Stimulants Amphetamine just doesn't last

[BottleDryer]

How short is too short ?
I'm prescribed stims for adhd but it never "lasts".
I don't take any other meds.

I've tried them all (except for Desoxyn).

Currenty taking Dexedrine XR (as needed, once a month (if not twice)).

7mg dose rarely lasts 2 hrs (I'm experiencing the "come down" nearly an hr / hr and 30min after initial dose). (Comedown for me = losing focus, shaky, cold extremities)

I've noticed over the years that no matter the dose, the duration is always the same. (If I increase the dose, i just get an increase in "effects" not duration).

It's been like this with all amphetamine type drugs (Adderall, Vyvanse, Dexedrine). I've tried Concerta long ago but i remember not liking it (felt like i was going insane, maybe the dose was too high).

I've tried Modafinil and noticed the duration is "better" (positive effects are longer lasting) but it's a hit or miss sometimes (if it "works") but the thing about Modafinil is that it doesn't give the same "focus" as amps do.

Does my body just process amps too quickly or something? (I usually take them on an empty stomach)

 

[CFC]

Hey there, sorry to hear you're having trouble!

Comedown for me = losing focus, shaky, cold extremities

Those don't really seem like come down symptoms tbh, they seem more like the "come up" symptoms of excess adrenergic stimulation, and the fact you feel that after 60-90mins (as blood levels rapidly increase/peak) would tend to fit that pattern.

So it may be that the dose is actually too high for you in one go, and that you need a smaller dose, possibly broken up throughout the day a bit more.

 

[BottleDryer]

Thank you for the perceptive reply !

I always wondered this. Whether the dose was "right".
This leads me to another problem then, how do i "know" what dose is right?

The trouble i have with this medication is that I can't differentiate focus from stimulation. (I'm not sure if that makes sense)

 

[CFC]

There's no real objective way to determine the correct dose unfortunately, particularly as you'll tend to find that on different days, with different mindsets and a different overall mood, what worked for one situation doesn't work so well for another. You really just have to keep trying different combinations of dose vs time of day vs frequency of dose yourself until you get something that suits your physiology better. You need to keep notes though - try to make it as 'controlled' an experiment as you can, or you'll get confused quickly ime.

And yes I do think I understand what you mean about focus vs stimulation mate. For me also (ADHD - I'm on Vyvanse) I get the required focus and productivity from a surprisingly small dose. Larger doses I 'feel' much more, especially physically (peripherally - in the body with cold hands/feet/jittery/fuzzy head etc) and in some ways it can feel like it's better. But actually when I look back over the day, I tend to find I've been less productive overall by being 'over-focused' and missing the bigger picture, getting a little stuck in one particular frame of mind, and so wasting a lot of time.

I'm personally much clearer and more focused with just a small nudge, but a small nudge that's repeated with greater frequency throughout the day. Which in my case means dumping my medication into a drink and slowly sipping it at timed intervals until about 4-5pm.

 

[FuckinAcidMan]

Yeah I would say you're taking too much at once and feeling the uncomfortable sensations of "over amping" or "tweaking"

 

[BottleDryer]

Thank you @CFC that was very helpful and gave me a better understanding of what's happening.

 

[Wilson Wilson]

Sounds like you are naturally sensitive to stimulants as 7mg dex XR is a very low dose and you are obviously reacting poorly. It could be possible you just don't react well to stims and this isn't the class of drugs for you even if you do have ADHD.

That said taking them on an empty stomach will cause more side effects and a worse comedown. You should eat first.

Also spacing out doses really helps too.

How long have you been taking stims for? It took me a while to adjust fully but now I handle the side effects much better. I only use them as meds too.

 

[Wiserthanearlier]

Agree with above, the comedown descriptions are actually come up.

 

[PillPopper401]

How short is too short ?
I'm prescribed stims for adhd but it never "lasts".
I don't take any other meds.

I've tried them all (except for Desoxyn).

Currenty taking Dexedrine XR (as needed, once a month (if not twice)).

7mg dose rarely lasts 2 hrs (I'm experiencing the "come down" nearly an hr / hr and 30min after initial dose). (Comedown for me = losing focus, shaky, cold extremities)

I've noticed over the years that no matter the dose, the duration is always the same. (If I increase the dose, i just get an increase in "effects" not duration).

It's been like this with all amphetamine type drugs (Adderall, Vyvanse, Dexedrine). I've tried Concerta long ago but i remember not liking it (felt like i was going insane, maybe the dose was too high).

I've tried Modafinil and noticed the duration is "better" (positive effects are longer lasting) but it's a hit or miss sometimes (if it "works") but the thing about Modafinil is that it doesn't give the same "focus" as amps do.

Does my body just process amps too quickly or something? (I usually take them on an empty stomach)

Have you tried adderall Xr? Lasts 8 to 12 hours

 

[BottleDryer]

How long have you been taking stims for? It took me a while to adjust fully but now I handle the side effects much better. I only use them as meds too.

I've been taking them for approximately 8-10 yrs now. Various dosages/strategies.

I think my brain / body is just telling me it's had enough of them (over sensitized ?)

 

[AlphaMethylPhenyl]

Desoxyn is bad news. It really just got grandfathered in, and as far as I know isn't given (but for good reason).

I mean, maybe you need a different dosage?

Try non-stimulants? Straterrra, Intuniv, and company. Even deprenyl perhaps.

I'd wager that the above user on Vyvanse is going to want to raise their dose after a month or two on it. Maybe up to six months. But if you can keep it low, by all means. I wish I had kept it to where 20mg would be heavenly for 12 hours.

It sounds like you may not even have ADHD. But I'm assuming you were diangosed as such.

 

[BottleDryer]

I was diagnosed with ADHD but honestly I think it's depression (diagnosed with that too) and the symptoms of depression are masquerading as ADHD symptoms.

But I will say the stim drugs have helped genuinely over the years (ie provided calm and order...)

 

[CFC]

I'd wager that the above user on Vyvanse is going to want to raise their dose after a month or two on it. Maybe up to six months. But if you can keep it low, by all means. I wish I had kept it to where 20mg would be heavenly for 12 hours.

I've been on it for a few years now mate. I mostly avoid tolerance by not taking it every day - if I can avoid it. I'm prescribed 70mg but 35-40mg is adequate for my needs most of the time as long as I don't take it all at once. I generally dump the powder into a drink, take a third of the drink first thing (ie 13mg), and then take small sips of the remainder every couple of hours until 4-5pm. It's a much more productive approach for me than single or dual dosing, which tends to gyrate blood levels too much and either cause me to crash rather quickly after peaking or alternatively cause somnolence, depending.

 

[Wilson Wilson]

I've been on it for a few years now mate. I mostly avoid tolerance by not taking it every day - if I can avoid it. I'm prescribed 70mg but 35-40mg is adequate for my needs most of the time as long as I don't take it all at once. I generally dump the powder into a drink, take a third of the drink first thing (ie 13mg), and then take small sips of the remainder every couple of hours until 4-5pm. It's a much more productive approach for me than single or dual dosing, which tends to gyrate blood levels too much and either cause me to crash rather quickly after peaking or alternatively cause somnolence, depending.

I used to do the same with Vyvanse but I still hated the long duration and it'd always cause a bad comedown because it lasted so long. IR dex is much nicer just because you can adjust your dose to how much you need in the day and it's far more predicable than Vyvanse which sometimes lasted a few hours and other times lasted so long I couldn't sleep, very annoying XR mechanism that thing has because it relies on your body's metabolism which is obviously going to differ by day.

 

[CFC]

I used to do the same with Vyvanse but I still hated the long duration and it'd always cause a bad comedown because it lasted so long. IR dex is much nicer just because you can adjust your dose to how much you need in the day and it's far more predicable than Vyvanse which sometimes lasted a few hours and other times lasted so long I couldn't sleep, very annoying XR mechanism that thing has because it relies on your body's metabolism which is obviously going to differ by day.

I'd love to be able to have the same level of control mate, as you say it can sometimes last waaay too long. But when I asked about getting IR dex it was met with blanket disapproval and they refused

 

[Wilson Wilson]

I'd love to be able to have the same level of control mate, as you say it can sometimes last waaay too long. But when I asked about getting IR dex it was met with blanket disapproval and they refused

If you have the cash you can get a private script for dex from an online specialist then get that specialist to write a referral for that script to your GP. If it comes from an ADHD specialist your GP should accept it. Technically an NHS GP isn't required to accept a private referral but in the majority of cases they do from the correct specialist.

Private ADHD specialists will often hand out whatever stim you prefer. One of them even gave me Adderall. But since you can only get that privately (it's not approved by the NHS) and it cost a fucking fortune to do so I switched it. I prefer the cleanness of dex anyway.

 

[CFC]

If you have the cash you can get a private script for dex from an online specialist then get that specialist to write a referral for that script to your GP. If it comes from an ADHD specialist your GP should accept it. Technically an NHS GP isn't required to accept a private referral but in the majority of cases they do from the correct specialist.

Private ADHD specialists will often hand out whatever stim you prefer. One of them even gave me Adderall. But since you can only get that privately (it's not approved by the NHS) and it cost a fucking fortune to do so I switched it. I prefer the cleanness of dex anyway.

Thanks for the tips! I may end up going that route. For a short while I actually went to the effort of stripping the lysine from the lisdex and taking pure dex base. But it's extremely inconvenient and not particularly amenable to accurate dosing.

 

[aspiringchemist]

I've been on vyvanse for about 5 years. Started at 40mg, then up to 60mg. It originally lasted around 10 hours but now I'm lucky to get 5 hours consistently. IR adderall lasts maybe 2 hours for me.

In the past I have actually split the capsule using a scale into 40mg and 20mg doses and have found that taking 40mg followed by 20mg 3 or 4 hours later produces a longer duration of effects than 60mg at once.

Just chiming in cuz I'm getting tired of the short duration and hoping others have some experience or tips!

 

[Specified]

Go with the meth bud....nah stay away from that shit lol

 

[Phreakmama3]

I will do this with my Vyvanse too. I add it to water and drink 2/3 of it in the am and the rest around 4. I prefer it this way but most the time I’m just to lazy to empty out the capsule and measure the water LOL.