Hello,
I'm hoping someone can help. I am a 40 yr. old female who has recently been diagnosed w/ADD. My doc started me on 5mg.3x's daily. When I first started the meds last week I felt great very focused and able to complete all my many projescts - even my husband noticed a big difference! Well it's been a week now and I'm noticing that I'm not feeling focused anymore and not really wanting to do anything ,never mind completing anything! I'm also very edgy and my temper is very quick. Am I feeling this way because my dosing is too low or is this the wrong med for me? I have read some of the other posts and it seems to me that my dose is much lower. I was so happy to feel so good last week and now all I want to do is cry! My ADD is sooo severe and has been since I was a young child. I need some relief! Any answers or suggestion would help.

This is what you need to know about taking taking stimulants. When you first start taking them - or when you increase the dose - they give you a lovely sense of wellbeing. Unfortunately, it doesn't last. It can't last. It won't last. Persuing that feeling of I "felt great" is a slippery slope to addiction.

So what do you do? You have to figure out how to objectively look at the medication to see if it is helping you. How it effects your mood is NOT a reliable indicator. You have to look for an indicator of how well you are able to concentrate. Then you can say to yourself, "I'm not feeling as good, but how am I concentrating?". THAT is your indicator of how the medication is working.

It is possible to build up a tolerance to stimulants (ie they stop working as well as they once did), but it is highly unlikely that it happened in one week. More likely, they may you FEEL good so you accomplished more and now that feeling is fading.

You are right. You are on a low dose. There's a good chance that your doctor will increase it for you. Just be careful, okay? In addition to the fact that the feel-good feeling isn't going to last, stimulants can - by themselves - cause depression and agitation. It's definitely "worth a go" (as they say here), but there is risk involved.

Hope that helps...

Thank you! You have brought up a very good point in that I need to determine if the meds are doing what they're meant to do and not wheather I feel good or not. I have acually done all my "chores " for the day and am feeling motivated. I do worry about addiction with this medication but I need to do something for my add. I have tried wellbutrin and that did not help. I do realize there are other alternatives- but being add i want the right medication YESTERDAY!!!

Best of luck to you!