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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

amphetamine for add, what to do for sleep?

T

tenshu2k

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
Messages
214
Location
SF Bay Area
therapeutic user @ about 40mg of adderall a day. also take 20mg of escitalopram (lexapro).

what can i do to aid in sleep? I already take melatonin.

I was taking 1mg of lorazepam, but it seemed like it was affecting the effectivity of the adderall.
 
Benzos definitely negate the alertness and focus benefits from Adderall.

I would try switching to Dexedrine, or at leat take less Adderall. I can't take more than 20mg of Adderall in a day without tweaking out due to too much NE release from the L-amp. I prefer to take some Adderall XR/IR mixed with Dexedrine ER, and redose with the shorter-lasting Dexedrine IR/ER (dextroamphetamine sulfate), which also tends to have much less NE effects relative to Adderall, making sleep a lot easier and anxiety a lot less.

Other than that, continue with 0.5-1mg melatonin (more is counterproductive), 300-450mg chelated magnesium at night before bed, and 400mg potassium citrate after dinner. Also, 12.5mg of doxylamine succinate on top should do the trick, or perhaps 12.5mg of hydroxyzine if you don't feel comfortable taking powerful anti-cholinergenics.
 
Make an appointment with your doctor and tell him what you are experiencing. I had been prescribed provigil and he gave me effexor and ativan for nightime use. I had gotten it for more than a year. When I went to another Walgreens, the pharmacist had a problem filling it and got all concerned. He told me "this is how Elvis died" I was insulted when he told me he needed to confirm with the doctor, like he didn't know what he was doing. But what works for one person could cause trouble for another.
 
I find taking less Adderall or not taking it too late in the day can help. Or trying a different med liek Dexedrine if you can. There are a number of supplements I'd recommend for sleep:
- magnesium (this is not something that always has an immediate noticeable benefit, you may have to take it every night for a while, but it can help with sleep and also helps prevent tolerance to stimulants and other drugs)
- kava
- valerian
- melatonin in small doses: as ErgicMergic said less is more when it comes to melatonin, too much can keep you awake or cause you to wake up in the night or have crazy intense dreams. I find taking a timed-release melatonin to keep you asleep, as well as an instant-release one to get you to sleep fast, to be helpful.
- l-lysine
- l-arginine
- l-ornithine

Sometimes a supplement cocktail works better than just taking one of these things on it's own. I also find that things like having a bedtime routine, an inviting bedroom, no distracting sounds or white noise to mask them, wearing a mask or using black-out curtains, sleep music, a really comfy bed that's the perfect temperature, meditating, and such can help a lot.

Personally I think it's best to try as many behavioural/environmental techniques and natural herbs/supplements as possible before resorting to dependence-causing drugs like benzos.
 
Damn, I wasn't aware that a higher dose of melatonin could actually cause opposite effects. This would explain why the 10mg capsules I bought haven't helped me to sleep one bit.
Sorry irrelevant to the topic I know, just had to share that. Why the hell would they sell melatonin caps with ten times the effective dose in them? Fucking idiots!!!
 
Well the effective dose does vary a lot from person to person, perhaps some people could need 10mg, although that does seem like way too much for most people. For me if I take 10mg it definitely has paradoxical effects. Maybe it isn't widely known that taking higher doses of melatonin don't make it more effective and in fact, usually actually makes it less effective. Also are your 10mg tablets timed-release or regular release? If timed-release it's not quite as bad as you wouldn't be getting the whole dose at once, but even with timed-release 10mg seems like a lot. Most people I've talked to find their best dose for regular or fast release to be between 0.25-3mg, or timed-release to be between 1mg-5mg. (And what I mean is that for someone for whom 0.25mg might work well 3mg might be way too much, but a different person could need 3mg to help them sleep, not that the same individual would necessarily be able to take anywhere from 0.25-3mg - hopefully that makes sense?)
 
Yeah makes sense......... ish. There is no mention anywhere of them being prolonged released caps so I'm assuming they are IR, plus they're just clear caps with white powder in them. Might empty one out, split the dose into quarters and try again.
 
Tenshu2K

If your taking the ativan at night to sleep its not going to have any affect on the stimulant medication unless you take them at the same time or during the day. Also ativan is short acting and very mild. I would suggest Klonopin before bed and think youll be fine.
 
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