... anyone has any experience to share, like weather you've had a positive experience from it. I'm 33 and the ADD words just came to light about a year ago, we finally put a name to what was interrupting my life so badly! So I was finally put on a med, we started with Effexor, and OMG!! It threw me right into what felt like being dope sick! I was so mad that day. So anyways I thought it was a reaction from the Suboxone, Dr. isn't sure, but he felt I needed a traditional treatment for the ADD. I will start the 20mg Adderall tomorrow morning.I'm still skeptical after the Effexor mess but am willing to try if it might help me! Been on Sub for almost 2 years now. Thanks a bunch!!
Is anyone on Adderall w/ Suboxone? Just started the Adderall XR and I'm just curious to see if...
Question posted by subgirl78 on 16 Nov 2011
Last updated on 28 July 2020
5 Answers
WorkaholicsAnon
3 Aug 2018
Sorry I know it's an old thread but I just wanted to ad, as far as upping your sub dose I strongly believe it's the opposite. Each person could also be different! I noticed today ( being Day one of Adderall) that I was actually able to take my 15 mg dose and not take any sub whatso ever throughout the whole day! And felt fine! Not so sure how day 2-3 will be but I'm staying optimistic!
dualhhydrographics
14 Dec 2016
I also wanted to ad that I see a sub doctor, he's a pain doctor, but doesn't really prescribe
anything else and the less you take of sub the better it will help, if you were in Europe, no doctor would prescribe more than 6 mgs in a day, but let me know how the adderall went with the sub because provigil was a blasted nightmare, he told me to stop cymbalta, but I couldn't find nothing on the internet that said there was any counter reaction from cymbalta and sub
Danni926
16 Nov 2011
hi subgirl78... im danni926... i have been taking suboxone since October 2010... i started on 2.5 of the 8 mg tabs/day, and i am now in the process of weaning off of them since it has been a little over a year... i am now taking 1 sub per day, some days none, and some days .5 of an 8 mg pill... i knew for quite some time it was likely i was some degree of ADHD... i had to treat my opiate addiction first and foremost... i saw a psychiatrist in late August and after being evaluated, i was diagnosed ADHD... i started on a low dose of 10 mg adderall IR, 1-2 times a day, and worked up to about 2-3 20 mg IR/day... this worked well for me, and the days i take suboxone, which are less and less, and 1 at most if i do take it at all, i've had no negative interaction whatsoever... due to the adderall shortage/unavailability, i switched to adderall XR 20 mg, shire brand name... i take 40 mg in the morning... no negative interaction with this, either.
I do not know what dosage suboxone you are taking, but I'd definitely recommend taking the lowest dose possible while you are taking adderall... I know in my earlier days on suboxone, if i took too much, like more than 3, I would get very tired, and you don't want to become reliant on a stimulant to offset the fatigue caused by too much suboxone... not a good route to go, speaking as one addict to another...
I wish I had been diagnosed earlier, i think i may have made different choices in life, instead of self medicating with alcohol and drugs the years that i did... i quit drinking 6 years ago, but had a harder time letting go of the opiates... it's been over a year now, and hoping to soon be off suboxone completely... all of these doctors appointments and the money i shell out even with insurance is becoming exhausting : O~ though i only pay my Rx co-pay for suboxone, the doctor visits are NOT covered, and that alone is incentive to keep tapering... not rushing to do it, taking my time... my fear of opiate relapse is strong enough to keep me slow & steady...
As agreed with previous comment, those who tend to get speedy jacked-up off of adderall may not truly need it, i can't judge, but i know I get a calm centeredness and focus the likes of which i don't think i've known ever, or at least not in a long time... it has made it easier for me to step down from the suboxone, another benefit.
good luck and listen to your body... taking 3 suboxone on top of adderall seems a bit high to me, but i guess everybody has different chemistry and sobriety levels...
Danni
subgirl78
17 Nov 2011
Hi Danni,
Thanks for your post, really appreciate it:) I have to say I really liked hearing that you didn't need to take your full dose of suboxone everyday since being on the adderall. And wow to the shortage? I've never heard of a medication shortage, that just sounds scary!
I am so with you on the slow and steady. I cannot agree more. I see so many people who go to our local counseling clinic, (which also provides the suboxone) who are only on it for a few months or even close to one year who relapse right away. The doctor there believes that amount of time is sufficient and "the shorter the better". I began with her, but quickly changed doctors within 2 months, my current doctor believes the opposite. He thinks we need more time on it, and a very slow slow taper.
Also the first doctor, put me on 3 of the 8's a day in january of 2010, even though I was clean for a period of time! I was so not functional, and ended up relapsing very soon after. I knew it was too much and asked for a lower dose with my new dr. Back then I started at 1.5 a day but over time Ive gone up to 2.5 But I am done going up and have been at this dose about a year now.
I don't experience the tiredness I'm seeing people talk about..
I'm sorry I'm rambling!
Oh yes today I started the adderall and I was pleasantly suprised that there were no negative feelings like I experienced before. I was just so petrified after that effexor incident!! And someone mentioned that I might feel "sped up", I didn't get any kind of a buzz or anything. One thing that did happen today that was pretty cool was that I played a whole game with my twins (4yrs old) and didnt get up or do a time out or just forget about the game altogether lol! I was like, woa thats a first!! Most meds take time to show improvements so I'm pleasantly suprised that I even noticed just one thing that was better just from day 1.
I am with you on wishing I had been diagnosed earlier as well. Here we do all this self-work, looking into ourselves over the years, I thought I had it all figured out! I was 7 years clean before I relapsed, while I was in nursing school. It was like my brain was just burning out and burning out the cars driving faster around the track until they finally blew up!! The finger was always pointed at "depression" or "anxiety", (I really did have struggles with those conditions as a teenager, and I have to believe that was the easy conclusion to come to) But I knew it just wasn't that I was not a depressed person.
So after coming back to recovery after my relapse, my husband in prison (stole money for addiction, he was 8 years clean before the relapse), and feeling like my brain was getting worse instead of better, very frustrated I really had to do a self study so that I could communicate to the proffessionals exactly what was "wrong" in my life. I made a list and handed it to the nicely dressed woman and after reading through it she went to her little cabinet and handed me the pamphlet about add/adhd. I was dumbfounded I said "How do these people know me?" lol And I should mention that while I can't be certain that it truly "got worse" or it could have been that it was profoundly more noticeable without having my husband to live life with. He was very organized, and really It was amazing to see how much I depended on him to offset my symptoms. I mean they were there, but he was there to remind me of things, etc etc!!!
I am just really looking forward to see how this goes and I have alot of faith that the med along with continued spiritual growth will finally fix this!! I've been clean off heroin since sept 2009, I had a breif relapse in April 2010 with 2 pills and cocaine. I was a heavy drinker as a teenager, but when I was introduced to heroin in 2000 I havent drank since. I thank the lord though that alcohol has not called to me. I give so much credit to alcoholics in recovery, I mean I feel pretty strong in my recovery, but really? To have to walk by liquor stores, having it stare at you in the grocery store, Tv, etc. I could not imagine having my drug of choice around me everyday. I'm so thankful that it would take alot of work to get to mine.
Ok now that I've written a novel! I really do apologize, I love to write and I'm glad I found this site. have a great day:)
M.
Thor283
18 Nov 2011
Hi Again Subgirl,
In my above comment I said I had to increase my Sub temporarily when I was also taking Adderall. But I tend to doubt you will have to. First of all because you're taking a lot more than me, but secondly of all because you are having the ADHD reaction to Adderall. That's good, it's even great. I can hear in your writing how happy you are that Adderall has done this for you. I hope it keeps doing it.
Danni926
18 Nov 2011
hi thor283... i read your comment, i know it was for subgirl and not me, but I am super curious as to why u temporarily took a little sub when u started adderall... it's fascinating to me how different peoples chemistry is... it was the opposite for me! I started adderall the end of august (2011), and at that time, i had been on suboxone for close to year (11 months), and in the first few days i was taking adderall, 2 of the first 3 days i forgot to take suboxone!
I will say this much, now that i am taking half of a sub to one full sub a day, it feels like it used to when i first started taking it. It doesn't make me tired anymore and I find it go rather well with the adderall with no bad interaction whatsoever. My doctor told me this would be the case, but I didn't believe him. I guess I had to experience this for myself.
I knew when i started suboxone that i was not going to go off of it on a whim, like "Oh ok, it's been over a year, i shouldn't need to take this stuff anymore... i am taking a lot less, so why not just go the extra mile and not take any... " well, taking less is STILL taking suboxone, and with work being busier than ever and my mood being good enough to handle this (through the adderall and suboxone), i am not in a rush to do anymore tweaking to my chemistry at the moment...
if it ain't broke...
Thor283
19 Nov 2011
Then don't fix it. LOL I couldn't agree with that more.
Hi Danni,
My little comment above is misleading, I guess. I was on Sub several years before I took Adderall.
I don't know if you're having the same reaction to Sub as I am, but it sounds similar. It helps my depression and my negative state of mind. But I'm 59 and I bet you are a lot younger. So I'm not telling you to be in a rush, but you should plan to get off it at some point. I've been on and off it since 2004 and I don't know if I can ever get off it anymore. Whenever I have tried the withdrawal symptoms seemed non stop. And this is the only reason I'm saying you should get off it at some point. And the longer you stay on it the harder it will be. I'm even realizing that I should try and get off it too. When you finally do get off it, ask your docs about what is called Low Dose Naltrexone. That means 4 mg taken before bed once at night.
It seems to be making people feel very good. There is even a web site for LDN. My doc says that LDN is doing something very similar in the brain as Sub is doing. But you can't take both at the same time. You need 11 days off all opiates before you can take LDN. I'm hoping my doc is right about this. He sees how good Sub is for my state of mind. He keeps telling me LDN should be just as good. But getting off Sub will be very hard for me. I tried it last winter and didn't get far.
I wish you and Subgirl the best. I'm glad Adderall makes you feel normal. Since Adderall does work so well for you two, maybe you don't really need Sub to feel normal. It's odd how we who don't feel normal naturally love being able to just feel normal, and many normal people are taking drugs to feel not normal. They don't know how lucky they are to be able to feel normal without drugs.
Take Care
Thor283
16 Nov 2011
Hi Subgirl,
I don't know you or your story, so I'm just going to add some words of caution here. If you really have this add or adhd, Adderall should slow you down enough so you can stop and smell the roses, as they say. If you don't have the chemical imbalance that causes add then Adderall should blast you off like a rocket. Although maybe not 20 mg of XR. But if you feel speeded up from it in anyway I don't think you are adhd. You don't seem to understand what Adderall is. If you can keep it at 20 mg a day and not want more, fine. But if you start to take more than that, or you even want more because it makes you feel like Supergirl, you're having a typical reaction to it, not an adhd reaction. If that happens you should stop it before it takes control over you. Since you're on Sub there must have been a time when opiates took control over you. Adderall can do that too. It isn't opiates, but it's addictive none the less.
And it's one of the few drugs Sub cannot block. It's something totally different. So use it with caution, and never take more than the doc said. And you yourself realize that if you are always asking the doc for more, just stop taking it. Good Luck.
subgirl78
17 Nov 2011
Hi Thor283,
Thanks for your words of caution. I know, it is like a catch 22. But My psychiatrist and I decided that the risk is worth it. There is definatley absolutely no question that I have been diagnosed correctly, and I must say, finally! I have done the researching on the different medications and after much time and consideration and trials of other things, the adderall is where we ended up. I knew exactly what the med is, but I just wanted to hear other's experiences who are also on suboxone, just to see the general gyst of opinions about how the two work together. And of course, being so addictive is definatley a concern for anyone taking it, and probably more so when it's someone like me who is an addict. Yeah this wasnt a decision taken lightly at all. It is so frustrating though going through life feeling like my brain doesn't function right. Missing appointments, misplacing things constantly, etc etc etc etc lol!!
Anyways thanks again for your concern I appreciate it!
Thor283
18 Nov 2011
Well I'll take your word for it that you have ADD. I never had Adderall without also being on Sub, but I have had plenty of other amphetamines without Sub, a long time ago. I think Sub and Adderall work fine together. Although you may have to slightly increase your Sub dose. Back then I was on 5 mg a day of Sub and I think I had to increase it 2 or 3 mg a day.
But another strange happened which I thought came completely from the Adderall. Two of the amphetamines in Adderall are new. New to me who took amphetamines in the 70's. The worst thing about amphetamines was always the crash and the depression that was part of the crash. But I didn't experience a crash with Adderall and my usual depression didn't come back for up to 2 weeks after I ran out of Adderall. But I'm now wondering if that's due to the combination of the amphetamines or is it due to the Sub I was also taking. I don't know.
All I know is for me Adderall and Sub worked great together.
So based of my experience, the only thing you may need to do is slightly increase the Sub. But play it by ear.
Good Luck.
Jeno71
28 July 2020
Thor speaks the truth - the facts!
Dubs1978
16 Nov 2011
sup subgirl? ive been on 3 8mg subs day and Adderall xr. you will like how the maybe for you... lil drowsiness Subs may give ya, will be offset by the stimulant of Adderall. im 33 also, should do you well. ya, F Effexor! Justin
Thor283
16 Nov 2011
Hey Justin,
I hope you understand that Adderall is just as addictive as Sub and opiates are. And there is nothing like Sub to use if you get hooked on Adderall. You have to just crash and go through a period of exhaustion like you've never seen before. It sounds like your doc gave it to you for the wrong reasons. If you need something to offset the tiredness from Sub, Provigil or Nuvigil are better choices. They are habit forming, but not addictive. In other words you get more tired once you stop them, but there is no withdrawal syndrome like with Adderall. But you also should work on reducing your Sub dose. As it gets lower you shouldn't feel so tired. Feeling tired means you are taking way too much.
Dubs1978
22 Nov 2011
Yes Thor, aware of all my meds and there addictiveness. Adderall's actually class II, Suboxone, III. I'm on my meds for the right reasons. That bein, I'm the one in my head and have been the last 33 years. I mentioned Sub. may give you a lil drowsy feeling, not nod ya out. Thanks for caring about my well being, not many people are as thoughtful. Justin
Kaia1
13 June 2014
Hey
I am tired of being on sub
It was prescribed for pain & wanted something safe!!! Yikes!!
This is tough tough to detox
Very tired going down
Thought about add - just to function
when dropping a dose on sub -
Any helpful hints ideas on detox?
I am still not down low - So I am very concerned about going lower -
dualhhydrographics
14 Dec 2016
I think that is way too much sub, my body was crushed between 2 cars, my knees are shot, arthritis the whole 10 yards, I just take 2 mg 3 times a day, but can take 4, I tried provigil and on the 3rd day I thought I was gonna die, looked at this fda site and sub and provi don't mix, I read other peoples nightmares from it, I don't have any energy at all, was going to try adderall or ask my doctor since I don't have add it will do the opposite and because I am male, I have to get testosterone therapy, but the sub is fighting that, I can't take stuff like hydro and vics, wears off to quick and feel like crap, so it's sub and some advil or tylenol, I guess I am asking how the adderall and sub made you feel.Good luck
Related topics
adderall, adderall xr, suboxone, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd)
Further information
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.