Tara,
This is okay and normal when you start on meds, trying to find the correct dose. There are a great many of them. And there is no way of knowing what medicine and dose will work for who. A 300 lb man may need a smaller dose than an eleven year old girl.
It is trial and error at first. When you get used to a medication you will not really "feel" it but will be calmer and better able to sit still and accomplish things. Others will notice it probably. You will feel calm, peaceful, awake, alert, and in a better mood. It will make it so you can think and you are less forgetful and spacey.
If it makes you feel speedy or tired, and you have been on it a while and are used to it, the medication is either not right, or the dose is too much or little. That is one weird thing....a little too much will make you sleepy, a lot too much will make you speedy.
Best of luck, I know its frustrating, but once it is right, it really will help you and be a blessing. It may take a while. I am on Ritalin 20 mg three times a day, it works well. I've also taken Adderal, which worked well; Strattera, which didn't; and Vyvanse, an extended release dexedrine which was wonderful and calming, but not particularly motivating (I COULD focus, but I really just wanted to do crafts and make cookies and love everyone). Also, it just was hell on my sleep. Ritalin wears off quickly....I like that. I can take my last dose between 4 and 8 pm, and it doesn't affect my sleep. (Actually, I can easily sleep on most adhd medicine....for some reason, not Vyvanse, though.)
I will be thinking of you and praying you find relief. When you do find it, it is blessed. After a month or so of effective adhd relief, I thought, "Oh! If only I'd had this in college!"