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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lemon68 on October 10, 2005, at 22:35:18
Hi, I was wondering if anyone with Adderall XR experience, especially long term, would let me know how they fared on it. I am starting it tomorrow ( 10 mg once in the A.M.) and I'm a bit apprehensive.
I have been on Wellbutrin SR ( 200 mg in a.m.) and Lexapro ( 10 mg, down to 5 mg, down to 2.5 mg at night) for the past few months, and I've really turned into a slug. I'm not depressed, but definitely apathetic and unmotivated. My doc thought the Wellb. would do something for my ADD ( which I have along w/ depression), but I can't say it has.
I have high hopes for Adderall, as I've read some positive stuff about it ( especially in regards to its adjunctive antidepressant qualities), but hey, it's basically pharmaceutical speed, so I am a bit more wary of it than other meds ( and I've tried most of them).
Oh yeah, I also take 50-100 mg Trazodone and/or 10 mg Klonopin to sleep - I know that sounds vague, but my sleep has been effected strangely by the other 2 meds, and I am having difficulty figuring out what's helping me sleep and what's not...
Thanks in advance for any helpful advice.
Posted by Paulbwell on October 10, 2005, at 23:02:57
In reply to Adderall XR - help, anyone?, posted by lemon68 on October 10, 2005, at 22:35:18
Hi YA,
I would not start Adderall. It is a mix of 4 Amphetamines (Speed) and i guarantee you, that if you do start it, you wil up and up the dose.
Don't start taking Amphetamines-please
Posted by EERRIICC on October 10, 2005, at 23:39:28
In reply to Adderall XR - help, anyone?, posted by lemon68 on October 10, 2005, at 22:35:18
Adderall XR is extremely helpful for many people, it does not act on depressed/ADD brains in the same manner that it does on normal brains. Besides transient good responses followed by poop-out there doesn't seem to be much middle ground with this drug it either works well or doesn't work. Good luck!
Eric
Posted by Paulbwell on October 10, 2005, at 23:53:21
In reply to Re: Adderall XR - help, anyone? » lemon68, posted by EERRIICC on October 10, 2005, at 23:39:28
> Adderall XR is extremely helpful for many people, it does not act on depressed/ADD brains in the same manner that it does on normal brains. Besides transient good responses followed by poop-out there doesn't seem to be much middle ground with this drug it either works well or doesn't work. Good luck!
>
> Eric
I guess it's rich from me.Start at a low dose 10mgs IR Max-then see how you go k?
Posted by Maxime on October 11, 2005, at 11:17:10
In reply to Adderall XR - help, anyone?, posted by lemon68 on October 10, 2005, at 22:35:18
It helped my depression very much. I was taking 30 mg. When I have the money I will be taking it again. I think I took it for 4 months and then it was removed from the Canadian market ... but now it's back!!! I just need to get a job to pay for it. Ritalin and Dexedrine make my depression work. But Adderall XR was a life saver.
Maxime
> Hi, I was wondering if anyone with Adderall XR experience, especially long term, would let me know how they fared on it. I am starting it tomorrow ( 10 mg once in the A.M.) and I'm a bit apprehensive.
>
> I have been on Wellbutrin SR ( 200 mg in a.m.) and Lexapro ( 10 mg, down to 5 mg, down to 2.5 mg at night) for the past few months, and I've really turned into a slug. I'm not depressed, but definitely apathetic and unmotivated. My doc thought the Wellb. would do something for my ADD ( which I have along w/ depression), but I can't say it has.
>
> I have high hopes for Adderall, as I've read some positive stuff about it ( especially in regards to its adjunctive antidepressant qualities), but hey, it's basically pharmaceutical speed, so I am a bit more wary of it than other meds ( and I've tried most of them).
>
> Oh yeah, I also take 50-100 mg Trazodone and/or 10 mg Klonopin to sleep - I know that sounds vague, but my sleep has been effected strangely by the other 2 meds, and I am having difficulty figuring out what's helping me sleep and what's not...
>
> Thanks in advance for any helpful advice.
Posted by Phillipa on October 11, 2005, at 18:53:18
In reply to Re: Adderall XR - help, anyone? » lemon68, posted by Maxime on October 11, 2005, at 11:17:10
Maxie, I remember well. You were very upbeat and active outside. How you can get it soon. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by Schess81 on October 11, 2005, at 20:23:38
In reply to Re: Adderall XR - help, anyone? » Maxime, posted by Phillipa on October 11, 2005, at 18:53:18
It worked amazing for me for about a year, then it pooped out. (still I must say, that was probrably the greatest year of my life) I used take it for a week or so, then take a couple days off, and that seem to work well against developing tolerance; the highest I ever took was about 40mg a day, but I would usually try to keep it at 20-30mg. Only problem was when I would take the days off I would feel pretty awful, but I knew when I went back on it I would feel great. Unfortunately, for some reason it stopped working like it did originally. I decided to go off it, and the rebound depression was worse then anything I'd ever experienced. Thats my only caution- once you start, getting off the stuff can be rough. However, I used it more as an augment for my TRD- it was just as much a mood brightener as a concentration aid for me, so I may have been asking for trouble when I went on it in the first place. Amphetamines certainly must be used with caution.
Posted by Paulbwell on October 11, 2005, at 20:52:33
In reply to Re: Adderall XR - help, anyone?, posted by Schess81 on October 11, 2005, at 20:23:38
> It worked amazing for me for about a year, then it pooped out. (still I must say, that was probrably the greatest year of my life) I used take it for a week or so, then take a couple days off, and that seem to work well against developing tolerance; the highest I ever took was about 40mg a day, but I would usually try to keep it at 20-30mg. Only problem was when I would take the days off I would feel pretty awful, but I knew when I went back on it I would feel great. Unfortunately, for some reason it stopped working like it did originally. I decided to go off it, and the rebound depression was worse then anything I'd ever experienced. Thats my only caution- once you start, getting off the stuff can be rough. However, I used it more as an augment for my TRD- it was just as much a mood brightener as a concentration aid for me, so I may have been asking for trouble when I went on it in the first place. Amphetamines certainly must be used with caution.
I'm not suprised you felt awfull, when not taking it. Adderall is medical approved 'speed'-plane and simple. I have some experience in the area, thou not with Amphetamines.
Cheers
Posted by Maxime on October 11, 2005, at 22:18:11
In reply to Re: Adderall XR - help, anyone? » Maxime, posted by Phillipa on October 11, 2005, at 18:53:18
> Maxie, I remember well. You were very upbeat and active outside. How you can get it soon. Fondly, Phillipa
When I find a job and I have been working for at least a month.
Maxie
Posted by pseudoname on October 12, 2005, at 11:23:11
In reply to Adderall XR - help, anyone?, posted by lemon68 on October 10, 2005, at 22:35:18
I use Adderall XR twice a week or so, but only for my absolute WORST depressive days. That's all it really helps me with. I take about 20 mg (opening the 30 mg capsule & sprinkling some in applesauce).
Yes, if I used it every day, I would develop tolerance and have to up the dose. But by skipping a couple days in every week and keeping your overall dose as low as practical (say, 10-40 mg), you should be able to avoid having to go up & up & up with the dose.
Adderall XR is a life-saver for me on those terrible, horrible, no good, really bad days.
There was a recent thread discussing Adderall and tolerance: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl?post=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dr-bob.org%2Fbabble%2F20050921%2Fmsgs%2F559429.html
Good luck! Please post your results!
Posted by lemon68 on October 13, 2005, at 16:10:00
In reply to Adderall XR - help, anyone?, posted by lemon68 on October 10, 2005, at 22:35:18
thanks so much for the advice in regards to adderall.
I have been taking 10 mg since Tuesday. I am pretty aware of the risks of mania, insomnia, etc. , as I have done a lot of research on the drug. Plus, I recognize some of the mental effects from brief spins on street meth in my youth.. heh heh... so I know what to look for.
Bottom line, I've managed to drag my carcass out of bed before 1 pm for the first time in months ( since I lost my job, mostly due to being an apathetic mofo) , and I finished a $2000 freelance gig in 2 days - that's rent and food, kiddies.
I am apprehensive of the "poop-out", the possible manias and emotional lability ( I did experience some late-nite anxiety, but luckily had Klonopin on hand), but I think this med is worth sticking with for now. I'll keep y'all posted as to new developments, and please don't hesitate to add to this thread anything relevant...
cheers
Posted by Sarah T. on October 13, 2005, at 16:52:41
In reply to Adderall XR - help, anyone?, posted by lemon68 on October 10, 2005, at 22:35:18
Hi Lemon,
In your original post, you said you are also taking Trazodone. Did you continue to take it this week while you were on Adderall?
Sarah
Posted by lemon68 on October 13, 2005, at 23:00:54
In reply to Re: Adderall XR - help, anyone? » lemon68, posted by Sarah T. on October 13, 2005, at 16:52:41
you know, I haven't really been taking Traz. much lately. I'm just not sure if it works anymore for me. 1 mg of Klonopin seems to do the trick, but I am a bit leery of benzos. Exedrin PM does a decent job of knocking me out, too.
basically, my sleep is pretty screwed up right now, and I'm not sure which meds are doing what . I know that sounds bad, but it's really not a big deal - I think once I figure out the Adderall and how it's working with the ol' brain, I'll be able to balance things out.....
thanx
Posted by karlmarx on October 14, 2005, at 17:35:44
In reply to Re: Adderall XR - help, anyone?, posted by lemon68 on October 13, 2005, at 23:00:54
My experience - Adderall XR, up to 25 mg, works well for developing and maintaining mental focus. It made me a bit testy though, especially with my boss, which was not a good thing.
I found that tolerance developed rather quickly; I started at 10 mg and 2 months later was taking 25 mg. A couple of months later and my psychiatrist had me up to 20mg/three times a day of regular Adderall.
At this dosage it works quite well, and whenever tolerance started to set in if I decreased the dosage to, say 40 mg a day, waiting until midday to take the first dose, then after about a week or so going back to 60 would work well again.
Different variations of dosage and schedule seemed to effectively counteract my tolerance at this level.
Another technique which others have used successfully to combat tolerance is to supplement your diet with phenylalanine or tyrosine, the precursors to dopamine. Either of these amino acids can cause high blood pressure, and a sort of attenuated speed sensation on their own. So it's imperative to be careful about this - you should consult your doctor about it and monitor your blood pressure, but it's one way to go a day on with Adderall and then a day off with the amino acid supplementation.
The problem with Adderall is that you will, for one reason or another, stop taking it eventually. At the dosage I was taking this resulted in a crash, not a depressive speed crash, but just a metnbolism crash.
I almost literally slept for two days when I stopped after about 8 months at the 60 mg dosage. I would wake up to eat and use the bathroom, and then nothing seemed so attractive as getting back into bed. Which is precisely what I did.
Then, for the next week I was fighting to stay awake all day and walking around in a mental fog. Somehow I made it through work, but it seemed like every time I sat down all I wanted to lie down and go to sleep. And when I got home that is the first thing that I did.
I wish I'd never taken it. Because now I know it works, but I also know how incapacitating it can be. I guess I am lucky that I didn't experience the depression some people do, but being out of commission for nearly a week is nearly as bad.
That said, I am picking up another presription next week. I have concluded that I just need to be judicious about its use, and that means supplementing my doctor's instructions with common sense. I won't be taking 60 mg anymore, and I won't be taking it continuously either - weekdays at work when required is all.
Posted by lemon68 on October 15, 2005, at 0:37:53
In reply to Re: Adderall XR - help, anyone? » lemon68, posted by karlmarx on October 14, 2005, at 17:35:44
yikes, that sounds like a rough experience, karlmarx. hope you're okay.
did you definitely feel that your tolerance was building up, or was your doc just insistant on a dose-increase schedule that he felt was appropriate? do you feel like you are going to be able to keep taking this med long term?
thanx....
This is the end of the thread.
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