[ariatboot]

My pdoc switched me over to the Adderall XR about a week ago and it only seems to be working for about 6 hours for me. I take 20 mg between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. and by 2:00 p.m. I start to crash. I did finally get in to see her (after calling all week) and she said I could take another 20 mg of the XR around 2:00 p.m. I like the regular (non XR form) Adderall so much better. I was taking 20 mg 3X day I only got about 3 1/2 to 4 hours out of each pill but to me I could adjust the dose depending on the day I was having. If I happened to get up later in the day I would skip my morning dose and if I had to get up early in the morning I would skip my nightly dose so I could get to bed earlier.

Now Im starting to get worried that I may be getting addicted to Addreall. I was prescribed it in the first place because of sever and debilitating depression. With it I am able to function enought to do the simplest things (i.e. get out of bed, do laundry, cook diner, run erronds, clean the house and if its a really good day I may even find the motivation and evergy to read a book) I just dont want to be addicted to the stuff. How long does it take for an addiction to form? Is getting 6 hours out of the XR form normal or should it be lasting longer? Thanks!

[AniManiac]

I've never taken the XR version - used to take regular ol' generic amphetamine salts, but had to do so twice a day to keep myself properly functional. Adderall is not approved for treating depression - it's only occasionally used off-label as a treatment for treatment-resistant depression. So most people probably can't give you much feedback on how Adderall would work for depression.

It's very unusual to take stimulants at night - almost guaranteed to keep you up, for most people. The latest in the day I ever took it (with the non-XR type) was 4 PM.

[sunrise]

Having a stimulant last a shorter amount of time is not generally a symptom of tolerance. (Tolerance is a sign that addiction may be developing.) Usually tolerance shows up as your needing a higher dose. I have been taking the stimulant Vyvanse for several years and have not developed tolerance. In fact, I have decreased my dose. The long-acting stimulants are less prone to tolerance/addiction because you don't get that immediate reinforcing jolt/buzz.

If I find my Vyvanse doesn't last the whole day and I need more stimulant later, I take a low dose of immediate release Adderall. This combination of long-acting Vyvanse and an occasional Adderall chaser works well for me. Lately I haven't needed the chaser, though. Maybe a similar solution might work for you. I would be worried about taking an extended release formulation so late in the day.

I have a pharm book that says, "a single dose of Adderalll XR 20 mg gives drug levels... comparable to Adderall immediate-release 20 mg administered in 2 divided doses, 4 hrs apart."

So if you were taking 20 mg immediate release 3x per day, the 20 mg of the XR is definitely quite a bit lower dose.

The book also says, "Adderall XR has up to 8 hr duration of clinical action." So you are in the right ballpark.

By the way, Vyvanse has a longer duration of clinical action (10-12 hrs), so that might be another option to look at.