meds in the 9/10th grades becouse they made me ill and now i am looking to get back on them . i am now a collage freshman and it seems that my adhd has got somewhat worse or it could be the stress bring it back on. i am noticed that if i have somthing with caffine or suger i will be fine. does anyone else find that helps or should i go back on meds. no probl. with paying for them i have x2 coverage.
Hello, I've been taking Adderall for 4 years now. I'm 25. I have found that it does take a short amount of time for the med to kick in. About the morning fog. Some researchers are doing a sleep study to see the differences between non ADD and ADD people. People with AD/HD take longer to get to sleep because we can't clear our minds as easily. They are finding that it takes us longer to become alert in the morning. They are still trying to figure that one out. One scientist thought that the ADD mind needs more time to sleep in order to regenerate itself. When we don't get the sleep we need it takes some time to get going. That's just some thoughts.
I personally believe ADDers don't fall into a 'deep enough' sleep. I sleep in a much deeper sleep now that I'm treated.
I can't speak for all ADDers, but several sleep studies have shown that's true for me. I also have sleep apnea, but even with the apnea completely treated I never reached deep sleep in the tests...I thought I slept like a log, but the tests showed otherwise.
Your right, that stall period you get in the afternoon is really the pitts. You get cranky and moody, frustrated and sometimes even get a bad headache. Regular adderall pills are scored four ways. Maybe you could ask your doctor if you can take 1/2 the dose in the morning and 1/2 in the afternoon. Or maybe even 2.5mg four times a day. It could really help move that stalling period untill night time, when your ready for bed anyway.
I was also taking adderall xr 30mg in the morning and 10mg of regular adderall in the afternoon. Those XR pills really cut out on me after a few short months. They worked here and there. So I asked my doctor if I could go back to just taking the regular, 10mg four times a day. it works better for me that way anyway. pz.
