Would 5mg of Adderall be effective?

[Michelle1]

I hate being on adderall.  I can't seem to work when i'm not on it.  I'm on 15 mg now.  It's working, but I feel speedy & have a hard time sleeping.  I'm wondering If i go down to 5 mg, if I can still get some work done.  

Does anyone just take 5mg of adderall?  

[Blahblah]

2 hours ago, Michelle1 said:

I hate being on adderall.  I can't seem to work when i'm not on it.  I'm on 15 mg now.  It's working, but I feel speedy & have a hard time sleeping.  I'm wondering If i go down to 5 mg, if I can still get some work done.  

Does anyone just take 5mg of adderall?  

Have you tried Ritalin? It usually has less of that "speediness" to it (so I've heard, never been on Adderall). I've only heard people taking Adderall 5mg several times per day with a combo of other meds..

Edited January 16, 2020 by Blahblah

[Iceberg]

2 hours ago, Michelle1 said:

I hate being on adderall.  I can't seem to work when i'm not on it.  I'm on 15 mg now.  It's working, but I feel speedy & have a hard time sleeping.  I'm wondering If i go down to 5 mg, if I can still get some work done.  

Does anyone just take 5mg of adderall?  

I’d look at focalin. It is still a stim but is known for being pretty mild

[mikl_pls]

1. Lower Adderall dose (which is a combination of four different amphetamine salts, half dextroamphetamine, half racemic amphetamine)—perhaps you don't metabolize amphetamines the same way most people do and just need a lower than typical dose.
2. Try Vyvanse or Dexedrine (pure dextroamphetamine, said to be more potent milligram per milligram than racemic amphetamine, also feels "cleaner" to many people than Adderall)
3. Try Ritalin or Focalin (different type of stimulant medicine entirely, AKA methylphenidate and dexmethylphenidate, respectively, increases firing rate of neurons rather than slowing them down and forcing neurotransmitter release)
4. Try Evekeo (pure racemic amphetamine)
5. Try Provigil or Nuvigil (technically not stimulants, but are wakefulness promoting agents used for narcolepsy and EDS associated with OSA as well as other sleep disorders)
6. Try Strattera (selective NRI, non-stimulant) or bupropion (Wellbutrin)
7. Try clonidine or guanfacine (Intuniv) (probably not effective as monotherapy), or combine stimulant with clonidine or guanfacine.
8. Try TCAs (specifically secondary amines like nortriptyline, desipramine, or protriptyline)
9. Last resort, try Desoxyn (methamphetamine hydrochloride)

I think that's an exhaustive list of what to try in the order that I personally think makes sense... I'm no expert though, so please do discuss this with your prescribing physician.

[Iceberg]

4 minutes ago, mikl_pls said:

1. Lower Adderall dose (which is a combination of four different amphetamine salts, half dextroamphetamine, half racemic amphetamine)—perhaps you don't metabolize amphetamines the same way most people do and just need a lower than typical dose.
2. Try Vyvanse or Dexedrine (pure dextroamphetamine, said to be more potent milligram per milligram than racemic amphetamine, also feels "cleaner" to many people than Adderall)
3. Try Ritalin or Focalin (different type of stimulant medicine entirely, AKA methylphenidate and dexmethylphenidate, respectively, increases firing rate of neurons rather than slowing them down and forcing neurotransmitter release)
4. Try Evekeo (pure racemic amphetamine)
5. Try Provigil or Nuvigil (technically not stimulants, but are wakefulness promoting agents used for narcolepsy and EDS associated with OSA as well as other sleep disorders)
6. Try Strattera (selective NRI, non-stimulant) or bupropion (Wellbutrin)
7. Try clonidine or guanfacine (Intuniv) (probably not effective as monotherapy), or combine stimulant with clonidine or guanfacine.
8. Try TCAs (specifically secondary amines like nortriptyline, desipramine, or protriptyline)
9. Last resort, try Desoxyn (methamphetamine hydrochloride)

I think that's an exhaustive list of what to try in the order that I personally think makes sense... I'm no expert though, so please do discuss this with your prescribing physician.

Yes, after looking at @mikl_pls s list, I want to amend my statement. I meant that focalin would be a good option if you figured out the lower dose was still problematic... I would always try sticking with a med you can tolerate first 

[notloki]

You need to try meds, who knows how my reaction to the same med compares. How do you think taking 90 mg a day would feel like ? Likely drive you out of your head. For me it feels normal, mot jittery at all. 

I would try a single isomer product like d-amphetamine. Either generically or Vyvanse. Generics in the USA are in 5, 10 and 15 mg IR. It is pure d-amphetamine. So is Vyvanse which is time telease.

[mikl_pls]

4 minutes ago, notloki said:

You need to try meds, who knows how my reaction to the same med compares. How do you think taking 90 mg a day would feel like ? Likely drive you out of your head. For me it feels normal, mot jittery at all. 

I would try a single isomer product like d-amphetamine. Either generically or Vyvanse. Generics in the USA are in 5, 10 and 15 mg IR. It is pure d-amphetamine. So is Vyvanse which is time telease.

There's also Zenzedi, which comes in 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, and 30 mg. That's if you can get your insurance to pay for it though, since it is a brand-name product with no generic alternative (except the 5 mg and 10 mg tablets). There is an extended release Dexedrine, Dexedrine Spansules, that come in 5 mg, 10 mg, and 15 mg capsules. Usually though they have to be dosed twice a day for some people.

 

Also, refer to the (attempted) exhaustive list I attempted to make in order of what I would consider reasonable.