Just Started Adderall IR (generic). Got questions… cant find straight answers

[ph0t0bug]

I just took my first 15mg of Adderall about 8:12a (CMT). I have tried my best to avoid reading too much about the drug as Im the sort of person who will read about a drugs side effects and then feel every one of them. I did talk with my Dr. about the MAJOR things that could happen, Im not stupid, but I am confused on a couple of issues.

1. How long does Adderall last in the system? I work from 4p to midnight and dont want to have a crash at 10p but does 15mg last that long?

2. Cup of coffee in the morning? II am / was an avaid coffee drinker… I will miss the juice of the bean but if this med is going to make me better then Ill give the stuff up or at least go decaf. Is it ok to have my morning cup and take the Adderall at the same time and limit the rest of coffee for the day? I have heard mixed reviewes on this.

3. How long does it take to kick in…. I think I figured this one out while sitting here typing this…. its about an hour.

Im sure I have more questions but I want to put this stuff to the test… I got things that need doing and need to go start doing them to see if I can focus enough to get the jobs done without the confusion of my ADD.

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[shutterbug55]

Hi Photo! I like your user name!

You have some great questions and they all fall into the category of “individual results may vary”.

I am not trying to be cute or funny. Each of our brains is a unique construct, with individual chemistries. We are all affected by this ADD thing differently, and so react differently to the drugs we are prescribed. We all fall into “normal ranges” which gives the doctors a starting point.

First I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 56, so I was VERY familiar what my brain was, when it was NOT on drugs. (Picture an egg thrown at the ceiling and landing in a frying pan.)

I started experimenting with drugs the day the doctor gave me the first prescription of Ritilin. I got very focused. I stopped drinking coffee and stopped drinking alcohol. I even reduced my sugar intake to near 0. I took notes. How much did I take. When did I take it. How did it make me feel as it entered my system. How did I feel as it left. What I felt like while it was in my system. How did it help my most annoying symptoms. I also had my wife take notes.

I adjusted the times, the dosages, everything I could think of. When I came back to the doc, I had 5 or 6 pages of detailed notes and my wife with her observations. With all of that, it took 6 months of experimentation to work out the right drug, at the right amount, taken at the right times. I have it dialed in.

I started taking small amounts of coffee. 1 or 2 cups is OK. 3 not so much so. 4 has me climbing the walls.

I started drinking small amounts of beer or wine. I like the taste, but I find I don’t finish a glass and don’t care.

Moral of the story? What works for me that might work for you? Take notes. Experiment. Talk to your doctor. Let your doc know you want to experiment. Ask them questions. Find out how much you can experiment with the dosage. My doc gave me a range.

Make little changes. Take notes. Talk to your doctor. … Did I already say that?

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[ph0t0bug]

Well… Im on my third day on Adderall IR. I took it on Friday and Saturday, days I had to work, then took myself off it for Sunday and Monday, My days off. I took it at 9:23 CST its not 10:12 CST and Im starting to get the effects now. I do like that my legs are not jumpping all over the place while I am sitting here.

I talked with one of my Dr. friends this weekend and she told me the effects should last 6-8 hours. Its hard to say when it starts and stops but I would like to get it to where I am taking the meds in enough time for them to help me when Im at work from 4p-12a to maxamize the usage for work but still allow me to go to sleep when I get home at 12:30a-1a.

I also really have enjoyed the fact that it has curbed some of the Hypersensitive emotions that I have had in the past, long story, but I am able to control what I think about when I get those emotions and stay calm instid of seeing the issues I have building on one another. I dont get the anger and rage that sometimes comes with thinking about certian things or people, which I did when I was off the meds this weekend. Is being able to control emotions part of the effects? Cant help it… Im a sensitive person and always have been. My story is long and drawn out mostly because I have always been hypersensitive which has cost me some friends. I wish Rick would do a video about that. It really seemed at times I was at a point where I would have an entrie relationship with someone within a few min. I always had this NEED to be needed. A WANT to be loved which set me up for instant let down when the feelings were not reciprectated. My depressioin was so bad that I would find myself concentrating on and contemplatinig suicide. I would return to my “dark area” and have found that there are times and situations where it was becoming real to me. I would even start making a plan for it. Which scares tthe crap out of me…. I know that the forums are not therapy and I hope I have not gone too far by posting this here. I still need to talk about those issues so that I can learn new ways of taking care of myself when I start thinking like that.

Now that Im on the meds I need to start working on a program to get myself on track. I have suuch a long list of things that need fixing and doing that I dont really know where to start or how to start. Now that I can gett clear I look around going “crap… so much to do, so little time.” and still I feel I dont know what is the most important thing to start with or how to start to get orginized. Still a little overwhelmed. I got the book that was suggested on this site for my nook and am reading it. So far they have just gone over the things about ADD and how it works… damn.. Im rambling… but thats the sort of thing Im talking about… I need to stop rambling and start moving to get my life straight. Anyone know what I am talking about… what is working for you?

BTW like your Nick as well My dad was a photographer, I grew up with it and went to school for it myself…. I dont, or havent really used the degree other than to shoot stuff for myself.

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[JimC.]

Couple of things: Adderall comes in 2 forms, normal and timed-release called Adderall XR. Most importantly all ADD meds affect everyone differently so probably not many here can tell you what to really expect. Only you can tell if things are “better” For me that means I don’t procrastinate; I go straight to the job at hand instead of doing lots of picayune small meaningless time-consuming things. I take 20 mg of XR when i get up, and it wears off for me around 4 pm or so, but by then I’ve had a mostly productive day.

My doc, an ADHD specialist, says no coffee with caffeine at all, so I only have 3 cups of coffee to start the day with caffeine. Doesn’t seem to bother me (that I’m aware of). I tried decaf and decided it was a really bad idea. Tastes like the floor of an old Soviet taxicab. Bletch!

As for the overwhelmed thing on so many things to do: pick a few important “must do things” and do those first, then tackle whatever you want or ignore it/them. Over time you may well pick up habits that allow you to sort through tasks very well, but you’re new to this so I think you should just enjoy the moment, do what you can, and try to improve where you feel comfortable doing so.

Good luck! Jim

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[shutterbug55]

If these guys are from an alternate universe, like KC5 says, I want my keys, combs, screw drivers, credit cards, wallets, flash lights, books, and car (don’t ask… it’s a long story) back!

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[kc5jck]

Your car went back to the future.

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[shutterbug55]

It probably did. I was at a ball game, when the King Dome was still around, and I parked my car, wrote down where I parked it on the back of my hand. I was ADD back then, but undiagnosed. I still knew some of my limitations, just not the cause of them. Anyway that night, Mariners used the opposing team for batting practice and after the 8th inning, racked up over 15 runs. My wife and I left early and I went right to the… strangers car parked in my spot. My wife and I looked everywhere and finally we called the police to report our car stolen. We were questioned by the police for over an hour.

It has been almost 15 years and not so much as a hubcap has been found. No 88 MPH, no flux-capacitor, no Delorean, just gone. I will bet Art Bell couldn’t explain that one.

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[Anonymous]

I take Vyvanse 60 mil daily; which works great for 5 hours or so. I have an ‘as needed’ script of Adderall ir 10mil to take in the afternoon after the Vyvanse winds down. Question for everyone….Every time that I take adderall it works for about an hour , sometimes less and then I feel like a complete zombie – sluggish, tired and slow cognitively. Why is this? The couple times that I tried Adderall ir and xr, with and without Vyvanse, I feel really slow a couple hours later. Has anyone else felt this way? Is it a dose issue, or is it me? Why does Vyvanse work, but not Adderall?

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