don't know what to do,my first exp. was with the 20 m.g. i.r. and it only lasted about a week then i switched to the 30 m.g. i.r. with less results and now i am currently taking the generic adderall 30 mg.e.r. 2 pills 2 x daily and my dr.says i should be jumping off the roof and the insurance says no more than 90 on a script when i was supposed to get 120 capsules. for treatment of narcolepsy and adhd
@ first adderall 20 worked 1week later nothing switched to add.30 e.r..not working 4 times x daily?
Question posted by djm12769 on 10 Sep 2011
Last updated on 7 June 2017
Added 24 Sep 2011:
o.k. since i posted that question. i had a new script for dexedrine 15 mg spansules and found out to i had a worse reaction to them as if they were a placebo,just after taking 6/15mg.spansules i was at the dr. office this was 3hours later and blood p.s.i. was 120 over 80 and found out that i am borderline rheumatory disease/ and along with that comes more fatigue.
i also feel that with trying all of these medications i have gotten a urinary tract inf. one thing i never had before since i am a male the dr.asst. said guy's don't get them, i know that is false for sure and esp. the leg swelling.
3 Answers
mnkate
19 Sep 2011
Have read the other 2 responses and since I've been on Adderall for about 12 years I feel I have a couple key bits of info for you. 1) A majority of health care and pharmacy professionals will swear on their kids lives that the "market brand" (original version) and "generic brands" (later versions) have EXACTLY THE SAME EFFECTS. I was a clinical trials manager for a drug company for many years and as a longtime prescribed user of Adderall for both ADD and an unexpected improvement it gives my depression while active, NO 2 COMPANIES' VERSIONS OF ANY DRUG CAN CREATE EXACTLY THE SAME EFFECTS. Simply put, they all use similar "receipes" to make "adderall" but FDA allows a degree of difference in % of components.
2) It's TRUE that your first day or 2 on med (first time or after a few days off) are "stronger" seeming, then a slight body adjustment smoothes the effect, but does not diminish it significantly. 3) SHIRE created Adderall IR and XR (stay with IR) so it is always the best but most $$$ 4) SHIRE sold rights to TEVA to make Adderall IR and XR. Check local pharmacies for what Company manufactures the generic they carry. BARR is a division of TEVA, so either SHIRE, TEVA or BARR are the names you are looking for. TEVA/BARR Generic IR has been fabulous for me. The others Corepharma, Sandoz and all the rest SUCK=for me. My Rx started at 10mg daily years ago and has slowly moved up to 30mg 3 x day, which is just cutting it after so many years. When possible a friend helps out and I will average 30 mg IR 4x day, on rare occaision (deepest depressive dip) 5. 5) I DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU SELF PRESCRIBE. I have a medical background and track myself for side effects with frequent check ups. 6) But if you took a generic that is NOT very effective for you, your answer may be to have your IR tabs filled by SHIRE (best if insurance will pay) then TEVA (their division called Barr). I have tried all the manufacturers and will not waste a month's rx on any other manufacturer. Hope this helps
PS Start your daily dosing slowly when you get one of the above because hopefully the effect will be greater than what you have previously experienced and your don't want to take more than you feel works for you (if you start to chew your lips, inside cheeks, sweat more, very dry mouth you took too much at once and are wasting it). If you get 90, 30 mg tabs per month use a pill organizer to allot 3 per day. Day 1 just out of bed. Break a 30 in half (15mg) on an empty stomach (swallow with water anything acid like juice, coffee will decrease your bodys ability to absorb all 15mg) (another waste of a very, very hard to get med). Don't expect anything, just observe how you feel mentally, emotionally and physically. That might be pretty good for being so new on an effective dose. If it's not quite right, after an hour take the other half (empty stomach with water). Give it another hour. The half life (time in which effect gets used up) is short, but layering your doses throughout the day at the right level for you will maximize the number of hours per day you can get a satisfactory effect from the meds you have. If that goes well go about your business and assess your state in another 2 hours. Still going strong wait another hour then take another half. ONLY take a full 30mg if you are not getting a reasonably good (but not over speedy) effect. No sense in building up tolerance any more quickly than necessary. Also, don't fee the need to take all 3 30's daily if 2.5 gets you from am to dinner time. Save the extra half for a day down the road when you might actually need it. Good luck.
juie
24 Sep 2011
I really appreciate the information you have given us on the use of Adderall/Sertraline. .
I never knew I shouldn't take it with acid and take with my MORNING COFFEE!
You sound very knowledgable. Can I list you as a friend and watch your posts?
Also, your recommendations regarding the generics are great. I am on the 30 mg.xr and really feel that after about 2 years of use the impact is negligible. The other 10 mg. I take is because of my complaining to doctor that the stuff wasn't working so he "kindly" wrote an extra 10 mg. Setraline to take around 3 p.m. or so.
It is so disappointing to feel so good for a while on something and then start to feel nothing and I don't take frustration well. Been there before. I can actually fall back to sleep after I take my 30 mg. sertraline xr in the early morning. And then take a short nap in the afternoon. What?
Thanks for your contribution. I will ask for the IR soon and check the manufacteror on my generic. I felt great and motivated at first, but that was before the generics came out. It would cost me a fortune now to get brand as my insurance company soaks me for sertraline and will go down to practically nothing if I take generic Ritalin, I hate it and have tried it.
Armywifey10
23 Aug 2013
Thank you so much for all this wonderful information! This is my first day on ADDERALL and all your information is going to be put into full force today, goin into my second dose as I didn't even think about breaking up the doses and using them as XR. Very helpful post all together! Thank you!
NotCrazyAfter All
28 March 2015
Dear mnkate, What a spot on, fantastic review. Everything you have said above is right on. Also you small comment on helping with your depression.
I have suffered with it my whole life. I have been on the roller coaster ride, of trial and error of pills. On and off Prozac, because I just get acclimated to it and it doesn't work anymore. But I want to say something, I have noticed something monumental. The Adderall has an enormous effect on my depression. At first I thought I was imagining something. Then I started to pay close attention. I found it is true. But now after being on it for so long, I am finding as it happens with most drugs, I have obviously built up a tolerance. I am on 20mg 2 times a day. And it is a joke at this point. So I am going to see my doctor next week. But you know how we all feel.
As we are kind of looked at with suspicion, as they stare into their lap top silently, seemly looking like they are trying to decide if they have discovered you are a drug addict. They look at you, your hair, teeth, clothing, are you in a hurry.
I am so sick of this attitude from the medical community. first of all I hate drugs, pills, ant acids, vitamins, all of it. I even find eating food very inconvenient. But whatever you tell your doctor, I feel like a liar. Yes so I will be in his office trying to score some 30mg Adderall. Yep. There's a good time waiting to happen. I for one, love being able to think straight, especially when I am driving. It should be on my drivers license, if she hasn't taken her addderal, she cannot be behind the wheel of an automobile. FOR REAL.
By the way I have never replied to one of these things before. but you really got me. Thanks for your post.
Blondie1963
12 Jan 2017
I've been on adderall a few years now. I don't mean any disrespect, I have adult ADHD. When I first started taking them I felt nothing. I still don't. For those of us that need them you won't feel anything. It helps your brain stay on track. If you felt something when you first started taking them then chances are you don't need them. People that feel them are the ones that don't need them. People that don't need them like them because they are a speed base. It makes them bounce off the walls. When you need them, they help your brain to to function correctly. If not on them you can not stay on task, may get side tracked, or have a hard time finishing things. Adderall lowers my heart rate. Where someone that's doesn't need them, will increase there's. Please speak with your doctor about how you feel while taking adderall. I once knew of a young guy that passed away at an early age.
After autopsy it revealed that the inside of his body was the age of an 80 yr old man. He was not taking adderall but was taking speed which is an amphetamine. Adderall is also an amphetamine. So again I say talk to your doctor.
RUNVS
26 May 2017
This is the first time I've responded to a Blog this is a good one I've been on Adderall since I was 9 years old 10 years old I was the poster boy for having extreme attention deficit disorder ADHD I was supposedly one of the first kids in the state of Minnesota to be put on Ritalin I my grades were D's and F's mostly apps I had extremely hard time concentrating and I couldn't stop running around or talking as soon as my doctor put me on Ritalin I went from D's and F's to Straight A's I join the chess club The Debate Club my mother was so happy for me now I'm currently 45 years old back then when they first put me on Ritalin they thought it was only for teenagers they took me off at when I turn 13 my life went right back where it was right back to D's and F's now they figured it out when I turned sixteen that you can have ADHD your whole life but I just wanted to let everybody know I've had them all I've had Ritalin ...
that Adderall I'm at cetera I've had them all Vyvanse. This month received not the generic adderall that I was used to with the pink tablets amphetamine salts I received the dextroamphetamine... I instantly noticed they weren't nearly as strong as the pink tablets that I usually get or the oval orange ones amphetamine salts. These 30 mg generic dextroamphetamine tablets I believe are junk i could tell instantly these are cheap knock off... I called my pharmacist and immediately demanded he switched me back to what I'm used to he apologized and said his Pharmacy recently switched to these new tablets and that he was unable to help me I said well I'm sorry but I won't be using your Pharmacy anymore as I will have to go to Walgreens or somewhere else is it possible that the pharmaceutical companies are switching to this u31 pill because they're making more money and it's cheaper. I can't be the only one who's complaining about them, please advise... sorry for any misspelling or if it's worded weird I'm using talk to text on my phone thank you
EveryLightsOn
8 June 2017
Such an accurate and well-written comment. It would be ideal to include it as the beginning of that 20+ page info pack that's usually in the bag with a prescription. Clear and easy-to-understand advice from someone who has real-life experience with a drug of this type carries the credibility necessary to have a significant impact on another patient. Over time I have stumbled my way to some of the same conclusions about Adderall. By spreading it into small doses throughout the day, I learned that I can usually do fine with only half of my prescribed daily dose. I also noticed the benefits seemed to diminish for a few weeks and then return. It never entered my mind that this ebb-and-flow could be traced to my pharmacy regularly switching between drug manufacturers, but when I happened to mention the undulating effectiveness to my pharmacist, he immediately knew the reason.
Since then he has tried to make sure that I always receive tablets manufactured by Teva- which solved the problem. Now I realise that all generics are not created equally. I wish I had found this comment sooner. There's no reason for everyone to realise these same conclusions via personal struggle when the experience of others can save repeating some painful mistakes.
LIGHTSHARER
12 Sep 2011
I had similar responses to those med. My doc said, "I wonder if you have adrenal insufficiency!". She checked my adrenal glands... I do.
Talk to your doc about Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency.
juie
11 Sep 2011
"my dr.says i should be jumping off the roof" Yes, and if you have read the side effects possible with large amts of amphetamines you may jump off the roof! Blood pressure, stroke, etc.
Most doctors I have been to will only give 40 mg maximum for ADHD -- OK, if you have Narcoepsy, let's double that to 80 mg. You are takng 120 mg per day!
I take 40 mg. per day, and I must admit that one never feesl as good on these drugs (and others) as you do the first week. That's why addiction is so prevalen. We are trying to feel again the way we felt at first. It won't happen, and I'm sorry and wish it would.
Don't ask for Ritalin as it is less effective in adults, but you may want to try Wellbutrin or a generic version of it to replace some of that Adderall.
I wish I had better news for you, but after many years on many psychotropic drugs, I know what happens to me and have heard that the same thing from others. Our bodies adjust, and sometimes they do so quickly!
slslinde
26 Oct 2011
Depends on the STAE #1 I'm in NC and get a prescription for generic adderall 30mg times two a day for 90 day prescription. Bottom Line your state mandates the amount!
Related topics
adderall, narcolepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd), amphetamine/dextroamphetamine, generic
Further information
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.