Diagnosed with ADD - Adderral

[kwong2001]

I think i've always known I was depressed, but my ADD suspisions (sp?) have been realized relatively recently. Believe it or not, i'm very smart, but through both high school and college, i've always had trouble applying myself. Since going to college, my study habits have gotten worse and as a result my grades are absolutely horrible.

So I took it upon myself to see if I actually have ADD because at the rate i'm going, i'll never get my AA degree much less go onto a 4 year college (i goto a community college). So yesterday I went to a psychiatrist to get diagnosed. It was pretty obvious I had it because almost every question he asked I said yes to.

He did diagnosed me with depression but said he'd like to concentrate on treating the ADD and see what effect it has on the depression. He prescribed me Adderral. 40mg in the morning, then 20mg in the evening.

Yesterday I took one pill and felt great. Today i'm on the normal dose and I do see a big difference in my alertness and willingness to do stuff i would either never do, or procrastinate hella.

From what little research i've done, it seems like there's a lot of people who are taking adderral. And i'm sure there are a few on the board. If you, or your child are taking adderral (or any other ADD medication), what has been your experience with it? Did you experience any side effects at the beggining, if so did they go away?

The only real side effects i've noticed so far is loss in appetite and trouble getting adaquate sleep (I slept for about 4 hours last night then woke up and couldn't fall asleep for an hour...then got another 3 hours of sleep).

 

[Digital Liquid]

Hey man, it's good to see that you didn't procrastinate about getting you ADD checked out. There are millions of people who have ADD or ADHD. I did have a question about the doses that you listed, b/c they seem VERY HIGH.

Adderall is an Amphetamine Mixture and can be highly addictive at high doses for prolonged levels. You stated that you are taking 40mg in the morning and 20mg in the evening. That's 60mg per day. According to all the medical literature sites, the most someone should take a day is 40mg max. Going over 40mg is for very rare cases. 60mg is only prescribed for narcolepsy. You are getting way too much. That's why you can't go to sleep. Especially, if you take 20mg in the evening.

I would get your doses check out again, b/c he shouldn't have started you out that high. They are supposed to start around 5mg-10mg per day, and then begin to titrate the drug up in 5mg intervals on a weekly basis until the desired effects are reached.

BTW, is the 40mg one tablet? Or are you taking 2 tabs in the morning and 1 in the evening? B/c I didn't think that it even came in 40mg tabs (only 5mg - 10mg - 20mg - 30mg).

As far as side effects go, the main ones are decreased hunger and decreased sleep. But you can get around the sleep issue by not taking the drug late in the evening. Another side effect will be that you might feel depressed when you are "coming down" off the drug. Since you already mentioned depression, this drug might make it seem worse for you. So you should just keep that in mind.

Honestly, I would recommend talking to someone about the dosing they have you on. You can call any pharmacist and they will help you out w/ some advice.

If you want some good info on Adderall you can check out the links below:

RXList
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/amphet_od.htm

Adderall Website: (this is the XR version - but still has good stuff on it)
http://www.adderallxr.com/index.asp

Later....

 

[Diver6127]

Glad you went in to get checked. Nothing is worse than putting something off like that till it's too late and everything is haywire! Hmmmm, maybe you should go back to trying your hands at on-road racing. At least now you may have new found abilities in concentration. It's a thought.

 

[kwong2001]

Sorry about the confusion about the dosage. First off it's actually Adderral XR. I take two 20mg pills in the morning then one 20mg pill in the evening. My doctor did say that I have the option to take one pill in the morning (then one in the evening). So I dunno. I'll talk to my local pharmacist to see if he thinks i've been prescribed to high of a dosage.

Also note, I was prescribed Clodinine HCl incase I have trouble falling asleep. He said that some people can have trouble going to sleep, but some actualy fall asleep better with the Adderral XR. I think i'm in the category of trouble falling asleep, but we'll have to see. Today is my first day at full dosage. If I have trouble sleeping tonight, i'll go with the same dosage and take teh Clodinine HCL. Then switch it up with just 20mg in the morning and another 20mg in the evening to see how it works out.

Glad you went in to get checked. Nothing is worse than putting something off like that till it's too late and everything is haywire! Hmmmm, maybe you should go back to trying your hands at on-road racing. At least now you may have new found abilities in concentration. It's a thought.

That did cross my mind today after reading the turn marshall thread. We'll see how it goes. I might possibly try it when it warms up a bit and I get more money in my pocket. Right now i'm too broke to race, lol

 

[kwong2001]

Just got back from talking to the pharmacist. I told her that it's my first time being on the stuff, and how much I was taking, and guess what? Digital Liquid, you were right. She said it was really high for starting off.

She recommended me only taking one in the morning, which should get me through the day. Also, she pointed out that with higher doses the Adderral XR will really effect the sleeping, especially if it's taken in the evening.

So for now i'm gonna take her advice and only do one pill in the morning.

 

[FRIDGE]

kwong,
its great to see that you are getting help for your problems. no kidding I've been feeling really unattentative (is that a word?) in school. like i can't just sit and stay put to study for a test the next day is that how you felt? about Adderral they had a special about it on mtv some kids got so addicted to it and it was like they started to over dose and it became like coccaine to them.

 

[kwong2001]

kwong,
its great to see that you are getting help for your problems. no kidding I've been feeling really unattentative (is that a word?) in school. like i can't just sit and stay put to study for a test the next day is that how you felt? about Adderral they had a special about it on mtv some kids got so addicted to it and it was like they started to over dose and it became like coccaine to them.

Yeah, I saw the special on MTV about adderral. I don't know how good of a representation it had though. That girl that was all messed up while she was on adderral (i.e. doing speed).

I was a bit hesitant on taking the adderral but I figure as long as keep myself informed and don't start abusing it, I should be fine. BTW, did you know that adderral has an underground market like some of the painkillers you can get?

=======================================================

Anyhoo, as for my symptoms: I've always been a very fidgity person. I can sit in one spot, but I can't not be doing something...i'll be messing with something no matter what. I frequently break mechanical pencils when i'm in class cuz i'll be messing with it instead of listening to the teacher.

I have a very short attention span when i'm talking to people. You can say something to me and I wouldnt' know what the hell you're talking about. Even stuff that would interest me...i'll be in a whole different world most of the time.

For school, I have trouble doing my homework period. I can't just sit and do a problem, i'll get bored super quick and do something else. Especially this quarter, i've had a lot of trouble studying on the weekends especially. I'd rather be watching t.v. or being out of the house instead of being in the house studying. So usually i'll watch t.v....even if a major test is the next day.

Also, the doctor said that with ADD, anything that interest you, you can do for long periods of time, but if it's time to stop, it's hard for you to just quit. Like when I start working on my r/c cars, i'll work for hours. But if i have to do homework, it's impossible for me to do homework cuz i'll continute to work on the cars.

It's opposite for things that don't interest you. It's incredibly hard for me to do any kind of task in a reasonable time if it doesn't interest me or I don't wanna do it. Like my school work.

There's more but those are the major symptoms i've had.

=====================================================

Now since i've been on the Adderral for my mere two days, I have noticed a big change. On the very first day, I did my homework (and then some) almost straight through with no breaks. This usually takes me all day and usually some of the next day (if I get it done at all).

My driving has gotten a lot better. I'm a pretty good driver, but I do cut people off a lot and have been known to speed. Lately I haven't worried about getting to places fast. People were going faster than me and I didn't care (usually i'll at least match their speed). I've also noticed that I don't really care if people are dumb drivers, i.e. not nearly as much road rage. Also, I don't get as anxious to have the light turn green when i'm at a red light.

Now, i'm a shy person in general. I usually can't talk to more than one person before it starts to be overwhelming. While i'm still shy, I have noticed I can deal with social situations a lot better than before.

 

[lykan]

My son was diagnosed with ADD. The school asked me to have him seen, and the doctor agreed with the school.

He had trouble focusing, applying himself, and keeping on task. He would start things, and never finish. His highest grade was a "c"

I was highly AGAINST medicating my son. My doctor assured me that if I didn't see an immediate difference that the problem was pshycological rather than a chemical imbalance.

My son showed and instant improval. He now gets A's and B's he plays football, basketball, and now has the ability to work on the nitros with me.

They started him at 5 miligrams, and about every 3-5 months they up the does in 5 miligrams increments. Your body will build up a tolerance after a length of time, and it will loose it's potency and effdectiveness.

My son is more confident, more secure, less prone to emotional outbursts and all around happier. For me, he listens better, is more responsible, and acts age appropriate.

My advice.
#1 Make sure the improvement in yourself is worth the side effects. Weight loss and insomnia have some serious side effects.
#2 make sure you need the medication, and can't make the changes you need through therapy.
#3 take the lowest dose possible because you will become tolerant and need more over time.
#4 If you forget your medication one day DO NOT make any serious decisions commitments, or financial decisions. You could pay for those decisions for years.
#5 Enjoy your new found ability to focus, and spend some time doing things you couldn't enjoy before. For my son it was being able to sit still to watch TV, read a book, or build a model.

if you have any questions, feel free to PM me, Iv'e dealt with his disorder with and without medication. It can be a rough road.

 

[Skyline Racer]

maybe i need to go get tested, i always have to move and do something... can't study or do a large amount of work. sucks... hope you get better.

 

[FRIDGE]

maybe i need to go get tested, i always have to move and do something... can't study or do a large amount of work. sucks... hope you get better.

i feel the same way once i read how kwong described it! but i get good grades. i do notice a lazy side to myself eg. the homework and study. if i told anyone about it they would look @ me like i was dum. stay strong KWong

 

[Rex2342]

I think I'm going to have to get myself checked out as well!! I see allot of the same symptoms in myself as Kwong has described. While I'm not in school anymore I still find it hard to concentrate on things that really don't interest me. I can work on my RC cars until I fall asleep at my desk but I procrastinate getting simple things done like paying my bills or changing the oil in my car or even picking up around the house. I also feel extremely uncomfortable in social situations.I can't even go out to a bar with my friends because I get so irritated by all the people around that I just want to leave.I may not have ADD or ADHD but I definately have some form of anxiety.

 

[mr_bob]

yeah alot of the stuff he said i have also the things that interest me i never want to stop but the things that dont i just dont do them


the only time i work is when I'm going to get something out of it

i always have to be moving or taping or doing something that annoys someone

so to me it sounds like i have it but i always have but oh well I've delt with it for this long why not longer

but congrats on realizeing and fixing the problem i know it takes alot to do that especially when you have this.

 

[kwong2001]

Thanks for all the support. And yeah, it doesn't hurt to get tested...just make sure insurance will cover it. Thankfully mine does.

To give a small update, i took two pills this morning, and that was all I had. As of right now the effects have pretty much worn off. But sadly i'm going through withdrawal symptoms. I can concentrate to some degree, but i'm super fidgety and it's hard for me to stay seated.

It's nothing to really worry about though. I've been through withdrawal symptoms in the past (not with adderral) and probably by tomorrow morning i'll be fine. I think one pill a day is about right for me.

 

[Digital Liquid]

Good to see that you got the dosages fixed out. Man, I didn't even know that it was the XR version. 60mg was extremely high for you (or anyone). If you did that dose consistently, you could have possibly OD on it. There are reported cases of people who OD off of as little as 2mg. But it is different from person-to-person. 2mg may make one person OD, yet it might take 100mg for the next person to OD. There is no exact number.

Yes, there is an underground market for that drug. It is an amphetamine, which is a narcotic. Some versions of amphetamines are illegal, thus you can see why the adderal would be in demand by people. It is a major stimulant, especially to the your central nervous system. Which is pretty similar to cocaine, as you mentioned earlier.

The best thing to do to avoid getting hooked is to take some time off of the drug. Since you mainly need it for school. I would recommend taking it on monday-friday (or whenever you have school). And give your body a break on the weekend. Or just taking it on the weekend when you need to study or do some homework. The XR version doesn't even reach it's peak potential in your system until around 7 hours after you have taken it. So if you are constantly taking it, you can easily build up tolerance to it and get strung out on it.

As far as the withdrawal symptoms, I would recommend just rolling w/ it. Don't try to take another drug to counteract the "coming down" effect. You mentioned that the doc prescribed "Clodinine HCl". Do you mean Clonidine HCL? B/c there is no such drug by the name that you mentioned. If it is clonidine, then I would avoid taking it, to simply help you sleep. Basically you are taking an upper (adderal) and a downer (clonidine). In the whole big picture, you will get more messed up from both of them b/c you are simply going from one extreme (hyper in morning) to the other extreme (sedated at night).

Insomnia (prolonged or abnormal inability to sleep) is one of the signs of OD; and that your dose is too high. So if you find yourself not being able to sleep for day after day. Then I would say that you dose is to high and you should drop down to the next lower dose.

If you really can't sleep at night, then try taking the adderal when you wake up (that's when it should be taken anyway). If that doesn't work, then try a lower dose of the XR (10mg). Or even ask to switch to the regular version and not the extended release version.

If you ever need some questions answered, just shoot me a PM. I will be glad to help out. I am in pharmacy school, so I study drugs & the body everyday. Plus, I have access to all the same info that doctors and pharmacist do. Not to diss your doc, but it seems that his drug prescribing could use some improvement. I'm just trying to help out.

Later........

 

[kwong2001]

Going on both your advice, Digital Liquid, and the advice of the pharmacist, i'm gonna take one 20mg pill in the morning and no more for the rest of the day. That may be a little too much, so i'll definitely monitor how it's working out and possibly consider dropping down to 10mg.

Right now my biggest concerns are the side effects. After taking two pills this morning, while being able to concentrate amazingly good, my appetite was down to nothing and both times I had to force myself to eat something. Even though my mind said i wasn't hungry, i knew i was. Also, pretty much all day i've had a very upset stomach.

Since i'm so new to Adderral, i just need work on finding the right dose that will give me the concentration i need but at least bareable side effects. So i'll definitely play with the prescription a little and change it if need be.

It's funny you mentioned about it being similiar to Cocaine. When I took the pill for the first time, I did feel somewhat of a high from it which was a little weird. My face tingled a bit and I was overly excited about everything.

Clonidine HCL was what I meant to say...but close enough eh? My doctor prescribed them to me because he said it'd both neutralize the Adderral and it was a "minor" sleeping aid. It does sound like my doctor is kinda out there on giving out his prescriptions so i'll probably just leave that prescription on my table and forget about it.

With regards to the withdrawal symptoms and addiction to the drug, i've been thinking about it throughout the day. While I do have class 5 days a week, i'll probably only take the pill Sunday-thursday since it is mandatory for me to study on those days. As for friday, I only have one class and I can get by without the adderral. Saturday is just a relax day anyhoo. Hopefully that schedule will keep things better in check...I don't wanna become a miserable junkie

On a side note : I gotta say, i'm really glad I made this thread. I think everyone's help will make a big impact on my treatment and from the sounds of it, there's a few people on the board that have gotten their thought processes started because of this thread. Thanks guys.

 

[robriguez]

Y'know, I HATE going to the doc. I Hate taking meds. I HATE thinking something is wrong with me. My Philosphy on life is that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. In the last 8 years or so the only meds I've taken is for my headaches (ibuprofen, acetemetophine (sp), Pseudoephedrine, Acetylsalicylic acid
-although I try NOT to take the last one)

I've had anxiety attacks almost all of my childhood that just went away when I hit Junior High. (right around the time I started having bouts of depression). I was on Prozac for a while after high school and just stopped taking it because I felt I didint need it any longer. But lately for the last few months... maybe a year... alot of the symptoms of the ADD stuff have been creeping up. It might be ADD, it might be depression, it might be a combo of things. I never really thought about any of it much other than I dont seem to get ANYTHING at work done any more and its really been bothering me (and my bosses). Then I read this thread and its bothering me... what if there IS something wrong...

Having said that, having just now done a ton of googling, and experiencing ALL of the symptoms you mentioned and I've read i think its time i get over my issues with docs ... grrrrr I hate going through the process of getting "checked out".

 

[Lessen]

I've ofton wondered if I myself have an attention issue. I can remember being in grade school and doing very well until 4th grade... all of a sudden I hit a wall, everthing bored me and my grades took a huge drop, that continued into junior high and high school. Procrastination was always a big issue with me and still is... like little around the house kinda stuff. I remember putting assignments off so long I'd eventually say screw it and not do it at all. Reading has always been an issue as well. I remember reading pages and pages of stuff and not remembering most of it 10 minutes later. Probably not surprising I didn't finish high school. Even my GED scores tell the story... Writing= 90
Social science= 92
Mathematics= 95
Science= 99
Reading= 76
Yeah, it's passing but it was a big hit to my confidence level compared to the other areas... even at 21 years old (when I took the test)
I'm 23 now and I kinda wonder about the ADD thing. It's kinda the big joke between the wife and I about how bad my memory is. Matter of fact about an hour ago I was supposed to pick something up somewhere and totally got on the wrong road (the interstate). This was all of 5 minutes after agreeing to run this errand. I do this kinda crap all the time and I always chalked it up to being a creature of habit, but now i wonder.

 

[robriguez]

yup... the doing something completely different after just agreeing to do something even seconds earlier is one of the annyong issues I'm dealing with. No lie... sometimes it happened less than a min later.

Kwong, I hope taking the medicine works out. These symptoms have been a pain in my arse for about a year now and I can't take it any more. I can only imagine how annoying things must have been for you.

 

[Diver6127]

I hear ya Rob. I was like that also but am glad that I had myself checked out. I originally went in because I thought I had the flu and it wouldn't go away, turned out I had Acute tuberculosis. While I was there, the doctor saw that it has been a few years since I had bloodwork done so I had the whole checkup done. Turns out I didn't know that I was diabetic.

He asked me a whole bunch of question,regarding symptoms and I said no to all of them except for having an insatiable thirst for water. Got my bloodwork back and everything was out of whack. Triglycerides were high, cholesterol was high and so was my bloodsuger (300 with fasting blood sugar).

Now I'm sticking myslef twice a day to test bloodsugar and am on Lipitor for the cholesterol and taking Glucotrol for my blood sugar. Kinda glad I had everything checked out. I was on a fast track to either diabetic coma in the future or a heart attack.

Now, instead of eating what can kill me, it's killing me not being able to eat what tastes good! AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

 

[robriguez]

ADD is no joke but Diabetis can kill you. Just about everyone on my moms side of the family has Diabetis so I'm prone to it. Being overweight and pushing 30 doesn't help matters either... I think I need to go to "camp for Fat people who dont give a crap, can't pay attention, and love chicken parm"... Does such a place exist??