Posted by rainbowlight on June 26, 2002, at 13:38:48
Thank you so much for taking the time to explain this to me. I am going to talk to my doctor on Friday about possibly switching to Concerta. I just can't bear to take another Adderall dose, yesterdays dose made my body ache all over (Tylenol didn't even touch it) and the crash is horrible. I am hoping the other stimulants won't have the same side effects for me since they seem to help mentally.
There is a huge difference in the side effects of the three main stimulants used to tread ADD.
The side effects that are bothering you are know as sympathomemetic effects, or stimulation of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system.
The therapeutic effects of stimulants comes from thecentral nervous system stimulation, rather than the peripheral effects.
Of the three ADD meds, Adderall is the worst. It is a combo of d- and l-amphetamines. The l-amphetamine is responsible for more of the peripheral effects (side effects), and the d-amphetamine is responsible for more of the
central (therapeutic effects). The l-amphetamine lasts longer, so for those not plagued by side effects, it is a good trade off.Dexedrine (same as Dextrostat) is the d-amphetamine only and it has far
fewer side effects than Adderall.Finally methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate) has the fewest side
effects. Recently they have released the d-methylphenidate only as Focalin
and it should have fewer side effects than even Ritalin.> I am having major problems with my Adderall trial, severe peaks and valleys (as you regulars call them) and I feel like I am having trouble breathing (kind of like when you get bronchitis). Mentally it has helped make me calmer. Do you guys have any idea what I might try that is gentler on the system? I am new to stimulants, have been trying to read all I can here. Any advice would be wonderful.
poster:rainbowlight
thread:110831
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020617/msgs/110831.html