iamariagem
Greenlighter
I started taking Adderall XR 12 days ago because I have pretty severe ADHD. I haven't abused it or anything, just one 20mg pill around 830am or so. Before that, I'd been taking methylphenidate (20mg/twice daily for a total of 40mg) and it made my anxiety even worse and I suffered multiple other side effects and the comedown was abominable and it just was not the right option for everyday management of my ADHD. I was only on that for two weeks. (The reason I started ADHD meds so late [18y/o] was because I did well enough in high school without paying attention that nobody cared to do anything but I failed miserably my first quarter of University). *I also take xanax (1mg) in the evening for sleep and maybe once every two weeks, if that, during the day for anxiety. Finally, I'm on Lamotrigine 100mg at night for management of bipolar 2.
ANYWAY. My first full week of Adderall was great. With the methylphenidate I could feel it pumping through my body, almost. I was wired and anxious and every nerve in my body was on edge (although it was a focused energy and so I was productive but...). However with the adderall, I feel a slight bit of like, energy? I guess, sitting in my chest but it's really a negligible amount, and other than that I cannot tell anything is in me (like with the methylphenidate). I was still productive and doing well, but less wired. I liked that. I did suffer pretty intense appetite loss and basically ate one meal a day, a late dinner during/after the comedown, and felt no need to eat throughout.
When I did eat while on it, it seemed to decrease the effectiveness and here is where my questions begin. If the effectiveness is reduced when I eat, is that a sign that maybe it's too low of a dose?
Also, this past weekend I took it Friday morning (4 days ago now) and in the very late evening well after it had worn off, I drank a lot. Saturday, I don't take Adderall but I took a xanax around 2pm because I was really anxious and about 8 hours later that night, I was sluggish and tired from not sleeping enough the night before so around 10pm I took a methylphenidate to wake up but unfortunately it sedated me (as it had one time before when I hadn't slept enough). I got to the get-together and drank two beers, did one shot, smoked a shit ton of hookah, and smoked a little weed (I was past buzzed but not completely stoned). I was feeling GREAT. So happy and relaxed and although my heart rate was severely elevated (170...) I made sure not to move around much and stayed sitting down and breathed slowly/calmly to try to keep it from getting any faster. No anxiety at that time, though. The next day, Sunday, I was basically a puddle on the floor. I didn't take anything at all (besides nightly lamotrigine) and my brain was foggy and my body was weak.
*I don't drink or smoke regularly. This is the first time in a month, and I don't intend on doing it again because I'm doing so much better in school and getting into it, also with the balancing out of my bipolar & ADHD I don't find myself wanting to go out and party and drink like I did before stabilizing on the meds.
Yesterday, Monday, I forgot to take my Adderall. Today, I took it and I know it's in me because I've got cotton mouth and it worked for like, 3 hours or so but then I ate lunch. Not only did I feel like it stopped the ADHD control (and cottonmouth decreased, even), but I'm VERY anxious. Like, methylphenidate anxious. I feel the urge to grind my teeth which didn't happen last week, I have no motivation and am not productive at all. I just feel this very intense amount of energy but it's directionless and nervous-type energy. It's spreading from my chest throughout the rest of my body and i just feel the urge to GO, but go nowhere. It's almost like I want to go too many places at once and do too many things at once that it all exploded and I just ended up in this chair feeling anxious. I have absolutely no focus. I'm pretty irritable too, but GOD the anxiety. Is it possible that my brain chemistry was messed with this past weekend and is not righted yet, to the point where it decreased the effectiveness of the adderall even now?
Also, how does say, a week of moderate sleep deprivation (5-6hrs a night when I'm one who needs a solid 8-9 hours to function right) affect the effectiveness?
(note, although the weekend was rough, last night (Monday) I got over 8 hours so it's not like this is something happening right now, I'm just curious about extended sleep deprivation and effectiveness).
Or could it be that I've built up a tolerance in the last 12 days and it's just not working the same anymore?
ANYWAY. My first full week of Adderall was great. With the methylphenidate I could feel it pumping through my body, almost. I was wired and anxious and every nerve in my body was on edge (although it was a focused energy and so I was productive but...). However with the adderall, I feel a slight bit of like, energy? I guess, sitting in my chest but it's really a negligible amount, and other than that I cannot tell anything is in me (like with the methylphenidate). I was still productive and doing well, but less wired. I liked that. I did suffer pretty intense appetite loss and basically ate one meal a day, a late dinner during/after the comedown, and felt no need to eat throughout.
When I did eat while on it, it seemed to decrease the effectiveness and here is where my questions begin. If the effectiveness is reduced when I eat, is that a sign that maybe it's too low of a dose?
Also, this past weekend I took it Friday morning (4 days ago now) and in the very late evening well after it had worn off, I drank a lot. Saturday, I don't take Adderall but I took a xanax around 2pm because I was really anxious and about 8 hours later that night, I was sluggish and tired from not sleeping enough the night before so around 10pm I took a methylphenidate to wake up but unfortunately it sedated me (as it had one time before when I hadn't slept enough). I got to the get-together and drank two beers, did one shot, smoked a shit ton of hookah, and smoked a little weed (I was past buzzed but not completely stoned). I was feeling GREAT. So happy and relaxed and although my heart rate was severely elevated (170...) I made sure not to move around much and stayed sitting down and breathed slowly/calmly to try to keep it from getting any faster. No anxiety at that time, though. The next day, Sunday, I was basically a puddle on the floor. I didn't take anything at all (besides nightly lamotrigine) and my brain was foggy and my body was weak.
*I don't drink or smoke regularly. This is the first time in a month, and I don't intend on doing it again because I'm doing so much better in school and getting into it, also with the balancing out of my bipolar & ADHD I don't find myself wanting to go out and party and drink like I did before stabilizing on the meds.
Yesterday, Monday, I forgot to take my Adderall. Today, I took it and I know it's in me because I've got cotton mouth and it worked for like, 3 hours or so but then I ate lunch. Not only did I feel like it stopped the ADHD control (and cottonmouth decreased, even), but I'm VERY anxious. Like, methylphenidate anxious. I feel the urge to grind my teeth which didn't happen last week, I have no motivation and am not productive at all. I just feel this very intense amount of energy but it's directionless and nervous-type energy. It's spreading from my chest throughout the rest of my body and i just feel the urge to GO, but go nowhere. It's almost like I want to go too many places at once and do too many things at once that it all exploded and I just ended up in this chair feeling anxious. I have absolutely no focus. I'm pretty irritable too, but GOD the anxiety. Is it possible that my brain chemistry was messed with this past weekend and is not righted yet, to the point where it decreased the effectiveness of the adderall even now?
Also, how does say, a week of moderate sleep deprivation (5-6hrs a night when I'm one who needs a solid 8-9 hours to function right) affect the effectiveness?
(note, although the weekend was rough, last night (Monday) I got over 8 hours so it's not like this is something happening right now, I'm just curious about extended sleep deprivation and effectiveness).
Or could it be that I've built up a tolerance in the last 12 days and it's just not working the same anymore?
