Obviously, medications can affect people differently. My experience with stimulant drugs has been so-so. I can try to tell you a little bit of my experience on various ones.

Concerta (short acting): was in and out of my system too quickly (only lasted about 3-4 hours). Would work great and then it would seem to wear off over the duration of like, five minutes, which caused major migraines. Felt jittery as a side effect.

Concerta (extended release): lasted about six hours, worked fine, but caused skin picking as an anxiety side effect. The wearing off was more gradual but still caused headaches. Jittery still a side effect.

Ritalin: went through my system very quickly as well (3-4 hours). Had the same problem with it wearing off over a very short period and causing major headaches.

Vyvanse: Caused anxiety to rocket sky high. Seemed not very effective at treating ADHD symptoms.

Adderall: Caused anxiety to rocket sky high. Was effective, but couldn't stand the anxiety.

Focalin (extended release): This is the stimulant with which I have had the best luck. Virtually no side effects except a little bit of an increase in anxiety. Very effective at easing ADHD symptoms. Lasts about 6 hours. A generic version of this medication recently came onto the market. I found the generic to be ineffective for me in comparison to the brand name.

Strattera (Non-stimulant but thought I'd throw it in): No side effects. However, as a non-stimulant, it is not a quick acting (actually takes a month or two to build up in your system). It helped me but the effects were not as dramatic as with a stimulant.

In terms of your post, I'm not sure stimulant medication is the answer to you not being able to stay awake during the day. Are you getting enough sleep at night? For people with ADHD, stimulant medications actually calm us down. If you have ADHD and are already falling asleep, I'm not sure stimulants are going to wake you up.