New to Adderall with questions

[harperevan]

I just started Adderall this week and I have a couple of questions.

I have a prescription for 20mg XR and 10mg regular.  I'm supposed to take XR in the morning and take half of a 10mg tab (so 5 mg) if I need it when that wears off.

My biggest question is - how do I space these out?  As I understand XR can last from 7 - 12 hours, which is a huge variation in timing.  I feel it wearing off after like 6, but it seems to stay in my system for 10 or so.  Around 6 hours I get hungry, grind my teeth, feel edgy, and find it harder and harder to focus.  The first 6 hours is life - changing in how awesome it is, it really calms me and helps me focus on one thing at a time.  I usually try to wait to take the second one until 9 or 10 hours in because I'm not sure how much I'm loading into my system otherwise.  But at that point I've had several hours of not feeling functional.  Or maybe this will change as I get used to it, or my dose isn't high enough?  It sucks, it feels like I'm coming down off a drug (I mean, I guess I am).

The second question is - It kicks my circulatory system into hyperdrive, and it's even worse if I'm anxious.  I had to go to the dr's office the other day and my BP was like 150/90 when I usually hover around 120/70.  My pulse was 108.  I can feel my heart beating fast, which is concerning to me.  I guess I'm curious if this too will go away or if it's alarming enough that I need to bring it up to my PDOC.

Overall though, I'm really impressed with how it's impacting me.  I kind of assumed it would feel like a huge dose of caffeine - lots of frantic energy - but it's really subtle and extremely calming.  I can't multitask any more, but at the same time things are actually interesting.  I used to get bored a lot so I would stop listening or paying attention.  I think that means I really do have ADHD.  I didn't know how much it was impacting me until I was able to actually focus on stuff.

 

[notloki]

For me I have a similar dosing schedule. I take 30 mg in the morning with an extra 15 mg avalible if I need it. 15 mg at noon with another 15 mg if I need it. It is totally left to me when I take the extra 15 mg doses.

So if I wake up and any very sleepy or otherwise feel I need it I will take both doses (the 30 mg and the 15 mg) when I wake up. Sometimes I need to be sharp first thing in the AM so I take both doses. Other times I just take 30 mg when I wake up (usually 7:30 AM) and take 15 mg at 10 AM. Sometimes I don't take the extra 15 mg at all.

Afternoons I may take both doses (15 mg and 15 mg) at noon if  I feel I need it or have a busy afternoon. I find myself doing 15 mg at noon and 15 mg at 3 PM ( the latest I can take amphetamine and have no sleep problems) a lot.

The amphetamine I take is Zenzedi 30 mg tabs.

In short you have to figure this out for yourself, no one can tell you what will be ideal for you. Rarely do my needs remain the same day to day so it is very helpful to have the flexibility. And finally my doctor also said as long as I don't exceed 75 mg a day I am free to dose as I like.

[notloki]

About the heart rate and pressure. 1) I found I got used to the blood pressure and it returned to normal, 120/80. This happened over several months. 2) A pulse of 108 is not that bad, Wellbutrin pushes my heart rate that high and I have been on that 2 decades. I now take propranolol for a hand tremor I have had all my life and being a heart medication, too, propranolol knocks my pulse down to normal (in the 70's). I don't find propranolol to effect pressure much at the dose am on (60 mg/day).

[harperevan]

So I dont need to worry about taking too much if I'm taking the 5mg regular before the XR wears off all the way.  That's super helpful, thanks!

[notloki]

1 hour ago, harperevan said:

So I dont need to worry about taking too much if I'm taking the 5mg regular before the XR wears off all the way.  That's super helpful, thanks!

Nope.

[San]

I take Dexerine IR 2x's daily. I take 15 or 20mg when I wake up, and 15 or 10mg no later than 1pm. Or else I can't sleep. Yes, this is the IR version.

With Adderall XR, I took 2 30mg XR pills in the am. If I took them separately, bye bye sleep. Apparently we don't have IR Adderall in Canada, or my pdoc misunderstood me.

[JustNuts]

On 10/29/2016 at 5:38 AM, San said:

Apparently we don't have IR Adderall in Canada, or my pdoc misunderstood me.

Adderall IR isn't approved in Canada due to some rather idiotic reasons. All formulations of Adderall are only available in North America anyways, it isn't a global product (and thus IR is only available in the US).