[Adderation]

Hey, I found myself in a 24 hour period taking about 380 mg. Experiencing most of the symptoms of overdose minus the seizure and death part. Yet, some info I had found said that overdose can start as low as 15 mg. So my question is what happened?

[Chipheo]

A bit of my personal experience with high dosege levels of Adderall. Also, trying to deal with comorbid issues and ADD at the same time. Might be relevant to some, or at least a data point as we collectively try to figure this all out.

I have been on Adderall XR / Regular release for about 6 months, in combination with other meds at times (Effexor which I phased out as I started Adderall, and various mood stabilizers) for ADD. Doc thinks this is comorbid with some form of psychic agitation-like mood cycling.

Dosege of Adderall. Doc had me up to 90mgXR in the morning within 10 days of starting treatment. For about four months I was at 90 MG XR twice a day (for me, the effect is pretty much gone in 6 hours.) Currently, we are trying regular release Adderall three times daily and have gradually brought each dose down to 70MG. (Total 210 mg daily). Doc has other patients on 200mg Adderall daily. And yes, I got a through going-over by the pharacist when I filled the first script.

Typically I tolerated the Adderall well - no great problems sleeping the first few months: though Ambien was prescribed, I didnt take it.

There has been a deluge of personal issues that have piled up recently (I was fired right before starting treatment and have not started working yet, lost apartment, seperated from my wife, money issues, etc.) and my mood has been very off, e.g. not sleeping well even with Ambien, bleakness, hopelessness at times etc. But it seems difficult to seperate what may be an expected reaction to the stress from a reaction to the dosage level. And this is all being complicated by the psychic / psychotic agitation cycling symptoms I have which are consistent with bipolar disorder. Hence the mood stabilizers.

From my reading, there is one position that ADD and Bipolar can be (often are?) co-morbid. In which case this combination of mood-stabilizers with stimulants has apparently produced very good results. A book just came out on this.

This contasts with previous treatments, I think. Traditionally, from my reading, there has been the understanding that Bipolar and ADD were many times incorrectly diagnosed - often ADD diagnosed instead of bipolar(ism?). In this case, the conventional wisdom was to treat with mood stabilizers alone thinking that stimulants just made bipolar symptoms worse.

Frankly, I feel like a work in progress now and an experiement to some extent. I have recently grown pretty frustrated and am pushing the doc to work my med levels down overall in the hopes this lessens agitation / mania symptoms while still still treating the ADD.

Also, I have taken anti-depressents including, as I mentioned, Effexxor, before I was ADD diagnosed and had good results with mood. I had an atypical response of increased need to sleep. (up to 14 or 16 hours a day on Effexxor which is the opposite of what is expected.) She has resisted anti-depressents b/c of the bipolar symptoms (thinking is they induce mania) but I would like to try.

Anyways, if anyone has any thoughts on this, I am interested to hear about them. I dont think I have read of anyone else taking such high levels of Adderall but maybe they are out there.



Quote:
Originally posted by Fightingillini

About 3 weeks ago my psychiatrist just started me on Adderall XR (for adult ADHD). She is working me up to 100MG all taken in the morning (that's 5 20mg pills).

Does this seem a bit too high to anyone else? she said it can take a high dose for adult males. I am a pretty big guy, tall and about 225 lbs., mid 20's. I thought the max dose was 60 mg...

Any ideas? I've also been started on Effexor. She gave me Xanax to take short term also...I feel like I'm being over prescribed.

Oh, and with the Adderall XR, I have ZERO appetite. I have to force myself to eat, eating is actually very unappealing. Dry mouth is getting better though.


100mg?!?!?! my doctor told me the maximum recommended dose was 40mg unless you have narcolepsy too. i am 5'0" tall, 120lbs, and 26 years old. i am currently taking 45mg of regular adderall daily, and i was under the impression that was a high dose; i guess i was wrong. to be honest i could really use 60mg but i've also been taking it for 5 years so my tolerance is higher. (oh and i also take effexor XR).

the only reason i can guess as to why your doctor is starting you out so high is due to your size. however, the most i would have expected you to start at would have been 40mg. but hey, i'm no doctor :shrug:

[thoreau]

Some doctors start you out from the lowest dose then increase and some start out with the highest and lower it till optimal dose.I wouldn't go by weight though. I think anything that works on your mood or neuro transmitters, etc. doesn't have so much to do with weight. Also they pretty much don't know what makes each one effective for anyone, but not everyone. They know dopamine, seratonin, nor-epinepherine, but not any specifics. As far as the brain goes, we have a long way to go. I'm 41 and have always had an opposite reaction to drugs. I've been that way since I was born I've been told. No one has been able to tell me why.I'm small and I'm taking 90 mg XR and that is what makes me feel as together and in order as my daughter does with 30 mg. Just listen to your body.All I know for sure is no one really knows. Good Luck

[emilypants]

damn man,
i also have bipolar, adhd, extremely bad depression, many mood disorders, rages, anger,
i take adderal
many different mood stabalizers
cerequol
trazedone
prozac
paxil
ridelin
all extremely high doses of all,
im only 15, but ive been to numerous psychiatrists, i suffer from anxiety and post dramatic stress sundrome from a collapsed lung and broken ribs mono strep throat and bronchitis all at the same time, horrible anxiety and stress, prety much im ****d up in the head, ive been put in psych wards and mental hospitals for adolescants numerous times, rehabs and etc.
all within the past 3 yrs
i cant take the aderal XR bcus my insurance doesnt cover it, but i take 60 mg adderal, but it causes my stress anxiety panic attacks and stress to get worse and more frequent, i only keep taking it bcus ive lost a very unhealthy amount of weight on it and ive grown dependant on it, as well as every other pill on earth.

hm, but...those mgs for aderal are def kinda high??? maybe you should nice lady slap ur doctor and be like NIGGA WHAT THE **** IS WRONG WITCHU.

but hey what do i know,
im a psycho.

emily<3

[myNAMEisNOTdanK]

ive taken 560mg of adderall in a 24 hour period and i was fine except for tremors, restlessness and confusion, But the again i have a huge tolerance built up so it probably didnt effect me like it would someone who had little or no tolerance built up.

[BJH088]

wow you are really retarted for taking that much. It does not take much to Stroke out on adderall. Also all that stress on your heart can make it STOP litterally it can just stop beating. You ever hear about those track atheletes or athelets in high school sports whose hearts just stop beating almost 99% of them were on some form of ADHD medication!! So be careful taking that much the main concern would be strokeing out from high blood pressure, then stress on the heart from continuous fast heartbeat and then seizure! Be careful and dont take that much again!

[vjavie2]

I went out to a night club, so when i got home i popped two ADDERALL'S, XR 30 MG, then i passed out around five. i woke up this morning very energized, but im not used to this dose and my head feel inflated. Almost like its going to pop...
I also experience some unusual penis shrinking problems. does anyone know my solution to this cause??? I don't usually take 60 mg though but with only 30 mg i still experience this problem????

[Liz1004]

hi...i just have some questions about adderall and its effects and if i've taken too much. My doctor prescribed me adderall 20mg about 8 months ago. i took a few then but didn't really seem to help all that much, possibly because i was also on an antidepressant. 3 days ago, i began taking them again because of lack of energy, depression (i am off my antidepressant), focus, general mood,etc. I have not been under a drs care and frankly dont want to go back to him because i think hes a quack that prescribes too many meds. Also, I am having extreme financial difficulty so i cant afford a new dr. The first day I took it, I took about 45mgs...split them in half and took them as far apart as i could. They gave me euphoria, focus, and i was talking non stop and in such great spirits. Well, when I started to come down it was much like a cocaine comedown (i used to do this...not anymore). Also i should add that i took the halfs way into the night not wanting to feel so bad. Very soon after i took another i was back to being productive and happy. That morning i went to bed around 9am and woke up at 1pm. When i woke up, i felt a bit achy and tired, but i got up and did some errands, then took a 20mg. This continued throughout the day and night same as before...i think i ended up taking 70mgs total. I began to get nervous and felt confused and just zoned out. I could not go to bed that night, which was last night. i took another 20mg at 10am and felt better again. i think i have taken about 60mgs so far today and its only 10 30pm. My problem is this....these really work for me as far as helping me focus, helping my depression and helping me be productive and creative. However, when i start to come down, i cant handle it and pop another whole or half. Then i feel better again. its a vicious cycle. I have to force myself to eat, have extreme dry mouth, and have slept 5hrs in 3 days. How do i stop this? im constantly afraid ive od'd although im just paranoid cause nothing really scary has happened. But sleep deprivation and all this adderall cant be good. Someone please help me...and dont suggest a dr, an er, or a drug counselor. I need help now and i have no money. Also can you just stop taking it? its only been 3 days but i dont know. And does anyone know any safe way to help me sleep? One more question, anyone know how much adderall would normally cause an od? Sorry this is so long but im so alone and confused. Thanks in advance.

[SoggyBizquick]

Liz,

I was in the exact same position you're in but it started a few months after I started taking the medication. I started out on 10mg tablets, which only lasted a few hours, so I was then put on 20 mg tabs, same thing. after messing with the doses they finally put me on 30mg XR in the morning and a 20mg tap to take with dinner so I wouldn't "crash" before bed. However the longer I took the medication the less effect it had. I loved the euphoria and excitement it gave me. I got more accomplished than ever before. So I started taking extra doses to obtain the same "high" which also prevented me from sleeping. I would go two or three days without sleeping and just taking another pill when I started to crash. I was taking up to 250mg a day, and felt like ******** if I took my regular dose. I talked to my doctor about it because I could see it was harming me physically and mentally. I had extreme mood swings, was irritable, and my mind and body were deteriorating due to lack of sleep and running on pure amphetamines. Adderall is one of the most addictive medications prescribed, and is also one of the most highly abused drugs in the country. When your brain gets used to being given a stimulant it stops making its own, which is why you feel so awful when it wears off. I was a very active and friendly person before taking the drug, I just had trouble concentrating in school. For a while Adderall made me even more friendly, productive, and energetic. But it came at a price. I have damage to my heart, and have been suffering the effects it has on the chemicals in your brain. I am slowly trying to get off the medication, and the with-drawl is pure hell. I am constantly depressed, have no energy, no motivation, and not very pleasant to be around. I am not the same person I was before I started taking Adderall. I just wanted to warn you about how extremely dangerous Adderall can be when misused, as I found out. Adderall was running my life. It's a vicious cycle that is extremely difficult to break. I would recommend that you try to take ONLY what the doctor prescribes, even though the euphoria and energy it gives you will diminish as your tolerance grows. Canada just banned the drug after 20 people experienced cardiac failure from suspected overdose. If you find yourself on a 2-3 day adderall binge go look at yourself in a mirror. I looked like a ghost, my vision was blurry, my brain was slow and unfocused, and my chest hurt. I can't fix the damage I've done to my body. I wish I never started taking the damn stuff, as I watched my dad suffer with an addiction to percocet I told myself I would never let that happen to me, but addiction is a hard thing to fight. Good luck, and be careful.

Jeremy

[friekinout]

i was just checking on side effects and saw both of your quotes. I wonder if you could help me. My son took 3 of the XR, and ecstasy the night before. we ended up in emergency for 7 hours. Extremely high heart rate and blood pressure along with pain (muscle cramps and headaches). My question is...has anyone ever taken too many and had these pains or muscle cramps? If so, how long does it last. It is Monday and he is still complaining of cramps and pain.
please let me know if anyone out there has experienced this and what is the best route to take to get through it.

[John Weelsen]

Originally Posted by vjavie2

I went out to a night club, so when i got home i popped two ADDERALL'S, XR 30 MG, then i passed out around five. i woke up this morning very energized, but im not used to this dose and my head feel inflated. Almost like its going to pop...
I also experience some unusual penis shrinking problems. does anyone know my solution to this cause??? I don't usually take adderall 60 mg though but with only 30 mg i still experience this problem????

Yes... i have experience like you in night club... but i was not very energized ... i felt myself very bad.