hi, i'm just wondering if anyone here has an experience with adderall/adderall xr used to treat refractory depression. i have always had problems with SSRI drugs making me lazy, amotivated, and disinterested in everything. who doesn't, right? while they helped with depression, they also turn me into a wasteful lump.. which i cannot deal with.

even at low doses of SSRIs (paxil, lexapro, effexor), i lose interest in everything (even things i enjoy), i get very anti-social where i don't even want to talk to or spend time with my friends, i don't have any motivation to get anything done. psychiatrists have often tried to augment my SSRI with wellbutrin with very little success. i didn't actually feel depressed emotions, but my body itself seemed very depressed.

anyways, my current psychiatrist (considered by far the best and most experienced in my city) has placed me on a small dose of adderall xr to augument my lexapro, based on the fact that 300mg of wellbutrin caused only minimal improvement.

right now i am taking 20mg of lexapro and 10mg of adderall xr. i've only really been taking it about a week, and it's hard for me to tell how it is doing or not, since i am on summer break from college right now and really don't have anything to test it with. i do feel a small "crash" of sorts usually around 7-8 hours of taking it though, which i don't like. not an emotional crash, but a physical one, where i get really tired and usually have to take a nap to continue the day.

has anyone else had any experience with the SSRI+stimulant combination? particularly in regards to depression rather than ADHD. i would really like to learn from others' experiences in this area, although i don't think there will be many who have done this.

I'll be interested to hear the responses to this one Chinch.  I take Adderall for my ADD and I've noticed that I'm getting ALL sorts of things accomplished.  I'm also bipolar, so depression and mania run rampant through me.  I don't take an AD because of risk of mania associated with such.  But as for the ADDerall... boy, I'm LOVIN' it!  I've never gotten so much done in my life!

I hope you get some responses... I'll be checking the thread.

Good luck with your chores!  :biglaugh:

Cat

Chinch, I also look forward to hear how the adderal works for you. The rationale for it seems pretty straightforward, i.e., it is a stimulant to counteract the apathy and lethargy you experience, which are common side effects of the SSRIs (especially Paxil, which is the most sedating of the SSRIs). What SSRI are you taking?

i'm taking 20mg of lexapro right now. i have taken most of the SSRI drugs before, including paxil. i went all the way up to 60mg of paxil at one time! what was my doctor thinking?

i've been on antidepressants for several years and i always figured that when i quit them all of the things that disappeared would reappear. those being libido, motivation, interest, zest for life, etc. i was wrong!

i was off of all medications for a 6 month period last year, with little to no improvement in the above areas. i often wonder if this is a permanent state (six months does seem like an awful long time to not return to normal).. i also wonder if this problem is because the medications somehow changed my brain functioning, or if it would have been there anyways. tough to decide.. although i do remember at points in my life where i didn't feel like this, and i felt what i considered to be normal, because i had interests and i got really excited about my hobbies and my friends. now, even off of medications i seem to be lifeless.

anyways.. maybe someone has done this before.. but it is pretty rare that pdocs use stimulants in cases other than ADD/ADHD, or at least i think it is. so i'm not really betting on a response.

as for the adderall, i can't really tell if it's doing anything or not. the first few days i was more lively and i could feel when it kicked in, and i also felt very mildly euphoric.. now i can't feel it at all. i suppose that's a good thing, side effect wise.

you know, since adderall has a very short half life, it is effective immediately, rather than the 4-8 weeks of the typical antidepressants.. (at least this is the impression i have).. so i should be able to judge the effectiveness pretty quickly, right? i can't tell if it's working or not.. ;)

i guess i should wait until college starts back up in a couple of weeks and see how motivated and able to get things done i am.

cat, i'm curious.. can you give me the info about your adderall? meaning the dosage, form (immediate or XR), and also what time of day you take it. (which i'm pretty sure is in the morning)

the only problem with me is that i wish the rush would stay. i guess that's why people can get addicted to these. you know, the first few days you take it and you feel fantastic doing all kinds of stuff, feeling good and healthy.. then after a couple days the initial glow goes away and you're like hey.. why did that have to go?

sorry i'm rambling about this.. but also..

when i took the immediate release version, my doctor told me to take a 20mg pill in the morning and that's it. i loved this because, say i needed to get up at 8am. i would set my alarm clock for 7am, then when it went off, i'd take my adderall pill, then hop back in bed.. at about 7:45 i would wake up naturally and feel rested and i didn't have that horrible time getting out of bed that i normally do.

now that i'm on the lower dosage and the XR version, i can take my pill at 7am and still be sound asleep at noon!

just FYI if you didn't know, the XR version is basically two doses of the immediate release. if you have the 20mg XR, it releases 10mg immediately and then the last 10mg after approximately 4 hours. the problem is, my day is a lot longer than 8 hours. after like 3pm-4pm i crash and feel really tired and lethargic. just wanna take a nap. i used to take the immediate release version 4 times a day! approximately every 3-4 hours. people thought i was a pill addict.

so that's the only real problem i have with adderall is the boost and later the crash. which i have heard adderall is a lot smoother comedown than ritalin, so i can't imagine what that must be like. i just wish it was smooth all day long and not a bumpy ride. but i guess that's the price you pay for drugs with short half-lives, the rebound.

do any of you know what is better, or are they equal ->

taking 20mg at once in the morning
taking 10mg twice a day
taking smaller, frequent doses

it seems to me like if you take 20mg at once, it peaks really fast, then dwindles the whole day, whereas if you take smaller, more frequent doses it should keep it more even, but there is more of an up and down effect. i guess damned if you do, damned if you don't. i wish i knew which was better/more effective. maybe i'll ask my pdoc next week.

anyways, sorry for blabbing. if you guys and girls would like to share more of your experience with adderall (even if it isn't for this reason), i'd like to hear it so i know what to make of all this, because i'm confused!  ???

You know, I have noticed that the honeymoon period IS over... I used to feel a lot more euphoric than I do now.  But I still am getting things accomplished and that's really important to me.  I take 20 mg in the a.m. and 10 mg at noon.  But I'm going to ask for the kind to take once a day, because I can't remember to take the noon pill!  So I end up cheating myself of that last dose... and that's not fair.

But when I first started the Adderall, I couldn't sleep for three nights!  I was revved up!  I mean, I was a painting machine!  It was ridiculous.  I thought I was on speed! (of course, I was!)  It is methamphetamine after all.  But, after the third day, I came down and settled down.  Now I can sleep at night at least.  But I'm still productive and have much more clarity... which was the point, in the first place.

It really helps my ADD, I can imagine that it would help depression just by getting you to be more productive.  Half the reason we get depressed is because we feel like we're non-productive and "slugs", right?  Well, this combats that.  So, I can see it.  I really can.  Good luck Chinch.

wishing you love and laughter,
Cat

I took Adderall several years ago for treatment-resistant depression. I had a wonderful pdoc who was willing to look 'outside the box' when nothing more traditional helped. I have fibromyalgia, which has a major fatigue component, plus I was lethargic and unmotivated to do anything because of the depression.
It helped both the fatigue and depression to some extent, and I lost some weight also, which for me is very positive health-wise.
Unfortunately I eventually built up tolerance, and it was spiking up my already high blood pressure, so I only take it occasionally now - mostly when I have something special occurring during a particularly bad fatigue flare-up.
I found I did best on the XR version; my take-offs and landings were rugged on the regular release. For quite a few months I did well on only 5 mg. XR early AM, with an 'as-needed' booster dose of 5 mg. XR no later than 1 PM. These low doses gave me just enough boost to get myself moving, without getting too wired, and without enough of a 'kick' to be too risky with addiction. Taking two low doses of the XR extended my daytime energy without much of that up-and-down feeling.
I hope you do well!

Wow Cinch, can I ever relate to you.  You have spelled out EXACTLY how I feel.  I take Concerta, which is just like Adderal, and I have the crash that you describe.  It is horrible with me since I also experience anxiety - I have a panic disorder.  But yeah, while I am on the Concerta/Adderal, I feel good, energetic, but I can really tell when it wears off.  I don't know what the answer is and sorry I cannot give you any ideas at this point.  But did want to let you know that I too am going through what you are.  I will keep you informed if I try anything new that helps.  Hang in there:)

OH man am i glad i found this topic...i finally got my rolercoastering from Bipolar semi undercontrol..but i am sooo lethargic and have been searching for some kind of LEGAL upper..just to get me out of bed and maybe accomplish some tasks during the day.

Is it fairly common for Bipolars to get a boost from something like Adderal???

:)

hi everyone,

yeah, CAE brings up a very good point.  i am rapid cycling bp2 and not on any meds right now except xanax and klonopin...long story...but will be seeing a new pdoc in october.  how can you justify taking adderall, etc. if you swing and have periods of mania...don't they think the adderall, etc. exaserbates...forgive my spelling...the swings.  i am always tired and have no motivation and would love to try the drug.

I can't imagine that the doc would give it to you JUST to "pick you up", but who knows?  I take it for ADD.  But it definitely "picks me up".  :D   Before the Adderall, I just didn't finish projects and generally felt that life had no substance anymore.  I just was a slug.  Really.  Concerta didn't do for me what Adderall does.  It didn't have that extra "push" that Adderall has.
Hey, you can always ask, all they can tell you is no, right?  Life as a bipolar isn't always fun.  A lot of the meds we take, take the life out of us... :(  It would be nice to have some put back in.

I am Bipolar II and I take Adderall XR.  I am closely monitored by my doctor who I see twice a week.  Some doctors are not comfortable prescribing stimulants to people who are Bipolar.  It is similar to the anti-depressant situation and the fear that the med will cause mania.  It comes down to what type of Bipolar you have, your mood history, any sensitivity to meds, and if the depression or ADHD is serious enough to take the risk.  BTW, PattiChati hasimplied that Adderall is the same thing as Concerta.  She says that they are similar which is true because they are both stimulants.  She talks about being on the Adderall/Concerta.  Concerta is a long acting form of Ritalin or methylphenidate while Adderall XR is a long acting form of Adderall which is a mixture of amphetamine salts.

Katie:)

Katie, I know Concerta and Adderal are not the same, but for me the doctors said they would act the same in my system because of the side effects, etc.  They are both amphetmines, which is what I meant, neither of which should be given to someone with an anxiety disorder.  I asked my dr. if he would try me on Adderal and he said it would do the same thing as Concerta.  Sorry if I mislead anyone:(

Okay, a little off the topic here, but how come I can't get my emoticons, the cute little smiley faces to come up like "I am Cat" and "Cae" have?  Just thought I would ask:) :)

Okay, I feel really stupid.  The first time I posted it didn't work, and now it did, so thanks you guys, you sure fix things quickly ??? :  :confused:

They do the same thing being both psycho stimulants.  Some people do well on Ritalin and others do better on Adderall.  Ritalin is methylphenidate while Adderall contains amphetamines.  There are a lot of people who switch their stimulant and if they were all the same why would they do that.  I think your doctor is right in thinking that they will all be the same in terms of worsening anxiety.  I have many anxiery disorders so I have been very attentive to whether my Adderall is contributing to my anxiety.  The Ritalin before did the same thing and my switch had to do with Ritalin not helping my ADHD.  Your doctor is smart to not waste your time and make you try the Adderall wheen there is little chance it will work out.

Katie :cool:

I have problems with anxiety, so when I first tried the low-dose (5mg.) of AdderallXR, my pdoc monitored me closely.
My response, as far as the anxiety goes, was interesting: I was actually a bit LESS anxious. I think the activating effect of the Adderall made me get up and do things, counteracting the anxiety's tendency to make me feel paralyzed. Certainly not what I had expected!

Adderall XR has lessened my anxety at shool.  I am a major perfectionist and I want to get everything right.  I started pannicking when my ability  to concentrate made it hard to keep up in school.  I was always worried that I was missing something important the professor said.  I got worried that my
papers were missing important components of the assignment.  Now that I am on Adderall I seem to be able to pay attention and have confidence that I know what is going on and exactly what is expected of me for writing a paper and doing other graded work.  This relieves a tiny bit of anxiety.

Katie :;):

Wow, great insights and answers.  Thanks everyone for telling me what you think.

no, i won't get it by just asking for it i am sure but i want some new options when i go to this new pdoc.  i have been w/o any bp meds for over a year.  Taking ones for anxiety only.

i'll let you know how it turns out in oct. :)

yes, this turned into a very interesting discussion!

well i think that everyone agrees that adderall helps out a lot. for me though, it is a very tough drug to manage. that is, finding the correct dosage and dosing schedule is very hard! more so with this drug than any others i have tried. first you have to find the dose of the drug that gives you the most benefit without too many negative side effects. next, you have to find out what intervals you need to take this dose at to maintain its effects throughout the entire day. the bad thing for me though is that usually by time i find these two out, my body has built up a tolerance and those need to be adjusted.. putting me in an endless cycle of guesswork. this is my biggest problem with the drug.

as for the actual effects of the drug it works great to give me energy, motivation to get things done, and sort of a "drive" that i don't normally have.

sometimes i think that instead of my doctor saying ok take 10mg two times a day.. if he would say ok you have a limit of 40mg a day. take it as needed, but don't exceed 40mg. that would be much easier to manage it taking it on an as needed basis.. because some days i don't need as much, and some days i need an extra dose or two to get things going. i think doctors are reluctant to give patients this kind of leeway though, especially with the abuse potential of this drug.

so for those of you on adderall, how long do you feel the drug has effects? for me, the immediate release version only gives me effects for about 3-4 hours, whereas the XR version gives me 7-8.

considering i feel that 10mg is my optimal dosage, and it runs out in 3-4 hours.. that means i need to take as many as 40mg-50mg a day to keep that level up. i have classes from 8am-9pm at night.. so i need 13 hours a day right there, not to mention the work i need to get done afterwards.

considering that, say each dose lasts 4 hours.. and i need 16 hours of it. that's 40mg a day. i still feel this is my optimal dosage, 4x a day. sometimes 3x a day.. but i don't think my doctor will allow this since 40mg is a pretty heavy dosage, right? although i have heard of some people taking 60-80mg a day.

i feel it's just gonna be too hard to convince the doctor that i need 40mg a day to have the right effects, i don't think he'll allow it cause he thinks i'll be a druggie or something..?

hi all, just an update.. i saw my pdoc today and i told him that the adderall has been working good, but that it doesn't last long enough and i personally think i need a higher dosage.

so he switched me to the immediate release kind. 10mg x 3 a day, for a total of 30mg a day (for those who can't multiply!). he didn't have a problem with this. i have sort of got the impression that 30mg isn't that high of a dosage as i thought it was. i think 20mg-30mg a day is a pretty standard dosage, with some patients needing less, some more.

anyways, i have taken one 10mg pill today so far and i already notice a drastic improvement in my condition. that is, i feel alert, energetic enough to do everything i need to do, and able to concentrate on things and sit still rather than jumping up every 2 seconds.

i will have to say that you don't really notice how much this stuff helps until you take it for a while, go off of it, realize what that is like, then start taking it again. it's like night and day!

i would suggest those of you who think this is an option to talk to your doctors. i can say i have taken wellbutrin several times over the years, and (for me) it does not work nearly as well as adderall. wellbutrin gives me some pretty bad side effects, such as these: a sense of inner restlessness and nervous system agitation.. (there is a medical term for this, i forgot it).. also i always had really bad muscle tension in my shoulders, neck and jaw. also night sweats with WB. i don't have any of these with adderall, plus the fact that it is more effective!

My Adderall is MUCH more effective at this sort of thing than Wellbutrin EVER was or could have been for me.  Wellbutrin made my miserable the entire time I was on it!  I was a nervous wreck with my head in a tunnel the entire time and just nervous and figity and overall  :ranting: ALL THE TIME!  I even either passed out or had a seizure from it!  (to this day, I'm not sure which it was, although I swear it was a seizure!  :shocked: )  I hated it.  It wasn't for me.  It works GREAT for some people, but not for me.

But Adderall is something entirely different.  

I'm going to ask my doctor to put me on the XR version.  I'm on the generic kind that I take twice a day, and although that's GREAT IF you can't remember to take it the second time... it doesn't do diddily if you don't remember to take it the second time.... see my dilemma?  So, he said to call him back and get another RX for the REAL Adderall to get the full dose at once.  Right now I take 20 mg in the a.m. and 10 mg at noon.  I think I'll opt for 30 or 40 mg in the a.m. this time.  (or however that converts over to the "once a day" kind)

Good luck with yours... I hope it works better for you taking it twice.  It works fine for me, when I can remember it... but my memory isn't so great when I'm out and about and on the run!

I need my own secretary!

 keep the conversation going... it's getting interesting.
Cat

cat, i can say i have experience with both the immediate release and the XR version, and to me, they're not much different.

i have read through the prescribing information, and it basically states that the XR version is identical to two doses of the immediate release version, given 4 hours apart. so in other words, if you take 20mg of the XR, it will release 10mg immediately, and release another 10mg in 4 hours.

for me it breaks down like this.. the immediate release version lasts about approximately 4 hours in my body before i have to dose again. the XR version lasted approximately 7 hours in my body. either way, it ended up that i was going to have to take 2 doses of even the XR version.. one in the morning, one in early afternoon.

given this fact, i figured i might as well be using the normal version, dosing several times a day. mainly, this saves me money (normal is half the price of the XR), and i also like the normal version because i can feel more of an effect immediately after i take it. (and when i take it, i usually want to feel that pretty fast because i'm usually about to do something like go to class, do errands, etc)

of course, this is all according to personal taste and how you want to do it. for me, it's easy to remember my subsequent (2nd and 3rd) doses for the day because i can tell when i'm "coming down" because my energy starts to fade and i'm not as attentive and ready to hop up and get stuff done.

by all means, try the XR version.. but for me i just prefer the normal.. just giving you a heads up! who knows, you might prefer the XR. i'd like to hear your impression of it though once you do change over! i think we should keep posting in this thread because i like having others to chat with about this stuff that i can relate to.

ok here is the quote from the prescribing information that states what i said above.. it won't let me cut and copy, so i will type the important part:



something else interesting i see in the prescribing information, it says the half-life of the x-amphetamine drugs are 10-13 hours? reaches peak plasma concentrations after 3 hours. how is this possible? if the half-life is 10-13 hours, then why do its effects only last a short period? consulting other sources it says the effect of 1 dose of immediate release adderall is effective for about 4-5 hours. this is confusing to me.. does anyone understand why?

hey just to add an update here, i asked my pdoc this question that i brought up in an earlier post:



his answer was that with drugs that are short acting like this, it is best to take smaller, distributed doses, rather than one big dose in the morning.. because it keeps the bloodstream levels more even and level throughout the day.

anyways, this is day 3 on the new dosage (30mg). basically the first night i couldn't sleep. i didn't fall asleep until like 8am or 9am the next morning. good thing it was a saturday. i only slept a couple of hours and surprisingly i was able to wake up and get going without too much trouble. i figured since i still felt alert most of the day i didn't need to take anymore the second day. i was able to sleep the second night. this is the third day and i feel like i can take my dose again, so i have. eating is a chore of course with this stuff! as a person who doesn't eat much in the first place, i don't like this much! saves on the food bills though, right? for a lot of people this appetite killing effect is a blessing. i think i saw a recent statistic that said 60% of americans were considered (medically) overweight. to be quite honest with you, i don't know why this isn't a more frequently used treatment for those who are morbidly obese. well actually come to think of it, adderall raises your blood pressure and heart rate and that could be really bad for someone whose system is already taxed by the weight. so that's probably the reason..  :idea3:

but overall, the medication is very effective at this dosage for me. i will continue to update my progress as things go along. i'm thinking it may be possible to do a day on/day off routine, because usually the second day i still feel the residual effects of mental alertness and i don't feel nearly as fatigued as i do normally.

Chinch,
You bring up a couple of very interesting points.  The first being the fact that you can't sleep when you first take this stuff.  I was up for two nights straight!  It was a paint fest!  I was a painting fool (that's what I do when I can't sleep).  Finally, by day 3, I could settle down and sleep, although fitfully.

The second thing is the appetite.  Now, granted, I'm an anorexic, so I don't have an appetite at all, so maybe I'm not a good measuring "stick" (no pun intended  :nod: ) , but my doctor's were worried about the Adderall because of the appetite suppressant abilities.  But I'm also on Topomax which suppresses the appetite.  It hasn't seemed to make much difference in my weight, which seems to fall anyway.  You know?  I've had an eating disorder for longer than I've been on the medication, you can track it back 28 years, and Adderall wasn't in my system then... I don't see what difference it will make now.  And if you DO track it, you'll see that there isn't much difference in my weight processes, even though it is dropping.  I guess I'm trying to say that, for me, it doesn't matter one way or another... I never had an appetite to begin with.  But some doctors ARE concerned about that.  I never had problems with Concerta either when i was on that, but I can notice a difference between the two.  Adderall is much stronger than Concerta ever was, on all counts.

I'll let you know if I switch over to XR, or if I just get the doctor to up my dosage of the normal kind.  

Cat

Where is everyone?

How's is going with your Adderall?

Sorry I haven't been on for a couple of days.  My computer is horrible.  I couldn't open any websites and then could not get into this one.  Everytime I went to put in my password it said it was wrong - yeah right!!
Well, I am not doing too good on the Adderal, it just isn't working for me.  I want something that just makes me feel energized but not nervous or agitated.  I don't know what to do next.  Unfortunately, my dr. isn't the most knowlegeable and I have exhausted most of the drs in the area.  I just want to feel normal.

Patti,
I'm sorry it's not working for you.  If you're ADD or ADHD, it's not supposed to make you feel that way, it's supposed to only make people who AREN'T ADD or ADHD feel that way, that's how it's SUPPOSED to work... that being said... how it's supposed to work and how it DOES work, are sometimes two opposite things!  Have you tried Strattera, Concerta... They are much more milder than Adderall and Ritalin are, or seem to be.  Some people are finding relief with Wellbutrin, but Wellbutrin made me MORE agitated than Adderall EVER could!

The best of luck to you... I hope you find an answer soon.  I know it's frustrating to you.

We're here if  and when you need to talk, hon!

&  :biglaugh:,
Cat

yes, i find it very strange that adderall does not cause the same agitation and anxiety that wellbutrin did (for me), considering it is a much more powerful drug.

but that's the fun part of the medication game.. getting to try 20 different combinations before you find one that works good enough. (sarcasm, btw)

patti, i understand your frustration with unknowledgable doctors. that is the most frustrating thing!!  :veryangry:

i have been through 4 psychiatrists and a handful of normal physicians, none of which i had any faith or trust in. i found it extremely frustrating when i would ask them a question about something, and they would be like hmm.. i'm not really sure about that. or i love when i tell them a side effect i'm experiencing, and they tell me the drug shouldn't do that.. hello!? i never twitched before and i wasn't nauseated 24/7 before you put me on this medication!

or doctors either ignoring or minimizing the need to titrate your dosage to avoid withdrawals. when i first went off of paxil (the first time i went off an SSRI) the doctor said nah don't worry about it, you can just stop taking it.

three days later i can't get out of bed cause i feel like my head is in a bug zapper, i can't stand without throwing up, and i'm hiding under the covers because i'm scared of the three-headed monkeys flying around my room... haha ok so the last one didn't happen.. but you get my point..

what _was_ my point? oh yeah hah.. i finally found a doctor who is actually educated about the medications he prescribes, and has experience mixing and matching drugs for best results. he's the first doctor i've trusted and respected. so doctors are a lot like medications.. you have to kind of shop around until you find the one that works for you.

Chinch - I absolutely LOVE your sense of humor, you kind of think like I do.  I love it when the dr. says, "oh, no one else has ever had this side effect" - dah......it is listed in the common side effects fella.  Then he gives me a new drug and says "this one will work, come back and see me in 3 months".  I hate to be on speed the rest of my life, but without it, I have no life.  I am going to see him today, so we will see what he puts me on - maybe Midol, who knows.  I will let you know.  I wrote alot of things down this time that I have learned on this post and see what he says.  Thanks for your post.

The dr. put me on 30 mgs long acting Adderal.  But it makes me depressed. Has anyone else had this effect from Adderal.  It it is a stimulant, how can it make me depressed.  I am getting really frustrated here.  Thanks. :verysad3:

interesting.. does it make you depressed feeling immediately after you take it, or later in the afternoon? sometimes when mine wears off i can feel irritable and/or a little depressed feeling, but not when i take it.

Hi cat!  I had the same problem with you with the A, the 'honeymoon' is over!  you said it sister.  Hey, if you are thinking of going to the XR ....it doesnt work too well :(  I was on from 10 to 40 (2x20) XR and a 10 at noon.  Finally I just said can we go back to the regular stuff.  10mg 4 times a day.  That XR stuff didnt seem to work at all.  It could have been because I started on the regular and switched to the XR? who knows. and then the stuff really craps out.  I couldnt even tell i took the XR until I took that 10 of the regular in the afternoon... :angry: good luck~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!

same here, i prefer the regular kind over XR. i just hate how the stuff only lasts a few hours though (both normal and XR poop out way too quick). i'm not kidding like 3 hours after i take the dose, it's done. right now i'm doing the method of just taking 10mg an hour before class. it basically gets me through that class, and that's about it. the bad thing about this is i basically have to plan my day around my dosing. i know once it wears off, i'm pretty useless. kind of sad having to plan your life around a drug.

Patti,
I'm sorry... I thought it was supposed to give you "Happy Limbs"!
The only way I could see that Adderall would make you depressed is if you're "coming down" like Chinch said, too soon and not getting a more stable dose throughout the day.  Sort of like a "sugar crash", you know?

You get up? (or do you?) and then you crash because there's nothing to sustain you...

I don't know... that's why they call it a "guess"   :(

Keep us informed, ok?

Cat

When I could no longer afford Provigil (to keep me awake because everything else I take, including Wellbutrin makes me sleepy) my pdoc tried Adderall (3X10mg a day).  It did work - gently - but unfortunately it also shot my blood pressure up.  So I am back to square one....  At least while I am in exile in the UK, I can get the Provigil for almost nothing - every cloud has some sort of silver lining, I guess  ???

Wow, I guess it worked sort of like "speed" and "speeded" up your blood pressure... It's hard to say.  It seems as though if you're really ADD/ADHD if would have made it ok with you, but do you have high blood pressure to begin with?  hmmm, curiouser, and curiouser...  :)  (quick, what movie did I get that from? ... cause I can't seem to remember it myself!)  :D

I've decided NOT to get the Adderall XR, I've decided to ask for a BUMP up in the regular ADDERALL.... I think I'll just adjust it to a higher dosage since you guys say it works better that way... Hey, all you self- medicators CAN'T all be wrong!   :;):   right?  

I'll let you know how it goes... My only problem is that I can't remember the second dose!  I have to remember the second dose!  Wish me luck!

After a long time off of it, I re-started AdderallXR 5 mg. to brighten my mood and get me out of this depressed lethargy. And nothing happened. *sigh* I'll try again tomorrow.

Lizard, I hope the Adderall XR helps with your depresion.  It would be great to get even a small boost from it.  I would suggest that you talk to the doctor about an increase in dosage, but I know that you really have to be careful with your anxiety.  Good luck.

Katie :confused:

No, Cat, I have always had extremely low BP - that was what was so alarming for me.  The Adderall DID work to keep me awake enough to concentrate - but I was NOT going to add Blood Pressure meds to my growing pharmacopea!

Wow Sharon, that WOULD be scary.  Nope, I guess it's not worth all that... However, I'd be hard pressed to live without it at this point!

I asked the doc to raise my amounts to 30 mg in the a.m. because I was forgetting the p.m. dosage at noon of 10 mg. But I wanted the optional 10 mg at noon added in to the RX just in case I remembered.  No problems, he said.  So I have a Rx for 40 mg daily just in case I want it.  

so far I've just been taking the 30 mg in the a.m. and it' just what I need to get going in the morning and get my things done.  Of course, I crash by evening... but don't we all?