Side-effects of Adderall...normal or not working for me?

First off I know that we're not here to diagnose each other (and I have an appointment next week, so no worries!) but just for the sake of discussion...

I am due to start 20mg immediate release Adderall this next week when I meet with my psych, but I am "testing" it this week, as per my other clinician. I have had Adderall before, plenty of times, but never for my actual condition, or prescribed to me. Just, you know..well, high school.

But as for trying it now, I cannot begin to explain how overwhelming the clarity is. Almost makes me want to cry. This seems to be exactly what I was needing to keep my mind in check at this very stressful time in my life. And I swear it's not just the euphoric effect of the amphetamine

However, I must observe and question these side-effects, as I last year, after leaving the ARMY, did go to the hospital for blacking out (still no "reason" was determined) but it WAS then determined that I had a heart murmur. As far as I know, I do not still. But the Adderall does clearly get my heart rate up and going a bit. Nothing too crazy, or distracting, but that being said, it's noticeable to me. Accompanied also by some light teeth-grinding, when I'm not paying attention enough to monitor that. I know these are common side-effects of an amphetamine, but, based on past personal experiences or educated guesses here, does that mean that either my dosage is too high (I am a pretty small female, anyway, don't know how much that matters but, I would imagine...) or that perhaps Adderall is just not the ADHD med for me?

Keep in mind please that other than these things I am concerned about, I do love Adderall and am rather excited to begin using it regularly. Since, I've never tried any other med, like Vyvanse or Ritalin, I am worried that if I try those, they will not be as satisfying to me. Many times I have heard that the effects are very different with each one.

Anyway, in the end I'll of course leave it up to my PCP, but, any thoughts?

Thanks

I'm surprised that you are getting this prescribed when you have a known predisposition to sudden cardiac death.

Just the fact that you are euphoric, have tachycardia and don't even notice that you are grinding your teeth, you're basically tweaking out like someone on low dose methamphetamine because the dose is way too high.

Those side effects are only temporary.

That's what I was assuming as well...right off hand I thought that 20mg might be too high for me because, again, of the weight issue. I truthfully don't have any idea if that's actually the case, but...I was simply basing it off of the fact that I have a very large male friend who was prescribed 30's specifically, according to his doctor, because of his weight. Which makes perfect sense considering how medications are dispersed within your body...

And, hey, I don't know! I had a physical examination from my general physician, was confirmed that I do not currently have a heart murmur...and my psych knows every detail of that history, because it is actually the main concern I had myself! So I am just trusting them and assuming they know what they're doing with me and believe I'm in no immediate danger being on an amphetamine. All things to ponder, though, for sure...

These are pretty common side effects. My college roommate took Adderall for her narcolepsy, and she had her heart and blood pressure checked regularly to make sure that nothing was going awry. Sometimes she had to go to the ER when she had heart murmurs, just to stay safe, but nothing serious ever happened.

When I took Adderall for ADHD, I had pretty bad bruxism. My psychiatrist told me that this was pretty normal, and that it sometimes goes away. Eventually I quit Adderall because it interferes with my bipolar disorder, which is by far my more serious concern.

I don't think your dosage is too high. My former roommate and I are very petite, and we took 40mg/day each. I took extended release. You could consider that, since it can smooth out side effects and prevent an Adderall crash when the medication wears off. This said, even with extended release, I experienced an almost unbearable crash towards the end of the day, i.e. around 6pm I'd become incredibly irritable, get headaches, etc.

Good luck.

You say your dose is 20mg--does that mean 20mg 2 or 3 times a day? Or one dose of 20mg for the entire day? Some people respond to a dose as low as 5 mg twice a day. Or if you are taking the 20mg once a day, it might help to split the dose into 10mg twice a day. I don't know for sure because I'm not a doctor but teeth grinding, racing heart and euphoria might be unsafe side effects caused by too high of a dose. I take a much larger dose that you and I don't have those types of side effects.

I would trust your doctor with regard to the heart condition. Having a racing heart happens to almost everyone, and will improve with time on the medication.

I'd agree that you should split the 20 mg dose to 10 mg twice daily. Ask your doctor to make sure, but this seems much more common. When you just start taking Adderall (like you did when you experimented in the past), all of the positives of the medication will be magnified tenfold of what they will be after prolonged use. It may not have felt like the amphetamine's euphoric effect, but your description fits in perfectly with euphoria. That feeling that everything in the world is just great, and that you've finally found a solution.

Because doctors don't warn their patients of this, I just want you to know that you will think the Adderall is no longer working after a month or two. This is because the euphoria and rush of energy will disappear completely, and you will not really notice that you're taking the medication. While this is disappointing for so many people, you have to remember that euphoria and energy aren't the reason you are prescribed Adderall. Your concentration and clarity should remain, granted you are on the proper dose, but the most noticeable pleasant effects will disappear. People almost always go back to the doctor saying they need more Adderall once this happens, but they are inadvertently just chasing the original high that they will never experience again. Before you increase your dose, you have to consider the symptoms that the Adderall is supposed to be treating, not the loss of the pleasant side effects.

Sorry to be a bit of a downer. Adderall is still an amazing drug that has been proven to turn lives around, and I really hope that it is everything you're looking for

I'm replying to this because I just started adderall 20 mg xr and or 10mg ir the med has seemed to make me angry? I do not believe this drug will cause euphoria for myself anyways I'm wondering why it is making me feel this way. Today I just tried taking 1 10mg IR and I just feel aggressive. What will help me? This would be appreciated.

BTW I am a 22 F 5ft3 lol and weigh 110 if that helps

Thanks