Adderall is Worthless

[Loon-A-TiK]

i've been taking adderall for a little while now, and have been told that i'll feel it right away. so far i haven't felt any improvement or anything at all (except side effects), and i'm at 30mg of the XR.

i could either increase the dose or switch agents, or give it more time?

what do you think? 30mg isn't all that much.

[Maddy]

For some people the XR doesn't work as well for them as the plain old regular adderall.

I'm one of those people.

I'm also one of those people for whom Straterra doesn't work, nor Provigil.

Nor Concerta nor Ritalin.

The only thing that works is plain old adderall.

Which the fuckin pdoc wont give me because of my fuckin seizures.

[Velvet Elvis]

Amphetimes work more as dopamine agonists whereas methyphenidates work more on norephenephrine. If your risperdal is blocking the the adderal (since it is a dopamine blocker), it's more likely that you'd have luck with somthing methlyphenidate based.

If the problems you are having are the result of med side effects or mania eating at your brain rather than ADD, or another MI symptom than stimulants may not help. In that case it's important to get the Dx right.

Maddy, have you tried dexidrine? Your experience sounds a lot like mine in that regard.

[Loon-A-TiK]

my pdoc has evaluated my behavior during our sessions and hospitalizations, as well as noted my self-reported diagnostic tests and my problems taking the MMPI, and decided that he thinks i have inattentive ADD. if he's wrong, and of course he could be, then all the ADD meds in the world aren't going to help me.

i know so far that adderall xr isn't doing anything.

maybe maddy's plain old adderall will work. i've got an appointment next week and we'll have to talk about both my DX and possible medication alternatives.

i hope that we get to the bottom of it. whether it is med side effects, bipolar disorder and its havok, or meds not working, i want to know what is going on so we can fix it.

[Velvet Elvis]

There is no fixing some of it. There is understanding and compensating. You need to account for ADD in looking for work. Meds can make you space out less, maybe half or 3/4 of as much. They help. They don't fix anything. Any job where you're fired if you space out every now and then is a job you can't do.

A big part of living with ADD is learning to use your strong points to compensate.

Here's a book you could take a look at for ideas:

http://astore.amazon.com/crazyholiday1-20/...6026136-3021714

[Loon-A-TiK]

thank you for the link/suggestion! i'm going to check it out. i've been having a lot of books delivered recently i like reading, even if it takes me 20 years to finish a book because of my drifting into space.

it makes sense that like my bipolar meds, which only temper but do not totally even out my symptoms- that the ADD meds would also just help and not totally eliminate the problem.

yeah, i need to learn some compensation skills. if i ever want to be productive and get back to work, that is essential. i've learned how to handle being bipolar, but not having attention problems. i guess being a cashier in a "fast-paced work environment" gas station isn't a good choice for me then, huh? spacing out was a big problem.

i'll have some practice too. i signed up for vocational rehab, so i'll have more school and the chance to attempt to pay attention in class.

so like handling bipolar disorder, not all of it will come down to my meds. a lot of it will come down to me.

[null0trooper]

i'll have some practice too. i signed up for vocational rehab, so i'll have more school and the chance to attempt to pay attention in class.

For the classes you are interested in, there shouldn't be much problem. For the classes you aren't so interested in, there's tape recorders.

Working on good note-taking is also very helpful. Ideally, you should be able to reconstruct a (more fleshed-out) version of the instructor's

class outline in your own notebook. ADHD helps with this in that when you do concentrate it should be deeper/more focused than many of the

other students are capable of. Also, some talking points will just seem to "jump out" during the lecture because the instructor thinks they are

important (voice stress, phrasing, body language - it may not be clear what, but something will mark it as different from the rest) - that's

the flip side of "inattentive": the routine stuff doesn't register, but the breaks in the routine stand out. "Normal" people catch the routine stuff,

but somehow miss most of the bits that don't fit it.

Don't forget to add stars (or whatever) to mark the important stuff, and to add in notes to look up specific things. You're not going to

use them until you look at the notes anyway, but it would be nice to remember them then.

so like handling bipolar disorder, not all of it will come down to my meds. a lot of it will come down to me.

So true.

[Maddy]

Maddy, have you tried dexidrine? Your experience sounds a lot like mine in that regard.

I walked into the pdoc and basically threatened to leave if they kept fucking with my head meds. Apparently I'm not the only one that's been going through this.

I explained that when they put me on Staterra I wanted to kill everyone in the house before killing myself, that's how bad my cycling was. Things hadn't been that bad since the Prozac/Paxil trials and if they needed witnesses I was MORE than willing to bring forth the family to speak.

I also explained that the reason why I'm on immediate release Adderall is so I can split the dose if I'm having a really seizuriffic day. It's one reason why my script NEVER runs out.

NOT to mention the fact that I actually have MORE seizures WITHOUT it (completely) than I have with it. I've only heard of one other person that has the same reaction. Plus the added stress of everything that I have to do with my mothers estate that can't get done, is actually WORSE on my seizure threshold THAN THE FUCKIN ADDERALL!

Needless to say, I've got an immediate script and a 90 day supply for the mail pharamacy.

Because all change is bad and I know Adderall works for me.

[Loon-A-TiK]

null-

thanks!!! i was wondering- so you know of any good books to teach learning skills for people with ADD?

and lol, yes, that's what tape recorders are for.

maddy-

adderall isn't worthless for you!!! i'll bring up the possibility of the immediate release version with my pdoc and see what he thinks of that. i think he wanted to try concerta if adderall doesn't pan out.

but i don't know if it is- is this just the best that it's going to get? am i unrealistic?

to what extent do you think your adderall helps you? fully, partially?

[Velvet Elvis]

It makes sense to try something methyphenidate based if something amphetamine based doesn't work. Concerta or Focalin would both be options there. I'm still thinking that AP interference could be your problem.

[Maddy]

maddy-

adderall isn't worthless for you!!! i'll bring up the possibility of the immediate release version with my pdoc and see what he thinks of that. i think he wanted to try concerta if adderall doesn't pan out.

concerta is what works for my nephew. nothing else will. so who knows. YMMV. he doesn't have the same brain stuff going on as i do, that's for sure.

but i don't know if it is- is this just the best that it's going to get? am i unrealistic?

the meds aren't going to fix everything. i still rely on notes and stuff but i have a lot of memory issues too, more so since i had a shitload of seizure issues during '05-'06. but to what extent is that age, add, mi, meds, seizures, my fucked up brain, etc. i really don't know.

all i know is that you learn to deal the best you know how. if that means you stay out of the work force for a while and recuperate and get your shit together, then so be it. if that means you learn a new skill set or job, so be it. you deal.

to what extent do you think your adderall helps you? fully, partially?

adderall helps me to complete things. otherwise things only get half done. i can do the laundry, but i can't fold it. i can read something, but not reply. i can gather things, but i wander off before i can set about to finishing whatever i was supposed to do with the items i gathered together. i can get the numbers together and the spiral and pen together, but i can't make the phone calls.

can you spell frustration? F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N-!

i knew you could!

it doesn't help me completely, it just helps me to complete things.

it also helps with my concentration. otherwise my mind has a tendency to jump from one related subject to another and sometimes seemingly unrelated subject. and it's like unraveling a puzzle from the end to the beginning to figure out just what the hell i'm trying to tell you about.

my neice does the same thing and we can have entire one word conversations between us because every one word (or small groups of unrelated words) relates to some small peice of trivia related to that one word (or small group of unrelated words). we often forget that not everyone is like this and find it very confusing when we try this method of communication with others.

it often comes across as "word salad".

adderall prevents me from doing that as often, but i can still do it on command with my niece.

hope my post has helped and not added to any further confusion. keep in mind that YMMV. and that i am kind of a freak as well as the fact that what works extremely well for me may not for you.

also keep in mind that what has been the only thing that has worked for my nephew (Concerta) may not work for you, YMMV.

and we have tried DAMN NEAR every combo of stimulants for his severe adhd, including CYLERT and that one bp drug that i can't remember the name now. we've tried every combo of adderall known in the free world and they all set him the FUCK off on a violent spree. as does provigil. we have no clue why. regular ritalin did ok, but it crapped out on him. and because of that it just provoked his mood swings. WAY NOT GOOD. mood swings + nephew = doors torn off hinges, kids broken up, suicide attempts at age 6. WAY NOT GOOD.

so with all that in mind, YMMV. considerably.

[Loon-A-TiK]

i'm hoping to get rid of that tendancy to leave things incomplete, and the getting tangled in my thoughts. adderall does help me to finish what i start, and does clear up my thinking enough to focus on what people are saying. i still get lost in book pages, find myself just gazing into space for no reason and thinking about nothing (like just now), and thinking a million things at once.

so i'm helped to a fairly good degree in some areas, and it doesn't touch others. it is weird.

is it doseage related?

i'm leaning towards a drug switch because of the side effects i'm getting. i'm losing too much weight, losing too much hair, among other delicate troubles

if it ends up being the best that i can do, then i'll be on it, regardless of the side effects. but if there are other options that i haven't tried that may work better with fewer side effects, i'm right there.

[null0trooper]

i'm hoping to get rid of that tendancy to leave things incomplete, and the getting tangled in my thoughts. adderall does help me to finish what i start, and does clear up my thinking enough to focus on what people are saying. i still get lost in book pages, find myself just gazing into space for no reason and thinking about nothing (like just now), and thinking a million things at once.

Yeah, adderall and desipramine both help me chill out over a lot of stuff I would normally go into a slow burn over. (When younger

I would just repress the hell out of it - no wonder my serotonin levels are locked sky-high) They also help quite a bit with mounting

frustration (I didn't say I'd *stopped* instinctually trying to keep a tight rein). You really, really want me on my meds while driving.

But, I still phase out at times. To an extent higher dosages would yield an improvement, but I worry about tolerance build-up

(rational risk or not) and there's an issue with drowsiness. Sometimes lower doses work better, at least in combinations.

FWIW, I'm on the generic (instant-release) version. With my clearance rate I don't get much more than 7-8 hours from the SR version,

and my commute times are usually 10 hrs apart - 2/day dosing just makes more sense in that case once you consider the safety aspect

(at least I'm not being literally knocked out by my AD anymore)

[Loon-A-TiK]

yeah, my driving was one of the main reasons i pushed so hard for my add to be treated and not just left alone like my pdoc wanted. i need to drive, and can't afford constant accidents and almost running pedestrians over. i've had some bad accidents. i totally trashed my mom's car. and i've been in the process of totally trashing my car.

do you think i should ask him about a combo? adderall does work to an extent, and i don't know if i'm being realistic. i don't know what to expect entirely. from what you're saying, my response is entirely reasonable and is basically what i should expect. it isn't perfect, and i won't find my holy grail in any different med he could put me on.

it doesn't make me feel jumpy or in any way excited, more awake or more active. i'm not really sure where people get that from. i guess we're all different.

at least i'm not getting the "did you hear me?", or the "are you paying attention?" from people when they're talking to me!

[null0trooper]

it doesn't make me feel jumpy or in any way excited, more awake or more active. i'm not really sure where people get that from. i guess we're all different.

Elevated noradrenaline levels - that's one of the main reasons why stimulants, Wellbutrin, Straterra, and some TCAs can be hell

for folks dealing with anxiety, irritation, and/or insomnia...

Basically, your brain is getting boosted up to "practically normal." A "practically normal" person boosted up the same distance

would either be at "Yeeeehaw!" or "OKnowI'vegottocleanupthekitchenandthelivingroomandfilemytaxesandthenI'lldustoffthebathroom"

[Loon-A-TiK]

nope, it isn't yeehaw at all! i've always wondered why people ever got the idea that wellbutrin is an activating substance. it is totally neutral in my system. so is adderall. i've never felt at all hyper from it, not even the first time i took it. that's one of the reasons i thought it wasn't doing anything- i was expecting to feel at least somewhat hyper the first time i took it. i'm not sure why everyone is so concerned about it being so dangerous or something. to me, it is just like taking lamictal. there is no special effect, except that my symptoms somewhat subside.