CER Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 My pdoc is starting me on it (instant release), and I was wondering if there were any personal experiences out there that anyone would like to share? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resonance Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I have the extended release and I like it. It makes me feel calmer and smoothes out sensory input, which makes me able to do things like go on extended shopping trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null0trooper Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 My pdoc is starting me on it (instant release), and I was wondering if there were any personal experiences out there that anyone would like to share? It clears my nasal passages better and faster than Sudafed. So for some people that sort of decongestant action translates into dry mouth and sinuses. As resonance said, it's great for making it easier to stop sweating some of the irritating stuff while paying better attention to the important stuff. One practice I frequently advocate - if the dose is split, take it about 30-60 minutes before driving to and from work. You'll get a bit of an afternoon slump, but since everyone else does too it's not so noticeable. Bad thing about split dosing with the IR - remembering to take the second dose. By the way, the "paradoxical effect" can reach the point of making Adderall a sleep aid. Taking one "extra" to stay awake can be counterproductive for some people (This is actually a potential risk for all stimulants and NaRIs.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CER Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 It clears my nasal passages better and faster than Sudafed. So for some people that sort of decongestant action translates into dry mouth and sinuses. As resonance said, it's great for making it easier to stop sweating some of the irritating stuff while paying better attention to the important stuff. Yeah. I have started to come down with a cold that my son has given me, and today for some reason my sinuses were a lot clearer (I didn't take any sudafed or anything like that either...). That "paradoxical effect" really is something! I mean it was only one day, and I didn't really know what to expect - whether or not I'd be physically or mentally jumping all over the place being bipolar and all, but even though it made me more awake my mind felt so much more calmer (like resonance said). It really was amazing. I was actually able to focus somewhat for the first time in a long, long time. One practice I frequently advocate - if the dose is split, take it about 30-60 minutes before driving to and from work. You'll get a bit of an afternoon slump, but since everyone else does too it's not so noticeable. Bad thing about split dosing with the IR - remembering to take the second dose. By the way, the "paradoxical effect" can reach the point of making Adderall a sleep aid. Taking one "extra" to stay awake can be counterproductive for some people (This is actually a potential risk for all stimulants and NaRIs.) Thanks for the tips. I appreciate it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CER Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 As I expected (from reading other experiences), I've adjusted rather quickly to the med. Now when I take it I hardly feel much in the way of stimulating effects (increased heart rate, etc), but I'm at a relatively low dose from what I understand. I still do get some increased focus and concentration, but not as good as when I took the first dose. I'm still getting distracted, but it's early and maybe after a couple of weeks that will change. The one thing that I have noticed is that I do feel calmer mentally after taking it, and I'm also less irritable too. I do feel a little more motivated to do things that I need to do. One thing though, after less than a week I'm still getting used to what I can or can't eat around the time I'm taking my Adderall. For example, yesterday I ate a banana after taking my second dose (not knowing that it contained ascorbic acid), and it completely killed the effect of the med for the rest of the day. It was like taking a damn sugar pill! Now I'm resorting to reading labels and googling everything that I might eat or drink in the morning or afternoon around the time I take my doses to see if it contains ascorbic acid, vitamin C, citric acid, etc... That's definitely a change for me. I need to eat in order to not lose weight, but I also need to watch what I eat so that my dose doesn't become ineffective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldo Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Lots of stuff that's not acidic has plenty of calories. Peanut butter, I think, is ok that way. And you can actually amplify the effect with a little chocolate. (I wouldn't take MUCH chocolate with it if I were you, but half an ounce ought to be ok.) BTW, if you screw up and forget, you can eat something basic to fight it. An antacid would probably be too much unless you break it into little bits. (Too much antacid might make the Adderall too effective, so err on the side of caution.) I don't know about other people, but sometimes for me, Adderall can be anxiety in a bottle. It makes me more likely to flip out, which usually doesn't happen much. Dexedrine alone doesn't seem to do this. But everybody's different, I suppose. And I definitely got some improvements to my concentration with Adderall. I get used to whichever med I'm taking, but when I can sit through an early afternoon meeting at work without nodding off, I know I'm doing well. Or if I can ignore a TV in the same room. (I hate it, so it used to really bother me when I couldn't ignore it.) As I expected (from reading other experiences), I've adjusted rather quickly to the med. Now when I take it I hardly feel much in the way of stimulating effects (increased heart rate, etc), but I'm at a relatively low dose from what I understand. I still do get some increased focus and concentration, but not as good as when I took the first dose. I'm still getting distracted, but it's early and maybe after a couple of weeks that will change. The one thing that I have noticed is that I do feel calmer mentally after taking it, and I'm also less irritable too. I do feel a little more motivated to do things that I need to do. One thing though, after less than a week I'm still getting used to what I can or can't eat around the time I'm taking my Adderall. For example, yesterday I ate a banana after taking my second dose (not knowing that it contained ascorbic acid), and it completely killed the effect of the med for the rest of the day. It was like taking a damn sugar pill! Now I'm resorting to reading labels and googling everything that I might eat or drink in the morning or afternoon around the time I take my doses to see if it contains ascorbic acid, vitamin C, citric acid, etc... That's definitely a change for me. I need to eat in order to not lose weight, but I also need to watch what I eat so that my dose doesn't become ineffective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CER Posted January 17, 2008 Author Share Posted January 17, 2008 Lots of stuff that's not acidic has plenty of calories. Peanut butter, I think, is ok that way. And you can actually amplify the effect with a little chocolate. (I wouldn't take MUCH chocolate with it if I were you, but half an ounce ought to be ok.) BTW, if you screw up and forget, you can eat something basic to fight it. An antacid would probably be too much unless you break it into little bits. (Too much antacid might make the Adderall too effective, so err on the side of caution.) Yeah. Sometimes I have a good ol' fashioned PB&J for lunch. Easy to make, easy to take with me. Well, as it turns out jelly and wheat bread have ascorbic acid in them! Yikes! Do I just eat peanut butter out of the jar? I do need to find something 'basic' to eat (or drink) if I screw up though (being so new to this still). Haven't touched the antacid thing. Too afraid too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null0trooper Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Yeah. Sometimes I have a good ol' fashioned PB&J for lunch. Easy to make, easy to take with me. Well, as it turns out jelly and wheat bread have ascorbic acid in them! You don't have to avoid all acids - after all, your stomach is a bag of juicy acids to begin with! Just don't wash the med down with lots of strong acids. I.e., skip the Coca-Cola, grapefruit juice, OJ, lemonade, cranberry juice, or anything more acidic (lower pH) than your normal stomach contents. Yikes! Do I just eat peanut butter out of the jar? This is a problem somehow? I don't get it... I do need to find something 'basic' to eat (or drink) if I screw up though (being so new to this still). Coffee, tea, cocoa, milk, water, soy milk, cappucino, mate', espresso, latte' Morning stuff for a morning dose... Haven't touched the antacid thing. Too afraid too... Tums and the generic equivalents are tasty. They also raise stomach acid pH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest renegade master Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Excellent medicine, a life saver. Very smooth and consistent. This comment goes for XR. I've been prescribed to XR up until today, and today I switched to IR for a trial of dosing. I can't so far comment on IR, but XR will work excellent consistently through out your work day. My only problem with XR has been it's lengthiness, sometimes I couldn't sleep at night even when I took a 30mg pill early in the morning... probably because i don't take it everyday, only when i need upon intense work days.. years ago i had had a horrible experience with ritalin and stopped medication for a long time because of it.. then occasionally used very small amounts of street meth upon intense projects (but never abused to the point of everyday use or dependence) but had serious sleep and appetite problems while i did that. adderall is perfect. not too intense like meth (and doesn't have serious health hazards like it does), doesn't have the ups and lows of ritalin, doesn't make you feel jittery like ritalin does, doesn't last a short intense and end with a crash to have to keep taking again and again through out the day (to me, the main factor for potential of abuse - adderall is very safe and has the least potential for abuse), and you can actually get hungry and eat. doesn't kill appetite... only stops snacking every hour... (which comes from boredom and distraction in my opinion).. i also noticed a change in my smoking habit, i don't know if anyone else had the same experience. when i'm on adderall, i realized i smoke less. when i work at home, i light a cigarette and leave it in the ashtray after a hit, and it burns out itself until i light another after 30 mins or so, which burns itself out in the tray after just a hit.. and when i work in the set or office, i take much less smoke breaks, as i'm locked onto my work and keep working.. good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldo Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Well, for me it can be like anxiety in a bottle, sometimes. And it may well be that the sleep problems with Adderall were because it was wearing off. For me, just a very small dose makes snoozing a bit easier. Excellent medicine, a life saver. Very smooth and consistent. This comment goes for XR. I've been prescribed to XR up until today, and today I switched to IR for a trial of dosing. I can't so far comment on IR, but XR will work excellent consistently through out your work day. My only problem with XR has been it's lengthiness, sometimes I couldn't sleep at night even when I took a 30mg pill early in the morning... probably because i don't take it everyday, only when i need upon intense work days.. years ago i had had a horrible experience with ritalin and stopped medication for a long time because of it.. then occasionally used very small amounts of street meth upon intense projects (but never abused to the point of everyday use or dependence) but had serious sleep and appetite problems while i did that. adderall is perfect. not too intense like meth (and doesn't have serious health hazards like it does), doesn't have the ups and lows of ritalin, doesn't make you feel jittery like ritalin does, doesn't last a short intense and end with a crash to have to keep taking again and again through out the day (to me, the main factor for potential of abuse - adderall is very safe and has the least potential for abuse), and you can actually get hungry and eat. doesn't kill appetite... only stops snacking every hour... (which comes from boredom and distraction in my opinion).. i also noticed a change in my smoking habit, i don't know if anyone else had the same experience. when i'm on adderall, i realized i smoke less. when i work at home, i light a cigarette and leave it in the ashtray after a hit, and it burns out itself until i light another after 30 mins or so, which burns itself out in the tray after just a hit.. and when i work in the set or office, i take much less smoke breaks, as i'm locked onto my work and keep working.. good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest renegade master Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Well, for me it can be like anxiety in a bottle, sometimes. And it may well be that the sleep problems with Adderall were because it was wearing off. For me, just a very small dose makes snoozing a bit easier. Excellent medicine, a life saver. Very smooth and consistent. This comment goes for XR. I've been prescribed to XR up until today, and today I switched to IR for a trial of dosing. I can't so far comment on IR, but XR will work excellent consistently through out your work day. My only problem with XR has been it's lengthiness, sometimes I couldn't sleep at night even when I took a 30mg pill early in the morning... probably because i don't take it everyday, only when i need upon intense work days.. years ago i had had a horrible experience with ritalin and stopped medication for a long time because of it.. then occasionally used very small amounts of street meth upon intense projects (but never abused to the point of everyday use or dependence) but had serious sleep and appetite problems while i did that. adderall is perfect. not too intense like meth (and doesn't have serious health hazards like it does), doesn't have the ups and lows of ritalin, doesn't make you feel jittery like ritalin does, doesn't last a short intense and end with a crash to have to keep taking again and again through out the day (to me, the main factor for potential of abuse - adderall is very safe and has the least potential for abuse), and you can actually get hungry and eat. doesn't kill appetite... only stops snacking every hour... (which comes from boredom and distraction in my opinion).. i also noticed a change in my smoking habit, i don't know if anyone else had the same experience. when i'm on adderall, i realized i smoke less. when i work at home, i light a cigarette and leave it in the ashtray after a hit, and it burns out itself until i light another after 30 mins or so, which burns itself out in the tray after just a hit.. and when i work in the set or office, i take much less smoke breaks, as i'm locked onto my work and keep working.. good stuff. yes i decreased the dose by slicing the tablets in halves and quarters using a blade, something you're not able to do with xr capsules. that way i can dose it the way i want depending on what kind of day i'm having, and less peaks and dips with smaller doses that way.. (for example, smallers peaks and dips when you take 2x15mg vs 1x30 mg and you can have it last smooth like a 30 mg xr.. ) one other bad thing about adderall is a mild headache after a period of time.. i figure it's probably because of my jaw clinching so much over long periods of time when you take it everyday during the week. even in smaller doses nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CER Posted January 28, 2008 Author Share Posted January 28, 2008 You don't have to avoid all acids - after all, your stomach is a bag of juicy acids to begin with! Just don't wash the med down with lots of strong acids. I.e., skip the Coca-Cola, grapefruit juice, OJ, lemonade, cranberry juice, or anything more acidic (lower pH) than your normal stomach contents. Yikes! Do I just eat peanut butter out of the jar? This is a problem somehow? I don't get it... I do need to find something 'basic' to eat (or drink) if I screw up though (being so new to this still). Coffee, tea, cocoa, milk, water, soy milk, cappucino, mate', espresso, latte' Morning stuff for a morning dose... Haven't touched the antacid thing. Too afraid too... Tums and the generic equivalents are tasty. They also raise stomach acid pH. Thanks again for all of the advice Null0! I'm slowly starting to get the hang of this and am not so paranoid about food anymore. The peanut butter comment was a joke, by the way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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