Posted by Laree on November 19, 2004, at 14:56:26
In reply to boosting Adderall or Dexedrine, posted by geno on November 19, 2004, at 14:17:01
Hello--can I ask why you are trying to cut down on a dosage that seems to be (at least) controlling your ADHD symptoms? Are you concerned about the possibility of addiction? Just trying to understand.
Anyway, I have been on 50 mg. of Adderall/day for about 2 years total. There was a short period of time last year in which I felt it might have been "pooping-out" & got switched to Ritalin (@60 mg./day). I soon had to switch back because I could not tolerate the Ritalin nor was it as effective for my ADHD.
It has been my experience that combining caffeine (or any other stimulant) with Adderall (esp. in large amounts) can & usually does produce very unpleasant feelings of overstimulation/nervousness/shakiness, etc.
See, I would think it would be worse to take more caffeine and less of your rx'ed amount of Adderall. And i mean, how is your ADHD benefitting from that substitution??
I think maybe adding in some Provigil (a schedule IV med. used for narcolepsy etc.) and tapering the Adderall down a bit might be a good combination. I had samples of Provigil but unfortunately was on Ritalin during that time and I have not used any of the samples while back on the Adderall, so I cannot give a fair assesment of experience with that combination.
However, I have been on the combination of Adderall (50 mg./day) + Wellbutrin (up to 300 mg./day) in the past and it did not work out well for me personally. I believe that Wellbutrin added anxiety while having little-no beneficial effect on my ADHD or seasonal aff. depression (for which I have found I need an SSRI).
Have you ever tried Adderall XR? Maybe a combination of a lower dose (say, 20 mg.) of Adderall XR in the a.m. (that could last through the day) with another more "mild" med. (which seems to be what you are looking for?) used for ADHD could be of benefit. Have you been on/tried any other meds used for ADHD? What about the possibility of switching to another stimulant like Dexedrine, Dexedrine Spansules (the time-released formula of Dexedrine), Desoxyn, Concerta, Ritalin, etc.? Have you tried any of those? (and if so, I'd be curious to know how they worked for you)...
Also, if I may ask, are you on any other medications (psychiatric or other)?
Have you discussed this tapering of and substitution for your Adderall rx with your pdoc? He/she would probably be of greatest benefit to you in regards to this matter.
Thanks!
L.
> Hi everyone, Iv been really thinking and did some trying out. I feel that i need to cut down here and there, instead of just stopping my adderall. Its immpossible and like scary stopping a medication, esp amphetamines, I mean iv stopped opiates, but not willingly, and i was bad, but what i mean is, and i wonder if anyone has tried this, is My dose is 30mg, every 6 hrs, 3x daily. Its a bit high, my doc knows and gave me like the top top dose.
> Its working fine for add, but it sometimes, either feels like it doesnt work, then some days i stay up 24 hrs. or more. But once i get up, im like off to my med drawer and have to take it.
> I dropped it to 22.5 mg, and added 200mg of caffiene in pill form. I know a caffiene pill lasts at most 3-4 hrs, reg liquid coffee probably 2. So the pill is about 1-2 hrs most a bit shorter than my dose. It worked ok, i felt a bit less of an effect, but not like 15mg, i dropped it once to 15mg, and i like took 30mg within 4 hrs after, like i didnt take anything.
> Im also looking into like another dopamine agonist, i tried most every natural supplement, and nothing, so maybe welbutrin, or even a small dose of that or staterra, and say 20mg of adderall, would give me a good effect, or depending on the dose, keep it at 30mg. I guess there is no answer, im just wondering if anyone has done such.
>
> geno
poster:Laree
thread:417944
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041118/msgs/417966.html