Posted by antennastoheaven on September 7, 2013, at 18:38:56
In reply to Best Amphetamine?, posted by brynb on September 5, 2013, at 9:24:54
having taken Adderall (XR and IR) and Vyvanse, I prefer Vyvanse by far. Incredibly smooth, long lasting (about 9 hours for me), less anxiety. If I couldn't get Vyvanse, I'd ask for dexedrine. Vyvanse s a $20 copay for me and the retail price is actually lower than Adderall XR at the pharmacy I go to.
What kind of Adderall did you take - XR? IR? brand? generic? Some people claim the generics aren't as good as the branded kind.
Adderall is 25% levoamphetamine (the physically stimulating one that is most active on norepinephrine) and 75% dextroamphetamine (the dopamine releasing mentally stimulating one). It's the l-amphetamine that is more anxiogenic. But if you're really tired the norepinephrine boost might not be so bad. I was taking Adderall XR (brand), first at 10mg then 20mg, and it was causing pretty nasty mid-afternoon crashes and anxiety. Six hours after taking it I'd start to feel anxious, and would take a walk around the neighborhood (at work) to try to calm down, and sometimes leave early if I didn't feel better afterwards.
Dexedrine is all dextroamphetamine (hence the brand name) which makes it better in many cases. Vyvanse is lisdexfetamine, which is a prodrug that metabolizes into dextroamphetamine in the bloodstream (I think?) and as a result is much smoother and longer-lasting than just taking IR d-amphetamine. I believe a given quantity of lisdexamphetamine (by weight) turns into about 30% dextroamphetamine; that is, 30 mg Vyvanse will be like 9 mg dextroamphetamine released over time.
Sometimes (if I'm really tired) I think the additional noradrenergic stimulation from levoamphetamine might be useful - but only if I've actually slept. But not that much - Adderall 10mg XR is okay, 20mg XR isn't. Otherwise, I think it just causes more anxiety.
poster:antennastoheaven
thread:1050179
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130828/msgs/1050319.html