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When is Adderall XR at it's strongest?

liars_paradox

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I'm not sure if my adderall xr wears off too quickly or if it makes my concentration and short term memory span worse, but it seems that some time after taking my medication my attention appears to be worse and it appears that I am more easily frustrated by things. This is greatly contrasted by night where the medication would've worn off by then where my attention is in fact improved and my working memory capacity is greater than during the day.

This is bothersome, because when my attention is worse than when I am on my medication, my mood tends to be pretty terrible and I am harder to be around. Does anyone know why this might be happening?

Also, another note is that I was taking Dexedrine ER and I would have a similar effect a couple of hours after having taken my medication.


Thank-you.
 

liars_paradox

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It usually peaks between 1 to 4 hours after taking the med.

If this is bothersome for you, there's no need to continue suffering like this.

Just see your Dr.

Hope you get to feeling better bro. :)

Thanks but my Dr. isn't helpful. I want to go see someone else but they won't make it easy for me. Just playing different brain games online, I find a dramatic drop in performance after 2 - 3 hours after taking it. I hear that it's suppossed to last for 6 hours or even longer but it really appears to last for an hour or so. It really is a bothersome thing for me because I wanted to take Adderall XR so that i wouldn't have to deal with my medication stopping so suddenly and things all of a sudden become harder. But, Adderall XR doesn't always seem to be able to stop that.
 
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grainofsalt

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Well Adderall XR while the same medication as the IR, should be thought of as a similiar yet different medication.

The way I understand it, those little modules inside the capsule release the medication at different time intervals. Essentially, the coating protecting the medication has to wear down from the digestive process and then the medication is released. Therefore, the first "burst might be felt after 1 hour, and the second burst after 3 hours. What I have personally noticed from this form of Adderall (and as you pointed out) is that the "effects" are inconsistent. Hour 1 can feel like its working, hour 2 feels like wow its working but it feels a bit strong, hour 3 feels likes wait a minute, did I even take it, hour 4 reminds you "yes I did, and by hour 6, you feel like its stopped working and question how this could possibly be an extended release formula.

My suggestion is for you to request multiple doses of Instant release at a lower milligram dosage. For example, I take 2 tablets, 7.5mg per day, 1 tablet earlier in the day and 1 tablet in the evening. This also allows for doing halfs (by this I mean taking 1 tablet morning, then 1/2 tablet at non and the other 1/2 in the evening). The big thing here is that the dosing cycle is shorter and it allows for more self control of the script (provided it says 2 times daily and not every 12 hours on the bottle, and that the half dosing option has been discussed with your doctor).


Lisa, as I am sure you know Dexedrine is L-Amphetamine (LA) whereas Addrerall is a mixture of D-Amphetamine and L-Amphetemine salts (DA). LA has a slower onset of action and DA has a quicker onset of action. LA has more of an effect on the norephedrine system while DA has more of an effect on the Dopamine system; however both have a clinically significant effect on both the Norephedrine and Dopamine systems. (Thus Adderall works slightly more on the dopamine system and Dexedrine works slightly more on the Norephedrine system.) This is an important consideration because you "feel" the effects of Adderall at first than you do with Dexedrine, and because Adderall is a bit less effecting on the Norephedrine system, it doesn't provide as much of an Energy Boost, however its concentration pacification/contentment is more significant. While this is definately debatable, IMO Adderall has more of a calming effect while still allowing for a reasonable level of energy.

Also, you are what you eat, especially in that certain foods and OTC medications can effect prescription ones, and Adderall is by far no exception to that rule. Baking soda and base oriented antacids increase the amount of Adderall absorbed. Acidic foods/drinks like soda can reduce the amount of Adderall absorbed by the body (so tums would increase the effects, lemon juice would decrease the effects of the medication.) Therefore, you might want to consider avoiding acidic foods an hour before and after taking Adderall. A small pinch of baking soda in water can be used if you had an acidic meal but please use caution as too much absortion could cause negative results (dizziness, nervousness, higher BP/heart rate, ect)
 
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Khaleas

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My doc said that some people just don't do well with extended release tablets. I can't do anything strong in extended release. For me it can have a totally different reaction and function oddly in comparison to the instant release. Depends on many factors, metabolism, acidity in the digestive system. Not much you can do about it.
 
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Steffenfield

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This is what I have from a program called UptoDate.

It's the best evidence based medical application in the world. :)



Pharmacodynamics/Kinetics

Onset of action: 30-60 minutes

Duration: 4-6 hours

Absorption: Well-absorbed

Distribution: Vd: Adults: 3.5-4.6 L/kg; distributes into CNS, mean CSF concentrations are 80% of plasma

Half-life elimination: Adults: d-amphetamine: 10 hours; l-amphetamine: 13 hours

Metabolism: Hepatic via cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and glucuronidation

Time to peak: Tmax: Adderall®: 3 hours; Adderall XR®: 7 hours

Excretion: Urine (highly dependent on urinary pH); 70% of a single dose is eliminated within 24 hours; excreted as unchanged amphetamine (30%, may range from ~1% in alkaline urine to ~75% in acidic urine), benzoic acid, hydroxyamphetamine, hippuric acid, norephedrine, and p-hydroxynorephedrine.





An FDA-approved patient medication guide should have been dispensed to you with this medication.

If you don't have this, you can find it here. :)
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm085819.pdf

I hope you are able to find something that will be more effective in treating your ADHD.
 
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Ultraviolet

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its because the medication gives u a little bit of a crash. just put ur head down a little bit, dont go to sleep because that will make it harder to concentrate later, but just rest and take a break , drink some coffee and u will feel better. but it seems to be strongest for me in that 1st hour and a half after taking it
 
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Azekual

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Adderall XR is manufactured with a time release mechanism in the tiny balls within the capsules. These tiny balls release roughly half of their formula 30 minutes (ballpark estimate, it varies day to day, person to person), lasting in the neighborhood of four hours. Once that has been metabolized the medication releases the second half of its formula a slower acting set of amphetamine salts, which takes around 9 hours to metabolize.

Between the two amphetamine types (there are actually four but for the purposes of this post, there are two) you should have roughly 12 hours of continuous, steady medication flowing through your bloodstream, except where the two amphetamine types meet. On occasion your two amphetamines will not overlap perfectly, resulting in a gap in the medicine where your ADHD symptoms will return.

What is your diet? What you eat affects your ADHD and your Adderall, quite heavily in fact. A diet of complex carbs and red meat have been shown to lessen the symptoms of ADHD (it is a very complex disorder). Also, what do you drink before, during, or/and after taking your Adderall? Anything acidic, such as orange juice, soda (especially Mt. Dew), tend to dissolve the medication faster than intended thus making it less effective.

Disclaimer: I am not an expert, however I have done extensive research on ADHD and Adderall, including its variants, and thus have a sound understanding on the topic being discussed. Since I have done extensive research on this subject, I can provide sources that support my statements. However, I must add that, even though I have a greater grasp of ADHD than some doctors (ADHD is not accepted as a real/serious disorder by an alarming number of doctors), any advice from a doctor on ADHD, true or otherwise, is more legitimate than any statement I make, because I am not a doctor.....yet.
 
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