I take adderall IR 30mg in the morning and then 2 doses of IR 20mg later whenever I need them. I can feel it kick in after about 20 minutes and it has good effects for about an hour. Then I start to feel it wear down and sometimes I get a really strong heartbeat/borderline fast, chest tightness, irritable and the rest of the come down side effects.
What I don't really understand is why do I feel the stimulating/focused side effect so quickly and then it wears off quickly? And why do I feel anxiety like that when it wears off? I expect the mood changes and stuff like that, but why the heart and chest stuff? I know it sounds like anxiety but even if I'm busy and not thinking about it I'll notice the negative effects. I haven't posted very much so I'm sure I'm leaving details out but please let me know if you have had similar experiences or advice! Thanks!
Taking into account that I ain't a psychiatrist, your problem is the dose is too high. About 20 minutes in, it first starts to hit your bloodstream. At this point, your brain is on the perfect dose. After an hour, the rest of the medicine has joined the party, and you feel lousy.
Talk to your Dr about a lower dose, possibly at more frequent intervals.
The following user gives a hug of support to janewhite1: marialeigh (01-03-2012)
Thank you! So when you said maybe taking them closer together at smaller doses.....maybe like 15mg and then about 2 hours later another 15mg? Also I have taken ritalin before as well as focalin, both instant release. No matter how small of a dose I take of the methylphenidate type meds my heart races like crazy and I feel very weak. Could the adderall side effects also have something to do with the fillers in the generic version? Thanks for your advice
Thank you! So when you said maybe taking them closer together at smaller doses.....maybe like 15mg and then about 2 hours later another 15mg? Also I have taken ritalin before as well as focalin, both instant release. No matter how small of a dose I take of the methylphenidate type meds my heart races like crazy and I feel very weak. Could the adderall side effects also have something to do with the fillers in the generic version? Thanks for your advice
ST22,
I read Jane and Thunor and wasn't going to chime because "the dose IS too high." I can not tolerate more than a 10mg dose. More causes me a horrific crash. My brain would shut off as if a switch was thrown. I could barely keep my eyes open, and at times it left me feeling depressed.
I chimed in after reading your latest post this thread. You scared me with your symptom description. It looked like and could be an indication of an undetected structural defect in your heart. You should have a good heart workup. But don't worry. I think anxiety is the cause.
Make good and sure you understand, I ain't no GP, shrink or cardiologist. And I ain't as smart as Jane or Thunor. Jane, that "ain't" was so quaint.
Seriously ST, you need the real thing to determine whether a heart problem is responsible. Stimulants like Ritalin, Foculin, Adderall, are safe if not abused and if no structural heart abnormalities exist. Otherwise they become deadly dangerous. I think that should be enough fear to ensure you see a doctor. Now stop worrying.
Ritalin and Adderall commonly cause anxiety reactions. Adderall and anxiety problems pop up regularly on this board. It could be as high as 5 or 10 percent who experience it.
Ritalin causes an anxiety reaction more frequently than Adderall. I have no idea how Foculin measures in.
Possible solutions are Dexedrine and Vyvanse. Your doctor's recommendation and the size of your purse will determine which is right for you. Never guess what? Your doctor may know more about doctoring than I do and have an even better solution. You can be confident that a solution exists.
lol Thank you for your reply! I'm glad you have a good sense of humor, I needed to laugh a little today but I have had a full cardio workup-stress test,EKG,holter monitor,ultrasound,MRA. I was in the military and they thought I had a heart problem. Turns out my heart is just fine and it's a different problem but that's on a different board lol.
I have talked to my doctor about the scary ritalin side effect and she said to stop taking it of course and switched me back to adderall. About 30 minutes ago I took 15mg so I'll see how that goes. So far so good. The negative side effects of adderall are nothing compared to those of ritalin for me, just wanted to make that clear. I went in about the ritalin problem and she gave me focalin which is basically a cleaner version of ritalin. The side effects were definitely improved but not enough for me to be comfortable with. So far i'm stuck with adderall but I'm left wondering....is there something better? Like you mentioned possibly dexedrine. Sounds like that is basically a cleaner version of adderall, its stronger so you need less but it might be better. Thank you for your insight and advice
I have one more quick thing to add to this...when the adderall is wearing off, I feel jittery and almost like I want to crawl out of my skin! I can't sit still or get comfortable and yet I can't get up and do anything either. I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions or anything but I'm new on here and I'm asking all the questions that have been built up for so long! Thanks for being patient with me I really like hearing and reading about other people's experiences with medicine. It's just stuff that no doctor can really tell you.
I have one more quick thing to add to this...when the adderall is wearing off, I feel jittery and almost like I want to crawl out of my skin! I can't sit still or get comfortable and yet I can't get up and do anything either. I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions or anything but I'm new on here and I'm asking all the questions that have been built up for so long! Thanks for being patient with me I really like hearing and reading about other people's experiences with medicine. It's just stuff that no doctor can really tell you.
Doctors can't understand our experience because they never feel our experience unless they themselves are ADHD. We feel what you feel. We get it. You can not ask too may questions here, and I haven't seen any of us get impatient with some one new to the board. Amazing. In all other circumstances, we are the most impatient group on the planet.
ADHD rebound is the culprit. Your doctor understands that over-compensation by our brains is cause. Adderall kicks up norepinephrine and dopamine into normal operating range, that is, the range of values in use by brains without ADHD. The apparent out-of-balance state slightly annoys some brains and infuriates others. Some of us experience the return of the pesky neighbor that got thrown out in the AM while others are shocked when they discover pesky neighbors returning as Freddie Kruger. I'm one that has to do battle with Kruger every evening. It's not funny at all. I get it. Doc doesn't. We ask each other because we have empathy for each other. Doc's answers have all the empathy of Freddie.
You stated that Dexedrine is stronger than Adderall. Dexedrine is the stronger stimulate. That does not necessarily mean that Dexedrine is the more powerful ADHD symptom controller.
Dexedrine effects dopamine more than Adderall. Adderall though has a greater effect on norepinephrine than Dexedrine. Dopamine and norepinephrine play dominate roles in attention, concentration, focus function. They act on the same stage but do not play same roles. Dopamine is the happy and pleasure neuro. The happy neuro motives us. Norepinephrine affects the process of attention.
If we have a greater dopamine deficiency than an norepi shortage, we can pay attention, but don't want to.
Conversely, if we are more short on norepi than dopamine, we want to pay attention but can't.
Concention requires the services of norepinephrine and dopamine. Whether one or the other is more deficient doesn't change the cluster of ADHD symptoms.
No, no, no, that ain't true.
Hell, I just discovered the symptom that gives up the culprit. Norepinephrine and noradrenaline are two names for the same chemical. We all know what an adrenaline rush is all about. It is our super charger. Anxiety and excessive stress result when we get super charged without a release. Adderall's anxiety reaction is the stool pigeon that gives up the villian.
Damn I smart. And I ain't no doctor. I read everything Thunor posts and plagerize it. I really am smart.
Your posts are so interesting to read! I love this stuff lol. That was probably the most well put description I have read, thank you. Isn't it fun to figure new things out like that? I'm pretty good at researching and putting together symptoms/causes of illnesses and injuries. Lately I've had way too much time on my hands if you couldnt tell
From what I understood in your post, I believe Dexedrine would better suit me than Adderall. I'm extremely impatient so most of the time I just don't want to concentrate, I just keep moving on to different things constantly. Even being on the adderall has helped a little bit but I still don't care about what most people have to say. I know that sounds really rude and I suppose it is but I don't mean to be that way! That's why I only enjoy talking to people that have the same interests as I do. I really am a nice person....even though I just sounded like a total b****!
I also take wellbutrin, which effects norepinephrine I believe. Too much maybe? Maybe I just have too much of it and it makes me crazy! lol I'll keep blaming it on that But yeah I've just never wanted or cared to pay attention. Yay you figured it out!
From what I understood in your post, I believe Dexedrine would better suit me than Adderall.
ST22,
I had one of those flashes we all get when we see a relationship we didn't see before even though we've looked at the same data many times before.
Flash. Bang. I see it. Adderall's-Anxiety-Reaction's stressed-out shaking finger pointing at excessive norepinephrine caused by the levo-amphetamine in Adderall. After all, twenty minutes ago, I popped the pill and all my fingers toes and entire framework is shaking. Every time I pop that pill, I get the same reaction. It is a no brainer. Adderall caused the reaction.
Then I just go ahead and "impulsively" draw an imaginary line to connect imaginary points that we can use to predict Dexedrine's efficacy for you.
Your doctor will probably prescribe a trail of Dexedrine. Let me know how you do. Then I can predict whether Dexedrine is better for you.
Huh! You won't need my predicting services, will you?
Bob
Last edited by addprogrammer; 06-18-2010 at 04:07 AM.
Fair warning about Dexedrine: Pharmacies hate to carry it, or they did 3-4 years ago. The last script I got for Dex, I had to go to four pharmacies before I found one that offered to order it for me. If your shrink orders it, he might have a suggestion on where to fill it. And the extended release Spansules tend to be prescribed more often these days.
However, I found it worked great, got me through college and all those papers I had to focus for hours to write. And I was on I believe 2.5 mg twice a day, which is normally a six-year-old's dose, but I'm sensitive to stimulants. (Like if I want coffee because I'm tired, I typically go for about 3 ounces.)
If you're concerned about the availability of Dexedrine, discuss Vyvanse with your doctor. It's dextroamphetamine the same way Concerta is methylphenidate, but it is dextroamphetamine nonetheless.
How do I talk to my doctor about it? He wants me to try strattera and I really don't want to. I would like to try dex or vyvanse. I can only take generic medication due to my insurance and for some reason I think vyvanse doesn't come in a generic form.
So how different is vyvanse from dexedrine? I have taken concerta and I hated it...made me extremely moody/angry. It was the only extended release I've ever taken, after that I switched to IR ritalin. It was nothing like concerta for me but I'm not sure if its just because of the XR vs IR.
Don't answer, it's rhetorical. Have you abused drugs, now or in the past?
If your silent answer is NO ...
Ask your doctor "why" he wants you to take Strattera. If his answer is ambiguous, e.g., "I think you'll do better? Ask something like, "Can I read the studies that support your position?" If another run-around follows, fire him. He is grossly negligent and is unfit practice medicine.
If Concerta made you extremely moody/angry, Strattera will turn you into Fredricka Kruger. Trust me. My wife can triple my carnage. She becomes something that exceeds my worst nightmare.
I have not abused my medication if thats what you mean. Back in high school, I tried the normal high school drug....pot of course. I was less than impressed. Why would I want to make myself even more tired and unorganized than I already was lol.
My doctor didn't really say why he wanted me to try strattera. I don't think they know very much about the other ADD meds. Pretty much all they have mentioned is adderall, ritalin/concerta, and strattera. The last time I went into my doctors PA (my dr. was on vacation) I was asking about other options besides just those and she had to get out her med book and then go do research on her computer or something. She came back with a prescription for focalin. Maybe this time she'll come back with a script for dex lol.
If you didn't do a joint or two, you are maladjusted. I meant if addiction is a problem for you, your doctor should know. There is no reason to mention the 1/4 joint that you never inhaled. Say nothing and if asked say "no."
Your doctor should be aware of your history and the pattern it shows. Of the three ADHD med trials, Adderall caused an anxiety reaction but not as severe as the others. The more a med affects dopamine the better you do. Where do we go from here?
Certainly we don't move to a med that affects norepi and has no effect on dopamine such as Strattera. Your doctor sees the pattern your history displays. He also knows if his prescription audit shows too many Dexedrine prescriptions, (in PA, one is one too many), he gets harassed and could lose his license.
My shrink readily gave me a Dexedrine prescription. The first got filled at Walmart, no fuss, no muss. The next month, I'm told they can't get it anymore. My wife called all the chains and all the mom & pops, none of them would order it for me. My wife told me one said, "are you crazy?" She came back with "No, but my husband is." I roared. Then I did my outburst, invective, rant, diatrible, haranque, tirade (ran the Theasaurus), then with virulent sarcasm, "well at least they cleared up the methamphetamine pandemic." Then did another outburst, rant, etc. etc. and keep going until I noticed my woman gone. Then I stopped and left too.
It sucks. Vyvanse is extortion. If you got 2 or 3 hundred a month, you get protected. Otherwise, put up with the anxiety.
What is, is.
Bob
The Following User Says Thank You to addprogrammer For This Useful Post: jackieshoes (07-28-2012)
To clarify, when I said Vyvanse isn't exactly dextroamphetamine, what I meant was, like Concerta, the pill itself is not the active ingredient. Both these meds are designed to be metabolized into the active ingredient, dextroamphetamine in the case of Vyvanse, and methylphenidate in the case of Concerta.
I had good success with generic methylphenidate, and no effect whatsoever from Concerta. The only conclusion I've been able to pull from this is that my system doesn't metabolize the drug as expected, and thus I don't get the effect. This is why I'm very leery of Vyvanse as well, though I haven't tried it.
If your doctor insists on a non-stimulant option for you, ask him to consider Wellbutrin. Although it's generally considered a second-line treatment for ADHD, it does affect dopamine in addition to norepinephrine. This, in my mind, makes it a better option than Strattera.
My husband has severe ADHD and has tried a lot of medications, but Adderall was not one that he could tolerate. The rebound effects made him so hard to live with that he just avoided coming home. He never complained of anxiety and heart palpitations. He is now taking Strattera. It doesn't give him the brain clarity that the Adderall did, but he's much easier to get along with and it's not a triplicate prescription (controlled) so its easier to get refilled. We know that his concentration and memory could be better, and we are still trying to find the ideal treatment, but this is working for us for now. There are a lot of different medications and even some new ones. You and your doctor will have to find out what works for you.
As for the anxiety and heart palpitations, that could be from side effects, improper dosage, anxiety issues, endocrine problems, or even low blood sugar. Writing down when it happens in relation to your medication dosage, meals, etc. will better help your doctor determine what is causing the problem.
My husband also has problems with being able to relax at night to go to sleep, so he stays up late. Then, he takes medication to sleep, and wakes up groggy and tired when the alarm wakes him. He also has a little sleep apnea. He was tested, and apparently it wasn't enough to warrant a CPAP machine. But, I have watched him snore, obstruct, and stir quite often in the morning. No wonder he can't concentrate. He also has depression and diabetes and occasionally his blood sugar dips from the insulin causing all sorts of symptoms. So, the effects you are feeling could be from a lot of things and not just your medication.
We also saw an ADHD specialist in LA, who also suffered from ADHD and was supposed to be the best in his field. He spun the roulette wheel, and tried him on quite a few different medications. He kept us coming back, traveling several hours to see him, and kept promising to find the right one. He never did. We eventually went back to a very good internist who is now prescribing his medication. By the way, his PA is also very competent and I respect the fact that she knows her limitations and consults the books (PDR) on occasion (there are so many meds out there). If you don't trust your doctor's knowledge on the subject, and your insurance allows, perhaps your doctor can refer you to a psychiatrist who specializes in treating patients with ADHD. You might luck out.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by Sunsetnan; 06-19-2010 at 09:04 AM.
Reason: Adding text for clarification
I wonder what the availability is of it in Missouri, we are the #1 state in America for meth labs lol. I just don't want to come across to my doctor that I'm just trying to get like stronger drugs or something. I've become so paranoid about that since I get treated like a criminal at the pharmacies. I'm afraid that he doesn't know enough about these meds to know the difference in all of them. Is it normal that I've gotten two prescriptions in one week? I got focalin and couldn't handle the side effects so my doc prescribed adderall. Before then I still had like 3 weeks left of my ritalin. There's all these rules about it, but she was sure handing out scripts like crazy! None of them are even useful to me lol thats the crappy thing.
I do currently take wellbutrin SR 150mg per day. I also take citalopram at night just to balance things out I guess. But I definitely want to stay away from strattera. Nothing about it seems appealing, just doesn't seem like it's what I need. He isn't trying to insist on it but he'll probably want me to try that before dex so I'll just have to see how to handle that when it comes up!
Do yall know which chemicals ritalin effect? My mom takes ritalin and I was telling her about our conversations on here so now she wants to know lol. Thanks everyone
This AM while having a relaxed breakfast with my wife I said to her in reference to ST22, "Yet another victim of legislation. The girl has a type of ADHD that is as easy as can be to medically manage. Dexedrine."
I felt the rage building, and wife saw it coming, and told me, "you can't change city hall. Accept it."
Now I know the source of my rage.
The reason medication fails so often and multiple trials end up in smoke and ruins has little to do with bozo doctors. My opinion has been a source irreconcilable conflict for me. How can I more accurately see the patterns when many trained, skilled and experienced doctors can't. The consensus of opinion is "I'm just kidding myself" and my opinion is not taken seriously. It should not be. I'm wrong.
My shrink readily prescribe Dexedrine. I couldn't get it. That is not his fault. Psychiatrists can get away with more Dexedrine prescriptions than GP's. The audit sirens and flashing red strobes go off at a higher number of Dex prescriptions per period. Busted is busted.
We may be the only group where governmental legislation has far more control over the medication we get than our doctor's discernment made in our best medical interests.
That, my friends, is absolute truth. That is why I hissy fit every time the ST22 experience pops up.
Thu, Wellbutrin won't do squat for ST22.
ST22 you can take that to the bank. Don't take a Wellbutrin presciption to the pharmacy. Wellbutrin's anxiety side effect rate is in there with Ritalin and it doesn't help as well control ADHD.
