Adderall: Dosing and Duration
ByMention the phrase “attention deficit hyperactive disorder” and most people immediately associate it with the drug Ritalin. The two words seem to go and and hand with the other.
It might surprise you to know though that in the U.S. Adderall is actually the most commonly prescribed medication for this health disorder. Adderall and its sister medication Adderall XR share nearly 25 percent of the medication market. That means that for every four people taking some type of prescription drug — one of those people is taking a form of Adderall.
Different from several other attention deficit drugs on the market, Adderall is not a single chemical or drug, but a powerful bend of a combination of stimulants. Specifically Adderall is composed of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine.
The medical community believes this prescription drug works through the restoration of the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain, namely dopamine and norepinephrine.
ADD/ADHD isn’t the only health disorder that Adderall benefits, though it’s certainly one of the biggest. This medication is also administered to those individuals who suffer from narcolepsy. This is a condition in which a person suddenly and randomly just falls asleep regardless of the time of day or the activity he is pursuing.
Having said this, Adderall should be not used to treat tiredness or for those who don’t have an actual, diagnosed sleep disorder.
Adderall is taken by mouth upon arising in the morning — or at a time in the morning specifically directed by your physician. If more than one dose is prescribed than you’ll more than likely be instructed to take them about four to six hours apart. That’s the approximate duration of this prescription drug.
This means that you — or your child — will need to take this pill at least two times and probably three times a day. And be careful about a “before bedtime” dose. If you or your child should take these less than six hours before bedtime, sleeping problems may arise.
Be sure to take this medication exactly as prescribed. Your doctor has tailored your dosage to meet your specific medical condition and to your responses to previous therapy. At the outset of using Adderall, you may find that your physician is “fiddling” with your prescription. It may seem like fiddling to you, he’s actually making all the necessary adjustments — fine tuning your dosage you might say — that hopefully will give you precisely the correct amount for your daily needs.
Dr. Kenny
I had a question about Adderall. My husband has pretty severe ADHD symptoms. He’s tried Adderall in the past, but experiences RLS-like symptoms in his arms. (We were trying to stay cheap, since he is uninsured at the moment. She had samples of the Lexapro, though.)
Because of this, the ARNP he saw suggested Lexapro. After 3 weeks, we still saw no signs of it working. He went back to her on Monday to see if there were other options. She informed him that most of the ADHD drugs are in the same family as Adderall, so if that drug created those symptoms, the rest would probably too. For that reason, she gave him enough Adderall to last until the Lexapro kicked in (6-8 weeks total, she said) and sent him on his way.
Of course, I’m know very little about medications, especially ADD meds. But this just sounds a little strange. First of all, I’ve never heard of an antidepressant taking so long to build up. (I take Lexapro, as well. I get quick results from any anti-depressants, but as I recall my doctor at the time said it would take 2-4 weeks, max.) And it just seems hard to believe that all of the other medications are so similar to Adderall that they would cause the same symptoms.
So I guess I’m looking for your opinion on all this. Also, if the ARNP’s opinion is accurate, do you think that Requip would ease some of the RLS symptoms in his arms?
I’m a relatively new subscriber, by the way, but I’m enjoying your posts so far. It’s very informative about some of the newer medications on the market.
My husband is still learning about most advances, as he was diagnosed back in ’88. His parents tried Ritalin, which had bad side effects. They never tried anything else, besides Special Education for a year. So I’m endeavoring to get both of us up to speed on what traits are related to ADD, what coping mechanisms we can find for ones that have problematic results, and what medication options he has. So this blog is definitely helpful!
Abigail – what’s RLS?
As a first comment – Lexapro shouldn’t do much for ADHD. It may help with depression and anxiety, but not ADHD.
Ooops, sorry RLS=Restless Leg Syndrome. Only Tim feels it in his arms.
And the ARNP said that often antidepressants will help with ADD symptoms. Since we were worried about cost, she suggested that route instead.
I was diagnosed with Adult ADHD and prescribed Ritaln 30mg twice a day. Within an hour after taking it I start feeling tired, tired to the point that I am taking naps now when I never have before. Is there a solution? Does anyone else have this happen?