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Thread: Adderall dosage help!

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    Default Adderall dosage help!

    Hi. I tried to post this earlier this morning but I was so out of it mentally, that it didn't seem to actually make it on the board. Here we go again. I need some advice from those of you who have ADHD. I was recently diagnosed and for the first time in my life (Ive been dancing for many years and was never able to understand why) I am finally able to fathom quitting the lifestyle forever. If there is anyone who is reading this who has been trying to get out of the buissness or doesn't feel quite right about it, but can not possibly think of being able to adjust to the real world, consider that you may have ADHD. I know at least for me, I couldn't get out of bed in the mornings ever, and stripping worked out perfectly for me because I could go and come whenever I wanted. Ever since I started taking Adderall, my thoughts are overall stable. I dont worry about things as much, etc etc and I find it easier to not be as impulsive and cut people off. I do however need some help in reaching the appropriate dosage. I am currently prescribed 80mg per day. 40mg in the morning, followed by 40mg in the evening. I find that this is the only dosage that truly allows me to concentrate, however, it puts me into a "hyperfocus-state," At 30mg, I feel ok emotionally but it is still hard for me to hear people while conversing. Yesterday I dropped from taking 80mg per day for the past 2 days, to taking 20mg, followed by another 20mg. Somewhere around 24 hours after the 40mg from the previous night left my system, I started spacing out. I became confused and unable to read. I could hardly find my way back to my car. Today I tried to take nothing and felt depressed and confused. When I took the medicine again, I felt better. However, is it normal to get so confused and spacey? I was never that bad before I started taking the medicine. The dr. said it was normal and that everyone has their bad days. Also, sometimes if I forget to take a dosage my mind starts to race, a million thoughts go through my head, and I feel as though I'm high. (Is that the way I was without medication and now I am able to see the difference?) Or do you think the medication could be negatively changing/effecting my brain chemistry? I know that I am suppossed to use my own judgement when administering the dosages but I have no idea how much to take. Do you split it up throughout the day 30-20-10...etc....or 30, 30, 20....or 40,30,10....Should I try to go all the way back down to 20mg twice a day despite it feeling as though is isn't working? I would really love to hear about all of your experiences with this disorder because it is so new to me. For those of you in school, how many mg. do you take during tests? My biggest concern is the inability to concentrate during exams.....and feeling more spacey than usual when I don't take it, like right now I just took a pill a little while ago but my AM dosage must have worn off because I am starting to feel spacey. Once you find the correct dosage, are your days consistant? Do you feel that you have built up resistance to the drug? How much do you take on days that you dont need your brain? Thanks for the advice! It is so wierd how being on a drug can make you think so differently about taking your clothing off for money. Is this a feeling that will last? I dont have anyone else to talk to about this. The dr only give you 5 minutes and ur out the door,. So many people think it is so easy to just make lists to organize....They really have no idea what someone who really has ADHD experiences....how you can walk away from a class without having a clue as to what went on.....

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    ***Before I say anything else, I have never wanted to stop stripping because of taking my Adderall, and I haven't heard of anybody that has. I have to concentrate more at work in a club than I did at my 'real' job, but if you think it makes you want to quit, so be it***

    I am a walking pharmacy filled with psych drugs, Adderall included. I take crazy high doses of all kinds of shit, and 80mg of Adderall a day is *really* high IMO. Is there are particular reason you are seeing a doctor who won't sit down and talk to you when you have concerns about your treatment and care, because if you are worried enough to ask about it here, you probably need to sit down with your doc about the situation.

    I take 35mg a day, and I break it up as 20 in the morning and 15 in the afternoon, but only because I take other meds that react with the Adderall if I try to take it all at once. I've been on and off of it for years. I have tried every new thing that comes out, and other than Strattera, Adderall is what works on me. I actually liked Strattera better, but my insurance won't cover anything but Adderall and Ritalin.

    My advice-go talk to your doc and make him take the time to talk to you about your concerns. We can tell you a million things, but each person's brain is different.

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    Featured Member Kalligirl's Avatar
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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    80mg would probably make me jump threw a window and try to strangle someone. 10 mg makes me get the shakes! However, I do not use it often only when I need focus so I can see how someone can manage on 35mg a day.. but if you are not used to that shit, take it slowwwwwww. especially time released capusles

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    Holy moly! I take about 5-10 mg a day, in the morning, when I wake up. Any more than that and I feel gross. I can't imagine 80mg of that stuff!

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    We aren't doctors, but 80 mgs is a very high dosage. I can't imagine being put on that much. Also, if your doctor is shoving you out the door and you feel you can't talk to him, you need a new doctor. I've taken adderall for over 2 years, developed a tolerance, and am still only up to 20 mgs a day. Some people need higher dosages, but you sound like you're going a million miles a minute.

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    Quote Originally Posted by girlinterupted View Post
    We aren't doctors, but 80 mgs is a very high dosage. I can't imagine being put on that much. Also, if your doctor is shoving you out the door and you feel you can't talk to him, you need a new doctor. I've taken adderall for over 2 years, developed a tolerance, and am still only up to 20 mgs a day. Some people need higher dosages, but you sound like you're going a million miles a minute.
    That's what I was thinking.

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    I cannot imagine taking 80 mg of that either. Wayyy too much In my opinion.
    You probably need a much smaller dosage. Repeated info...go talk to you doc.
    good luck

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    80mgs??? ummm thats pretty close to cocaine dosage! lol.

    i take around 5-10mgs ..the most i've EVER heard of anyone getting prescribed is 60mgs, time released.
    XoXo


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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    ^^^For real! I can't imagine that its healthy to take more than 10-20 mg on a daily basis, no matter how "bad" your ADD is.

    If its keeping you from being able to sleep then you are taking too much. While you feel better and you *think* you're functioning more efficiently, your body still needs rest to rebuild and repair itself. Otherwise, among many other side effects it will cause premature aging.

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    This is so wierd. I actually wasnt going a million miles a minute at all. (I just like to write alot) I don't get the same effect as you guys from it....I get very calm. In fact, I tried to skip taking it today, and wasn't able to sleep this morning UNTIL I took it. Then I felt better. It regulates my sleep and I havent lost my appetite..... I sleep 7 hours now instead of 12. Does anyone else feel slower from it?? or u all feel more awake? It doesnt give me energy, if anything it takes it away -- i dont even feel like going to the gym anymore. i thought 80 a day was high and i asked 2DRS and a pharmacist and they all said 80 was pretty standard, and nothing to worry about, but i dont really want to be on this dosage...The dr perscribed 40mg pills, and i wanted 20's and the pharmacist couldnt give me 20's because the script was for 40! I started out on less and worked my way up to get there. Damn, so ur telling me either my ADD is really bad, or theres something wrong with my body that it can handle so much should i ask to be put on something else that would give me more energy? (im not sure if they will though) Focalin and Ritalin both caused drowsiness for me. At least with the Adderall Im staying awake getting regular sleep, but I wouldnt mind trying Dexadrine. On Focalin i could not stay awake.what r ur adhd symptoms like?

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    Maybe I'm sounding really bad but I find this whole thing kind of funny. You're taking so much and you're posting SUUUUUUUPER long posts about it... I swear I was -exactly- like this when I was high on meth, funny that. Perhaps you SHOULD lower the dosage a bit.


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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    My Adderall dosage does slow me down-a lot. I totally have the paradoxical effect it is supposed to cause in people that actually have ADHD. I can do most things start to finish, concentrate on work, etc.

    And since I am a nosy bitch and I had never heard of anybody actually getting 80mg as a therapeutic dose, I asked my mom (she is a psychiatrist) about it. She said she has never, in her 20+ years of practicing medicine, heard of a person taking that much for therapeutic reasons, and after a certain amount of mg's it stops doing what it should do for ADHD and just speeds you up.

    You really do sound like you are going a mile a minute, even if you don't *feel* like it. I mean, I never feel hyper when I'm not taking my Adderall unless somebody points it out to me, because it feels normal to me for some reason. Seriously, get a second opinion from a psychiatrist. Taking too much Adderall really stresses your body, and you can only do it for so long before it starts to take it's toll. Trust me on that-my heart, nervous system and liver are fucked past the point of no return from taking some of the things I take in the doses I have been taking them, and I'm only 23.

    *Steps down off soapbox and goes to take her noon meds*
    Last edited by gingerlee; 09-25-2007 at 10:24 AM.

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    I can take an Adderrol and go to sleep, it slows me down as well. Every morning I wake up, take my 10mg, and go back to sleep for a while! I was super high energy in Vegas because I wasn't taking any at all.

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    It really sucks that you guys dont seem to believe me, and assume that because I'm writing alot, it means that I'm speeding off of Adderall. I'm not. I'm upset and posting for advice. I have talked about this with 2 psychiatrists, and pharmacists. All of them have said that the dosage is fine,(although one pharmacist admitted it was high) but have given me very mixed signals about how to administer the medication. For example, one doctor said i could take 40mg 2x per day if i needed to, but it would be fine to take less on some days, depending what I had to do that day. Please believe me that Im accurately assessing the situation as to how my body is responding. I am sleeping. I am eating. The only problem and my main concern is that I dont know what the right dosage is for me to be taking. Although they said i could take varying dosages, when I try to take less on a certain day, I dont feel right. It is when I DONT TAKE it that I get all hyper (and ud think i was messed up when IM NOT on it) Taking less regulates my moods but doesnt help me at all with concentration(reading listing to conversations). Ive also talked about this with my psychologist and he has actually seen me when i came to a session and had just taken a pill, and noticed how it effected me. so dont think im just upping the dosages without drs orders. im not lying! It did help with concentration at first. Then it stopped. We increased the dosage. I could concentrate. Then it stopped. Today I took 20mg in the morning. My mood was fine UNTIL i didnt take it on time!! Id say I went at least 7 hours before taking another 20mg. This didn't help so I took another 20mg. Went to try to study and it wasn't helping. Since Im allowed to take up to 80 mg a day I took another one. I am in school and have a very important standardized test coming up. When the medication works, I can do it and score perfectly. When it doesnt, like tonight, I can sit and space off for hours, and not comprehend a thing Im reading and get the easiest ones wrong. I am so upset. All i care about right now is that this medication works on the day of the test. The pharmacist said that I should take 40 in the morning and 40 in the evening regularly and that would help. Is there a difference between spacing it out and taking 40mg at once? I m just concerned because what if im growing a tolerance??????? What if this medication just stopped working? i cant stop cold turkey but i dont want to take 80 mg a day if my tolerance is growing this fast and whats the point of taking less if it doesnt help the concentration at all. do u think if i stop taking it now it will work again in the future on test day? please dont respond by calling me a liar. i WISH i was lying about this.if i was lying, id be sitting in the library right now reading and not posting online.You can share my story with ur mom and ask her what she thinks......I can try talking to the drs AGAIN but they will just say the same thing and think im annoying for bothering them, but i need advice sooner than waiting a month. thanks =(

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    i don't know what to tell you other than to join the parade of people shocked at how high that dose is. 30mg left me in zombieville, all sluggish, and 25mg left me with meth syndrome (organising bookshelves and such) for 24 hours straight. so that was the end of adderall for me.

    people are snarking the posts because they HAVE NO PARAGRAPHING. and that is sometimes a mark of typing so fast you don't realise you've neglected to make a few.

    you might try concerta, a different form of ritalin. works out for some people better than adderall.

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    Thanks for pointing that out. My friends complain all the time about my failure to use paragraphs. You guys all think I am out of my mind. But I have been posting on here when the meds have already worn off. LOL. I thought to try 30mg two times per day, instead of 20mg 4 times day. Do you think taking more at one time could help?

    Or maybe I will just take the 20mg for awhile....but when I have to be very concentrated then take more?(there, see, i made a paragraph) =)

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    deleted
    Last edited by cutey5032; 10-14-2008 at 03:46 PM.

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    Quote Originally Posted by cutey503 View Post
    And PS----that shit doesn't just "wear off" quickly, it can stay in your system for days, especially if you've just started taking it.

    Be careful is all I am saying........
    taking the 20mg for a while and seeing what happens might be a better idea than to take more at once
    You can't just pop some Adderall and expect to be able to concentrate on things because you took a larger dose that day. I have to take my Adderall on a consistant basis spaced out throughout the day to be able to work/clean/organize/etc.

    I do Adderall holidays every couple of months to make sure I don't go into crazy ass withdrawals without it. I can say that when I don't take it I get hyper and do a million things without finishing any of them, but I don't feel like I can't do anything productive without it. When I go back to taking it it takes a few days for me to get enough medicine back in my system to be effective. Have you ever done a holiday for a week or so to see what happens and then gone back on without such a large dose?

    Just be careful. This shit can fuck your heart before you even realize it. And your doc should be telling you exactly how to space out your doses. That's part of his job and it should be written on your prescription bottle. If it's not clear or he's saying to do whatever you want...that's kinda weird.

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    I'm a psychiatrist, so here are a few facts/opinions:

    60mg is the usual highest daily dose of adderall.

    80mg is the highest I've seen anyone taking, ever.

    When assessing a stimulant, you have to look at two things: potency and duration of action. At 40mg per dose, potency shouldn't be a problem. To assess potency, ask yourself - an hour after taking the medication, am I able to focus and concentrate? As far as duration of action is concerned, immediate release adderall should last about 4-6 hours (usually 4hrs). So taking doses 7hrs or longer apart means that the medication is going to wear off inbetween the doses. Take the 40mg twice a day about 4-6 hours apart. You should get about 8 good hours of productivity out of that. Plan your day around it.

    Take the medication consistantly. At total daily doses that high, if you vary the dosing times or strengths, you are going to have withdrawal effects and get irritable/spacey/moody/etc.

    You might do better with adderall xr. The extended release would still be taken twice a day, but the "crash" would be less dramatic and may have less of an impact on your mood/irritability/concentration during the off hours.

    If you were my patient, I wouldn't have given you 80mg/day.

    When I have someone on 60mg of adderall/day and it isn't doing the job, instead of just raising the dose, I'll usually add another agent that will augment it's effects (Wellbutrin or Strattera or some other agent).

    One major concern here is that you mentioned something about the Adderall leveling out your mood. Adderall is not a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or even 4th choice for depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder. If you have anxiety or a mood disorder that is not under control, go see your doctor and get those symptoms addressed FIRST. Technically, we are not even supposed to make the diagnosis of ADD/ADHD in someone with an undiagnosed or untreated mood or anxiety disorder. Adderall will play hell with the symptoms of an uncontrolled depressive or bipolar disorder.

    Go see your doctor before you change anything. Get clear on how he wants you to take the medication.


    Hope that helps,

    Scottsdale Shrink

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    ^^If that's a real doctor (first post so I'm always a skeptic), they pretty much said the same thing my mom said when I talked to her last night. (I was doing my weekly 'Have you gone to the doctor and taken all your meds the right way' talk with her.)

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    Yes, adderol shouldn't change your mood. Or at least it doesn't change my mood. My girlfriend is always asking me for it because it does affect her mood, makes her happy, horny, etc. No change for me. Then again, I take a relatively small amount.

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    It doesn't do anything to my mood either. Even if I quit taking it for a few days I don't get depressed or anything like that, I just get hyper and annoying because I go and go and go. All it does is make me concentrate on whatever task I am supposed to be doing.

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    I'm not certain its a doctor. How did you find yourself on this board?? ADHD causes anxiety. It is a different type of anxiety than sweaty pals, social phobia, etc....ADHD makes you worry about something until you find a solution, then you are on to the next worry. I've read extensively on the subject and to make a long story short, it is a way for your mind to order things. If you are worrying about one thing, it is sometimes easier for your brain to handle than all of the million thoughts going on other wise.

    I am experimenting with lower dosages. We shall see how it goes.

    My insurance would not have covered the 40mg BID if it was not a safe dosage. It was explained to me that different people's bodies have different absorbtion rates. Not everyone absorbs the same amount of the drug.

    ADHD medication obviously changes your mood. It is ignorant to say otherwise. First of all the purpose of the drug is to make someone calmer, which in itself is a mood change. It makes you calmer by slowing down the million thoughts that are running around in your head. Once your thoughts slow down, the anxiety dissapates. Medication also removes your ability to turn on the hyperfocused state of consciousness when you want to, which I am not sure if such a good thing. (However at higher dosages perhaps it will allow you to reach that state) Once someone sees that they are able to do certain things on this drug, they begin to change the way they look at themseleves and not believe that they are just lazy or stupid. How can you say that a drug designed to give people the ability to calm down and control themselves is not mood changing?

    Where did you go to school? You should read some current literature on the subject.

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    ps - my post was targeted towards the psychiatrist, and not towards you girls....

    im referring to how it effects the whole, moreso than the parts

    i do believe you if it doesnt change your mood. however, it is designed to and does for most people

    shit here i go again now i better go before im late like usual uurggh

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    Default Re: Adderall dosage help!

    Quote Originally Posted by heather9 View Post

    My insurance would not have covered the 40mg BID if it was not a safe dosage. It was explained to me that different people's bodies have different absorbtion rates. Not everyone absorbs the same amount of the drug.
    Insurance companies could give a shit. Some grumpy claims underwriter approved your script. This guy sounds legit to me.

    And I do see where you are coming from, having ADHD can cause anxiety. In my case, its the anxiety I cause others because I'm all over the place, lol!

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

    Quote Originally Posted by Mia M
    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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