[Distracted_Seph]

Hello everyone! I'm 30 years old and was only recently diagnosed with ADHD. When first diagnosed my doctor decided to have me try Ritalin to help manage the condition. It didn't have much of an effect.
So last week I asked the doc if I could try Adderall instead. She agreed and I tried it out. I was amazed at the results.

All of the background noise in my mind faded away and I was able to be calm and focused, for possibly the first time in my life.

Well that only lasted for about 2 days because the 3rd day (last Thursday) I started getting very anxious and irritable after taking it. This is a huge bummer given I was very excited about how it had worked the first couple of days.

My question is, has anyone else experienced high levels of anxiety while taking Adderall? If so did it calm down or go away once you'd been on it for a while?

There are some other things that are probably contributing to my anxiety too. Such as: Quit smoking about a month ago, cut back on drinking (from 2-3 times a week to once or twice a month), Regularly take diphenhydramine for sleep.

Any replies/help would be greatly appreciated!

[Wild Coyote]

Hi!

I take generic Adderall. I find it works rather smoothly some days and other days, I have symptoms, like a rapid heart beat, etc. I have played with the dosage to find the one that helped yet gave me few side-effects.
I have not found generic Adderall to be all that many others report. Just my own 2 cents! Lol!

Can you experiment with the dose or is this an XR formulation?


WC

[Distracted_Seph]

Originally Posted by Wild Coyote

Hi!

I take generic Adderall. I find it works rather smoothly some days and other days, I have symptoms, like a rapid heart beat, etc. I have played with the dosage to find the one that helped yet gave me few side-effects.
I have not found generic Adderall to be all that many others report. Just my own 2 cents! Lol!

Can you experiment with the dose or is this an XR formulation?


WC

It is an XR formulation, I may ask my doc about getting short release though so I can play with it a little, see what works and what doesn't.

[Wild Coyote]

Originally Posted by Distracted_Seph

It is an XR formulation, I may ask my doc about getting short release though so I can play with it a little, see what works and what doesn't.

That may be a good idea. You'll have more control of it. ind your best dose and then either stay with IR or translate the dose back into an XL formulation.

I like the IR. It gives me more flexibility.

Good luck with this!

WC

[still_crazy]

hi. some doctors will be nice enough to provide a low dose, as needed benzodiazepine, especially while you adjust to a stimulant. not all doctors will, though...there's still a stigma attached to prescribing both uppers and downers, so do be aware of that. i had an acquaintance w/ severe add who was on a stimulant+straterra, and had as needed valium for agitation. worked OK, I think.

do you have any other "issues" in the background? sometimes, other psych drugs--antidepressants, buspar, etc.--can be added to get the effect you need while also mellowing out any bad effects from the amphetamine.

oh, and gabapentin. or lyrica. again; not all prescribers are gung ho about sedatives for people on stimulants, but some doctors are more accomodating. it really depends.

[Llama_Llama44]

Very relatable for me. Do you have an anxiety disorder or anything also? Or is the anxiety really just tied to the meds? For the time being, I cope with an SSRI and no adhd meds (plus therapy, planning, other tools, etc.)

Exacerbating my anxiety (and anxiety about getting more anxious haha) weren't worth it, for right now. But I certainly know others who had similar issues and got past it with the right meds.

[Smitkit]

Contrary to what may seem logical, not having enough medication in your system will cause anxiety and irritation. (Also some anxiety and irrritation is normal in humans, as much as we ADDers want to be perfect)

Acid greatly decreases the effectiveness of amphetamines. If you start the morning with Apple, orange juice, milk, etc. You are decreasing about 50% of the med.

Antihistamines also decrease by up to 80%. The diphenhydramine you take at night.

Take med every day at the same time; yogurt or non acidic fruit for best results. Followed by light exercise of some sort.

If that doesn’t work, you may need a dose increase. Takes more than a couple days to get in right...more like 2-3 weeks.

As far as benzos...my suggestion is stay away unless you have severe panic disorder. You are just canceling out the effectiveness of the adhd medication.

It is a new medication. You will have side effects initially. But they will pass if you take it right and consistently.

....you could always call your doctor to and ask them.

[Distracted_Seph]

Originally Posted by Llama_Llama44

Very relatable for me. Do you have an anxiety disorder or anything also? Or is the anxiety really just tied to the meds? For the time being, I cope with an SSRI and no adhd meds (plus therapy, planning, other tools, etc.)

Exacerbating my anxiety (and anxiety about getting more anxious haha) weren't worth it, for right now. But I certainly know others who had similar issues and got past it with the right meds.

I have dealt with social anxiety in the past, but it's nowhere near as powerful or persistent as what I feel when I'm on the Adderall.

[Distracted_Seph]

Originally Posted by still_crazy

hi. some doctors will be nice enough to provide a low dose, as needed benzodiazepine, especially while you adjust to a stimulant. not all doctors will, though...there's still a stigma attached to prescribing both uppers and downers, so do be aware of that. i had an acquaintance w/ severe add who was on a stimulant+straterra, and had as needed valium for agitation. worked OK, I think.

do you have any other "issues" in the background? sometimes, other psych drugs--antidepressants, buspar, etc.--can be added to get the effect you need while also mellowing out any bad effects from the amphetamine.

oh, and gabapentin. or lyrica. again; not all prescribers are gung ho about sedatives for people on stimulants, but some doctors are more accomodating. it really depends.

My doc put me on Buspar to try and help balance it out but it doesn't seem to help a whole lot. The other "issues" I've dealt with in the past are mild depression, and I've dealt with insomnia pretty much my whole life.