Stimulants Adderall not the medication for me?

[llbadgerll]

So I got prescribed Adderall 3 or 4 months ago for my ADHD. Starting off it was 10 mg Adderall IR. once a day. I barely felt anything at all, and the only thing I felt was some sleepiness and no thoughts. I also just wanted to be left alone with no contact at all! I figured this was a side effect and tried it for a few more days. (no longer than a week). I got no improvements and basically gave up on it until I saw my doctor. he said try taking 2 at once because maybe it wasn't enough to bring on the full effect but just gave me a few side effects.

So I wound up trying 2 at once. after 3 weeks of not taking them. This time I felt like I was flying, I had euphoria and self confidence and all that good stuff. it only lasted a few hours, maybe 4 or 5. Then I just felt horrible. I felt like crying and thought my life was pointless. I knew this was just it wearing off. Even though I knew that it still wasn't worth the fix it gave to my ADHD. So I quit again until the next time I saw my doctor.

Now by this point I was annoyed and getting impatient and seeing my doctor once a month is too big a break to take if something doesn't work. I did some research and I found that some said Dexedrine might be a good alternative to Adderall, and so might Vyvanse. I also heard maybe a non stimulant ADHD med might work as well. But I have tried almost ALL of the non stimulants since I was 12. (Im 21 in a couple weeks) I avoided the stimulants because I didn't want to get addicted to anything habbit forming, since my biological mother did meth and other drugs while she was pregnant with me and that increased the risk of addiction, but I am infact reacting the opposite.

Anyways I decided to just not take anything until I saw my doctor again and tell him what I have learned about the other meds I could try since Adderall wasn't working. When I saw my doctor though he said Dexedrine is just as bad or worse than Adderall so that was off the list and I forgot to mention the Vyvanse to him due to being caught up in the moment of his advice. He said try taking 10mg twice a day since the 10 didn't do much and didn't last long maybe the 2nd 10mg later on in the afternoon might keep me balanced or something, I don't really know.

So I admit the first week I didn't listen to him. this was the 3rd time in 3 months I have been giving this Adderall a shot and I wasn't in any hurry to fail again. But today I decided, "Screw it, I can't concentrate what choice do I got!?" So I took the 10mg IR this morning around 9 or 10ish it didn't do much more than I remembered, BUT it was a lot easier know what effects to look for this time since my experience with a higher dosage of 20mg at once last month.... but like I said the 10mg did almost nothing but make me easily annoyed and it did help me concentrate a little......almost nothing more than usual. I deicided to wait as long as I could before trying the 2nd one.

It is now 2:25pm and I took the 2nd one about 30 minutes ago. Its Not nearly as insane or speedy with the time spaced out between when I take the first and second pill. this does feel better than any other time I have taken them, but I still feel horrible, I have an urge to take more even though I don't want to. It feels alright and actually Is helping but its like a buzz of what help this pill could really bring and I see how it could be addicting, not to mention the horrible comedown these things bring. Overall I gotta say im sure these things are good for other people but honesly not something I would want to take on a daily basis at all.

Like I said I have talked to my doctor a lot and this has turned out to be nothing but a big pointless rollercoaster of confusion and annoyance. I was wondering what experience you guys had with Adderall and what you took that helped you better and may be right for me based on your experience. I was thinking of trying Vyvanse since its a lot smoother and longer lasting with almost no comedown.....or so I have heard. But overall im really sad and scared of what the future holds for me and my ADHD problems. so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys and have a good day/night.
:D

 

[lolwhatzdrugs]

Maybe you need to try some ERs instead of just trying to take multiple IR pills? The rapid changes in your mood you describe are a bit odd as amphetamine has a pretty darn long half life. I've never felt it less than 15 hours, but I was taking it recreationally.

If two IRs has you wired and euphoric, almost to an unpleasant level, and one doesn't work enough, maybe you need 1.5 the dosage in an extended release?

 

[a tree]

Propably you should try MPH. And also you should propably reduce the dose and switch to an ER product.
When i started taking MPH (Amphetamine is rarely prescribed where i live) I had to start with a quite low dose (10mg ER MPH, which should equivalent around 5mg Amp). Also i had to take it at least a week in a row and everyday at around the same time, before the ups and downs started to fade.

 

[Lady Codone]

"a big pointless rollercoaster of confusion and annoyance."

This describes my experience with doctors in general.

You're lucky to get a stimulant prescription at all, so at least your doc is open to it. I see no harm in trying other meds/different doses with your doctor's supervision. Just let him/her know what's going on and what your concerns are. It sounds like you legitimately want to treat your symptoms without becoming addicted, which is good.

In my experience with psych meds (antidepressants to be exact), drugs in the same class aren't different enough to make any difference in my quality of treatment. This may not be the case with ADHD meds though, so exhaust all your options before getting frustrated. Have you tried any of the non-stimulant meds in combination with the Adderall? Intuniv and Strattera are a couple.

Unless you have horrible side effects, give it some time with each new med you try. 2-3 weeks should tell you whether it's going to be helpful or not.

 

[tramadol_head1000]

I too have add and that charge that people get who are lucky enough to be without this at times bad disorder is something I don't get. I get all of the euphoria and rush but it's all internal which I think leads to a better buzz. Stimulants have the opposite effect on people with ADD/HD it slows them down. From a medical point of view its working perfectly from what your saying. But I have the notion you want more then it isn't working.If your after the latter I wouldn't take lady codones advice strattera and intuniv are non controlled and practically non a usable. Plus strattera has nasty side effects especially in men. Remember everyone responds differently with different medications Hope this helps

 

[llbadgerll]

Thanks for replying Everyone. For the guy saying try the Extended Release I already mentioned that too him but my medical insurance doesn't cover that kind. It would be in the hundreds of dollars, he said. I decided not to take it today since yesterday and I feel much better mentally. Sure Im having trouble focusing but atleast im used to that more and don't have to worry about the horrible side effects from the Adderall, Which is BAD. And to Lady Codone I tried Strattera before multiple times and it didn't work even after a couple weeks of waiting, it also had annoying side effects on my heart.

 

[tramadol_head1000]

Since you have ADD/HD stimulants slow your cns down do what I do when I take them don't focus on getting charged up like the when Archie bunker tried speed. For you look for internal energy that gets deep inside you. When your thoughts become clear do something you enjoy it will make your hobby really good. How stimulants work is it makes things more interesting and gets you excited about what ever your doing so that motivates you to get involved. The same thing when given to a child. Its just a sugar coated way of saying it makes you high so you want to get involved. Heck reading a book written by Janet Reno would be fun on speed

 

[tricomb]

Does your insurance cover generic dextro-amphetetamine?

 

[llbadgerll]

I think thats what I was doing wrong, I just kept focusing on the wrong thing on the right dose. But Im still to afraid to take it again. Maybe i just cant handle amphetamines in general....

 

[llbadgerll]

Does your insurance cover generic dextro-amphetetamine?

Im not sure all i know is that it covers the blue 10 mg generic adderall IR (amphetamine salts), and not the XR capsules. If your asking about ritalin or something else like that, im not sure.