Posted by bigdaddy on September 18, 2004, at 23:29:19
I am a 38 yr old male, 6'9", 240lbs. I’m a generally happy, laid back, somewhat outgoing person. I am financially stable, have a good marriage, and enjoy my 3 daughters. There is some general stress in my life, but it’s manageable. I take Lexapro 10mg to treat mild depression. My depressive symptoms are usually irritability and decreased motivation. Nothing more serious than that, thankfully.
I've been taking Adderall at varying dosages for the past 4 months. I tried XR for awhile, but I seemed to get extremely irritable in the evenings, so I figured this was a side effect of the XR and changed to the regular Adderall (since the non-XR never caused those effects). The XR was good during the day but the evenings sucked and I was not my “normal” self. I was irritable to my wife and kids, etc.
I like the non-XR Adderall much better because I feel like I have more “control” with it in terms of duration of effects, etc. I have taken non-XR Adderall at 7.5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 mg dosages. I’ve experimented on my own by breaking the tablets in half or quarters to get the right dose. At the lower dosages, I don't get much effect. At 20mg I get a mild to moderate effect, and at 30mg, I get a very significant effect - increased ability to focus, energy, internal calmness, etc. I love it and can't believe what a difference it makes for me. I used to get quite a euphoric effect, which I couldn’t really articulate at the time because I was so new to the drug, but that has essentially worn off. I understand this is common – too bad! Actually, it was a bit weird being in SUCH a great mood.
I’ve never taken illicit drugs or drank alcohol. So it was my first experience with any drug no less an amphetamine.
Here's my question: I'm having a terrible time trying to figure out the right dosage for me. I usually take a morning dose at 7, then another at 11, then a last one at 3-4pm. When I take 30mg in the morning, it's fantastic, but wears off about 3.5 hours later. The next dosage of 30mg is good, but seems less “potent” than the morning dose. Then, if I take another dosage of 30mg in the afternoon, say around 3-4 pm, I not only get little effect, but it feels like the XR all over again - I feel irritable, anxious, and it produces very little, if any, positive effects like my earlier dosages. I also invariably get a feeling of low blood sugar, although I’ve never had a consistent problem with low blood sugar. There's a sense of "hunger" and whatever that feeling of low blood sugar is, but it's hard for me to describe.
Am I taking too much? My doctor says that because I'm such a big guy, 30mg 3/day would probably be okay. Do I take less mg. at my 2nd and 3rd times during the day? Is this some kind of rebound that I'm getting from too much? I’ve never personally known what a “come down” from a drug high is, but this is what I imagine it must be like, at least in a small degree.
Also, I hate to admit it, but my work involves sitting all day, I don't exercise, and I don't eat that well. My eating isn't horrible, but not that great. I wonder if I need to change my diet, eat more of something particular during the day, exercise, etc. I am not a big eater anyways, so it’s totally normal for me to eat breakfast, get busy with work, and not eat much again until dinner. Maybe a snack here and there.
Any advice is appreciated.
poster:bigdaddy
thread:392493
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040915/msgs/392493.html