![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by fachad on January 7, 2002, at 7:44:21
Just curious - how much Adderall does everyone take?
I have been taking Concerta 54mg for about a year, and I asked my pdoc if I could switch to Adderall.
He told me that Adderall was stronger on a mg basis than methylphenedate (Concerta) and that therefore I should take 30 mg/day of Adderall, which is equivalent to 54 mg of methylphenedate.
So my questions for the group are:
How much Adderall do you take (mg/day)?
Do folks feel that it is really twice as strong as Ritalin?
Has anyone taken the XR form of Adderall?
Posted by cmcdougall on January 7, 2002, at 11:55:51
In reply to How Much Adderall Do You Take?, posted by fachad on January 7, 2002, at 7:44:21
> Just curious - how much Adderall does everyone take?
I am supposed to take 20mg 3xday - I usually only take 20mg twice a day.
> He told me that Adderall was stronger on a mg basis than methylphenedate (Concerta) and that therefore I should take 30 mg/day of Adderall, which is equivalent to 54 mg of methylphenedate.
>I don't know if adderall is much stronger than methylphenidate. I took ritalin 20mg 3xday for about 7 years, then switched to 54mg concerta. When that didn't have the desired effect, I was switched to adderall in the exact same dose of the ritalin I used to take. I do not think that adderall is much stronger than ritalin. I think it is "smoother", without the extreme highs and lows that I experienced w/ methylphenidate.
Posted by Noa on January 9, 2002, at 6:59:55
In reply to Re: How Much Adderall Do You Take?, posted by cmcdougall on January 7, 2002, at 11:55:51
10 mg 3 times a day, but if I get up late, like on weekends, I'll only take 2 doses.
Posted by Bekka H. on January 9, 2002, at 12:12:18
In reply to Re: How Much Adderall Do You Take?, posted by Noa on January 9, 2002, at 6:59:55
My doctor told me that the dosage for methylphenidate (generic name for Ritalin, etc.)is TWICE the number of milligrams that one would need for Dexedrine. I know that Adderall and Dexedrine are similar, but I don't know whether they are similar enough to say that you would need half as much Adderall (in milligrams) as what you were taking in Ritalin. For me, I had been on 25-30 mg of Dexedrine (couldn't take more than that because it put me to sleep), so when I switched to Ritalin, I tried to take 50-60 mg, but I couldn't ever go above 30 mg. I tried 40 mg once, but couldn't tolerate that much. So, I'd say the doubling rule (or, in your case, the halving rule) might be a general guideline, but you have to find out what's right for YOU individually. I usually have to start out with the lowest dose possible and then work up from there. For me, I found that with stimulants, more is not necessarily better. More just puts me to sleep.
Posted by IsoM on January 9, 2002, at 13:52:12
In reply to How Much Adderall Do You Take?, posted by fachad on January 7, 2002, at 7:44:21
Just a note if anyone's interested. My doctor said that a person's body can become adjusted to stims & suggests a brief holiday from them if possible. If you have a lazy day where you don't need to do much, or it's dreary & raining & you feel like vegetating indoors, why not leave the stims alone for those days?
I find if I took stims everyday, the effects weren't as good. After a day or two without, the full effects returned. Same for my adult son, maybe our physiology is different than most but it's supposed to be true for everyone basically.
Like Bekka, I could even sleep through a dose but not if I increased it like her response.
> Just curious - how much Adderall does everyone take?
>
> I have been taking Concerta 54mg for about a year, and I asked my pdoc if I could switch to Adderall.
>
> He told me that Adderall was stronger on a mg basis than methylphenedate (Concerta) and that therefore I should take 30 mg/day of Adderall, which is equivalent to 54 mg of methylphenedate.
>
> So my questions for the group are:
>
> How much Adderall do you take (mg/day)?
>
> Do folks feel that it is really twice as strong as Ritalin?
>
> Has anyone taken the XR form of Adderall?
Posted by Bekka H. on January 9, 2002, at 17:33:37
In reply to Re: How Much Adderall Do You Take? » fachad, posted by IsoM on January 9, 2002, at 13:52:12
> Just a note if anyone's interested. My doctor said that a person's body can become adjusted to stims & suggests a brief holiday from them if possible. If you have a lazy day where you don't need to do much, or it's dreary & raining & you feel like vegetating indoors, why not leave the stims alone for those days?
>
> I find if I took stims everyday, the effects weren't as good. After a day or two without, the full effects returned. Same for my adult son, maybe our physiology is different than most but it's supposed to be true for everyone basically.
>
> Like Bekka, I could even sleep through a dose but not if I increased it like her response.
>
**************************************************I think drug holidays (i.e., not taking the drug for a few days) are a great idea. Several doctors have suggested this to me, and I've read/heard about it. Many children who are on stimulants routinely stop their meds during vacations. I have had many med-free days, and I think they are helpful.
Posted by Noa on January 10, 2002, at 7:30:33
In reply to Re: How Much Adderall Do You Take?, posted by Bekka H. on January 9, 2002, at 17:33:37
However, for me, suddenly stopping my adderall made me feel lousy, so if I ever took a med holiday, I'd do a bit of tapering. I know--seems odd because the med is short acting, but it is true for me.
Posted by fachad on January 10, 2002, at 20:58:50
In reply to How Much Adderall Do You Take?, posted by fachad on January 7, 2002, at 7:44:21
I undersand the value of drug holidays - I've been on Ritalin for 7 yrs and I know that if I skip a few days it works better after.
I was really just wondering what Adderall dose worked for other people, and if 30mg/day was a low, average, or high dose.
30mg/day seems not to work as well for me as my Concerta 54mg/day worked, and I am wondering if I should ask my pdoc to raise the dose, or if I should just go back to Concerta.
> Just curious - how much Adderall does everyone take?
>
> I have been taking Concerta 54mg for about a year, and I asked my pdoc if I could switch to Adderall.
>
> He told me that Adderall was stronger on a mg basis than methylphenedate (Concerta) and that therefore I should take 30 mg/day of Adderall, which is equivalent to 54 mg of methylphenedate.
>
> So my questions for the group are:
>
> How much Adderall do you take (mg/day)?
>
> Do folks feel that it is really twice as strong as Ritalin?
>
> Has anyone taken the XR form of Adderall?
Posted by Rakken on January 13, 2002, at 20:21:36
In reply to Re: How Much Adderall Do You Take?, posted by fachad on January 10, 2002, at 20:58:50
30 mgs in the morning and 10 or 20 mg as needed in the afternoon.
I take 10 mg on the weekends for a reduced med "holiday" - I guess that's what I'll call it.
Posted by noa on January 14, 2002, at 16:35:04
In reply to Re: How Much Adderall Do You Take?, posted by fachad on January 10, 2002, at 20:58:50
Fachad, why did you want to switch from concerta to adderall?
Posted by fachad on January 14, 2002, at 19:19:02
In reply to Re: How Much Adderall Do You Take? » fachad, posted by noa on January 14, 2002, at 16:35:04
> Fachad, why did you want to switch from concerta to adderall?
I had been taking methylphenedate for about 6 yrs and I just wanted to see if something else worked better or if maybe I had developed a gradual tolerance to MPH over the years.
So far I am not that impressed with Adderall, it gives me dry mouth and I feel more of that racey feeling (which is disphoric for me) than I had with Concerta. It seems to work a little better than Concerta, but not enough to justify the side effects.
I will ask my pdoc to try dex at my next appt, and see how that goes.
Posted by noa on January 15, 2002, at 19:31:35
In reply to Re: How Much Adderall Do You Take? » noa, posted by fachad on January 14, 2002, at 19:19:02
It does sound like you got a better effect from Concerta than Adderall, with fewer side effects. I guess the good thing about the stims is that you can do a short trial like that.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.