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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Rakken on October 10, 2001, at 21:10:26
I have been on dexedrine for one month so far. I take 2 15 mg spansules in the morning and then one 10 mg dextrostat in the afternoon, then .1 mg of clonidine at night. I have had some increased anxiety so i just got switched to Adderall. I have heard a lot of mixed comments on it. Some saying its incredibly powerful feeling and euphoric, some saying its mild and uncomfortable. I have developed some tolerance to dextroamphetamine (i have less appetite suppression, easier come downs, a less noticeable up, and milder dry mouth). With Adderall I am supposed to take 2 to 3 10 mg pills in the morning. Should it be more overwhelming than dexedrine and more intense? Would it be a good idea to just take 2? I am still taking 10 mg of dextrostat for the afternoon. Also, what would be a good way to reduce the anxiety? I have heard that Adderall makes some feel very powerful, sociable, and in control. I'd be grateful for any info you guys have. Thanks in advance.
Posted by 3 Beer Effect on October 11, 2001, at 0:41:18
In reply to Adderall, posted by Rakken on October 10, 2001, at 21:10:26
Adderall is a mixture of four amphetamine salts that are formulated to work over a longer period of time than dexedrine or ritalin- Adderall lasts about 6 hours. Adderall is NOT as strong as the immediate release Dexedrine (Dextroamphetamine). Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) is the most potent & shortest acting (about 3 hours efficacy) of the amphetamines. Dextroamphetamine even has more potent CNS stimulation than methamphetamine (Desoxyn) but meth gives stronger cardiovascular/motor movement (read: nervousness) stimulation. 10 mg of the immediate release Dexedrine is said to be equal to 20 mg of Adderall or 20 mg of Ritalin. Dexedrine spansules are a time release version of dexedrine and so are probably about the same strength as adderall of the same dosage.
In my own personal experience, Ritalin is the best for studying and Adderall is better for socializing. I have not tried Dexedrine, but will try to switch to it the next time I see my psychiatrist since it appears to be much more effective than Adderall or Ritalin. Ritalin tends to have a greater focusing effect than Adderall because it increases blood flow to certain parts of the brain but doesn't cause as much motor stimulation (nervousness) as amphetmaines. But, socially, Ritalin makes you kind of weird and anti-social. The amphetamines are much better as a social enhancer.
BE CAREFUL THOUGH- tolerance to these drugs builds rapidly and they are easy to get hooked on and to abuse. I got hooked on Ritalin and the 20 mg Adderalls by snorting them- being addicted to these meds is not fun- in high doses they make you extremely paranoid (this is called amphetamine psychosis) and you won't sleep for days. (During finals last year I was on a Ritalin binge and didn't sleep for 5 days).> I have been on dexedrine for one month so far. I take 2 15 mg spansules in the morning and then one 10 mg dextrostat in the afternoon, then .1 mg of clonidine at night. I have had some increased anxiety so i just got switched to Adderall. I have heard a lot of mixed comments on it. Some saying its incredibly powerful feeling and euphoric, some saying its mild and uncomfortable. I have developed some tolerance to dextroamphetamine (i have less appetite suppression, easier come downs, a less noticeable up, and milder dry mouth). With Adderall I am supposed to take 2 to 3 10 mg pills in the morning. Should it be more overwhelming than dexedrine and more intense? Would it be a good idea to just take 2? I am still taking 10 mg of dextrostat for the afternoon. Also, what would be a good way to reduce the anxiety? I have heard that Adderall makes some feel very powerful, sociable, and in control. I'd be grateful for any info you guys have. Thanks in advance.
Posted by Rakken on October 11, 2001, at 20:18:04
In reply to Re: Adderall » Rakken, posted by JohnX on October 11, 2001, at 15:33:36
I tried the Adderall today. 30 mgs in the morning. I expected it to be more racy than the Dexedrine since it's the racemic form I think. I really didn'd think it was though. It came on more gradual and smoother i suppose. I felt a little less anxiety than when I was on the Dexedrine, but I was still really anxious at times. I think it may not be too related to the med. But what can I do for anxiety while on the Adderall? I have tried SSRI's before and they only worked at very high doses. And that was more or less because it made me feel out of it. Any suggestions?
Posted by JohnX on October 11, 2001, at 20:31:39
In reply to Re: Adderall, posted by Rakken on October 11, 2001, at 20:18:04
> I tried the Adderall today. 30 mgs in the morning. I expected it to be more racy than the Dexedrine since it's the racemic form I think. I really didn'd think it was though. It came on more gradual and smoother i suppose. I felt a little less anxiety than when I was on the Dexedrine, but I was still really anxious at times. I think it may not be too related to the med. But what can I do for anxiety while on the Adderall? I have tried SSRI's before and they only worked at very high doses. And that was more or less because it made me feel out of it. Any suggestions?
please ignore my previous post it was intended
for another thread on someone not able to
get an adderall prescription. My bad.Adderall is supposed to give a smoother reaction
than dexedrine. I would suspect this has something
to do with how the pill is packaged and how the
body breaks down the pill. Basically adderall is
a racemic form of dexedrine using various salts
like aspartate, etc. instead of just sulfate in dexedrine.
I don't understand why this would make a difference
in the smoothness of response in the med. I haven't
taken dexedrine, but I did get a smoooth adderall
response taking 40 mg once in the morning. Gave
me 6 hrs of action (enough for a day of prodcutive
work), taking about 1 hr to fully
kick in and about 1 hr to poop out at the end
leaving me tired at night.Some of these pills are very carefully packaged with
fillers that change the timing of the release of
the med. I would have to think that this is
what is doing it for the adderall. Just a guess.Klonopin really helped with the anxiety of
Adderrall and the combo worked great for me until
the klonopin pooped out. When I wasn't Klonopin
tolerant I didn't have problems with Aderrall
tolerance. Klonopin has in some studies been shown
to reduce sensitization to amphetamine. Anyways
the combo is dooomed long term, not sure why
my doctor even let me do it.A more interesting approach in the future would be to add on an
nmda receptor antagonist like memantine. This would
probably keep adderall from frying the brain and
prevent build up of tolerance. Also may relieve
the anxiety. But memantine not yet available in the US.
Rats.-john
Posted by Mitch on October 11, 2001, at 23:32:20
In reply to Re: Adderall » Rakken, posted by JohnX on October 11, 2001, at 15:33:36
> You may do well on Adderall if you are ADD. If
> you are bipolar II (which has a lot of symptoms
> of ADD), then a stimulant may make you manic
> and cause you to get in more trouble (I shoot my
> mouth off like mad without an anti-manic med to
> tame adderall). But its worth a short trial
> and since it works quickly you get a quick answer
> as to its effectivness.
>
> good luck,
> johnJohn,
I found that comment quite informative. I was tried on Adderall (just 5mg/day) a couple of years ago (with 300mg/Neurontin/day, that's it) and I got markedly QUIETER (and NO cycling). I had a lot of comments from coworkers about how "quiet" I was-"are you OK?". My pdoc switched my dx from BPII to adult ADHD (at that time). Do you think that Adult ADHD is a more accurate dx for me despite my edginess with the Adderall?
Mitch
Posted by meggles0019 on October 12, 2001, at 20:26:48
In reply to Re: Adderall, posted by 3 Beer Effect on October 11, 2001, at 0:41:18
i think i'm heading towards adderall addiction. i'm a junior in high school and taking a massive amount of honors and AP classes, in addition to attending a magnet school for art (i don't get home from school until around 6:30pm every day) and an online psychology course with a community college. i'm one of those obsessive over-achievers; a grade less than an A is reason for at least a week of depression (though school work has actually helped w/depression- i don't have time to be sad). my new psychiatrist ignored my previous diagnoses of borderline personality and depression, and within a half hour (and no testing or anything) decided i had ADD. i don't- i've never had problems focusing, i'm not hyperactive, etc. i've read the DSM criteria and its not me. the new psychiatrist prescribed 10mg of adderall and changed my prozac to effexor (b/c prozac was making me fat). though i didn't think i needed adderall in the first place, i decided to go ahead & take it b/c i've read that weight loss is a common side effect. now i skip doses on weekends and slack days so i can take 80-90 mg when i have a lot of crap to do. this week, i've slept about an hour each night and taken adderall to make up for it. what are the negative effects of adderall addiction? how much would i have to take at one time to hurt me, and specifically, what would it do?
Posted by Mitch on October 12, 2001, at 21:22:57
In reply to Re: Adderall addiction, posted by meggles0019 on October 12, 2001, at 20:26:48
> i think i'm heading towards adderall addiction. i'm a junior in high school and taking a massive amount of honors and AP classes, in addition to attending a magnet school for art (i don't get home from school until around 6:30pm every day) and an online psychology course with a community college. i'm one of those obsessive over-achievers; a grade less than an A is reason for at least a week of depression (though school work has actually helped w/depression- i don't have time to be sad). my new psychiatrist ignored my previous diagnoses of borderline personality and depression, and within a half hour (and no testing or anything) decided i had ADD. i don't- i've never had problems focusing, i'm not hyperactive, etc. i've read the DSM criteria and its not me. the new psychiatrist prescribed 10mg of adderall and changed my prozac to effexor (b/c prozac was making me fat). though i didn't think i needed adderall in the first place, i decided to go ahead & take it b/c i've read that weight loss is a common side effect. now i skip doses on weekends and slack days so i can take 80-90 mg when i have a lot of crap to do. this week, i've slept about an hour each night and taken adderall to make up for it. what are the negative effects of adderall addiction? how much would i have to take at one time to hurt me, and specifically, what would it do?
The maximum recommended daily dose of Adderall is 60mg for narcolepsy (sleeping attacks). The real danger is sleep deprivation (for a variety of causes-not just Adderall). Sleep deprivation can precipitate psychotic episodes or mania. You need to tell your doctor what you are doing with the Adderall. Obviously, you don't believe his diagnosis, it sounds like you need some help with your perfectionism and related stuff not ADD (you said you didn't have trouble focusing before the Adderall). You might think about seeing a different pdoc.
Mitch
Posted by meggles0019 on October 13, 2001, at 17:44:43
In reply to Re: Adderall addiction, posted by meggles0019 on October 12, 2001, at 20:26:48
i can't do that. i wouldn't be able to finish all the homework nad everything. and i actually am losing weight w/ adderall (if it is b/c of the adderall though, its not only that- i don't eat much b/c i don't have time). since i started taking it, i've lost more than 10 of the 40lbs prozac made me gain over the year or so i was on it.
Posted by JohnX on October 13, 2001, at 18:13:20
In reply to Re: Adderall addiction » meggles0019, posted by Mitch on October 12, 2001, at 21:22:57
> > i think i'm heading towards adderall addiction. i'm a junior in high school and taking a massive amount of honors and AP classes, in addition to attending a magnet school for art (i don't get home from school until around 6:30pm every day) and an online psychology course with a community college. i'm one of those obsessive over-achievers; a grade less than an A is reason for at least a week of depression (though school work has actually helped w/depression- i don't have time to be sad). my new psychiatrist ignored my previous diagnoses of borderline personality and depression, and within a half hour (and no testing or anything) decided i had ADD. i don't- i've never had problems focusing, i'm not hyperactive, etc. i've read the DSM criteria and its not me. the new psychiatrist prescribed 10mg of adderall and changed my prozac to effexor (b/c prozac was making me fat). though i didn't think i needed adderall in the first place, i decided to go ahead & take it b/c i've read that weight loss is a common side effect. now i skip doses on weekends and slack days so i can take 80-90 mg when i have a lot of crap to do. this week, i've slept about an hour each night and taken adderall to make up for it. what are the negative effects of adderall addiction? how much would i have to take at one time to hurt me, and specifically, what would it do?
>
> The maximum recommended daily dose of Adderall is 60mg for narcolepsy (sleeping attacks). The real danger is sleep deprivation (for a variety of causes-not just Adderall). Sleep deprivation can precipitate psychotic episodes or mania. You need to tell your doctor what you are doing with the Adderall. Obviously, you don't believe his diagnosis, it sounds like you need some help with your perfectionism and related stuff not ADD (you said you didn't have trouble focusing before the Adderall). You might think about seeing a different pdoc.
>
> MitchI'm with Mitch.
My feeling is that you are on a crash course.
Reminds me of an episode of Family Ties where
Michael J. Fox got a handfull of dexedrine and
abused it in a similar manner. I took Aderrall
and I don't think I'm ADD. It helped me with
depression, but after taking it for a while
(while not on an effective anti-manic med) I
was hardly sleeping and losing a lot of weight
really fast. Eventually I crashed. I felt like
a swarm of locusts had come in and sucked the
life out of me.Get a new doctor. Get off of Adderall. You are
smart. You know what to do. PS. I was a straight
A student, obsessive, etc., and guess what? If
you continue your obsessions to succeed and
don't take care of your body in the process
you will be history before the age of 30
and your hard work will have been for nothing.
So get some help and try your best to relax a bit.Good luck,
John
Posted by geno on August 28, 2004, at 5:51:09
In reply to Re: Adderall addiction, posted by JohnX on October 13, 2001, at 18:13:20
I was taking 60-90mg of adderall for 2 months. I had to stop because of tolerance, so i switched to Ritalin 30mg LA 2x daily. I still dont feel right. I feel lethargic, non social, dysphoric, like withdrawl. I figured ritalin would help alot, but i notice it helps a little. Do i need to take more, or maybe something else? I need at least 7-10 days off, and its been 2 days and i dont know what to expect but i dont feel right. I think i was getting addicted to adderal
please post with opinons
Posted by mmcconathy on August 29, 2004, at 15:25:46
In reply to Re: Adderall addiction, posted by geno on August 28, 2004, at 5:51:09
Was your doctor actually prescribing you that much?
I've before, tried to get my dose increased, but i dont want to be pushy about it with doc's, especially when this is amphetamine.
I took 60 usally a day, but not that often, man 90 whew, that must have been a major binge! sounded fun. I went to 75 one time but i was scared to go farther because i thought it would do damage to my dopamine cells.
What was your prescribed dose?
Matt
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